Can the Indian Navy respond to a growing Chinese fleet?

The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether the Indian Navy can respond to a growing Chinese fleet by analyzing the historical development of the Indian Navy since independence. Three naval expansion periods are identified, and three causal factors are measured to determine the effects of each factor on Indian naval expansion. The three factors are (1) responses to a perceived threat, (2) India's economic condition, and (3) the benefits of foreign military aid. The saidy shows that responses to an increase in perceived threat initially drove each expansion period, but a key factor in sustaining any period of development was the benefit of foreign military aid. The economy played a minor role in India's early history, but has become a primary factor for future fleet expansion. The conclusion of this thesis is that the Indian Navy will only expand if all three factors exist. Currently India perceives threats from China and Pakistan, and India is experiencing relative economic success. The factor that is not present. The one which will inhibit significant naval expansion - is the benefit of foreign military aid. Without a substitute arms supplier taking the place of the Soviet Union, the Indian Navy is not likely to expand in the near future.

Department dc:contributor.department

National Security Affairs (NSA)

Grantor dc:publisher

Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School

Year dc:date.issued

1995

Author dc:creator

• Quidachay, VIncent J.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lavoy, Peter

Statement dc:rights

• This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10945/31361

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:calhoun.nps.edu:10945/31361