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Navy brass to review readiness at top meet
The Indian Navy, led by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, will hold a three-day conference to review security in the Indian Ocean and enhance operational readiness.
The navy’s top brass, led by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, will hold a three-day conference, beginning Wednesday, to review the overall security situation in the Indian Ocean region as well as discuss issues including its operational readiness, force levels, capacity development, indigenisation and ability to tackle new challenges, navy officials said.
The second edition of navy’s biannual commanders’ conference 2025 assumes greater significance in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the navy’s high tempo of operations and combat preparedness, the navy said on Tuesday. The meeting is also taking place days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent a night on board aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to celebrate Diwali with officers and sailors.
“Witnessed an awe-inspiring Air Power Demo on INS Vikrant, showcasing precision and prowess. The take-off and landing of MiG-29 fighters on a short runway, both in daylight and in the dark night, was a breathtaking display of skill, discipline and technological excellence,” Modi wrote on X on Monday.
During Operation Sindoor, the forward presence of INS Vikrant, along with its Mig-29K fighters and airborne early warning helicopters, in the northern Arabian Sea prevented hostile aircraft from coming within several hundred kms of the carrier battle group consisting of several warships. Jointness among the three services --- an essential prerequisite to the creation of theatre commands --- was in focus during Operation Sindoor. It marked New Delhi’s direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“The navy’s focus on enhancing combat capabilities, interoperability, and joint operations with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard underscores its resolve to deter emerging threats and showcase maritime prowess in the Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific,” the navy said in a statement.
China is seeking to boost its influence in the wider Indo-Pacific region by setting up military bases, pushing countries to advance its maritime claims and forcing strategic concessions from vulnerable states.
During the Conference, defence minister Rajnath Singh and cabinet secretary TV Somanathan will address the naval commanders and provide a perspective on broader national interests and the vision towards Viksit Bharat 2047. “The conference serves as a platform to fine tune the navy’s outlook towards mitigating multi-dimensional challenges in the current geo-strategic environment,” it added.
Chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan and chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh will also address the naval brass.
“Paradigms related to naval operations, training and resource availability towards varied operational tasking in the current scenario would also be agenda for discussion…On a broader canvas, the navy’s apex leadership will review its operational preparedness on western and eastern seaboards,” the statement added.
