The first edition of the Naval Commanders’ Conference of 2024 concluded on Friday.
The first part of the conference was held at sea on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Tuesday during which the Navy showcased its “twin-carrier operations” with MiG-29K fighter jets taking off simultaneously from both INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, and then landing cross deck. The operations were witnessed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan.
The twin-carrier operations also demonstrate that the first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in September 2022, has been fully operationalised and fully integrated into the operational cycle. The twin operations were followed by a sail by several warships of the Indian Navy, a combined tonnage of around 1,40,000 tonnes, in addition to aircraft mobilised from across the country’s coastline.
The conference happened amid high operational tempo of the Navy in the last six months with developments in the Red Sea and renewed piracy attempts in the Gulf of Aden.
The remainder of the conference was held in New Delhi. The commanders’ conference is an institutional forum that enables deliberations on important maritime security issues at the military-strategic level.
In his address to the top commanders, Mr. Singh mentioned the recent incidents in West Asia and the adjoining seas, and underscored the leadership role expected of the Indian Navy towards ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region.
The proceedings at New Delhi on March 7 and 8 included review of major operational, material, infrastructure, logistics and personnel-related initiatives, the Navy said in a statement on Saturday. “Besides, the senior naval leadership reviewed existing and future plans, including capability enhancements in the island territories, to mitigate contemporary and future challenges in the maritime domain.”
The chiefs of Army and Air Force also addressed and engaged with the naval commanders, sharing their assessment of the operating environment, outlining readiness levels to defend national interests amidst the prevailing and evolving security challenges, the Navy stated.
On the sidelines of the conference, the naval commanders also interacted with various think tanks at a ‘Sagar Manthan’ event on March 8. The forum provided an opportunity to engage with micro, medium and small enterprises, innovators and academia to deliberate ways, means and novel avenues to further atmanirbharta initiatives and enhance self-reliance in defence production, the Navy added.
