Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday exuded confidence about the modernisation of the Indian Navy. He was speaking in Mumbai at the commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam, the first ship of the new Project 15B class of guided-missile destroyers of the Navy.
Rajnath noted that the Visakhapatnam was a “technological upgrade of the existing Kolkata class of destroyers”. He said the Visakhapatnam, with “state-of-the-art sensor package and weapons will be one of the world's most technologically advanced guided missile destroyers”.
He said the systems used on the Visakhapatnam “are not only going to meet the needs of today, but also of the future”. Rajnath touted the fact that the Visakhapatnam, built at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai, was completely indigenous by design and had 75 per cent indigenous content.
He declared, “there is no doubt that in the coming times, we will be building ships not only for our own needs, but also for the needs of all over the world... It is a matter of pride for all of us that out of 41 ships and submarines ordered by our Navy, 39 are from Indian shipyards. This is a testament to the Navy's commitment to 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.”
Referring to the importance of freedom of navigation, He said, “Today we are living in the era of globalisation. Almost all nations are dependent on each other in the field of trade. In such a situation, rule-based freedom of navigation, security of sea lanes etc. has become more important than ever for stability, economic progress and development of the world.”
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Rajnath highlighted the importance of the Indo-Pacific, pointing out more than two-thirds of the world's oil shipments, one-third of bulk cargo and more than half of container traffic transited through the region.
He said “We envision an Indo-Pacific with rules-based freedom of navigation, free trade and universal values, in which the interests of all the participating countries are protected. Being an important country in this, in the security of this region, the role of our Navy becomes more important.”
Rajnath stressed the need for modernisation of the armed forces. He said, “Due to global security reasons, border disputes and importance of maritime dominance, countries around the world are today moving towards modernising and strengthening their military power. The demand for military equipment is increasing continuously.”
