VISAKHAPATNAM – India on Wednesday positioned its increasing naval energy on full show because it formally opened the Worldwide Fleet Assessment (IFR) 2026 off the coast of Visakhapatnam (Vizag), which The Jerusalem Submit attended.
The evaluation marked the launching of a sequence of main maritime occasions that may deliver greater than 100 international locations into contact with the Indian Navy over the approaching weeks.
The fleet evaluation, hosted by India’s Jap Naval Command within the Bay of Bengal, was the primary of three high-profile gatherings, adopted by the multilateral MILAN 2026 naval train.
The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs additionally came about on Friday. The occasions are a present of India’s ambition to place itself as a central maritime energy within the Indo-Pacific at a time of rising strategic competitors and safety challenges at sea.
Presiding over the ceremonial evaluation, which came about with the participation of 74 international locations, was India’s President Droupadi Murmu, appearing in her constitutional position as supreme commander of the Armed Forces.
The occasion was additionally attended by Nara Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh (the state during which Visakhapatnam resides), and Adm. Dinesh Ok. Tripathi, chief of the Naval Workers of India.
From offshore waters exterior Visakhapatnam’s port, Murmu reviewed formations of Indian naval vessels alongside ships and plane from 21 overseas navies, proof of India’s increasing net of maritime partnerships.
The Submit accompanied the evaluation on a ship simply behind the president’s.
Taking part international locations on this 12 months’s evaluation included Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the US, Vietnam, France, and Germany.
The Worldwide Fleet Assessment was primarily ceremonial in nature, supposed to undertaking goodwill and mutual respect amongst collaborating navies, with search and rescue drills and maritime maneuvers on present for the president.
Indian officers emphasised, nevertheless, that the symbolism carries strategic weight. With almost 100 vessels throughout the three occasions – together with plane carriers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines, patrol vessels, amphibious platforms, and naval aviation property – the size of participation was affirmation of India’s rising convening energy within the maritime area.
India’s push for naval self-reliance
India final hosted an Worldwide Fleet Assessment in Visakhapatnam in 2016, and beforehand in Mumbai in 2001. A decade on, the return of the occasion to the jap seaboard highlights how considerably India’s naval posture has developed.
Over latest years, New Delhi has accelerated efforts to strengthen its maritime capabilities, pushed by issues over China’s increasing presence throughout the Indian Ocean and South Asian waters, in addition to the enduring rivalry with Pakistan.
That evolution was clearly seen within the fleet deployed for evaluation. On the heart stood the plane service INS Vikrant, the primary service designed and constructed domestically, which has grow to be a logo of India’s push towards naval self-reliance. Commissioned in 2022, the Vikrant, which the Submit frolicked aboard, is a significant milestone in indigenous shipbuilding for the subcontinental nation and is now a key element of India’s service battle group operations.
Alongside the Vikrant had been a number of newer lessons of Indian-built warships, together with Visakhapatnam-class guided-missile destroyers, Nilgiri-class Venture 17A frigates, and Arnala-class anti-submarine corvettes.
Subsurface capabilities had been additionally on show, with submarines from the Shindughosh class working as a part of the broader formation. Naval aviation components included formations of MiG-29K fighter plane launched into service operations.
Indian officers have repeatedly linked this modernization drive to a broader nationwide technique geared toward attaining protection self-sufficiency. The push for indigenous platforms kinds a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long-term imaginative and prescient of a “self-reliant” and “resilient” India, with 2047, the 12 months that marks the centenary of Indian independence, set as a symbolic goal date for lowering dependence on overseas suppliers.
Challenges stay for the Indians, notably for the navy. India’s fleet nonetheless depends on a various mixture of Russian, Israeli, French, Italian, and Indian techniques – which creates logistical and upkeep hurdles. Sustaining operational readiness whereas managing this huge, numerous fleet stays a significant activity for the way forward for the navy.
Past the ships themselves, Indian leaders have showcased the fleet evaluation and accompanying workouts as a part of their wider effort to extend maritime cooperation.
Talking at associated occasions in Visakhapatnam, Protection Minister Rajnath Singh known as on the worldwide group to confront “complicated and interconnected maritime challenges” by means of cooperation, telling these gathered that no single navy can tackle points reminiscent of piracy, terrorism, unlawful fishing, cyber vulnerabilities, or disruptions to world provide chains alone.
“When our ships sail collectively, when our sailors practice collectively, and when our commanders deliberate collectively, we construct a shared understanding that transcends geography and politics,” Singh stated.
With the MILAN 2026 workouts going down till February 26, India’s jap seaboard has, for the following few days, grow to be a focus for naval diplomacy within the Indo-Pacific, all of which alerts New Delhi’s persevering with intent to behave as a significant power in world maritime affairs.
