Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with senior Indian Navy personnel. (Photo: MoD)
New Delhi/Visakhapatnam: Defence minister, Rajnath Singh, said India remains the primary guarantor of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region, praising the Indian Navy for its role in protecting the country’s maritime interests at a time of mounting global security tensions.
Singh was addressing naval personnel during a barakhana, a traditional pre-commissioning dinner, held on the eve of the commissioning of INS Mahendragiri, the sixth Nilgiri-class frigate under Project 17A, which the navy formally inducted into service the following day.
Singh pointed out that more than 90 percent of India’s trade by volume moves through maritime routes, and argued that energy security, the country's exclusive economic zone and its island territories all depend on a secure maritime environment.
He said growing geopolitical competition, along with the increasing presence of powers from outside the region, called for sustained vigilance at sea. The navy, he said, was “protecting India's maritime borders, securing vital sea lanes and upholding the country’s interests across the region.”
Describing India as the largest and most responsible stakeholder in the Indian Ocean Region, Singh reaffirmed New Delhi's commitment to regional stability, remarking that “the region is our courtyard, and securing the courtyard is our responsibility.”
Turning to the wider character of conflict, Singh said warfare was changing rapidly and that future confrontations might take forms not yet anticipated. Wars were increasingly being fought without formal declaration, he said, and tomorrow’s adversary may bear little resemblance to those of the past.
He called on soldiers to stay physically and mentally prepared, keep upgrading their skills and master emerging technologies. The government, he said, would spare no effort in equipping the armed forces with world-class weaponry, technology and resources, but added a caveat: weapons alone do not win wars – it is the people who wield them that do.
Singh also credited the valour and commitment of the armed forces for shielding the nation from evolving threats, and described the commissioning of Mahendragiri as a further sign of India's growing indigenous defence capabilities.
