Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) called for a significant upgrade of India’s maritime surveillance and response architecture amid growing congestion, deception and grey-zone activities at sea, asserting that the country’s strategic responsibilities in the Indian Ocean Region were increasing alongside its maritime power.
The Defence Minister highlighted the Indian Navy’s blue-water capability, noting that Indian warships were deployed as far as the South China Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. Mr. Highlighting indigenous shipbuilding, Mr.
Addressing the second edition of the Indian Navy’s biannual Commanders’ Conference 2026 here, Mr. Singh said 2026 was a historic year for the Navy, with plans for the induction or commissioning of 18 warships, which would represent the largest single-year force accretion in its history. Singh said recently commissioned Indian warships contained more than 75% indigenous content and called for the domestic ecosystem to move towards exporting warships to friendly countries.
Singh said India had emerged as a “First Responder” and “Preferred Security Partner” in the Indian Ocean Region and stressed the need to take maritime monitoring and response mechanisms to a new level. “The entire world is witnessing the growth of both our strategic position and our strategic responsibility in the region,” he said. He said the Navy had a crucial role in providing strategic depth and enabling regional power projection.
