Top Naval Commanders brainstorm operational readiness, transition at apex meet

The senior leadership of the Indian Navy will review major operational, materiel, logistics, HR, training, and administrative activities undertaken during the previous six months during the second edition of Naval Commanders’ Conference 2023 that begins in New Delhi from Monday.

The last six months have seen an intense operational tempo as the Indian Navy’s operations spanned from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Indian Naval ships were first responders for the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan as part of ‘Op Cauvery’ and HADR in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha as part of ‘Op Karuna’.

In keeping with the expectations of Indian Navy being the preferred security partner and first responder to any crisis in the region, the forum will undertake a detailed review of the operational readiness of the Navy, with a particular focus on the performance of weapons/sensors of the Naval platforms.

The conference is the apex-level biannual event facilitating interaction between the Naval Commanders for deliberation and formulation of important policy decisions. During the three-day event, being conducted in a ‘Hybrid’ format, the senior leadership of the Indian Navy, under the Chairmanship of the Chief of the Naval Staff, will also deliberate upon the course to be steered in the ensuing months.

The Minister of State for Defence along with the Chief of the Defence Staff will address the Naval Commanders during the conference and interact with them.

The conference also provides an opportunity for institutionalised interaction of Naval Commanders with senior government officials to take ahead several inter-ministerial initiatives towards the development of a safe and secure maritime environment essential for the holistic economic growth of the country.

The conference and the embedded interactions with the NSA, Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force would also be utilised to analyse the operational environment, deliberate on the issue of tri-service synergy and assess the readiness of the maritime forces.

The Commanders will also review the ongoing Naval projects with a focus on enhancing indigenisation through ‘Make in India’ in consonance with the vision of achieving complete ‘AatmaNirbharta’ by 2047. A demonstration of the indigenisation, Innovations and Tech initiatives by the IN is also planned on the sidelines of the conference. Various HR initiatives towards enhancing quality of life will be reviewed as well as the progress made towards identifying and removing archaic practices in the Indian Navy.