Indian Navy chief calls for 'high combat readiness'

New Delhi, Oct 28: Indian Navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan on Wednesday urged commanders to maintain highest combat readiness at all times.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Naval Commanders' Conference, Dhowan emphasised upon India's geographic location and the prevailing security situation.

The navy chief said it "demands continuous vigil and readiness to respond to any contingencies in our area of interest" and urged the commanders to "maintain highest combat readiness of our platforms and diligent monitoring of developments in the maritime domain."

He also lauded the navy's efforts for its focused action in deterring piracy attempts off the Gulf of Aden and closer to Indian islands in the Arabian Sea.

This comes in the light of the recent decision by Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) to shift the eastern limit of High Risk Area from 78 Degrees East to 65 Degrees East.

Admiral Dhowan highlighted that not even one India-owned ship has been hijacked since October 2008 due to the Indian Navy's proactive anti-piracy stance.

The conference, which started on Monday, saw top commanders of the navy deliberate on several issues related to operation, combat readiness, administration and mordernisation and indigenisation of the navy.

Key technological enablers for transformation of the navy was one of the issues on agenda, and the navy chief called for continued and sustained efforts with progressive substitution of imports by 'Make in India'.

An official statement said that the discussions in the conference will serve as a roadmap for the future navy till 2030 and indigenisation, in line with the 'Make in India' initiative is the key driver for this roadmap.

Currently, the navy has 47 ships currently under construction at Indian shipyards.

Among other issues, the conference discussed e-governance and induction of manpower.

The navy chief also reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects in the pipeline and stressed on the need to adopt sustainable green technologies, recycling and waste management to reduce carbon footprint of naval bases.

He also reviewed the 'coastal security construct', and preparations for upcoming International Fleet Review (IFR), set to take place in February 2016.

Consolidation and strengthening of the rapidly expanding aviation arm of the navy was also discussed, as was infrastructure and manning requirements for new induction aircraft, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and enhancement of surveillance.

IANS