Navy Commanders' Conference 2026/02 at Nausena Bhawan, Delhi

The Indian Navy is hosting Commanders' Conference 2026/02 at Nausena Bhawan, New Delhi, over three days from 29 September to 1 October 2026. It is the second edition of the year, since the conference is held twice a year, and it is the service's apex level forum.

What the forum is for

The conference brings the senior naval leadership together, including operational and area commanders who serve away from the capital. They use the sitting to review operational preparedness at the military-strategic level, and an institutionalised arrangement lets them engage directly with senior functionaries of the government during the same three days.

Maritime interests and energy security

A central theme this time is the Navy's part in protecting India's maritime interests, the security of energy among them, at a time when conflicts continue in West Asia. The release points to the Navy's conduct of the ongoing Operation Urja Suraksha and to its standing as a credible maritime force, which strengthens India's position as a preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.

The programme

Areas under review

The Naval Chief and the Commanders-in-Chief will go through operations, materiel, logistics, human resources and training. They will also take up the induction of niche technologies - artificial intelligence, big data analysis, autonomous and uncrewed systems, and cyber operations - with an emphasis on absorbing new warfighting concepts quickly rather than waiting for them to mature elsewhere.

The JAI pillars

The wider assessment of preparedness is being framed around three foundational pillars grouped under the acronym JAI: jointness, aatmanirbharta and innovation. The aim is to optimise force levels and raise combat readiness in step with the government's goals of self-reliance and Viksit Bharat 2047. The Navy describes its present posture as a combat ready, credible, cohesive and future-ready force maintaining a high tempo of operations.

Points to note

For an aspirant the memorisable items are the name and number of the conference, the venue, the dates, the fact that it is a biannual apex forum, the three JAI pillars and the name of the ongoing operation linked to energy security.