‘Nothing special’ in Indian Ocean fleet

Press, 7 September 1976, Page 26

‘Nothing special’ in Indian Ocean fleet

NZPA London The soviet Union’s naval pre>ence in the Indian Ocean has s?a\ed four or five years, defence experts on the privatelyrun Internationa' Institute concluded. Ar American memoer of the Institute Council. Mr Richard Bun. *aid that between 20 and TO Soviet <h;ps would be in the area And ’hat'- not man} ships for a big He sa d that 10 to 15 wouid be tankers and other supp'v vessels not nonna'h regarded as comSa>. et activity had rv-t shown any noticeab e increase since a peak in 1971-72. be said The insti’iire's expert on conventional warefare. Brigadier Kenneth Hunt, said Soviet ships in the 28sq. mi'e- of the ocean were usually matched by element- of Western allied fleers. The French Navy kept a significant presence in the area: Britain and the United States "come and go." he said. When rhe American support facilits at the British island of Diego Garcia is completed. Soviet “ship Hats' in the

ocean would be more than matched. Brigadier Hunt did not attach any special significance to Indian Ocean activity. The Soviet Union was not concentrating on the Indian Ocean and excluding other areas, he said. It was an ideal training ground for Soviet vessels to gain “deep-sea miles.” The institute's 1976 edition of "The Military Balance" gives the known strength and equipment of al! the world's armed forces. It noted that arms sales were flourishing throughout the world. He said the United States and the Soviet Union had continued to modernise, or increase, offensive strategic nuclear forces within the limits of the 1972 interim Strategic Arms Uimitation Talks agreement. The Middle East was by far the largest outlet for arms sales. But very small quantities of weapons were exerting a “disproprotionate influence” in Africa. "Change in Southern Africa is being pressed and resisted by growing armed strength," the book The institute's director.

Dr Christoph Bertram added: “If customers buy weapons, it doesn't mean they want to go to war. It means they have a security problem." Dr Bertram said both ’he United States and'the U'.S.S.R. were extensively improving their nuclear forces. But each continued to improve conventional forces as well, as did the N.A.T.O. allies. ‘ln spite of the increases in strength by the Warsaw Pact and N.A.T.O. forces, a balance between them still remains such as to make military aggression appear unattractive."