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The Indian Navy used the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 in Visakhapatnam to send a clear strategic message – India is ready to shoulder a larger maritime role, both as a security provider and as a credible force for deterrence.
Hosted by the Eastern Naval Command, the review brought together more than 70 naval platforms in the Bay of Bengal. Nineteen warships from 18 friendly foreign nations participated in the ceremonial gathering, underscoring the breadth of India’s maritime outreach.
President Droupadi Murmu, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, reviewed the fleet. In her address, she underlined the Indian Navy’s role in safeguarding national maritime interests and contributing to stability across the wider maritime commons. She described naval deployments as credible instruments of deterrence and defence against emerging threats at sea, and emphasised that nations are “connected rather than divided by the seas.”
Beyond ceremony, IFR 2026 served as calibrated strategic signalling.
Warships from Russia, Japan, Iran, South Africa, and for the first time, the Philippines, Germany and the UAE sailed into the Bay of Bengal. Their participation reflected India’s expanding network of maritime partnerships across regions.
The United States did not send a warship, citing operational deployment in the Indo-Pacific, according to an American delegate present at the event. Even so, the scale and diversity of participation reinforced India’s growing relevance in global naval diplomacy.
The fleet review forms part of a broader maritime calendar that includes Exercise Milan and the IONS Conclave of Chiefs. Together, these engagements represent three dimensions of India’s maritime statecraft, symbolism, operational capability, and policy alignment.
If the fleet review showcased presence and partnerships, Milan will demonstrate interoperability at sea, while the IONS platform would provide strategic dialogue among naval leadership of the Indian Ocean region.
A key highlight of IFR 2026 was the strong presence of indigenously built platforms.
Destroyers, stealth frigates, anti-submarine corvettes, patrol vessels, submarines and naval aircraft, largely constructed in Indian shipyards, formed the backbone of the display. The emphasis on domestic platforms reflects a steady shift in naval procurement towards indigenous industry.
This transition marks more than a budgetary preference. It signals a long-term push for strategic maritime autonomy – reducing dependence on external suppliers while strengthening India’s defence industrial base.
Over the past decade, the Indian Navy’s role has evolved from a regional force to what it now terms a “global security partner” and a first responder in the Indian Ocean Region, seeking a leadership role in the Global South.
IFR 2026 demonstrated that transformation in visible form.
The message from Visakhapatnam was clear: India intends to safeguard its maritime interests, deepen defence partnerships, and remain a stabilising force across the wider maritime commons.
Ravi Shankar, Visakhapatnam
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
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