Naval Commanders’ Conference 2023 — to be held at sea aboard indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant — will begin Monday and Navy Chief Admiral H Hari Kumar, along with other top naval commanders, will review major operational, material, logistics, human resource development, training and other administrative activities undertaken by the Navy in the last six months, the Navy said. In a statement issued Sunday, the Navy said the top naval officers would also deliberate upon plans for important activities and initiatives of the Navy and be updated on the Agnipath Scheme for recruiting sailors in the force. The first batch of Agniveers, including the first batch of women Agniveers, will complete their training at INS Chilka by March end. The first edition of the conference serves as a platform for the officers to discuss important security issues at the military-strategic level and interact with senior government functionaries. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the naval commanders on the first day. An operational demonstration at sea is also planned as part of the activities on Day 1. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and the Chiefs of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force would also interact with the officers on subsequent days on the integration of the three services in a common operational environment and avenues of increasing synergy between the three services. “Due to the prevailing geostrategic situation in the region, the conference has its own significance and relevance,” the statement said. It said that the Navy had seen significant growth in its operational tasking over the years in line with India’s growing maritime interests, adding that the commanders would deliberate on the Navy’s readiness to address the challenges to India’s maritime interests.
