Navy Commanders' Conference 2026 to open in Delhi with focus on Urja Suraksha

The Indian Navy's senior leadership will assemble in New Delhi from September 29 to October 1 for the second biannual Commanders' Conference of 2026, a three-day military-strategic review of the force's preparedness and priorities. The meeting will be held at Nausena Bhawan and will bring together operational and area commanders from across the Navy's commands.

A central item on the agenda is the Navy's ongoing Operation Urja Suraksha, launched on March 27, 2026, to protect India-bound energy shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The operation has unfolded against continuing instability in West Asia, and the conference is expected to assess its conduct alongside the Navy's wider role as a security partner in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to address the commanders on the opening day, setting out the government's maritime perspective and its expectations of the service. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of the Army Staff will also interact with the naval commanders, with the engagements directed at deepening tri-services synergy, jointness and integration.

In the sessions that follow, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Commanders-in-Chief will review operations, material, logistics, human resources and training. Discussions will also centre on speeding up the induction and absorption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data analytics, autonomous and uncrewed systems, and cyber operations, with an emphasis on new warfighting concepts.

The leadership will further examine overall force preparedness, options for optimising force levels and measures to sharpen combat readiness, in keeping with the three foundational pillars of JAI — jointness, aatmanirbharta and innovation. The deliberations are aligned with the government's push for greater self-reliance in defence and its vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Maintaining a high operational tempo, the Navy is working to strengthen its combat readiness and build a credible, cohesive and future-ready force capable of safeguarding the country's maritime interests.