Navy finds itself fighting for relevance 49 years after Operation Trishul

The Navy's share of the defence Budget has declined from 18 per cent in 2012 to approximately 13 per cent, says Admiral Karambir Singh.

Exactly 49 years ago, on December 4, 1971, the Indian Navy wrote itself into relevance as a factor in Indian war planning by launching a spectacularly successful seaborne raid on the Pakistan Navy’s main base in Karachi.

Prior to that, India’s smallest service had no role in any of the three wars India had fought, including the 1947-48 war with Pakistan, the 1962 war with China and again in the 1965 war with Pakistan. 

But in 1971, India’s far-sighted navy chief, Admiral S M Nanda, understood that, if the navy remained on the margins, it would cease to be relevant,