The Ministry of Defence on Sunday, 12 April, announced that the Indian Navy will host the first edition of its biannual Commanders’ Conference 2026 in New Delhi from 14 to 16 April.
In a statement, the ministry said the three-day apex-level conference will be held at Nausena Bhawan and will offer a stage for comprehensive review of Navy’s operational posture to protect national maritime interests, capability development and strategic alignment with national security objectives.
The conference assumes added importance in light of recent naval deployments to safeguard India’s energy security amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia and the presence of multi-national forces in the Indian Ocean Region.
Senior leadership, including the Chief of Defence Staff and the Home Secretary, will address the conference, with discussions aimed at strengthening inter-services coordination, interoperability, and a collaborative approach to future maritime challenges.
The Chief of the Naval Staff, along with operational commanders and senior leadership, will review and assess plans to address multi-dimensional challenges in current geo-strategic environment.
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“Alongside security imperatives, the deliberations will focus on achieving decisive operational success, enhancing blue-water capabilities, training, human resource management, sustainable maintenance practices, effective employment of uncrewed systems, Operational Logistics, and other key enablers for combat readiness of platforms,” the ministry said.
Further, discussions are also planned to review implementation of Artificial Intelligence roadmap for Pan Navy solutions and data-driven technologies for seamless operations.
On the strategic front, the Navy’s apex leadership will review overall preparedness to deliver military success when directed by the Government, in line with Indian Navy’s four roles as elaborated in Indian Maritime Doctrine (IMD), the ministry said.
It would entail focus on sustained operations, expanding international cooperation, in addition to furthering Government of India’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across Regions (MAHASAGAR), and efforts towards indigenisation and innovation, the ministry added.
