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New
Delhi, 25 August 2005
The attached pdf
file spells out how US Congress approves
transfers of ships and equipment on grant and
payment terms.
The Indian Navy is due to inspect
the USS Trenton and now Indian Express has also come
up with the story. It is critical to the extent that
it depricates the Indian Navy for looking at old US
Ships.
The writer is not well informed. A
US Navy ship is well kept and its age has nothing to
do with its condition for the Indian Navy, which has
had an excellent record of operationally exploiting
second hand ships. Starting with INS Delhi, Mysore,
Vikrant and Viraat still in commission the list can
go on.
What is important is to look at the
condition and the capability and its cost
effectiveness. Building a new ship of this type may
cost us hundreds of crores of rupees. What has to be
remembered is that we have no ship of this type to
command and control landing operations and getting
one cheap from the US will be to our advantage. The
Indian Navy is doing just that and the USS Trenton
will be a boon for the Indian Navy. We
whole-heartedly support the move.
While commending media persons for
keeping the public informed, our opinion is that
they should take the trouble to probe deep into the
nuances of the case, rather than echo what they may
have heard from a naval officer friend!
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