Heartiest felicitations to all personnel of the Indian Navy on the occasion of Navy Day 2023. This special issue of SP’s Naval Forces marks this occasion. Under the theme “Operational Efficiency, Readiness, and Mission Accomplishment in the Maritime Domain,” the Navy Day 2023 celebrations were witnessed by Prime Minister Modi at Rajkot Fort, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. Unveiling a 43 feet high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Prime Minister Modi touched upon India’s Naval history and outlined vision for India’s future in maritime development. Prime Minister Modi stressed the need to regain India’s lost maritime glory, highlighting the government’s impetus to the Blue Economy through initiatives like ‘Sagarmala’ and ‘Maritime Vision.’

On the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, highlighted Shivaji’s visionary contributions to India’s naval tradition, emphasising the government’s commitment to shedding colonial mindsets, as reflected in the adoption of a new naval ensign. “On this historic day we rededicate ourselves to the service of our great Nation & continue to serve with pride honour & unwavering commitment to National Security. Jai Bharat!” stated Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff on behalf of all Navy personnel.

This issue also has an exclusive interaction between Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff with Jayant Baranwal, Editor-in-Chief, SP’s Naval Forces. The Navy Chief gave his insights into the evolving landscape of Navy’s strategies, combat preparedness and modernisation. He added that the Bharatiya Nausena (IN) is steadfastly striving for rapid modernisation of the Force through indigenous route and that “A three-carrier force would be essential to provide Sea Control Operations in the region”.

In an article on Boosting Atmanirbhar Bharat, Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla (Retd) says that while, defence exports have increased tenfold since 2020, driven by the private sector, it remains dominated by lowvalue items and has suggested five measures to transform India’s journey towards self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing.

All this and much, much more in this special issue of SP’s Naval Forces. Happy Reading!

Also, we wish the valuable readers of SP’s Naval Forces, a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Year 2024.

Jai Hind!