Katari and the long view behind Indian naval indigenization

India's modern destroyer program introduces an argument about why naval indigenization began earlier than comparable efforts in the other armed services. The Navy faced fewer immediate border pressures and could draw on existing facilities and a history of warship construction. That gave it more room to plan for domestic capacity. Katari, the first Indian Chief of Naval Staff, helped establish this long view in the new service. His ability to think several decades ahead about shipbuilding and fleet strategy combined personal judgment with the Navy's greater freedom from immediate demands.