Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said deception and grey-zone activities have made the maritime domain more complex than ever, necessitating the Indian Navy to sharpen its surveillance and response mechanism in the Indian Ocean Region.
“India stands firm as the first responder, preferred security partner and as a symbol of trust and reliability in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the entire world is witnessing the growth of both our strategic position and our strategic responsibility in the region.
Hence, we must elevate our monitoring and response mechanisms to a new level,” he said at the Navy’s biannual commanders’ conference. Today, issues such as congestion, deception, and grey-zone activities have made our maritime domain far more complex than ever before.
Singh touched upon the government’s focus on the navy’s modernisation. Amidst challenges arising from evolving technology, unpredictability, and geographical proximity, we must move beyond ‘business as usual’ and make geo-strategic thinking and contingency planning integral parts of our preparedness. “The Indian Navy serves as a strategic anchor in the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
Beyond merely guarding maritime boundaries, our navy strengthens economic protection, regional stability, and power projection,” Singh said. Meanwhile, the defence ministry in a post on X, said, “At the @indiannavy Commanders’ Conference, Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh stated that the #IndianNavy is acting as a strategic anchor in realizing the resolve of ‘#ViksitBharat2047’.
Our goal is clear, our preparedness must reach the crisis point before the crisis itself reaches our doorstep.”
