The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the first and only tri-service theater command of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by ...

, based at

Port Blair Port Blair () is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South An ...

in the

Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated f ...

, a Union Territory of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

and the

Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region. It provides logistical and administrative support to naval ships which are sent on deployment to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.Rajat Pandit (2010),
important A&N Command to get a boost
'. The Times of India, 6 February 2010. Accessed on 23 July 2012.

Background

India_Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands_relief_map

Strategic Importance of ANC

According to the

International Hydrographic Organization The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organisation representing hydrography. , the IHO comprised 98 Member States. A principal aim of the IHO is to ensure that the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters a ...

's (IHO) definitions of

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

and

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...

, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N) fall on the maritime boundary of these two. Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to the north and west of A&N falls within Bay of Bengal and to east of A&N falls within Andaman Sea. Various

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

s (narrow passage in the sea, also called the channel) in A&N, are officially part of Andaman Sea and not the Bay of Bengal, connect the Bay of Bengal with Andaman Sea and to the shipping routes beyond. The

Ten Degree Channel The Ten Degree Channel is a channel that separates the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands from each other in the Bay of Bengal. The two sets of islands together form the Indian Union Territory (UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This channel is ...

(also called Great or Grand Channel) within India's EEZ is world's busiest shipping trade route which also connects to very narrow and contiguous Malacca and Singapore straits. This route is considered world's biggest strategic

chokepoint In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in order ...

in military terminology, e.g. India and allies could potentially impose a

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...

in case of dispute with China whose economy significantly depends on the export trade through this route. Safety, security and freedom of navigation in this area is vital for the global economy. This area is part of the much larger Indian Ocean region through which 90% of the world's trade passes, which in turn is part of the larger Indo-Pacific region which hosts most of the global maritime trading activity.

Control over vital global shipping route

The zone of influence of ANC has deep significance in terms of history, culture, religion, economy and

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

, EEZs, political and international relations, national security, safety and freedom of navigation of power projection of not only India but also other nations of South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as $3 trillion international trade which passes through south

. ANC influence over the gateway of

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

includes

Six Degree Channel 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

and Ten Degree Channel in Indian EEZ in Bay of Bengal, which is connected to the

. These are crossed by over 94,000 merchant ships every year carrying world's 40% freight trade to and from China, South Korea and Japan. Andaman and Nicobar Islands account for 0.2% of India's land and 30% of its Exclusive economic zone.The Growing Strategic Importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Future Directions org, 15 JUNE 2017.

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

, 26 Aug 2017.

Sea lines of communication Sea lines of communication (abbreviated as SLOC) is a term describing the primary maritime routes between ports, used for trade, logistics and naval forces. It is generally used in reference to naval operations to ensure that SLOCs are open, or in ...

(SLOC) carry more than 90% of global trade. In Indo-Pacific Asia, US$5 trillion annual shipping trade passes through the SLOC and

s of Southeast Asia and South China Sea (SCS). 80% of the global trade passes through Indian Ocean SLOC in oil and natural gas critical for advanced economies.Australia's own Indo-Pacific fortress – The case for redeveloping Cocos Islands
Defence Connect, 28 MAY 2019.

Control over critical shipping chokepoints

Since this area in Indian EEZ and ANC influence zone connects

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

with

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

and

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, the safety of Malacca strait is paramount to the economies of numerous countries.India's Strategic Dimensions in Malacca Strait By Vithiyapathy Purushothaman
16 March 2015. Both USA and Russia support the freedom of navigation. Australia's "2013 Defence White Paper" emphasises importance of security of Indian Ocean SLOC trade which has surpassed Atlantic and Pacific oceans trade.India, Australia Could Sign Pact For A Military Base In Andaman's and Cocos Islands
Eurasian Times, 23 May 2020. However, China's activities in this region continues cause concern among several nations. Against the concern shown by United States, Japan and several other nations, China continues to claim most of South China Sea. China has militarized a reclaimed tiny islet in South China Sea which is also claimed by other nations. This has led to China's conflict with several Southeast Asian nations, including

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In March 2020,

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

discovered 12 underwater drones deployed by China in Indian Ocean for gathering

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...

naval intelligence aimed at

submarine warfare Submarine warfare is one of the four divisions of underwater warfare, the others being anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare and mine countermeasures. Submarine warfare consists primarily of diesel and nuclear submarines using torpedoes, missi ...

. China has allegedly done the similar underwater drone operation in

as well. All 3 major global sea trade routes to Indian Ocean, from

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

and

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...

Straits of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the o ...

, converge at narrow Six Degree Channel in Indian EEZ resulting in high shipping density, which enhances India's ability to exert influence over the vulnerability and protection of this maritime trade route.What is the geo-strategic potential of the Great Channel? How can it curtail the benefits of the Malacca Strait?
Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis. Shallow, congested and narrow archipelagic chokepoints in the influence zone of ANC are Straits of Malacca and

Lombok Strait The Lombok Strait ( id, Selat Lombok), is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, and is located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side. Its narrowest point is at its southern o ...

to and from South China Sea. Malaca strait is the busiest and most important chokepoint.Bill Tarrant, 2010
Strait is a strategic 'chokepoint'
retrieved 23 Jan 2015. All trade vessels from Malacca Strait must pass through most important SLOC chokepoint located within India's Anadaman Nicobar EEZ, i.e. Six Degree Channel south of Anadaman and Nicobar Islands. Other two less frequently used channels within Indian EEZ are the Preparis Channel in north and the Ten Degree Channel between the Andaman and Nicobar island groups. Alternative to the shorter and busiest route through Malaca Strait and Six Degree Channel in Indian EEZ, guarded by Indian Military Base in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is Sunda and Lombok Straits chokepoints in Indonesia in the influence zone of Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australian Military Base. Together, these chokepoints are the entry and exit points between Indian and Pacific Oceans, all of which lie within combined India-Australia military influence zone. This provides geostrategic advantage to Indian and Australian militaries

QUAD Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

along with USA and Japan] for joint anti-signal intelligence gathering, submarine tracking and warfare missions in Indian and Pacific Oceans.Islands of opportunity: Where India and Australia can work together
The Interpreter, 22 May 2020. India is bolstering military capabilities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands by placing ship-based nuclear missile system as deterrence and a fleet of naval warships with Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) by 2020.Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy
Ministry of Defence (Navy), 2015.

QUAD force multiplier

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), commonly known as the Quad, is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States that is maintained by talks between member countries. The dialogue was initiated in ...

(QUAD), a strategic dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and USA, is aimed at countering the risk posed to the trade and security of navigation and nations in and around this region.Twining, Daniel
"The new Asian order's challenge to China"
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', 26 September 2007.Brooks, L., Busby, J. W., Denmark, A. M., Ford, L., Green, M. J., Ikenberry, G. J., Kaplan, R. D., Patel, N., Twining, D., and R. Weitz, 2009
"China's Arrival: A Strategic Framework for a Global Relationship"
Eds. Abraham Denmark and Nirav Patel, ''

Center for a New American Security The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is a Washington, D.C. based think tank established in 2007 by co-founders Michèle Flournoy, board member of military contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, and Kurt M. Campbell, coordinator for Indo-Pacifi ...

''. QUAD nations continue to hold regular military exercise in the ANC influence area, such as

Exercise Malabar Exercise Malabar is a naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners. The annual Malabar exercises includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through maritime int ...

(see also US-Philippines Annual Balikatan Exercise). Aimed at countering China's activities in Indo-Pacific, to ensure "free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region ... and maintaining open, safe and efficient sea lanes for transportation and communication", India and Australia signed a military treaty for Mutual Logistics Support and

interoperability Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader defi ...

for reciprocal access to military bases. India has a similar treaty with U.S, while similar treaty with remaining member of QUAD, Japan, is awaited. India, which also has MoU with USA and Japan for encrypted military communications, is likely to sign similar MoU with Australia. India, USA and Japan have been undertaking regular trilateral maritime exercises (Exercise Malabar), which Australia is also expected to join.India and Australia sign military pact as China tensions rise
Asian Review, 4 June 2020. India-Australia Military Pact paves the way for extending their regional reach through coordinated power projection and mutual use of military facilities in India's

and Australia's

Cocos Island Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas ...

. Australia, which already has RAAF base at Cocos Islands, uses it for surveillance and to monitor the area extending between Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the north to Cocos Islands in south. India-Singapore Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation also provides Indian Navy ships access to Singapore's

Changi Naval Base Changi Naval Base (CNB), officially known as the RSS ''Singapura'' – Changi Naval Base, is a naval base of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Located about 1.5 kilometres east of Changi Air Base (East) and 3.5 kilometres east of Singapore ...

, logistical support and refuelling rights. This allows India, which has similar agreements with Vietnam, Japan, France, Australia and the United States, to counter China's "string of pearls" with "Necklace of Diamonds" ports: Changi Naval Base in Singapore,

Chabahar Port Chabahar Port ( fa, بندر چابهار) is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named ''Shahid Kalantari'' and ''Shahid Beheshti'', ...

in Iran, the

Assumption Island Assumption Island is a small island in the Outer Islands of Seychelles north of Madagascar, south-west of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island. In 2018, Seychelles and India signed an agreement to build and operate a joint military facility ...

in Seychelles, and Duqm Port in

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

.From Singapore's Changi Naval Base To Oman's Duqm Port, How Is India Countering Chinese String of Pearls?
Eurasian Times, 15 July 2020.

Historic and contemporary geostrategic soft and hard power

The area in and around ANC influence zone is part of historic

Greater India Greater India, or the Indian cultural sphere, is an area composed of many countries and regions in South and Southeast Asia that were historically influenced by Indian culture, which itself formed from the various distinct indigenous cultures ...

which was dotted with numerous Indianised Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms. Since 45-47 CE, several ancient Indian empires, such as

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

and Andra traded and exerted Indian cultural influence over Southeast Asia through Malacca Strait. From 16 to 20th century colonial western powers fought against each other for control of this maritime route, trade and the region. The 750-km long Andaman and Nicobar archipelago consists of a chain of 572 islands. It is located about 1200 km from mainland India, merely 40 km from Myanmar, 160 km from Indonesia and 550 km from Thailand. India's

Landfall Island Landfall Island is the northernmost island of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It belongs to the territory's North and Middle Andaman administrative district. The island lies north of Port Blair, and is situated sout ...

is 40 km from Myanmar's

Coco Islands The Coco Islands ( my, ကိုကိုးကျွန်း) are a small group of islands in the northeastern Bay of Bengal. They are part of the Yangon Region of Myanmar. The islands are located south of the city of Yangon. Coco Island gr ...

. India's southernmost territory

Indira Point Indira Point, the southernmost point of India's territory, is a village in the Nicobar district at Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India. It is located in the Great Nicobar tehsil. Rondo Island, Indonesia's northernmost i ...

is 135 km north of Indonesia's northernmost territory

Rondo Island Rondo Island ( id, Pulau Rondo; ace, Pulo Rondo) is Indonesia's northernmost territory,2007Atoll Research Bulletin Issue 544, Page 48] located in the Andaman Sea, with a 0.650 km2 area 35m above sea level. The island is one of the outlying ...

.James Horsburgh, 1852
The India Directory, Or, Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies
Page 63. India's Tillangchong island (north of Camorta Island in Nicobar) is just 440 km from Thailand's Ko Huyong (

Similan Islands The Similan Islands ( th, หมู่เกาะสิมิลัน, , , Malay: ''Pulau Sembilan'') is an archipelago in the Andaman Sea off the coast of, and part of, Phang Nga Province in southern Thailand. It is the maritime border betw ...

group). India's Campbell Bay on

Great Nicobar Island Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. History The Nicobar Island has been well known to Indian mariners since the time of the seafaring Cholas https://www.britannica.com/place/Nicoba ...

is 488 km from Thailand's Ko Racha (Racha Noi Island in

Phuket Province Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

). Campbell Bay is also 630 km from Malaysia's nearest island

Langkawi Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) locate ...

Port-development led encirclement

To enhance the regional connectivity, trade, safety, security, and to protect the

channel, India is developing several strategic ports in the influence zone of ANC, namely

Port of Chittagong The Chittagong Port ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বন্দর) is the main seaport of Bangladesh. Located in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong and on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the port handles over 90 percent of Bangladesh's ...

in Bangladesh with rail connectivity to

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...

Port of Mongla The Port of Mongla is a link sea port, located at Mongla Upazila, Khulna Division, Bangladesh.It is a sea port of Khulna city which is located near to the north. It is the second largest and second busiest seaport of Bangladesh. Mongla port lies ...

in Bangladesh,Bangladesh, India to ink pact today to allow N-E States use Chittagong port
m The Hindu, 24 October 2018.

Sittwe Port Sittwe Port is a deepwater port constructed by India in 2016 at Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State in Myanmar, on the Bay of Bengal. Situated at the mouth of the Kaladan River, the US$120 Million port is being financed by India as a part of the ...

as part of

Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project The Kaladan Road Project is a US$484 million project connecting the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea. In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the Kaladan riv ...

in Myanmar,India starts construction of ₹1,600-cr Mizoram-Myanmar Kaladan road
Business Line, 17 April 2018. Sabang deepsea port under India–Indonesia strategic military and economic partnership.Eyeing Southeast Asia, India builds port in Indonesia
Economic Times, 20 March 2019. Along with India's

Sagar Mala project The Sagarmala Programme () is an initiative by the Government of India to enhance the performance of the country's logistics sector. The programme envisages unlocking the potential of waterways and the coastline to minimize infrastructural inv ...

s aimed at developing several coastal ports in India, India is also considering developing more ports in the influence zone of ANC, such as the Dawei Port Project.

Protection of exclusive economic zone

The region suffers from the problem of piracy. ANC is guarantor of the safety and security of

exclusive economic zone of India India has the 18th-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with a total size of . It includes the Lakshadweep island group in the Laccadive Sea off the southwestern coast of India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at the Bay of Bengal and the And ...

, which also lies in the vicinity of EEZs of several other nations including

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, Myanmar,

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

History of ANC

Inception and slow expansion

The island chain had remained underdeveloped because of multiple factors including lack of inter-island connectivity, distance from the Indian mainland and high-cost of building materials. In the 1960s, the Indian security establishment responded to the increased security threats and established a unified Fortress Andaman and Nicobar (FORTAN) under the command of a Vice Admiral as the Fortress Commander. The Indian Army initially placed a battalion and subsequently the 108 Mountain Brigade, in 1990, under the command of the Fortress Commander. The Indian Air Force chose to keep its units under one of its mainland commands and maintained a liaison with the FORTAN headquarters. 37 Wing of the Indian Air Force was raised at AFS Car Nicobar in 1993. There was a consideration to replace Fortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands (FORTAN) with a Far Eastern Naval Command (FENC). The previous plan to set up FENC was set in motion in 1995 following a closed-door meeting in Washington between then

Indian Prime Minister The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

P. V. Narasimha Rao Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer, statesman and politician who served as the 9th prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is known for introducing various liberal reforms to Indi ...

, and then

US president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. At the time, Pentagon officials made a formal request to the United Front coalition government in New Delhi to open a base in the islands.

Post Kargil war rapid capabilities expansion

In 1999, after the

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

, Andaman and Nicobar Islands received more attention. The Group of Ministers (GoM) report on Reforming the National Security System recommended the replacement of the FORTAN, under the

, with a Joint Andaman and Nicobar Command which will control the assets of the tri-services and the Coast Guard on the islands. The GoM had recommended that the Commander of this Joint Command would report to the proposed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The Andaman and Nicobar Command was in place by the end of September 2001 and Vice Admiral (later

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

and CNS)

Arun Prakash Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (born October 1944) is a former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy. He served as the Chief of the Naval Staff from 31 July 2004 to 31 October 2006 and as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee fr ...

was the first Commander–in–Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN). A joint command at

would help in to prevent smuggling, piracy, drug and gun trafficking, poaching and illegal immigration in the region and especially in the Malacca Strait. The command would also be in a position to assist the multinational Malacca Straits Security Initiative, aimed at curbing threats in the

Malacca Strait The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, conne ...

s. An Indian command in the islands could also counter any future threat from China, which was rumoured to have set up a surveillance post in Myanmar's

, 40 km off the northern tip of the Andamans, but this was proved incorrect.Selth, Andrew (9 January 2007) "Irrawaddy: Chinese whispers: The Great Coco Island mystery" ''BurmaNet News''

Summary of bases and capabilities

The following are the air and naval bases under the A&N command, from north to south, some of which are being upgraded under 2027 roll-on plan. By 2020, India is placing ship-based nuclear missile system, fleet of naval warships and Landing Platform Docks (LPDs).

Force structure

Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command

The Andaman and Nicobar Command is commanded by a

Three-star officer Military star ranking is military terminology, used to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One–star A one–star rank is usually the lowest ranking general or fla ...

(rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

of the Indian Army or equivalent) who reports directly to the

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC) is a position in the Indian Armed Forces, usually held by a four-star officer serving as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian military. The position holder chairs the Chiefs of ...

(Chairman COSC) or

CDS The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

(Chief of Defense Staff) in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

. The Chief of Staff of the command is a two-star officer; each component (sea, land, air) is commanded by a

one-star officer Military star ranking is military terminology, used to describe General officer, general and flag officers. Within Member states of NATO, NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to Ranks and insignia of NATO, OF-6–10. Star ranking One–star ...

. The command is currently headed by

Ajai Singh, who took command on 1 June 2021 as the 16th CINCAN.

Chief of Staff

The following is a list of Chiefs of Staff of the A&N command.

Assets

The Naval Component is the largest component and is commanded by a Naval Commodore (one star officer). Naval vessels in the component include missile corvettes, amphibious warfare vessels,

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...

offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

s (OPV) and

fast attack craft A fast attack craft (FAC) is a small, fast, agile, offensive, often affordable warship armed with anti-ship missiles, gun or torpedoes. FACs are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both the seakeeping and all-round defensive ...

s (FAC). INS Karmuk and INS Kulish, two

Kora-class corvette ''Kora''-class corvettes are guided missile corvettes, in active service with the Indian Navy and the National Coast Guard of Mauritius.Eastern Naval Command The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocea ...

on 6 April 2016 and 21 December 2017 respectively. INS ''Saryu'' and INS ''Sumedha'', two Saryu-class patrol vessels, have been based at Port Blair since 2013. In addition, four ''Bangaram''-class patrol vessels, two ''Car Nicobar''-class patrol vessels, one Trinkat-class patrol vessel, three ''Kumbhir''-class tank landing ships, one ''Shardul''-class tank landing ship, eight Mk. IV LCUs and the SDB Mk.3 large patrol craft are also deployed under the naval component. INAS 318 with

Dornier 228 The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. Two hundred and forty-five were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 19 ...

and Flight 321 are deployed at INS Utkrosh. The 108 Infantry Brigade of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

, comprising three

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

s, which includes the 21 Bihar, is deployed at Birchgunj in Port Blair under the army component. A Territorial Army battalion is also deployed at Campbell Bay.

Indian Airforce The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

's 15 FBSU (forward base support units), comprising 153 Squadron and 4 Maritime Element, are deployed at Port Blair. 37 Air Wing, comprising Helicopters from 122 squadron and

from 151 squadron, are deployed at AFS Car Nicobar. The Andaman & Nicobar region of the

Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally esta ...

also falls under the purview of the command with RHQ and 745 squadron at Port Blair, DHQ 9 at Diglipur and DHQ 10 at Campbell Bay. In July 2012, the navy commissioned

INS Baaz INS Baaz is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located near Campbell Bay, on Great Nicobar island in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It is the southernmost ai ...

, a naval air station which is located 300 nautical miles south of Port Blair and is the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces. INS Jarawa at Phoenix Bay in Port Blair is the support base for the ships and the main naval and air force establishment in Port Blair.

Modernization

In 2013, the navy proposed to station a nuclear submarine and a landing deck platform at the islands in the future, and the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

has decided to station

Sukhoi Su-30MKI The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a twinjet Multirole combat aircraft, multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian A ...

fighters on the islands along with increasing the number of operational airfields. The Air Force also maintains an Air Defense Wing fielding a squadron of

S-75 Dvina The S-75 (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most w ...

Long-Range SAMs and a squadron of

S-125 Neva/Pechora The S-125 ''Neva/Pechora'' (russian: С-125 "Нева"/"Печора", NATO reporting name SA-3 ''Goa'') is a Soviet surface-to-air missile system that was designed by Aleksei Isaev to complement the S-25 and S-75. It has a shorter effective ra ...

Medium-range SAMs. The army's single brigade is planned to be increased by deploying a division size force (about 15,000 troops) under the command. In 2015, it was reported that under the overall "island development plan", which includes a new naval air station at Campbell Bay, the existing runways at Campbell Bay and

Shibpur Shibpur or Sibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the location of the ...

are to be extended, while more airstrips are proposed in the archipelago and more operational turn-around bases. The number of naval vessels based in the island chain will increase to 32 before 2022. In addition, Japanese war bunkers, constructed during Japanese occupation of the Andaman and Nicobar islands during the World War II, will be revived to bolster security.

Operations

Operators on Indian Navy's Boeing P-8I search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

India's search areas for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

Unilateral security and anti-piracy initiatives

The Andaman and Nicobar Command manages Indian engagement with regional navies of

. It conducts bi-annual coordinated patrols (CORPATs) with the navies of Thailand and Indonesia, the annual

SIMBEX Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is an annual bilateral naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). History The exercise has been held annually since 1994. Over the years, SIMBEX ...

maritime exercises with Singapore, and the biennial Milan multilateral naval exercises. The Command also patrols India's exclusive economic zone to suppress gun running, narcotics smuggling, piracy, and poaching, and conducts maritime surveillance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Unilateral war exercises

In April 2016, the command conducted an amphibious exercise called 'Jal Prahar' to check readiness and to ensure functional integrity of all three services on the islands. Ships, aircraft and troops along with tanks from both the Eastern Naval Command and Andaman & Nicobar Command participated in the exercise. Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Exercise (DANX-17) was conducted during 20–24 November 2017. Additional forces including

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

fighters, 50th Parachute Brigade, missile frigates and

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

heavy lift aircraft also participated in the exercise. The purpose of the exercise was to practice the defence of the island chain and recapturing islands.

Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

For the effort to search

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination ...

, the Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command was nominated as the Overall Force Commander of the Indian forces. Surface and airborne assets from the Andaman and Nicobar Command took part in the effort. The ANC command contributed navy ships INS ''Saryu'', INS ''Kesari'' and INS ''Kumbhir'', and coast guard vessels ICGS ''Kanaklata Baruah'', ICGS ''Bhikaji Cama'' and ICGS ''Sagar''.Missing Malaysian jet: Search reaches Chennai coast in Bay of Bengal
Times of India 14 March 2012

Eastern Naval Command The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocea ...

(ENC) also contributed

Shivalik-class frigate The ''Shivalik'' class or Project 17 class is a class of multi-role stealth frigates in service with the Indian Navy. They are the first stealth warships built in India. They were designed to have better stealth features and land-attack cap ...

s INS ''Satpura'' and , and patrol vessel INS Batti Malv. For aerial maritime surveillance, the ANC command dedicated two navy Boeing P-8I Neptunes, coast guard

, and

C-130J Super Hercules The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is the newest v ...

from Port Blair, and navy

from

Car Nicobar Car Nicobar ( in Car language) is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of three local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Annual rai ...

. along with air force

Mil Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 ( NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian servic ...

from ENC.

References

External links

Official web site

''Andaman and Nicobar Islands: India's Strategic Outpost'', The Diplomat, Jeff M. Smith, 18 March 2014
{{Indian Air Force Military units and formations of India Military units and formations established in 2001 Joint military units and formations of India 2001 establishments in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Port Blair