Maintaining A ‘Constant Vigil’ On Northern And Western Borders, India’s Coastline Important: Rajnath Singh
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Addressing the top naval commanders of India onboard the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, in the Arabian Sea, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday that maintaining a “constant vigil” on the northern and western borders, and India’s coastline is of paramount importance, news agency PTI reported. Singh, while on INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea, also witnessed a mega wargame. The defence minister was addressing the inaugural session of the naval commanders’ conference.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a projection of India’s growing maritime prowess, amid China’s increasing military presence in the Indian Ocean region.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 43,000-tonne steel behemoth was accompanied by a fleet of over 20 frontline frigates, destroyers and submarines, and sailed across the high seas. Singh was seated inside the Main Briefing Room of the 262-metre-long and 59-metre-tall aircraft carrier.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Singh complimented the Indian Navy for “standing firm” and protecting national interests with courage and dedication, a PTI report said. He also noted that future conflicts will be unpredictable, and that the armed forces must be ready to deal with emerging challenges.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mega wargame involved INS Vikrant, accompanying ships and some aircraft including the MiG-29K deck-based jets. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and other naval commanders were present at the event</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It is a historic occasion," Admiral Kumar was quoted as saying in the report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Singh said the defence sector will transform India’s economy, and encouraged the commanders to continue focussing on futuristic capability development to effectively overcome the emerging security challenges in the maritime domain.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"In the next 5-10 years, orders worth over USD 100 billion are expected to be placed through the defence sector and it will become a major partner in the economic development of the country,” Singh said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He added that today, India’s defence sector is on the runway. Soon, when it takes off, it will transform the country's economy, Singh said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All policy decisions, acquisition-related matters and force planning are being discussed at the commanders' conference, the Chief of Naval Staff said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The aim of the conference is to review what are the challenges, where we stand, what are the gaps and how we can take things forward," the Chief of Naval Staff was quoted as saying.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Warships from the Eastern as well as Western fleets were deployed during Monday’s drills.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The wargame marked the end of the three-month-long Tropex exercise, officials said, according to the report. The Tropex exercise is billed as the largest-ever such drill carried out by the Indian Navy. It was launched in December to test the Navy’s overall operational capability in view of the evolving regional security matrix.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In September last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned INS Vikrant. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the second day of the conference will take place in Goa, the latter phase of the conference will be held in Delhi a few days later.</span></p>
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