Visakhapatnam: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the naval leadership on Thursday during the ongoing Naval Commanders’ Conference being held at New Delhi from October 24 to 27. This is the second edition of this year’s bi-annual Naval Commanders’ Conference. Nirmala Sitharaman complimented all personnel of the Indian Navy for securing the maritime interests of the nation.
Taking note of the recent developments in our maritime neighbourhood, she emphasised the need for the Indian Navy to be strong at sea, and be ever ready and vigilant to counter any challenge. The defence minister acknowledged the high operational tempo maintained by the Navy in the last one year through regular deployment of ships, submarines and aircrafts from the South China Sea and Sea of Japan in the East to the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean in the West in efforts to deter piracy attempts off the Gulf of Aden. Participation in a number of bilateral exercises and the unprecedented success of the Exercise MALABAR with the US and the Japanese Navy earlier this year were lauded by Nirmala Sitharaman
Recognising the lead taken by Indian Navy in indigenisation and self-reliance, Nirmala Sitharaman stated that it is the collective responsibility of Service Headquarters, the Ministry and the Industry to promote a more vibrant ecosystem percolating down to the MSMEs, to encourage development of equipment and systems in India and to reduce import dependence in the Defence sector. She took note of the critical capability shortfalls that the Navy is facing in ship-borne multi-role helicopters, conventional submarines and mine counter measure vessels, which need urgent redressal to maintain the combat edge of the Navy.
