Despite a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on Saturday, May 10, the Indian Navy has announced that it is keeping its fleet deployed and on alert in the face of a possible new escalation with the Armed Forces of Pakistan, maintaining a deterrent role to prevent Pakistani naval assets from venturing beyond their bases. This was confirmed via social media by a Navy spokesperson, who noted that while U.S.-mediated diplomatic efforts have brought a temporary halt to hostilities, tensions remain extremely high.
Providing further detail, the Navy stated that since April 25, its Carrier Strike Group has remained deployed, playing a key role during the brief hostilities by keeping its Pakistani counterpart in a constant defensive posture. It’s worth recalling that this task force is led by the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and its embarked air wing, with an escort composed of Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, Talwar-class frigates, and at least one submarine.
All these assets, according to official sources, were positioned in the northern Arabian Sea to remain within range of Pakistani targets and to reinforce operations primarily carried out by the Indian Air Force and Army. As part of their activities in the area, the vessels involved conducted various live-fire drills just 96 hours after the Pahalgam incident that triggered the conflict. This not only served as a deterrent message but also allowed for the validation of different procedures and weapons systems in anticipation of a persistent threat.
Regarding these developments, the Indian Navy stated: “The Indian Navy remained deployed on the frontlines of the Northern Arabian Sea in a deterrent and dissuasive posture, fully prepared and capable of striking selected targets at sea and on land, forcing Pakistani naval and air units into a defensive posture, either within ports or close to their coastline. As part of the escalation control mechanism, the use of force by the Navy was planned in synchronization with the Indian Army and Air Force.”
Finally, concerning the previously mentioned deployment date, it should be emphasized that this occurred several days before the outbreak of the so-called Operation Sindoor, coinciding with Pakistan’s own naval exercises—effectively resulting in the mutual closure of maritime zones to vessels from the neighboring country. This dynamic was also observed in the air domain: India closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft on April 30, forcing the rerouting of multiple commercial flights to avoid further complications.
Image credits: @indiannavy on X
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