The Indian Navy’s biennial Commanders’ Conference to be held on Monday at the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea will focus on enhancing India’s naval power and enhancing synergy between the three armed forces.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will address the top commanders of the Navy onboard INS Vikrant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inducted this 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier into the Indian Navy in September last year. INS Vikrant, built at a cost of about Rs 23,000 crore, is equipped with a sophisticated air defense system and anti-ship missile system. The ship is capable of carrying 30 fighter jets and helicopters.
While inducting INS Vikrant into the Navy, Prime Minister Modi termed it as a ‘floating city’. He had said that this ship is a sign of India becoming self-reliant in the defense sector. A senior Navy official said the conference would have its own importance and relevance in view of the current geo-strategic situation in the region.
He told that Rajnath will address the naval commanders gathered at INS Vikrant as part of the first phase of the conference. According to the official, the conference will serve as a platform for naval commanders to discuss important security issues at the military and strategic level as well as interact with senior government officials under an institutional framework.
“The highlight of this year’s conference is that the first phase of the Commanders’ Conference is being held at sea and for the first time on board India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant,” the Navy said.
In this, Defense Chief (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Manoj Pandey and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chowdhary will also hold talks with the naval commanders to address the issue of synergy between the three armed services in a normal operational environment. They are also likely to discuss ways to enhance coordination and readiness among the three armed forces for India’s defense and national interests. A demonstration of operational capability at sea is also planned on the first day of the conference.
In a statement, the Navy said, “The Chief of the Naval Staff along with other naval commanders will take stock of the major operational, material, logistics, human resource development, training and administrative activities undertaken by the Indian Navy in the last six months and look forward to important activities and initiatives.” Will discuss the plans of
According to the statement, during the conference, the naval commanders will also be provided with an update regarding the implementation of the Agneepath plan. The first batch of ‘Naval Agniveers’ under this scheme is scheduled to pass out from INS Chilka in late March. Women jawans are also included in this batch. The Navy said that the Commanders’ Conference is very important and it will consider the challenges faced by India in the maritime domain.
It said in the statement, “The Navy has seen a significant increase in its operational capability in line with India’s growing maritime interests. The Commanders will also discuss the Navy’s preparedness to meet the challenges facing our maritime interests.
