Naval Commanders' Conference to discuss important policy decisions

New Delhi, Sep 3

The second edition of Naval Commanders' Conference of 2023 scheduled here from September 4 to 6 will facilitate interaction between the Naval Commanders for deliberation and formulation of important policy decisions, a defence ministry official said on Sunday.

The Conference is the apex-level biannual event. According to the ministry of defence, 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.

During the three-day conference, being conducted in a ‘Hybrid’ format, the senior leadership of the Indian Navy, under the Chairmanship of the Chief of the Naval Staff, will review major operational, materiel, logistics, HR, training, and administrative activities undertaken during the previous six months. The Conference will also deliberate upon the course to be steered in the ensuing months, MoD added.

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

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 defence ministry official added.

The ministry of defence said that 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 the 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 official added.

According to the Indian Navy, 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 Indian Navy 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, the official added.