Indian Navy operationalises JOCs at three naval commands

NEW DELHI (PTI): To improve coordination among agencies involved in maritime security, Indian Navy has operationalised Joint Operation Centres at its three Naval Commands and in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It has also put in place Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to conduct joint maritime drills. 

"JOCs have been established at Western, Eastern and Southern Naval Commands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Navy has also issued a set of SOPs to coordinate with Indian Coast Guards (ICG) and other stake holders in maritime security," Defence Ministry officials said here. 

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Indian Army, Air Force joint exercise to start tomorrow

JAIPUR (PTI): A six-day long joint exercise of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force will begin Monday in the deserts of Bikaner and Suratgarh near Pakistan border.

'Vijayee Bhava', the May 9-14 inter-services exercise, will involve tank to tank wars, helicopter operations and others, Army officials said.

Personnel from both the services are practising for 15 days to successfully carry out the drill.

According to the Indian Army, it has conducted 10 major exercises near the Pakistan border in the last six years and this exercise will boost synergy between the Indian defence forces.

"Battlefield tactics for warfare are being practiced in the exercise which also aims at fine-tuning the concept of Cold Start doctrine," an official said. Cold Start was a military doctrine developed by the Indian Armed Forces in 2004 and involves joint operations between the three main services Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Indian Navy concludes exercise 'Sagar Kavach'

NEW DELHI (PTI): Seeking to enhance coordination between agencies involved in the country’s coastal and maritime security, the Indian Navy has completed a two-day exercise – Sagar Kavach – off the coast of Goa and Maharashtra.

“The exercise was a drill for all the stake holders in maritime security. It was a periodic exercise aimed at improving coordination between Navy, Coast Guard, customs, port authorities and marine police,” an Indian Navy official said here. 

Navy and Coast Guards participated in the exercise with ships, aircraft and ground forces, while other agencies put forward their required resources to ensure a foolproof coordination.

“Such exercises are conducted every few months. The idea is to hold it with two neighbouring states to find out the loopholes and plug them and ensure a smooth coordination between them,” the official said.

The latest exercise, which concluded Thursday, was conducted under the overall command of newly appointed Western Naval Commander Vice-Admiral DK Joshi.

Vice Admiral Joshi new Western Naval Command chief

MUMBAI (PTI): Vice Admiral D K Joshi Saturday took charge as the chief of the Western Naval Command headquartered in the metropolis.

He succeeded Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin, who retired from the Navy after four decades of illustrious service.

"A specialist in anti-submarine Warfare, Vice Admiral D K Joshi assumed Command of the Western Naval Command at a ceremonial parade at `INS Shikra' here," said Defence Assistant PRO Narendrakumar Vispute.

Joshi has commanded the guided-missile corvette `Kuthar', Guided-Missile Destroyer `Ranvir' and the aircraft carrier `Viraat'.

He is a graduate of the Naval War College, USA, an alumnus of the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai, and the prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi, Vispute added.

Joshi has held several important staff appointments.

His last two appointments were as Commander-in-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), he said.