NEW DELHI: The bi-annual Naval Commanders Conference beginning on Tuesday will extensively review the Navy’s new “Mission-Based Deployments” philosophy, a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the philosophy is “aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region” and is in furtherance of the Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). It “aims at sustained, peaceful and yet responsive presence of Indian Naval ships in critical areas and choke points,” he said.
The conference is being held in New Delhi from May 8 to 11.
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The Navy said its focus over the past year has been on combat efficiency and materiel readiness, and the upkeep of its large fleet of 131 ships and submarines. “Various measures taken to improve Combat Efficiency, including the new Transition Cycle for ships for transition from maintenance periods through a training phase and thereon to full-scale operations, will be examined at the conference,” he said.
The spokesperson said an overhaul of the training standards of units by revamping the ‘Ship Operating Standards (SHOPS)’ is also underway, and would be discussed in detail during the conference. The new SHOPS, set to be unveiled shortly, focuses on role-based training in realistic scenarios and has new standards set for both units and individual crews.
“Naval commanders would deliberate upon steps to improve the Teeth-to-Tail ratio and explore niche fields such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics,” he said.
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Harnessing cutting-edge technology, specifically those ‘Made-in-India’, to improve organisational effectiveness and efficiency would be another key focus area of the commanders, he said.
The commanders would also deliberate on effective utilisation of defence budget, prioritising capital acquisitions and modernisation plans to bridge critical capability gaps.