With an eye on leveraging technology to transform the Indian Navy’s might and to create a roadmap till 2030, commanders of the Indian Navy will come together for the biannual commanders’ conference from Monday to October 28 at New Delhi.
The conference will also see the Indian Navy outline its maritime strategy for the next few years.
“The chief of the naval staff reviews critical operational and administrative issues in the Navy biannually, during the naval commanders’ conference. The forthcoming conference would focus on multitude issues such as operational readiness of the commands, infrastructure development, human resource management, coastal security, cyber security in the Navy and foreign cooperation initiatives,” a senior naval officer said.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar is expected to be present for the deliberations and will also unveil the Indian Navy’s strategic guidebook, Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy. The document is a follow-on edition of the Navy’s earlier strategic roadmap released in 2007, titled Freedom to Use the Seas; India’s Maritime Military Strategy’.
“The prevalent geo-economic and geo-strategic scenarios and the Navy’s role and responsibilities have expanded significantly in the last decade and these developments have necessitated a revision of the Navy’s strategic guidance,” a naval official said. In response to these developments and India’s Blue Water Navy ambitions the new strategic guidebook aims to highlight the incontrovertible link between the seas and India’s resurgence in the 21st century.
Naval officials said, indigenization, in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative will play a key role in deliberations. The Navy currently has 47 ships under construction at Indian shipyards.
To focus on the men behind the warships and aircraft, the conference will review the numerous schemes for naval personnel to improve quality of life and service conditions within the Navy.
Source from India Defence News.
