Conference of Naval Commanders: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh addressed top naval commanders on Monday and discussed India’s maritime security challenges aboard the country’s first indigenous aircraft, the INS Vikrant. The meeting took place amid China’s nascent military stance in the Indian Ocean. India TV exclusively reached the INS Vikrant today for the first time the commanders’ conference will take place in a floating onboard ship lying about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Goa.
As the 43,000-ton steel behemoth, accompanied by a fleet of more than 20 front-line frigates, destroyers and submarines, sailed the high seas, the Defense Minister sat in the main briefing room of the nearly 262-meter-long and 59-meter-tall ship, complimented the naval commanders for fiercely protecting India’s maritime interests in the strategic waters.
Mega war game
Before addressing the commanders at the biannual naval conference, Singh, Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar and other naval commanders witnessed a mega war game in which Vikrant, the escort ships and almost all of the attack aircraft , including the MiG-29K deck, were involved. -based jets.
“It is a historic event,” Admiral Kumar said. The chief of naval staff said all policy decisions, acquisition-related matters and troop planning are discussed at the commanders’ conference. “The purpose of the conference is to see what the challenges are, where we stand, what the gaps are and how we can move forward,” he told reporters. The assets deployed during Monday’s exercises included warships from both the Eastern and Western Fleets.
Tropex exercise
Officials said the wargame marked the end of the three-month Tropex exercise, billed as the largest exercise ever conducted by the Navy, which was launched in December to test the force’s overall operational capability in view of the evolving regional security matrix.
Two prototypes of the naval variant of domestically built light fighters also demonstrated their speedy landing on the deck of the sprawling aircraft carrier commissioned into the navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last September. The decision to hold the first phase of the commanders’ conference aboard INS Vikrant is a “quite significant step,” a top military official said, noting that it is a power projection in the face of Chinese assertiveness.
INS Vikrant has an advanced air defense network and anti-ship missile systems
Built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore, INS Vikrant has an advanced air defense network and anti-ship missile systems. It has a capacity of 30 fighter jets and helicopters. Speaking at the ship’s commissioning ceremony, Prime Minister Modi called it a “floating city” and said it is a reflection of India becoming self-reliant on defense. The aircraft carrier’s cockpit is equivalent to nearly two football fields, an official said.
The official said the conference will have its own significance and relevance given the prevailing geostrategic situation in the region. The conference of the second day will take place in Goa. The next phase of the conference will be held in Delhi a few days later. The conference serves as a platform for naval commanders to discuss important security issues at the military-strategic level and to interact with senior government officials within an institutionalized framework.
Agnipath scheme
Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Manoj Pande and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari will also communicate with the naval commanders to address the convergence of the three services regarding a common operational environment. During the conference, naval commanders would also receive an update on the implementation of the Agnipath plan.
The first batch of ‘naval Agniveers’, including the first group of female recruits under the scheme, will pass out from INS Chilka at the end of March. The Navy said the commanders’ conference would be an important conference and it will delve into the challenges facing India in the maritime field.
“The Indian Navy remains focused to be a combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-proof force and continues to diligently carry out its mandate as the country’s maritime security guarantor,” the navy said in a statement on Sunday.
(with input from PTI)
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