“Security and safety of global commons is the collective responsibility of navies around the world”. The review will have a combination of ships from Indian Navy as well as frontline Navies from across the globe, besides ships of Indian Coast Guard and Mercantile Marine. “With the Indian Ocean Regional emerging as the world’s center of gravity, any impediment to the free flow of oil or trade will have an impact not just on the economies of the region but the economy of the entire world”, Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan told ET in an exclusive chat.
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Its importance can be gauged from the fact that though national fleet reviews are conducted once during the tenure of every Indian president, global reviews are a rarity.
The main idea of conducting the IFR is to unite the navies through ocean and the exercise is expected to strengthen the friendship among the friendly countries. He will also attend the press conference presided by the Indian CNS. “This is where it is the responsibility of the men in white, the navies and the coast guard, to come up with cooperative mechanisms, so that we can provide that safety, security and stability”.
Hundred ships and 90 aircraft are taking part in this naval tradition, in which over 50 countries will participate.
The warships are lined up in accordance with the seniority of their commanding officers.
After a 21-gun salute and the ceremonial Guard of Honour, the President embarks on the Presidential Yacht, INS Sumitra, which sails through 70 ships at anchorage off Visakhapatnam.
Three of the world’s biggest navies, the US, Russia and China, have two ships each in the flotilla. In the works for over a year, the IFR was one of the first initiatives cleared by the Modi government after it took over. “We also believed in freedom of navigation and following the United Nations convention on the laws of the sea”, said an UK official.
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“Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell arrived [on] February 4 in India to participate in the nation’s International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016”, the release stated on Thursday. A wing walker from Sweden on a biplane. A high-speed naval patrol vessel keeping vigil.
