Chief of Indian Naval Staff Tours Western Naval Command

May 21, 2014

Admiral Rabinder Kumar Dhowan, Chief of the Indian Naval Staff, inspected a ceremonial parade conducted at INS Shikra on 19 May 2014 during his inaugural visit to the Headquarters of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai.

He complimented the officers and men of the command for maintaining highest professional standards whilst taking up the challenges on the western seaboard in all operational activities. He further urged the men to work selflessly as a team so as to meet the myriad of challenges being faced by the nation especially on the maritime front.

In his address, he emphasised the necessity of recognising the 21st century as ‘the century of the seas’ and the responsibility of Indian Navy thereof in enforcing the defence of maritime boundaries as also the maritime interests of the country in the Indian Ocean Region. The Admiral brought out that the nation’s economy is indirectly linked to seas and the onus of safeguarding the seas rests squarely with the Indian Navy.

The CNS also addressed officers, sailors and civilians of the command during his visit. He exhorted them to continuously work towards maintaining a high level of preparedness and to diligently follow SOPs for safety and security of naval assets.

The Admiral was also briefed on the various activities (both operational and administrative) of the command including salvage operations of INS Sindhurakshak. The Admiral also visited a few ships and submarines in the naval dockyard.

In his address the Admiral appreciated the Western Naval Command for maintaining a high tempo of operations including TROPEX – 14, operationalisation of INS Vikramaditya and optimal exploitation of Rukmani- Navy’s Communication satellite, which gives a tremendous boost and acts as a force multiplier to the ‘Network Centric Operations (NCO)’.

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Press Release, May 21, 2014, Image: Indian Navy