‘Ready to tackle Covid-19, China’: Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh

Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday said the navy is prepared to face dual challenges of Covid-19 and Chinese attempts to alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He added that the navy is all prepared with an standard operating procedure (SOP) to tackle the situation in case of any infringement by the Chinese vessels.

“There is a dual challenge from Covid-19 and Chinese attempts to change the Line of Actual Control. The Navy is prepared to face both these challenges,” Admiral Singh said at a press conference on the eve of the Navy day.

On surveillance activities, the navy chief said the two predator drones taken on lease are aiding the navy to fill the capability gap. He added that if the army and the IAF felt the need, the 24 hours sustained surveillance capabilities can be used for the northeast as well.

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He also notified that all three armed forces are operating in close coordination with each other.

He said, “2 Predator drones taken on lease are helping us to fulfil the capability gap in our surveillance. 24hrs of surveillance capability is helping us to get sustained surveillance capability: If the Army and IAF feel a requirement for them in the northeast, we can consider it.”

The navy chief elaborated on the surveillance drones by informing that P-8I aircraft and Heron surveillance drones have been deployed on various frontiers as per the requirement of Army and IAF.

Further, “As of now, three Chinese warships are in the Indian Ocean region. The Chinese have been maintaining three ships since 2008 for anti-piracy patrols,” said Navy Chief Singh.

Admiral Singh talked about bolstering the strength of the force amidst the Ladakh-China row that started due to the aggression from the PLA. India and China are still in deadlock after seven months of high level deliberations.