Indian Navy undertook mission-based deployments in Areas of Interest in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to safeguard national maritime interests and maintain continuous/ near continuous presence in areas of significant maritime importance in the IOR. These deployments were in consonance with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’. IN ships and aircraft were regularly deployed in the Gulf of Oman/ Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden/ Red Sea, South and Central IOR, off Sunda Strait, Andaman Sea/ approaches to Malacca Strait and Northern Bay of Bengal. These deployments facilitated enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness, swift Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to IOR littorals, security to Indian and international maritime community and operational engagements with friendly navies through capability development and capacity building programmes.

Anti-Piracy Patrol in Gulf of Aden commenced in 2008 to ensure safe passage of IFMVs. 107 IN ships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden since commencement of patrols in 2008.

Maritime Security Operation code-named Op Sankalp in the Gulf Region commenced in 2019 to ensure safe passage of IFMVs transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. Since June 2019, IN has deployed 41 warships and escorted approximately 624 Lakh Tons of cargo onboard 503 IFMVs.

In 2023, Indian Navy, has intercepted huge heroin shipments in the Arabian Sea. On May 10, 2023 an Anti-Narcotics Operation (ANO) lead to seizure of 2500 kg of contraband worth Rs. 12,000 Cr.  Since April 2021, 12 such operations have been undertaken by the IN. Narcotics worth Rs. 29000 Cr (approx. 3.5 Bn Dollars) has been seized over six operations in last three years.

P8I aircraft from INS Hansa, Goa was deployed in Northern Sector for surveillance on various occasions in support of Army/ Air Force tasking. Such deployments ensure seamless operability between all three forces and encourages jointmanship.

A Naval Special Warfare exercise off Carnic, was conducted on September 21, 2023 which included twin Air Droppable Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (ADR) drop in tandem with Combat Free Fall (CFF).

The IN undertook its maiden operations with both the carriers in company off Goa in Early June 2023. The Western Naval Command enabled the embarkation of the largest number of carrier-borne aircraft, which included 20 helicopters of various types. These included the indigenously manufactured ALH MK III helicopters and the recently inducted, MH 60R. The event was a potent demonstration of IN’s fast-growing blue water capability and gained considerable attention from national and international media.

IN Submarine Vagir, was deployed for Long Range Deployment to Fremantle, Australia wef July 24, 2023. The submarine crew interacted with the Australian Naval representatives during OTRs at Fremantle (August 20 – 23, 2023 and August 25 – 28, 2023). The submarine returned to Visakhapatnam in early October 2023.

The Test Vehicle Abort mission (TV-D1) was launched on October 21, 2023 from Satish Dhavan Space Centre (SDSC), Shriharikota. The aim of TV-D1 launch was to validate the efficiency of Crew Escape System (CES) during an emergency abort condition while the crew module is within atmospheric limits. Post launch and successful ejection, recovery of Crew Module and recording of the launch (as required by ISRO) was successfully undertaken by IN. INS Shakti recovered the crew module which was later disembarked at Chennai. The video of crew module decent phase was also live streamed to SDSC. Assets deployed for the mission included three IN ships (Shakti, Gharial and Battimalv), SCI Saraswati, one HALE UAV and a Chetak Helicopter.

Naval Exercises

IN’s Theatre Readiness Operational Level Exercise (TROPEX), a major biennial exercise, was conducted across the Indian Ocean Region from January to February, 2023. Intense operations by more than 150 warships, submarines and aircraft, with significant participation of other Services, were conducted. The exercise culminated with a debrief at Kochi.

Tri-Services Amphibious Exercise (AMPHEX 23) was conducted at Naval Enclave Kakinada, with Visakhapatnam as the mounting base. This edition of the exercise was the largest in terms of force levels from Indian Army, with over 800 troops (being the maximum participation till date). Further, loading of large number of A and B type vehicles was also undertaken, which was the highest thus far in any AMPHEX.

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IN Sailing Vessel Tarini was deployed for Open Sea Sailing Expedition wef 22 Nov 22 with a crew of five (including 02 Women Officers). Tarini successfully completed a 17,000 Nm trans-ocean inter-continental voyage to South Africa and South America (Cape to Rio Race). A grand Flag-in ceremony for the crew of INSV Tarini was conducted at INS Mandovi on May 23, 2023, with Shri Pramod Sawant,   Chief Minister of Goa, as the Chief Guest. Smt Smriti Irani, the Union Minister of Women and Child Welfare, accompanied by CNS, also graced the occasion.

Exercises with Friendly Countries

IN ships Kolkata, Sahyadri and P8I participated in the 31st edition of Exercise MALABAR 23 scheduled at/off Sydney, Australia from August 11 to 23, 2023, along with ships and aircraft from US Navy, JMSDF and RAN. MALABAR 23 was conducted in two phases viz the Harbour Phase (August 11-15, 2023) encompassing cross deck visit, pre-sail conferences and delegation visits, followed by the Sea Phase (August 16-21, 2023) comprising various surface, sub-surface and air exercises involving units from all participating countries. The ships also participated in the 77th Independence Day Celebrations at Sydney, Australia.

IN ships Chennai and Teg, along with aircraft (MiG 29K, P8I, Dornier, ALH and Sea King), participated in the 21st edition of Exercise Varuna – 23 with French Navy Carrier Strike Group (comprising Charles De Gaulle, Forbin, Provence and Marne), alongwith maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 off Goa from January 15 to 20, 2023. Subsequently, the FN ships Charles De Gaulle, Forbin and Provence entered Goa, while Marne entered Mumbai for the Harbour Phase of the Exercise. French aircraft Atlantique, A330 MRTT and A400M operated from INS Hansa, Goa.

IN ships Sahyadri and Jyoti participated in the 3rd edition of the Multilateral Exercise La Perouse conducted in Southern Bay of Bengal from March 13 to 14, 2023. Eight warships from six countries (Australia, India, France, Japan, UK and USA) participated in the exercise.

Sea Dragon is a multilateral Air ASW exercise conducted by US Navy. IN P8I aircraft participated in the 5th edition of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Theatre Exercise Sea Dragon 23 conducted at Guam, USA from March 15 to 29, 2023. Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from four countries (USA, Japan, Canada and South Korea) and USS Hampton (Los Angeles Class SSN) participated in the exercise.

IN Ship Trishul and Dornier aircraft participated in the annual bilateral maritime exercise Konkan 23 with Royal Navy ship HMS Lancaster off Mumbai from March 20 to 22, 2023. Both ships undertook multiple maritime drills to enhance interoperability and imbibe best practices. The exercises covered all domains of maritime operations viz air, surface and sub-surface.

IN ships Delhi and Satpura, alongwith P8I aircraft, participated in the maiden ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME) and International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) conducted at Singapore from May 02 to 08, 2023.

INS Sumedha participated in Multilateral Tri-Services Exercise Bright Star 23 conducted in the Mediterranean Sea from 6 to 13 Sep 23. The Exercise was conducted in two phases, Harbour phase and Sea phase.

IN and USN have been participating in a combined Salvage exercise since 2005. Seventh edition of IN – USN Diving, Salvage and EOD exercise (SALVEX) was conducted from June 26 June to 6 July 2023 at Kochi. For the duration of the exercise, USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) made port call at Kochi.

IN Ships Savitri and Kiltan participated in India – Sri Lanka bilateral exercise SLINEX 23 with Sri Lankan Navy ships SLNS Vijaybahu and Samudura at/ off Colombo, Sri Lanka from 3 to 8 April 2023. IN-SLN SF exercise was also conducted as part of SLINEX 23 from 3 to 6 April  2023 at Colombo, Sri Lanka.

INS Kavaratti, along with one Dornier aircraft participated in the 4th edition of Exercise Samudra Shakti 23 conducted at Batam, Indonesia from 15 to 19 May 2023.

IN ships Tarkash and Subhadra, alongwith one Dornier aircraft, participated in bilateral exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi conducted at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, from 21 to 25 May 2023. Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) ships Badr, Abdul Aziz and two HIS-32 FACs, one Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), MH60R helicopter and Karayel UAV participated in the exercise.

INS Tarkash participated in the maiden India-France-UAE trilateral exercise with FS Surcouf and Maritime Patrol Aircraft ex-UAE in Gulf of Oman from 6 to 8 June 2023.

Maiden India-France-UAE trilateral PASSEX was conducted from 7 to 8 June 2023, off Gulf of Oman. INS Tarkash, FS Surcouf and UAE Navy helicopter (Panther) participated in the exercise.

INS Satpura participated in the fourth edition of Multilateral Naval Exercise KOMODO-23 conducted at Makassar, Indonesia, from 4 to 8 June 2023. The exercise saw the participation of navies from 36 countries and was conducted between Borneo and Sulawesi.

The 5th edition of AUSINDEX was conducted from 22 to 25 August 2023 at/ off Sydney, Australia. IN Ships Sahyadri and Kolkata participated in the exercise, along with HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane from RAN. In addition to the ships and their integral helos, the exercise also witnessed participation of fighters and Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

IN ships Ranvijay and Kavaratti, alongwith submarine Sindhukesari and P8I aircraft, participated in the 30th edition of SIMBEX-23, with Singapore Navy ships Stalwart, Valour, submarine Invincible and Fokker aircraft at/ off Singapore from 20 to 27 September 2023.

Assistance to Foreign Govts

INS Tarmugli was handed over to Maldives on 2 May 2023 towards capability building. The ship was re-commissioned into Maldivian Navy as MCGS Huravee. The handing over ceremony was attended by the RM. Further one Landing Craft Assault (LCA) was also handed over to Maldives.

INS Kirpan was decommissioned and handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) on 22 July 2023 at Cam Ranh, Vietnam in the presence of CNS and RAdm Pham Manh Hung, Deputy C-in-C & Chief of Staff, VPN. CNS also visited VPN Headquarters at Hai Phong for bilateral interaction with Vice Adm Tran Thanh Nghiem, C-in-C, VPN. The transfer of ex-Kirpan symbolises the status of IN as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the IOR and would be a catalyst for enhancing the existing bilateral relations between the two navies.

Towards providing assistance to friendly foreign nations, IN is undertaking refits of MCGS Victory from Mauritius. Further, INS Sharda undertook towing operation to tow MCGS Victory from Port Louis, Mauritius to Visakhapatnam.

A Tri-Services Scoping Delegation was deputed to Suriname in July 2023 to identify and evaluate the requirement of Surinamese Armed Forces. On the Naval front, technical assistance to undertake repairs of six Patrol Craft was highlighted by the Suriname side and accordingly, suitable technical team is planned to be deputed.

A five member IN Technical Team was deputed to Sri Lanka in February 2023 to assess the existing Trials Team infrastructure of Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) and indicate measures in setting-up of Trials Unit of SLN akin to IN units. As a follow-up of the visit, IN is conducting customised courses for SLN in India, as per the request of SLN. Further, spares worth Rs 1.7 cr were gifted to SLN, towards ensuring optimal availability of GoI gifted ships.

Indian Navy has progressed WSIE agreements with 25 countries and one multinational construct, till date. While such agreements with several other friendly foreign countries are being progressed, a WSIE agreement was concluded with Tanzania on 9 October 2023.

aIN ships Tir, Sujata and CGS Sarathi as part of 1st Training Squadron, whilst on overseas deployment, were utilised to provide assistance to Mauritius and Seychelles besides enhancing foreign cooperation

HADR & SAR operations

‘Operation Kaveri’ was executed towards evacuating Indian nationals from Sudan owing to military clashes between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Force (RSF). In order to contribute to the national effort for evacuating Indian nationals from Sudan, three mission deployed IN ships viz Teg, Tarkash and Sumedha, with HADR items and medical teams, were diverted to Red Sea. In a challenging mission, in the absence of any support infrastructure ashore, Sumedha, the first ship to arrive, entered the war zone and undertook Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations. Thereafter, various multi national forces including China, France, USA and UK also undertook alongside evacuation. A total of 1490 Indian nationals were evacuated by three IN ships.

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In the aftermath of devastation caused by Severe Cyclonic Storm Mocha off Sittwe, Myanmar, on 14 May 2023, India launched Operation Karuna, as part of Mission SAGAR, to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material to Myanmar. Four IN ships namely Shivalik, Kamorta, Savitri and Gharial, were deployed to Yangon, Myanmar for transhipment of HADR items from 18 to 20 May 2023.

P8I aircraft was launched on a benign mission on 17 and 18 May 2023 for search of Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028. P8I sighted the capsized CFV Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 and a life raft. The positions were relayed to PLA(N) 44th APEF operating in the area. This was the first occasion in which an IN aircraft provided SAR assistance to a Chinese vessel.

During the year, the Indian Navy provided assistance to civil authorities for fire fighting, SAR and humanitarian assistance.

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The 4th edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) 2023 was held on 29-31 October 2023 by the Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa. GMC is the Indian Navy’s outreach initiative providing a multinational platform to harness the collective wisdom of practitioners of maritime security and the academia towards garnering outcome oriented maritime thought.

Previous editions of the biennial event were held in 2017, 2019, and 2021. The Conclave provides a forum for exchange of views by the Chiefs of Navy/ Heads of Maritime Agencies on dealing with contemporary and future maritime challenges, as well as presenting cooperative strategies for enhancing interoperability amongst partner maritime agencies.

The theme for the 2023 edition of GMC was Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean Region: Converting Common Maritime Priorities into Collaborative Mitigating Frameworks, which was derived keeping in mind the necessity of ‘synergising and collaborating efforts’ in the maritime domain towards achieving maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

At the GMC-23, Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff of Indian Navy hosted Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces/ Senior Representatives from 12 Indian Ocean littorals, including Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Maldives, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Emphasising the evolution of GMC into a functional framework addressing transnational challenges in the IOR, Adm R Hari Kumar, noted that addressing these challenges cooperatively was essential.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the Chief Guest and delivered the Keynote Address of GMC-23. He underscored the responsibility of IOR countries to collaborate and combat threats emerging from the sea, emphasising mutual trust as a prerequisite for cooperation.

The Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi delivered a Special Address. She highlighted India’s rich maritime history and the significance of cooperation and capacity building for the region’s resilience and prosperity.

Vice Adm MA Hampiholi, the FOC-in-C Southern Naval Command, and Adm Arun Prakash (retd), former Chief of the Naval Staff, also addressed the delegates.

The Conclave participants benefitted from interactions with eminent speakers and subject matter experts over four sessions focusing on:

Identifying Gaps in Regulatory and Legal Frameworks for Achieving Maritime Security in the IOR

Formulation of a Common Multi-lateral Maritime Strategy and Operating Protocols for GMC Nations for Collective > Mitigation of Maritime Threats and Challenges

Identification and Establishment of Collaborative Training Programmes with Center of Excellence across the IOR

Leveraging Activities Pursued Through Existing Multilateral Organisations in the IOR towards Generating Collective Maritime competencies”.

The fourth Conclave continued the quest to find regional solutions to the regional security challenges in the IOR, and becoming an ‘outcome-oriented’ forum by converting Common Maritime Priorities into Collaborative Mitigating Frameworks.

Keynote Address

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh October 30  stressed the need to build trust among countries on the maritime front through dialogue and said common maritime priorities of tackling climate change, controlling piracy, terrorism and drug trafficking should be addressed in cooperation.

“How do we build trust? We build trust through dialogues such as the GMC, joint exercises, industrial collaboration, sharing of resources, respecting international law etc.,” Singh said, adding that the trust amongst cooperating countries will lead to optimal outcomes in common maritime priorities. “Since our countries interact with each other on a multitude of issues. It is possible to build trust by discussion and consultation with each other,” the defence minister said.

Quoting the Sanskrit adage ‘Sanghe Shakti Kaliyuge’, Singh said in the present era, strength lies in collaboration and cooperation, and cooperative equilibrium can also be achieved in international relations.

“In our context, common maritime priorities such as tackling climate change, controlling piracy, terrorism, drug trafficking and overfishing at the high seas need to be addressed by all of us cooperatively. “If the threats that we face are supranational in scope and impact, international efforts to address them will indeed have limited effects,” the defence minister said, adding that regional challenges can be managed through multinational collaborative mitigation frameworks. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a challenge related to over-exploitation of resources in the region, Singh said.

IUU fishing threatens the ecosystem, economic security and regional and global food security, he said, adding that it is a common maritime priority to control IUU fishing. Multinational collaboration efforts for the compilation, coalition and sharing of surveillance data was the need of the hour, he said.

“It will help in identifying actors with irregular or threatening behaviour, which needs to be countered resolutely,” Singh added. He further said that the “pandemic of climate irresponsibility” will threaten societies, and just like the recent pandemic (COVID-19), there is a vaccine available (for the climate pandemic).

“It is a vaccine of collaboration, climate responsibility and climate justice. If all countries accept the responsibility to cut the emission by investing in green economy and shared technology, there is no reason why humanity cannot overcome this problem as well,” Singh said.Our narrow immediate interests tempt us to flout or disrespect the international laws, but doing so will lead to the breakdown of civilised maritime intercourse, he said. “The law of the jungle will be the result of such narrowness. Our common security and prosperity cannot be preserved without all committing cooperatively and adhering to maritime rules,” Singh said.

Navy Chief’s Four Principles

Indian Navy Chief Adm Hari Kumar put forward a set of four principles aimed at fostering deeper relations among the states in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

He expressed India’s willingness “to take lead in developing the training and capacity building pillar,” in alignment with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR).

His first suggestion involved the establishment of a dynamic working mechanism that is “structure light, but functionally heavy.” Based on common maritime priorities (CMPs), this would encompass maritime law, information, strategy and protocols, as well as training and capacity building. The second proposal emphasised the leveraging of unique capabilities and expertise brought to the table by each state.

Admiral Kumar said that “each one of us could bring to the table certain unique capabilities and expertise,” such as proficiency in maritime law, counteracting sea-borne narcotics trade, maritime surveillance, and environmental stewardship. This he said “would also lay the foundation for establishing regional Centres of Excellence (CoE)” in addition to “developing and operationalising the mitigation framework for addressing CMPs”.

Furthermore, the navy chief highlighted the importance of developing CoEs as central hubs for maritime security information within the IOR. As an example, he cited the establishment of the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram. This initiative underlined India’s role as the primary guardian of the Indian Ocean, serving as a “net security provider” that fosters collaboration among regional countries to ensure global commons’ security, freedom of navigation, and protection against various challenges including piracy, terrorism, gun-running, narcotics, human migration, and illegal fishing.

Lastly, Admiral Kumar suggested streamlining and prioritising efforts under bilateral, mini-lateral, and multi-lateral constructs in the IOR.

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