..:: India Strategic ::. Navy: Indian Navy hosts a Grand International Fleet Review

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Editorial

Indian Navy hosts a Grand International Fleet Review
94 Naval Ships, 24 of them Foreign, present salute to President Mukherjee

By Gulshan Luthra and Cmde Ranjit Rai (Retd)

Published: February 2016

Visakhapatnam. The Indian Navy hosted a grand 50-nation International Fleet Review (IFR) February 6, with President Pranab Mukherjee declaring that the “majestic event” signified India’s “desire to use the seas to promote peace, cooperation and friendship” across the oceans.

As Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces, the President congratulated the Indian Navy for holding the grand and thanked the foreign participants, some of them Chiefs of Staff, for honouring the Indian Navy by accepting its invitation.

“Your presence in such large numbers has made this international event spectacular and truly reflects the spirit of this IFR, we are indeed United through Oceans,” he told naval personnel from both India and abroad.

A beaming Admiral Robin Dhowan, Chief of Naval Staff, proudly welcomed his Supreme Commander as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Chiefs of Staff of Indian Air Force and Army, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and General Dalbir Singh. Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also witnessed the IFR.

It was a huge event, majestic, grand and inspiring, and every one appropriately congratulated Admiral Dhowan, Eastern Naval Command (ENC) Chief Vice Admiral Satish Soni, and the IFR team that worked hard to make it a success. ENC is based in this port on India’s Eastern seaboard in the Bay of Bengal. Interestingly, this naval base was built with technical assistance from the erstwhile Soviet Union, and there is still a mess here bearing the name Kremlin to mark the nearly half a century old friendship with Moscow.

The Indian Navy had a lineup of 70 vessels, including aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat – the latter is being phased out in 2016 - as well as submarines and a number of aircraft. The latest generation Boeing P-8I submarine hunter, eight of which have been procured already, took part in the fly past along with shipboard MiG-29K, Hawk advanced jet trainers and helicopters.

Ships from the US, France, Britain, Australia, Japan, China, Oman, Brazil were among those in the lineup. Several other countries sent naval delegations.

Fleet Reviews are traditionally held by navies to show allegiance to their Heads of State, and when there is foreign participation, it is to signify and boost bonds of friendship. Exchange of visits, joint exercises between navies and events like IFR also serve as extension of bilateral or multi-lateral diplomacy.

Appropriately, Admiral Dhowan took the opportunity to urge maritime nations to jointly combat terrorism, the 21st century evil that is threatening the world today.

The IFR 2016 has been described as among the largest in history so far.