Half a dozen PLA Navy ships and sundry other Chinese vessels are operating in the Indian Ocean, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said here on Saturday, asserting that the Indian Navy was keeping a close watch.
In addition, vessels of nearly 60 other nations are also operating in the Indian Ocean, making it one of the most strategic zones in the maritime domain.
"A lot of Chinese ships operate in the Indian Ocean Region. We have about 4-6 PLA Navy ships, then some research vessels and a large number of Chinese fishing vessels. We keep a close watch on all developments," Admiral Kumar said in a press conference ahead of Navy Day.
"Nearly 60 other extra-regional forces are always present in the IOR. It's a vital region through which a large amount of trade transits and energy flows happen. Our job is to see India's interests are protected."
The Admiral said the Indian Navy would become Atma-nirbhar (self reliant) by 2047 but in the shorter term efforts were on to purchase key equipment like Predator drones from abroad.
The case for the proposed procurement of a fleet of Predator drones from the US is under process.
India's plan was to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones at a cost of over $3 billion to crank up India's surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China and in the IOR.
In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease period has been extended subsequently.
On the recruitment of women sailors and women officers, Admiral Kumar said in the first batch, about 3000 Agniveers joined the service, of whom 341 were women.
"From next year, we are looking at women officers being inducted across all branches and not just the 7-8 branches they're restricted to as of today," Admiral Kumar said.
Women sailors would be inducted in the same manner as their male counterparts.
"They will undergo similar tests and will be deployed on ships, air bases, and aircraft. They will be trained for everything the way a normal sailor is trained. There is going to be no difference in training," he said.
"We're looking at being a gender-neutral force where we only look at the capability of the individual," he said.