Indian Ocean Region no longer passive, Navy strengthens presence, strategic capabilities: Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday highlighted changes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which he said is o longer passive. Addressing the top hierarchy of the Indian Navy, the Defence Minister said, IOR has become the center of contemporary geopolitics. It is no longer passive; it has become an area of competition and cooperation. He added that the Indian Navy, through its multidimensional capabilities, has played a leadership role in the region. In the last six months, our ships, submarines, and naval aircraft have been deployed at an unprecedented scale. In addition, our Navy has provided safe passage to approximately 335 merchant vessels, equaling around 1.2 million metric tons of cargo and a trade value of 5.6 billion dollars. This is proof that India has now become a trusted and capable partner in the global maritime economy, Singh said while speaking at the Naval Commanders Conference. The Defence Ministers statement follows his earlier emphasis on Indias strategic location in the IOR and the increasing threats in the region. As TNIE reported earlier, Singh had underscored the Governments resolve to strengthen the Navy, calling it a necessity due to Indias economic dependence on maritime security. India's economic prosperity is linked to maritime security. It is, therefore, necessary to protect our territorial waters, ensure freedom of navigation, and keep sea routes, which are our maritime highways, safe, he had said at an event in January 2025 organized to commemorate 2024 as the Year of Naval Civilians. He also noted the possibility of increased threats in the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and waters adjacent to East African countries, explaining that the Indian Navy is working to further expand its presence. Singh emphasised the critical importance of safeguarding Indias sea lines of communication, pointing out that around 90 per cent of Indias trade and 80 per cent of its energy requirements (oil and gas) are transported via the sea. He highlighted the strategic importance of key chokepoints such as the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and, by extension, the Indian Ocean. On Thursday, the Defence Minister further added, Maritime preparedness is no longer only about ships or submarines; it is based on technology-driven, network-centric, and autonomous systems. We need to protect ourselves from our adversaries' modern technologies while enhancing our capabilities in these areas. We have the potential and the capabilities. We're manufacturing our equipment on our own soil. He described the Indian Navys presence in the IOR as a matter of comfort for the friendly nations and discomfort for those who seek to destabilise the region. Singh underlined the importance of balancing strategy formulation with acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment to fight modern wars. No nation can win a war solely with equipment and warships. Technology gives us an edge, but geography, deception, timing, and human judgment must always be factored into the tactical framework. Fleet size and modernisation are important, but tactically utilising platforms is equally crucial. Agility and adaptability are essential in planning, he said. He stressed the need to advance naval strategy and thinking in sync with the rapidly evolving world. We must work together in three areas: capability, people, and partnerships. Capability means technology & strength; people mean sailors & their families; and partnerships mean industries, academia & international cooperation. When these three come together, our Navy will emerge as an even more reliable and powerful force, he added. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V. Kamat, and Naval Commanders were present on the occasion. As TNIE reported earlier, the top echelons of the force have gathered in New Delhi for the second edition of the biannual Naval Commanders Conference 2025, scheduled to run for three days from 22 to 24 October. Heres your text with clear paragraph breaks for readability: The conference serves as a platform for close interaction with national leadership and bureaucrats, and fine-tunes the Indian Navy's outlook towards mitigating multi-dimensional challenges in the current geo-strategic environment. The Navy's apex leadership is reviewing its operational preparedness on western and eastern seaboards, boosting indigenisation and innovation under the Make-in-India scheme, furthering the Government's vision of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across all Regions), and promoting the Indian Navy as the Preferred Security Partner in the IOR and Indo-Pacific. Navy's biannual Commanders Conference to be held from October 22 in Delhi