The amphibious capability gap

India should swiftly build amphibious warfare capabilities for both military and diplomatic reasons

At this very moment, five of the navy’s biggest warships are deployed in bringing back Indian citizens stranded abroad; and carrying food grains, medical teams and medicines to friendly countries in the littoral neighbourhood, thus boosting our image as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). There is one thing these five ships — INS Jalashwa, Kesari, Magar, Shardul and Airavat — have in common: They are all amphibious assault vessels. Given that this category of warships is designed and built specifically to land large numbers of troops, combat weaponry and stores on enemy shores, they are