India's Bid for Naval Supremacy

Newest base most modern facility in Arabian Sea

"Twenty years after her husband, the late President Rajib Gandhi laid the cornerstone, his widow Sonia Gandhi, chairwoman of India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance, officially opened the newest and most modern naval facility in the Arabian Sea."

"Intelligence analysts say the new base, along with a rapid growth of the Indian navy and the plan to replace old naval units with new purchases mainly from Russia, China, the U.K. and France, illustrates India's determination to become a world power."

"The project is seen by Pakistan as a major threat to its presence in the Arabian Sea and a source in Europe says Pakistan is trying to purchase and launch a spy satellite or share such a device with Saudi Arabia, hoping to strengthen her monitoring of the Arabian Sea with the Kadamba base in mind."

"Strategists calling upon the Bush administration to pay more attention to the emergence of the Indian and Chinese power bases, point to the new Kadamba naval base as a significant milestone necessitating a much delayed awareness of a giant competitor casting its shadow."

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