Commemorating the exalting Indian Navy Day, on 4^th of Dec, CNS Admiral R Hari Kumar released the book in Visakhapatnam in the august presence of the Hon’ble President of India and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Smt. Droupadi Murmu.

The book on Naval history, titled ‘A Decade of Transformation – Signalling Power and Partnerships, ‘ chronicles the Indian Naval History from 2011-21. The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day every year on 04 December to commemorate its finest hour – its offensive actions that led to a decisive victory during the 1971 war.

The volume authored by Capt. M Doraibabu, NM, and Cdr. Amrut Dilip Godbole, respectively from the Indian Navy. The title of the book denotes the three vital underlying factors of the Indian Navy in the decade under review – transformation in multiple respects into a capable and credible Navy, power in terms of combat, Network Centric Operations, and precise ordnance delivery, and lastly partnership signifying the Navy as a critical instrument of maritime diplomacy and the growing stature of IN as the Preferred Security Partner in the IOR, and beyond.

There have been many historic firsts for the Indian Navy in the period 2011-21, be it the induction of indigenously built submarines, both conventional and SSBN INS Arihant, the commissioning of INS Vikramaditya, the addition of Maritime Patrol Aircraft P-8I, and installation of many more indigenously built potent platforms.

This is, in fact, the seventh volume of the Navy’s history; the first six having covered the period from 1945 to 2010. This unique undertaking by the Indian Navy can be traced back to 1968 when the service established a History Cell. The cell, objectively with its idea, duly collates and subsequent analysis of historical data relevant to the evolution of the Indian Navy.

Generally, each such volume has covered a period of a decade, and it has been a tradition to release it on Navy Day. The title volume documents vividly; a total of forty-four warships of varying sizes and capabilities were commissioned in the period as cited, of which thirty-seven were indigenously built. Despite fiscal constraints, the pivotal role played by the IN in the growth of domestic warship-building capabilities by effectively dovetailing with national initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat has enabled its transformation from ‘A Buyer, Navy’ to a ‘A Builder, Navy.’ This volume stands to be a window for us to look through at our Indian Navy.

The volume further delineates the saga of significant growth in capabilities and the induction of cutting-edge technology required matching transformation in support facilities and human capital, in IN. The addition of new operational, maintenance and training infrastructure such as the Aircraft Carrier Dock, MI5 Gas Turbine Test House, Shore-Based Test Facility, simulators, ARNAV wargaming software, the increasing thrust towards digitalization for process optimization, and the shift to an ‘All BE/B-Tech’ officer cadre have been some of the significant transformation markers during this period.

The period 2011-21 also witnessed the IN platforms operating for more extended periods and farther than ever before. The Indian Navy, through its mission-based deployments, has ensured a sustained presence in the Indian Ocean Region. Today, the IN exercises with more countries than ever, both in the IOR and beyond. For a long, the IN, considered the principal manifestation of India’s maritime power, has significantly scaled up its diplomatic role through training assistance, capability and capacity addition, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and Search and Rescue (SAR) assistance.

Mission Sagar and Operation Samudra Setu I and II have been the IN’s highlight operations in recent years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The capability, reach, and, more fundamentally, the IN, intent anchored in India’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region through collective maritime security continues to drive the IN’s transformation to that of a ‘Preferred Security Partner. in the IOR.

The title of this volume, A Decade of Transformation: Signalling Power and Partnerships, thus appropriately embodies the ethos and mettle of IN, its journey, and its intent in the period as reviewed. The volume delightfully captures the IN’s journey of growth and transformation against the backdrop of multiple challenges and the mitigating measures adopted in its continued evolution into a combat-ready, capable, cohesive, and three-dimensional future-ready force.

The e-copy of this book has been made available for free reading on Indian Navy’s official site. Shano varuna.