How many warships does the Indian Navy plan to induct or commission during 2026?

The correct answer is Operation Urja Suraksha. The Raksha Mantri called it an outstanding achievement that Indian-flagged merchant vessels, LPG tankers in particular, were given safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz under this operation during the crisis in West Asia. He tied its importance to trade dependence: about 85 to 90 per cent of India's crude oil and about 50 per cent of its natural gas reach the country by sea, so sea-lane security bears directly on the economy, energy supplies and defence preparedness. Option A is wrong because Operation Southern Readiness was an exercise conducted at Kochi during India's command of Combined Task Force-154. Option C is wrong because no such operation was named in this address. Option D is wrong because Lokayan-26 was the deployment of INS Sudarshini for maritime diplomacy and outreach to the Indian diaspora, not a tanker-protection operation.

The correct answer is 27. Operation Southern Readiness was conducted at Kochi while the Indian Navy held command of Combined Task Force-154 under the Combined Maritime Forces, and it brought together 276 personnel drawn from twenty-seven countries, along with 76 facilitators and subject-matter experts and four international organisations. Option B is wrong because eighteen is the number of warships planned for induction or commissioning in 2026, not the number of participating countries. Option C is wrong because no such figure appears in the address. Option D is wrong for the same reason. The Defence Minister treated the command of the task force as an important Indian contribution to cooperative security in the region, alongside the deployment of INS Sudarshini for Lokayan-26, which carried India's maritime heritage to the diaspora in the United States and across the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

The correct answer is Operation Urja Suraksha. While describing what the Commanders' Conference will underline, the Ministry of Defence pointed to the Navy's role in safeguarding India's maritime interests, the security of energy included, against the background of continuing conflicts in West Asia. The resolute conduct of this operation, along with the Navy's standing as a credible maritime force, was said to strengthen India's position as a preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond. Options A, B and D name other operations that were not referred to in this announcement. For the examination the safe approach is to link the operation's name to the phrase security of energy and to the West Asia situation, and to remember that it was mentioned in the run-up to the second Commanders' Conference of the year at Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi.

The correct answer is jointness, aatmanirbharta and innovation. The Navy's apex leadership is assessing its overall preparedness against these three foundational pillars, whose initials form the acronym JAI, with the object of optimising force levels and raising combat readiness. The exercise is tied to the government's larger goals of self-reliance and Viksit Bharat 2047. Option B is wrong because agility and integration, though useful ideas, are not the words behind the acronym as stated. Option C is wrong because justice and intelligence do not appear among the pillars; intelligence-related work falls elsewhere in the review agenda. Option D is wrong because automation and investment were not listed, although autonomous and uncrewed systems do feature separately among the niche technologies being reviewed alongside artificial intelligence, big data analysis and cyber operations. Candidates should memorise the expansion of JAI exactly, since acronyms of this kind are commonly asked in defence sections.

The correct answer is Nausena Bhawan, New Delhi. The second edition of the Indian Navy's Commanders' Conference for the year is being held there over three days, from 29 September to 1 October 2026. The conference is the apex level forum of the service and is convened twice a year, which is why it carries the designation 2026/02. Senior naval leadership, including operational and area commanders posted outside the capital, gather to review operational preparedness at the military-strategic level and to meet senior functionaries of the government through an established mechanism. Option A is wrong because Kochi hosts the Southern Naval Command but was not named as the venue. Option C is wrong because Karwar, home to INS Kadamba, was not mentioned in connection with this conference. Option D is wrong because the Naval Dockyard at Mumbai is a maintenance and support facility and does not host the apex commanders' forum described here.