Web Desk: India’s continued induction of patrol vessels like ICGS Atal serves two purposes: it reinforces the narrative of self-reliance and also points toward its expanding strategic ambitions in the Indian Ocean.
According to Azaad Research Desk, India recently launched ICGS Atal, the sixth of eight fast patrol vessels (FPVs) being built by Goa Shipyard Limited. The launch is being portrayed as a milestone in the country’s maritime self-sufficiency.
With a length of 52 metres, a weight of around 320 tonnes, and a maximum speed of 27 knots, Atal is designed for coastal surveillance, anti-smuggling efforts, and search and rescue operations.
It contains over 60 per cent locally sourced components and has been dual-certified by both the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
While these features may appear impressive on paper, beneath the surface, they reflect India’s strategic anxieties more than actual strength.
The entry of this ship into the Indian Coast Guard is not a question of need but of optics, a continuation of the aggressive stance of India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), fuelled as it is by its regional dominance aspirations.
Although the launch is justified by New Delhi as a military necessity, the superior capacity of the vessel reveals how limited both the extent of Indian domination and blue-water activities are. The launch, like others in the FPV series, fits a larger pattern.
These patrol vessels would have served as a symbol of local success while attempting to hide gaps in India’s broader maritime strategy. But India is no longer the only actor in these waters.
Pakistan’s quiet challenge to India’s maritime claims
India’s maritime expansion, which leans heavily on patrol vessels and headline-grabbing deployments, is increasingly being met by Pakistan’s calculated and growingly effective response.
Pakistan has enhanced its maritime domain awareness, modernised its coastal deterrence mechanisms, and deepened intelligence-based naval operations.
During its celebrations of new launches, India has stumbled on its feet, and Pakistan has exposed weakness in its coastal security, such as defects in its anti-smuggling campaign and shortcomings in intelligence usage.
The dealings of India in the influence of the IOR, as well as the half-baked power-seeking enterprise in the region, may seem great, but in actuality, these are part of an overexposed play motivated by insecurity rather than strength.
Propaganda rather than performance
According to Azaad Research, Atal is a mere tactical change in the deployment of ICGS. It makes no real difference to naval deterrence or a transition moment in operational planning.
Instead, it is a symbol of India becoming increasingly obsessed with visible military assets that serve local political mileage and media attention more than good defence.
Pakistan’s approach, in contrast, avoids symmetrical competition. Without getting entangled in ship-to-ship or fleet-to-fleet races, Pakistan has focused on intelligence integration, joint force coordination, and hybrid tactics and strategies capable of unsettling even numerically superior opponents.
The Indian maritime domain is no longer India’s solo game. The internal politics of these waters have become highly disputed, and the stakes and the symbolic boats, such as Atal, only firm up the declining credibility of the Indian claims of maritime power.
The acquisition of ICGS Atal is not merely a show, where the appearance tends to be more important than the efficiency.
The message to regional stakeholders and strategic analysts is clear: Indian naval dominance is no longer assured, and its move to achieve supremacy in the IOR is strongly opposed by Pakistan.
However, Azaad Research Desk opines that vessels such as ICGS Atal can represent the Indian maritime interests, yet are inadequate to flip the power scales in the region.
The actual maritime power relies not only on the mass of ships, but on the balance of location, intelligence advantage, and multi-service synergy.
Pakistan, with little means, has enacted policies that have defied normal power discourses. The Indian Ocean does not feature as a place of one-sided demonstrations of might.
It is now a battlefield where tactics are the key, wit and dexterity coupled with accurate planning count.
The truth is apparent: The true power is strategic depth, and not ceremonial start-ups.
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