Submarines and Surveillance: Undersea battle for Bay of Bengal dominance

Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, claimed that the US would not have planned to remove her from power if she had simply given up St Martin’s Island in the Bay of Bengal. The US denied the charges. During the time when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan, the Pakistani government had offered the island to the US. Right now, the island is a point of conflict between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Regardless, Hasina’s claim highlighted the strategic significance of the Bay of Bengal for the US and its allies, such as India. The Bay of Bengal is located where the Indian Ocean meets the Pacific Ocean, making it a key route for much of maritime traffic. While large-scale wars are unlikely in the Bay of Bengal, it serves as a ‘grey zone’ where military actions may occur without escalating into intense conflict between the US and India on one side and China on the other.

In a paper released by the Centre for International Maritime Security, University of Texas, scholar Mohammad Rubaiyat Rahman explains that a range of non-military actions can be classified as “grey zone” activities, as reported by Eurasia Review. Countries along the Bay of Bengal, such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have relied on China for economic growth and infrastructure development. China has built ports, roads, pipelines and railway tracks in these coastal countries.

From an American perspective, these development projects are seen as China’s “grey zone activities” in the Bay of Bengal, which could be of strategic importance. The US believes these projects improve China’s military access in the region. The US is also concerned that China is gaining significant political influence over decisions made in these countries. Rahman notes that, for many countries along the Bay of Bengal, China is a key supplier of military equipment.

Bangladesh has started using its only submarine base, the BNS Sheikh Hasina, built with financial and technical help from China. Rahman states that China sold two Type 035 G Ming-class submarines to Bangladesh in 2016 and a B-variant Ming-class submarine to Myanmar in 2021. Chinese submarine crew was sent to these countries for training. These agreements boost China’s presence in Bay of Bengal’s grey zone.

The Thailand Equation

Thailand has made agreements with China to buy surface warships and submarines for its navy. Rahman writes that the extensions of airstrips and construction of aviation hangars on Great Coco Island indicate Chinese involvement and possible purposes for maritime surveillance. Such activities as oceanographic surveys and underwater operations are also considered ‘grey zone’ operations.

§  An oceanographic vessel is a specialized ship designed for studying the ocean and its properties. It conducts research on such topics as water temperature, currents, marine life and the seafloor. These vessels play a crucial role in exploring, and understanding, marine environments for scientific, and environmental, purposes

§  An oceanographic vessel is a surface ship used for studying oceans, while a submarine is an underwater vehicle designed for exploration, research, or military operations beneath the water’s surface

Regular visits of Chinese oceanographic survey vessels show that China is trying to gain a better understanding of the underwater environment in the Bay of Bengal. These activities open the door for submarine operations. The oceanographic vessel, Shi Yan 1, operated in the Indian exclusive economic zone near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to Rahman, before visiting Myanmar, the same vessel did research on the seabed in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.

In February 2020, the Xiang Yang Hong 06 carried out joint scientific surveys in Myanmar’s territorial waters. These survey vessels often turn off their automatic identification system (AIS) devices—a system used on ships to automatically send, and receive, information on their location, speed and direction, helping other vessels and authorities track them—making it hard to monitor where they are and what they are doing.

What is India's Reaction?

The Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region shares information with specific partners in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmarcoastal states—are some of the key partners in this security cooperation framework. The Indian Navy has set up coastal surveillance radar systems in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

India has bought twelve P-8I maritime patrol aircraft from the United States. The US supported this sale to strengthen security relations with India. The P-8Is provide excellent surveillance, and reconnaissance, abilities, along with faster speeds and longer operating times, making them more effective for anti-submarine warfare.

India has set up the Baaz naval air station on Great Nicobar Island, located at the southern tip of the Nicobar Islands and just 450 km from the Malacca Strait. The Malacca Strait is a narrow waterway between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a vital shipping route for trade, connecting the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. From the beginning, India planned to lengthen the station’s 3,500-foot runway to fit the P-8Is.

By 2022, the runway was extended by 800 feet, but environmental issues have delayed more construction, according to Rahman. He also mentions that in 2019, India set up the Kohassa naval air station on North Andaman Island, which is near Myanmar's Coco Island, suspected to be a Chinese intelligence base. Rahman states that India plans to lengthen the Kohassa station’s runway to make space for the P-8Is.

The Utkrosh naval air station in the Nicobar and Andaman Islands currently has a runway long enough to support the new aircraft. This station is home to a squadron of short-range Do-228 maritime patrol aircraft. In 2019, India announced a 10-year plan to improve its infrastructure by adding new aircraft, warships and anti-ship missile systems across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some parts of the plan have already been put into action.

The Indian Navy moved a Kora-class guided-missile corvette to Port Blair and the Indian Air Force set up a base for its Su-30MKI fighters on Car Nicobar. A corvette is a small, fast military ship designed for successfully patrolling coastal areas and engaging in anti-submarine warfare, often equipped with missiles and other weaponry.

The Indian Army has successfully tested its BrahMos anti-ship missiles from the islands. While the Indian Navy is getting stronger, Rahman suggests that the US Navy should take the lead in handling anti-Chinese operations in uncertain situations. The US Navy has supported regional navies in maintaining maritime security and awareness in the Bay of Bengal through such initiatives as the Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET), Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) and Malabar Exercise.

The Malabar exercise includes training for mobile anti-submarine activities, operations with helicopters from different ships and practise with surface gunnery—a practice of using naval guns on ships to target and engage enemy vessels or positions. It involves aiming and firing weapons from a ship’s deck.

Facility in the Andaman Islands

The Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands, which belong to India, play an important role in the country’s security. The A&N Islands are located just 22 miles (35.4 km) away from Myanmar. At the southern tip, Indira Point is only 90 miles (about 145 kilometres) from Indonesia’s Aceh province and the coast of Thailand is 270 miles (approximately 435 kilometres) to the east.

§  Indira Point is the southernmost tip of India, located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It offers stunning views and is important for navigation and maritime activities

§  Indonesia’s Aceh province is a region located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra (a large island in Indonesia). It is known for its unique culture, natural beauty and historical significance

§  In contrast, Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is approximately 850 miles away from Chennai and Kolkata

Only 31 out of the 836 islands in the Andaman archipelago are inhabited. Former Indian naval chief Adm. Arun Prakash warned that the uninhabited islands could be secretly occupied and used against Indian and Western shipping, as reported by Eurasia Review. Prakash remembers that a Chinese submarine was spotted near the Andaman Islands as far back as in 1962. In September 1965, after the start of the India-Pakistan war, Pakistan’s President, Ayub Khan, sent retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan as a representative to ask Indonesia for support.

Air Marshal Khan was surprised when the chief of the Indonesian navy, Admiral Martadinata, asked him: “Don’t you want us to take control of the Andaman Islands? They are part of Sumatra and located between East Pakistan and Indonesia. What right do the Indians have to be there?” Since then, India has enhanced its presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by creating a unified operational command, called the Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC), based in Port Blair.

Adm. Arun Prakash suggests that the base in the Andamans should ensure comprehensive maritime awareness using connected resources like radars, aircraft, satellites and drones. The command should be equipped with enough defensive and offensive firepower, along with quick-response teams that have abilities for amphibious operations and airlifting.

But a US Military Base?

Indian media shared a RAND Corporation study, titled ‘Overseas Basing of US Military Forces’. It said the Navy wanted to set up drones at Port Blair airport in the Andaman Islands to better monitor the Strait of Malacca. However, the US denied the claim, stating that RAND was not a government organization and could only offer suggestions. Adm. Arun Prakash notes that, in 1947, as the British were leaving, they wanted to keep the Andaman Islands. However, this plan was rejected by the then British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee.

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA)