Overseeing an ocean: INS Vikrant joins the navy's fleet

As the Indian Navy commissions its second aircraft carrier, there remains a worrying lack of clarity in New Delhi about where it should focus its limited resources

On Friday, when Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant is commissioned into the navy’s fleet, we will join a group of just five countries that each operate more than one aircraft carrier. In addition to the 44,000-tonne INS Vikramaditya, bought from Russia, we will have the brand new 45,000-tonne INS Vikrant. China, Italy and the United Kingdom also have two carriers each. The United States (US) Navy — the 900-pound gorilla of aircraft carrier operations — has 11 carriers, each displacing about 100,000 tonnes, projecting American power across the globe.

While our two carriers might appear to constitute a respectable power