On the occasion of Indian Navy Day, SP’s Naval Forces salutes all Indian Navy personnel for their bravery, dedication, and selfless service to the Nation!

The lead story of this issue features an in-depth interview with Admiral D.K. Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, who outlines the Indian Navy’s evolving strategic outlook, combat preparedness and modernisation priorities. Admiral Tripathi notes that the Navy remains closely attuned to global naval developments, including China’s advances in aircraft carrier technologies, while expressing full confidence in its ability to deter threats to India’s maritime interests. Indigenisation and technological innovation, he emphasises, are central to sustaining a decisive combat edge across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Protecting national interests remains the Navy’s primary mission, alongside contributing to regional stability through strategic partnerships and multilateral engagement.

On capability development, Admiral Tripathi details progress on the P-75(I) submarine programme, being pursued under the Strategic Partnership Model with complete Transfer of Technology. The Navy is working towards concluding the contract by early 2026, with the induction of the first Air Independent Propulsion-equipped submarine expected in 2033, followed by annual inductions until project completion in 2038. He describes the programme as a critical step in strengthening India’s underwater warfare capability while advancing long-term self-reliance.

Reflecting on lessons from the Russia–Ukraine conflict, the CNS observes that the war has dispelled the notion of short, decisive conflicts and highlighted the need for a resilient civil-military industrial base to sustain prolonged operations. He draws attention to the increasing impact of long-range precision weapons, drones, loitering munitions and uncrewed surface vessels, noting that strategic depth no longer guarantees sanctuary. These insights are shaping the Navy’s operational approach, driving greater emphasis on air and missile defence, costeffective uncrewed solutions, refined concepts of operations, and strengthened logistics and training frameworks.

Looking ahead, Admiral Tripathi states that uncrewed and autonomous systems will increasingly complement crewed platforms through mannedunmanned teaming, enhancing persistence, access to contested areas and targeting accuracy. He also explains how the Navy balances deterrence missions with humanitarian, anti-piracy and evacuation operations through multi-mission platforms, force optimisation, personnel rotation and close coordination with national agencies and friendly foreign navies.

On naval diplomacy, he underscores the importance of multilateral exercises, information-sharing mechanisms and initiatives such as IOS Sagar, AIKEYME and IFC-IOR, along with India’s forthcoming leadership roles in IONS and Combined Maritime Forces, reinforcing India’s position as a trusted maritime partner committed to collective security and stability in the IOR.

This issue also includes highlights of the Navy Day 2025 operational demonstration, which showcased frontline ships, submarines, aircraft, and special forces, underlining the Navy’s combat readiness, technological maturity, and transition from a buyer’s navy to a builder’s navy.

All this and much, much more! Wishing all discerning readers happy reading!