Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar Flags PLA Navy Expansion, Indo-Pacific Security Implications at Higher Command Course
Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar (Retd), India’s former National Maritime Security Coordinator, has warned that the rapid expansion of the People’s Liberation Army Navy is reshaping the maritime balance in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, while also sharpening the case for faster capability development in the Indian Navy.
Addressing officers attending the ongoing Higher Command Course, the retired senior naval officer spoke on the theme “Growth of PLA Navy, its Regional & Global Implications & the Way Ahead for the Indian Navy.” His remarks focused on how China’s growing naval power is no longer confined to the Western Pacific, but is increasingly influencing maritime security calculations across the Indian Ocean and other strategic waters.
Vice Admiral Kumar told the participants that the maritime domain is becoming more central to India’s national security, and that the Indian Navy must be able to develop capabilities quickly enough to respond to the changing environment. The interaction, aimed at senior officers preparing for higher command and staff responsibilities, was framed around the operational, technological and geopolitical challenges that are likely to shape future naval warfare and defence planning.
PLA Navy’s expanding reach
A major part of the session dealt with the transformation of the PLA Navy from a force focused largely on regional operations into one with increasing blue-water capability. Blue-water naval power refers to the ability to operate at considerable distances from home waters, sustain deployments for longer periods and influence events far from the country’s coastline.
According to the address, China has invested heavily in aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, submarines, amphibious warfare ships, replenishment vessels and supporting systems. Just as important as the ships themselves, Vice Admiral Kumar noted, is the wider ecosystem that allows them to operate effectively: infrastructure, logistics chains and technology that can sustain more complex deployments over longer ranges.
That expansion, he suggested, gives the PLA Navy the ability not only to defend China’s immediate maritime approaches, but also to protect sea lines of communication, support national interests overseas and maintain a military presence in strategically sensitive regions.
Why blue-water capability matters
Vice Admiral Kumar linked the rise of blue-water operations directly to maritime power projection, describing it as an increasingly important feature of modern naval competition. For India, this is particularly significant because of its location astride some of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
A large portion of India’s trade and energy supplies moves through the Indian Ocean, making the safety of sea lanes a core economic and strategic concern. A navy with blue-water reach can conduct maritime surveillance, protect shipping, respond to crises and contribute to deterrence by operating far from home ports for extended periods.
The former National Maritime Security Coordinator stressed that the Indian Navy must continue to build and field capabilities that allow it to maintain an effective presence across the wider maritime domain. In a region where naval activity is expanding, the ability to remain at sea, monitor developments and respond quickly will matter as much as the size of the fleet.
Overseas support and logistics networks
The address also highlighted the importance of overseas bases and support facilities in sustaining naval power at distance. As ships operate farther from their home waters, they depend on logistics, maintenance, replenishment and other forms of support to remain effective.
Vice Admiral Kumar pointed out that access to such facilities can substantially extend the endurance and operational reach of a navy. In that context, China’s overseas military support facility in Djibouti, along with its broader maritime activity, has drawn significant strategic attention.
The possibility of greater Chinese naval access to ports and facilities in different regions remains an important factor for countries assessing future maritime balances. For India, these developments reinforce the value of maritime partnerships, logistics arrangements, overseas access and infrastructure that can support sustained naval deployments.
Implications for the Indo-Pacific
Vice Admiral Kumar said the PLA Navy’s growth has already begun to reshape the balance of power across the Indo-Pacific, one of the world’s most strategically important regions. The area includes critical shipping routes, major economies and multiple zones of geopolitical competition.
China’s increasingly visible naval presence means that developments involving the PLA Navy can have consequences well beyond the Western Pacific. Greater Chinese deployments into the Indian Ocean Region, he noted, could affect India’s immediate maritime security environment and will require sustained monitoring.
He cautioned that maritime power is not determined only by the number of ships a navy possesses. Operational availability, logistics, surveillance, maritime domain awareness, technological superiority, training and the ability to sustain forces over long distances are equally important in assessing real naval strength.
Technology-driven maritime competition
During the interaction, the retired vice admiral also discussed the emerging challenges that are changing the character of maritime warfare. The modern battlespace is being shaped by unmanned systems, long-range precision weapons, artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, space-based surveillance, electronic warfare and underwater technologies.
Future maritime competition, he said, is likely to combine conventional naval power with increasingly sophisticated technological capabilities. That means navies will need to think beyond traditional platforms and prepare for conflict across surface, underwater, air, space, cyber and information domains.
For the Indian Navy, maintaining credible deterrence will require continuous modernisation and a readiness to identify and respond to new threats as they emerge. The ability to adapt quickly, he indicated, will be essential in an environment where technology is changing the terms of naval competition.
India’s naval modernisation drive
The address placed particular emphasis on the need to accelerate capability development so that the Indian Navy remains prepared for a shifting security environment. India is already pursuing a broad naval modernisation effort that includes indigenous warships, submarines, aircraft, helicopters, missiles, surveillance systems and unmanned platforms.
Indigenous shipbuilding has also become an increasingly important part of India’s wider defence self-reliance programme. But Vice Admiral Kumar’s assessment made clear that the expanding capabilities and geographic reach of the PLA Navy mean the Indian Navy will need to keep reviewing its force structure and operational requirements against evolving threats.
Among the capabilities likely to remain central to future naval operations, he indicated, are aircraft carriers and carrier aviation, nuclear and conventional submarines, anti-submarine warfare, long-range maritime reconnaissance, unmanned platforms, network-centric warfare and maritime domain awareness.
The Indian Ocean’s strategic weight
Vice Admiral Kumar also drew attention to India’s geographic advantages in the Indian Ocean Region. The Indian Navy operates across a wide maritime area stretching from the Arabian Sea and the western Indian Ocean to the Bay of Bengal and the eastern approaches.
Monitoring activity across such an expansive zone requires strong surveillance and intelligence capabilities, along with cooperation from friendly maritime nations. Partnerships across the Indo-Pacific, he noted, can complement India’s own naval strength by improving information sharing, interoperability, logistics and maritime domain awareness.
At the same time, India will still need adequate forces for sustained deployments as extra-regional navies increase their presence in the Indian Ocean. The expanding footprint of foreign naval powers, he suggested, makes endurance and readiness just as important as platform acquisition.
Part of a wider strategic dialogue
The Higher Command Course interaction gave participating officers an opportunity to examine maritime competition through a broader strategic lens. The course is designed to prepare senior military officers for higher command and staff roles, exposing them to the operational, technological and geopolitical issues that will shape future service planning.
Vice Admiral Kumar brought substantial experience to the discussion. During his naval career, he held several important operational and leadership appointments and later served as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff before retirement. He subsequently became India’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator, a post created to improve coordination among the many agencies involved in the country’s maritime security architecture.
His assessment reflected a broader view of India’s maritime challenge: as the PLA Navy expands its reach and capability, the Indo-Pacific is likely to remain a major arena of strategic competition. For the Indian Navy, that means continued emphasis on modernisation, indigenous development, maritime awareness, blue-water operations and the ability to project credible naval power across India’s wider areas of maritime interest.
