Indian Navy commanders to review readiness at New Delhi conference

India’s senior naval leadership will begin a three-day Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi on Tuesday to review operational preparedness and set priorities for the force. The Indian Navy said the second biannual conference of 2026 would take place at Nausena Bhawan from September 29 to October 1. Operational and area commanders from various naval commands are expected to participate in the military-strategic review.

The meeting will examine the Navy’s continuing efforts to safeguard India’s maritime interests and protect energy supplies amid instability in West Asia. It will also review Operation Urja Suraksha, which was launched on March 27 to protect India-bound energy shipments travelling through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to address the commanders on the opening day.

The Navy said he would outline his guidance on national maritime perspectives and the government’s expectations from the service. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of the Army Staff are also due to interact with the naval commanders. The engagements are intended to strengthen coordination, jointness and integration among the armed forces.

In later sessions, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Commanders-in-Chief will assess operations, equipment, logistics, human resources and training. The conference will also consider the induction and absorption of artificial intelligence, big-data analytics, autonomous and uncrewed systems, and cyber capabilities. The discussions are expected to address new warfighting concepts and the faster adoption of emerging technologies.

The leadership will also examine overall force preparedness, force levels and combat readiness under the Navy’s stated priorities of jointness, self-reliance and innovation. The Navy said the deliberations would support the government’s wider objectives of greater defence self-reliance and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.