India now joins an elite league of nations apart from the US and United Kingdom to be equipped with amphibious warfare.
“The 9 Gorkha Rifles have recently completed a four-month rigorous amphibious training programme,” said General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, Lieutenant General Pradeep Khanna, addressing the maiden Joint Amphibious Warfare seminar.
Also, efforts are underway to convert the Andaman and Nicobar command into a joint amphibious task force.
Amphibious warfare brings together assault techniques of the three forces, augmenting combat power.
Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, who was present at the event, said the increasing conflict on energy resources coupled with drug trafficking, piracy, gunrunning and smuggling of weapons of mass destruction through the Indian Ocean Region was an imminent threat to India.
“For these reasons, it is necessary for India to have a tailor-made amphibious force to suit its own geographical conditions and requirements.”