Operation Sindoor showed Navy’s constant combat readiness: Admiral

Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Sunday said that Operation Sindoor demonstrated the Indian Navy’s constant readiness, with swift deployment, weapon firings and aggressive manoeuvring after the Pahalgam attack, keeping Pakistan’s fleet within its harbours. “When the global seas are rough, the world looks for a steady lighthouse. India can play that role, and the Indian Navy’s actions at sea embody this responsibility,” Admiral Tripathi said.

He was delivering the Admiral JG Nadkarni Memorial Lecture, on the topic ‘Indian Navy - Navigating Amidst Ongoing Flux of Geopolitics, Technology & Tactics’, organised by Navy Foundation Pune Chapter. “The Indian Navy is known for its combat readiness and we always prepare for battle, even if it was far and few in between. But what has changed now? Today, conflicts are happening without notice, heralding a constant readiness paradigm to our posture and preparedness.

Operation Sindoor is a classic example in this regard,” Admiral Tripathi said. “This operation demonstrated the Navy’s constant readiness posture, wherein the swift deployment of our platforms, conduct of multiple weapon firings within 96 hours of the dastardly Pahalgam attack, aggressive manoeuvring, and pressure of the presence of the carrier battle group in the northern Indian Sea ensured that the Pakistan Navy remained close to their coast or within their harbours,” he said.

The state of preparedness displayed by the Indian Navy sent a clear message about the country’s capability to protect its interests as well as deliver an overwhelming force from the sea, if required, he added.

India launched the Operation Sindoor military operation in May this year after the Pahalgam terror attack in April, in which 26 people were killed.

The Navy chief said that today, even non-state actors and groups are unleashing violence and firepower that were earlier associated only with States. “The non-traditional threat spectrum now involves weapons, tactics, and intent that mirror state-level conflicts.

This necessitates all our units proceeding to sea to be outfitted for combat to the extent feasible while being prepared for other constabulary and marine roles at sea,” he said.

Admiral Tripathi said the Navy continues to operate across the Indo-Pacific, protecting critical sea lanes and responding to incidents ranging from piracy to maritime emergencies without discrimination of crew nationality or vessel flag.

“When the global seas are rough, the world looks for a steady lighthouse. India can play that role, and the Indian Navy’s actions at sea embody this responsibility,” he noted.

Admiral Tripathi said the Indian Navy’s sustained mission-based deployments have enabled the force to clock nearly 11,000 ship-days at sea last year, reinforcing the country’s position as a credible and dependable maritime power in the region.

“Such tempo is possible only because our man-machine teams, maintenance philosophies and logistic systems have scaled up to meet increasing operational demands. The Navy has maintained a continuous anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden since 2008, ensuring that one of the world’s busiest maritime corners remains safe and secure, an effort vital not only for global trade but also for India’s own maritime and economic security,” he said.

This enduring mission enabled the Indian Navy to respond decisively across multiple high-risk situations in the last year, including the daring firefighting assistance to MV Marlin Luanda, a tanker carrying highly inflammable cargo. This was done by INS Vishakhapatnam, and the timely rescue of nine crew members from the capsized MT Prestige Falcon of Oman by INS Teg, he said.

“These acts of courage have been recognised by the International Maritime Organisation and letters of commendation have been issued in two consecutive years,” Admiral Tripathi said.

He further said that technology is rapidly transforming the maritime battlespace.

The autonomous naval vessel market, valued at about USD 1.65 billion in 2024, is set to grow 10 per cent annually, and by 2040, up to 17 per cent of global shipping may be autonomous. Unmanned systems are shifting from experimental tools to core naval assets, driven by artificial intelligence, which is enabling faster “machine-speed” warfare, he said.

The military AI market, worth USD 9.3 billion in 2024, is expanding as armed forces adopt autonomous targeting, decision support, and predictive sensing. Meanwhile, space-based surveillance, drones, autonomous sensors and AI analytics are creating near-complete transparency at sea, the Navy chief said.

“Modern conflict now spans extremes -- from cheap, small drones and loitering munitions to hypersonic weapons-- forcing defenders to counter threats with interceptors that are far more expensive, skewing the offence-defence cost balance,” he said.

In this fast-evolving environment shaped by geopolitics, technology and new tactics, the Indian Navy must continuously adapt, he added.