New Delhi: Reviewing the progress of the past as well as the future course of action, the first day of the Naval Commanders’ Conference saw the unveiling of the Maritime Infrastructure Perspective Plan (MIPP) 2023-37.
On Monday, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt released the MIPP, which aims to “synchronise and enmesh the infrastructure requirements of the Navy, over the next 15 years, through a comprehensive Perspective Plan model.”
Bhatt also released a revised version of IRS Rules and Regulations Handbook for Construction and Classification of Naval Combatants from the previous edition of 2015 to cater for technological advancements as well as self-reliance in the naval shipbuilding industry.
Planned indigenous navy projects to utilise niche technologies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Tactical Communications, Combat Management Systems, Cyber Security, Underwater Domain Awareness and Combat Platform Integration were showcased at the conference.
Bhatt interacted with the senior naval leadership at the three-day biannual conference where he spoke on topics such as self-reliance in the defence sector.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, he said, 33 warships had been constructed in India. Additionally, 61 of 63 warships currently under construction were being built in Indian shipyards, he said.
In this context, the minister lauded the Indian Navy for being a “torchbearer” of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. “It has earmarked more than 70 percent of its modernisation budget in the current financial year for indigenous procurement,” he said.
The launches of Vindhyagiri and Mahendragiri frigates were highlighted to underscore the strength of India’s indigenous warship building.
Advocating jointness in the Indian defence services, Indian Navy chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said that the Navy is working closely with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the army and air force “to progress jointness and integration to meet challenges of the future.”
He added that as an instrument of a nation’s maritime power, the navy must accomplish every mission and task that came its way. “As the cutting edge of our rising nation, we must embrace larger societal changes that are happening around us.”
The conference has embedded interactions with NSA Ajit Doval, chiefs of the army and air force so as to analyse the operational environment, deliberate on the issue of tri-service synergy and assess the readiness of the maritime forces.
Being held in a ‘hybrid’ format, the senior Navy leadership is reviewing major operational, materiel, logistics, HR, training, and administrative activities undertaken during the previous six months. The commanders will review the naval projects with a focus on enhancing indigenisation through ‘Make in India’ in consonance with the vision of achieving complete self-reliance by 2047.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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