New Delhi, September 29: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has told the Indian Navy’s top commanders that India’s maritime monitoring and response systems must be taken “to a new level”, as congestion, deception and grey-zone activities make the maritime domain more complex than ever. He was speaking at the Indian Navy Commanders’ Conference 2026 at Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi.
“India stands firm as the First Responder, Preferred Security Partner and as a symbol of trust and reliability in the Indian Ocean Region and the entire world is witnessing the growth of both our strategic position and our strategic responsibility in the region,” Singh said, addressing the second edition of the Navy’s biannual conference this year.
He called for a significant upgrade of India’s maritime surveillance architecture. Existing systems remain important, he said, but the growing volume and complexity of sea traffic now needs stronger analytical capability.
18 warships due for induction in 2026
Singh described 2026 as a historic year for the Navy. The Navy plans to induct or commission 18 warships this year, which he said would be the largest single-year addition to its fleet in its history.
According to the minister, this reflects the growing maturity of India’s domestic naval shipbuilding, though he added that further capability enhancement is still needed.
“The Indian Navy’s warship production ecosystem is now meeting global benchmarks. The warships commissioned recently contain over 75% indigenous content,” he said. In the times ahead, he said, India should export its warships to friendly foreign nations as well as meet its own requirements.
Sea lanes, energy supplies and Operation Urja Suraksha
Singh praised the Navy’s work during the crisis in West Asia. He called the safe passage of Indian-flagged merchant vessels, particularly LPG tankers, through the Strait of Hormuz under Operation Urja Suraksha an outstanding achievement.
India brings in about 85–90 per cent of its crude oil and around 50 per cent of its natural gas by sea, he pointed out. That ties the security of sea lanes directly to the country’s economy, energy supplies and defence preparedness.
He said Indian warships are now present in the South China Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, which he described as proof of the Navy’s blue-water capability. Crediting the modernisation drive under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: “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.”
CTF-154 command and women in frontline roles
Singh congratulated the Navy on taking command of Combined Task Force-154 under the Combined Maritime Forces, calling it an important contribution to regional cooperative security. During India’s command tenure, Operation Southern Readiness was held in Kochi with 276 personnel from 27 countries, 76 facilitators and subject-matter experts, and four international organisations.
He also spoke about women officers now deployed on frontline warships and aircraft under the Navy’s “All Ranks, All Roles” approach, and about women taking part in naval navigational expeditions such as the Navika Sagar Parikrama voyage.
The deployment of INS Sudarshini for Lokayan-26 drew praise as well. Singh said it had strengthened India’s maritime diplomacy and its links with the Indian diaspora across the United States, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
Closing his address, he reaffirmed the government’s support for the Navy. “If the seas are secure, India will be secure; and if India is secure, the resolve for a Viksit Bharat will be further strengthened,” he said.
Singh also met the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of the Army Staff at the conference. The three-day meeting runs until 1 October and brings together the Navy’s senior leadership to review operational preparedness, maritime security and future capability development.
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