Navy has carried out mission-based deployment to protect maritime interests: Rajnath Singh

India's defence minister Rajnath Singh today attended the naval commanders’ conference as he reviewed Navy's challenges in proactive response in deploying ships and aircraft.

"I applaud the Indian Navy for their role in protecting maritime interests of the nation. I have full confidence in Navy’s preparedness to meet any challenge," India's defence minister said.

Rajnath Singh said, "The Indian Navy has effectively carried out mission-based deployment to protect maritime interests by deploying naval ships and aircraft at sensitive locations," adding,"deployments have helped increase maritime domain awareness and provided rapid humanitarian aid."

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India's Navy commanders met on Wednesday for a three-day conclave to review the security situation in the Indian Ocean region. India has strategically deployed warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean amid tensions with China after the Galwan Valley clash in June.

Last month the US Navy's USS Nimitz had joined Indian Navy's warships off the coast of Andaman & Nicobar island for a naval drill. The US-India naval exercise came just after the Indian Navy conducted an exercise with the Japanese Naval forces termed "Passex" or passing exercise.

China already has a naval base in Djibouti in the horn of Africa connecting the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian ocean.

India has in the past few weeks increased its naval exercise as disengagement talks got underway at Galwan amid increased Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean and the continued threat of Chinese ships in the South China Sea where US and Chinese naval forces have been at loggerheads with each other.

The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier came in from the South China Sea last month as the Indian navy warships conducted the drill together with the US forces.