Naval Commanders’ to Discuss Technological Enablers for Transformation of the Navy with Focus on Indigenisation/ Make in India

The Naval Commanders’ will be deliberating on the key technological enablers for the transformation of the Navy during the second edition of the biannual Commanders’ Conference, scheduled to be conducted from the 26th to 28th of Oct 15 at New Delhi. These deliberations shall serve as a roadmap for the future Navy till 2030. Indigenisation, in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, is the key driver for this roadmap. The Navy has been at the forefront of indigenisation with 47 ships currently under construction at Indian shipyards.

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. The Hon’ble RM would also be addressing and interacting with the Naval Commanders on 26th Oct 15.

The Commanders’ will also delve on the numerous initiatives taken by the Navy to usher in E- governance to provide greater impetus to the Indian Navy’s integration with the ‘Digital India’ initiative. While doing so, measures to further strengthen cyber security in the Navy would also be examined. With the aim to showcase the Indian Navy, foster a better understanding of the navies of the world and share best operational practices; the arrangements for the International Fleet review scheduled at Visakhapatnam in Feb 16 will be reviewed.

To focus on the man behind the machine, the year 2015 is being observed as the ‘Year of the Sailor’. The numerous schemes to improve quality of life and service conditions within the Navy will be reviewed during the conference.

In response to the prevalent geo-economic and geo-strategic scenarios the Navy’s role and responsibilities have expanded significantly in the last decade. These developments have necessitated a revision of the Navy’s strategic guidance document ‘Freedom to Use the Seas; India’s Maritime Military Strategy’ published in 2007. The conference would witness the unveiling of the follow-on edition titled ‘Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy’ by the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri. This edition aims to highlight the incontrovertible link between the seas and India’s resurgence in the 21st century.

It may be recalled that the first edition of the Commanders’ Conference for the current year was held from 25th to 28th May 15.