| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
India had its most famous victory in December 1971 while resolving the geo-political absurdity of the British when they left India and made two culturally different entities of West Punjab and East Bengal under a single nation called Pakistan. It had to go one day, and in its dismemberment the Indian armed forces had their most famous hour too. While the formation of Bangladesh was the proverbial icing on the cake, what also emerged was the synergy amongst the three Services as the overall plan was put in action. Sure, there were some mismatches, but that can be expected when a war plan rolls into action.
While the joint role of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army (IA) in the Bangladesh war is well known, knowledge of the combined efforts of the IAF and the Indian Navy are conspicuous by their absence. To be sure, they were few due to the totally different directions of approach and the fact that there was no amphibious operation. But that was way back in 1971. What the future holds for IAF-Indian Navy (IN) operations on our Eastern sea board in the Bay of Bengal and the adjoining portion of the Indian Ocean is the aim of this essay.
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