The Indian Navy says it is strengthening maritime domain awareness and accelerating indigenous capability development to secure the country’s expanding strategic interests in the Indian Ocean Region.
The Assistant Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Adm. Srinivas Maddula, stated this during an interaction with foreign defence journalists as part of a familiarisation programme in Delhi.
Maddula said the Navy’s current focus was anchored on maintaining credible maritime deterrence, enhancing blue-water operational reach and deepening self-reliance in shipbuilding and critical technologies.
According to him, the evolving maritime security environment—marked by increased competition, non-traditional threats and growing sea lane vulnerabilities— requires a balanced, future-ready naval force.
He added that “the Indian Navy continues to remain mission-ready, combat-credible and future-focused to safeguard national maritime interests.”
He noted that the Navy had made significant progress in indigenous warship construction, with the majority of frontline platforms now being built in Indian shipyards.
The senior officer explained that enhanced maritime domain awareness, network-centric operations and integration with other services remained key pillars of naval transformation.
On regional engagement, Maddula said the Navy maintained strong operational partnerships through joint exercises, coordinated patrols and capacity-building initiatives with friendly foreign navies.
He added that Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) remained a core responsibility, with the Navy frequently deployed for evacuation operations, disaster response and medical outreach missions across the region.
The naval chief reaffirmed India’s commitment to ensuring safe, secure and stable maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region.
