Navy is always combat ready, says ENC chief

Visakhapatnam: Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Eastern Naval Command (ENC) on Friday said Indian Navy is always combat ready.

He told the media here that Navy Day is celebrated on December 4 each year in remembrance of India's decisive victory at sea in the 1971 conflict. "We continue to draw immense pride and inspiration from the valiant naval action of our war heroes of that time."

He said the theme of this year's Navy Week refers to the Indian Navy as a 'Combat Ready, Credible and Cohesive' force. True to this theme, the focus of the Eastern Naval Command has been and will continue to remain, the combat readiness of our operational platforms, so that it can be deployed proactively and respond swiftly to any situation across the spectrum of maritime operations.

He said "situational awareness at sea or Maritime Domain Awareness, as we call it, is the primary enabler of maritime operations. If we do not know who is present or what is happening in our area of operations, we will not be able to act in a befitting manner."

He said the Indian Navy has very potent facilities to develop situational awareness at sea and very little happens in our maritime areas of interest without knowledge.

In consonance with the nation's Act East Policy, ships of the Eastern Fleet have showcased the Indian flag at major ports of the Bay of Bengal, South East Asia, Indo-Pacific Region and Australia.

The ENC chief said their participation in multilateral and bilateral exercises with friendly foreign navies has witnessed a significant increase, aimed at enhancing interoperability and maritime security and cooperation. The annual maritime exercise with USA, Ex-Malabar has grown significantly in scope and complexity. This year's edition was conducted in two phases with participation of US, Japanese and Australian Navies. He said "we also exercised with French Navy, Royal Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy, Myanmar Navy and Indonesian Navy in various bilateral and multilateral exercises."

The Vice Admiral saud coordinated patrols and passage exercises were also routinely held with friendly navies. Coastal security continues to be a priority area for the country and Navy's close coordination with the Coast Guard, State and Central agencies has strengthened national capability to safeguard offshore assets, maritime zones and also ensure good order at sea.