Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will, on Monday, address Naval Commanders for the first time at INS Vikrant during the biannual conference that is set to discuss ways to secure maritime interest and boost tri-services synergy.

The conference will open with weapons firing from INS Vikrant, which is on sail the Arabian Sea, followed by flying operation by Mig-29Ks fighters, Kamov and Dhruv helicopters to demonstrate its prowess before the august presence of Defence Minister, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, Army Chief Manoj General Pande, and Air Force Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, besides top brass of the Navy.

INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant

The INS Vikrant, which is undergoing trials before taking up operational duty, has an array of sophisticated air defence networks and anti-ship missile systems. The indigenously designed and manufactured ship was built at a cost of around ₹23,000 crore, and commissioned into the Navy last year.

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Later, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the Naval Commanders on the maritime scenario and how the Navy should address it. A demonstration of the indigenous equipment on the aircraft carrier will also be given.

The Chief of Defence Staff and the Chiefs of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force would also interact with the Naval Commanders on subsequent days to address the convergence of the three Services vis-à-vis common operational environment, and avenues of augmenting Tri-Service synergy and readiness towards the defence of the nation and India’s national interests, the Navy spokesperson stated.

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The Navy Chief, along with other Naval Commanders, will review major operational, materiel, logistics, human resource development, training, and administrative activities undertaken by the Navy in the last six months, said the spokesperson. Future plans for important activities and initiatives will also come up for discussion. During the conference, Naval Commanders would also be provided with an update on the recruitment of Agniveers through Agnipath scheme executed in the Indian Navy in November 2022. The first batch of Agniveers, which also includes the women Agniveers, is scheduled to pass out from INS Chilka towards the end of March.

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