Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Krishna Swaminathan reaffirmed his commitment on Sunday to ensure that the Indian Navy maintains the highest level of operational readiness and combat effectiveness for protecting the nation's security and economic interests.
He also emphasised the importance of 'JAI' – Jointness, Atmanirbharata (self-reliance), and Indigenisation. Admiral Krishna Swaminathan took charge as the Chief of Navy Staff after taking the handover from Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, who bid farewell to the military service earlier in the day.
He also laid wreaths at the National War Memorial to pay homage to those who laid down their lives on the line of duty. Addressing the media after assuming the charge as Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Swaminathan said, "I assume command today as the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff with a deep sense of humility, responsibility, pride, and gratitude.
Being selected by the top leadership of the country for this job has been the highest honour and privilege of my life, and I'm extremely grateful to have this opportunity to serve the Indian Navy and the nation in this capacity." He stated that the Indian Navy stands vigilant to protect national interests and is very actively deployed in a regional security environment that "continues to remain challenging, complex, unpredictable, and uncertain".
"It shall be my highest priority to ensure that the Indian Navy maintains the highest level of operational readiness and combat effectiveness so that it can protect the nation's security and economic interests wherever they can be," Admiral Swaminathan said.
"The Indian Navy is well set on a course of capability enhancement and modernisation. It shall be my endeavour to sustain the growth momentum of the Navy, consolidate all ongoing programs, scale up where required, and sharpen our operational capabilities through the induction of niche and emerging technologies as soon as I can," he added.
"The Indian Navy is deeply committed to Jointness, Atmanirbharata, and Indigenisation, and that will also be one of my key result areas. I'm extremely grateful to have this opportunity to work with the men and women of the Indian Navy, whom I consider the finest professionals anywhere in the world.
Their welfare, well-being, professional performance, and personal growth shall be of the highest importance to me, and I shall remain invested in that very sincerely in the days to come," he said. Expressing gratitude to Admiral Tripathi for his "highly meritorious and illustrious service" to the nation, Admiral Swaminathan said, "He has been an extremely effective CNS, led us very successfully, and given us the benefit of his guidance and vision at every turn.
On behalf of a grateful Navy, I wish him the very best as he transits to a new phase of his life." "I will devote every single day of my life to making the Navy a better, stronger, sharper, and more impactful service so that it can serve the interests of national security, national development, and national economic prosperity to the best of its ability," the Indian Navy chief added.