Table of Contents
India’s retaliation to China’s Djibouti Military Base
- Barren Island Country of Africa
- China’s Djibouti Military Base – Built in 2017
- Part of its national defense policy in Africa
- Claimed it’s presence for anti-piracy and humanitarian operations.
- More than 2,500 Chinese combat-ready soldiers and police officers are now deployed in UN Peacekeeping missions across the African continent.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LOCATION
- The base is Strategically positioned next to the Bab-el-Mandeb, a critical maritime choke point
- Bab-al-mandab Strait is the gateway to Suez Canal (one of the world’s busiest shipping routes)
- Part of Chinese maritime expansionism in Indian Ocean Region
- Economic and strategic importance :- At the mouth of the Red Sea giving wider access in the region.
- Resource Rich :- salt, petroleum, gold, clay, marble, pumice, gypsum and diatomite.
CONCERNS
Part of Pearl of Strings
- China would benefit as a watchdog over other US bases in the region
- EG :- Camp Lemonnier is the largest permanent US base in Africa since 2002
- It would also help China realize its ambitious plan of a “Maritime Silk Road” – a vast international network of sea infrastructure aimed at securing its trade routes (raw materials and energy vessels, & transformed products back to Europe through the Gulf of Aden)
Eye Twitching for QUAD
- Raises the possibility of “forward deployment” at India’s doorstep.
- Gwadar Port (Pakistan) – Just few miles away
- Other port development projects in the region by China, like those in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, also raise the fear of being converted into military bases/outposts .
- Development (especially in east coast of Africa ) could lead to another debt trap story – heavy investment already
India’s Move
- Hangars large enough to house the Indian Navy’s P-8I submarine-hunting aircraft are under construction next to the newly-built runway.
What are HANGARS ?
- A hangar is a closed building structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft.
- India is building military infrastructure on Mauritius’ Agalega Island to increase its presence in the western Indian Ocean.
- In last few years, a 10,000-foot runway and a jetty have been constructed on the island, which is located over 1,100 km north of the main island of Mauritius.
- On 20 April 2022 satellite images shows hangars large enough to house the Indian Navy’s P-8I submarine-hunting aircraft are under construction next to the newly-built runway.
Hanger Specifications :-
- 180 feet long
- 200 feet wide
- 123 in length
- Wingspan of 126 feet
- India’s strategic move for Surveillance on China’s moves & it’s rapid expansionism in Africa and Indian Ocean Region
- In early May 2022, India deployed one of its P-8I aircraft at the La Réunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean to undertake coordinated surveillance with French Navy warships in the region.
- “The P-8I aircraft will engage with French warships and undertake coordinated surveillance missions in area to enhance maritime safety and security in the Southern Indian Ocean, including the Mozambique Channel.”
:- Indian Navy spokesperson
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- The infrastructure coming up on Agalega will support India’s maritime assets, including P-8Is, in the western Indian Ocean, particularly waters close to the western coast of Africa, an increasingly important region where the Indian Navy’s engagements have been relatively limited.
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