Rajnath Calls for Major Upgrade of Maritime Surveillance as Grey-Zone Challenges Grow

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) called for a significant upgrade of India's maritime surveillance and response architecture, citing growing congestion, deception and grey-zone activity at sea, and said the country's strategic responsibilities in the Indian Ocean Region were increasing along with its maritime power.

Speaking at the second edition of the Indian Navy's biannual Commanders' Conference 2026, Mr. Singh said India had emerged as a "First Responder" and "Preferred Security Partner" in the Indian Ocean Region, and stressed the need to take maritime monitoring and response mechanisms to a new level. "The entire world is witnessing the growth of both our strategic position and our strategic responsibility in the region," he said.

Grey-zone activity generally refers to actions at sea that stay below the threshold of open armed conflict — such as vessels switching off tracking systems, unregulated fishing, unauthorised survey work, or the use of civilian craft to press claims. Such actions are often difficult to attribute and to counter, and navies in the region have increasingly had to build capabilities to monitor and respond to them.

Mr. Singh highlighted the Navy's blue-water capability, noting that Indian warships are deployed as far as the South China Sea, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. He said the Navy had a crucial role in providing strategic depth and enabling regional power projection.

He described 2026 as a historic year for the Navy, with plans for the induction or commissioning of 18 warships — which he said would be the largest single-year accretion of ships to the force in its history.

The Defence Minister linked maritime security to the country's economic and energy security. He cited the Navy's role in ensuring the safe transit of Indian-flagged merchant vessels, particularly LPG tankers, through the Strait of Hormuz under Operation Urja Suraksha, amid the crisis in West Asia. The Strait of Hormuz is a key chokepoint for global energy supplies, and a substantial share of India's imported LPG and crude oil moves through it.

On indigenous shipbuilding, Mr. Singh said recently commissioned Indian warships contained more than 75 per cent indigenous content. He asked the domestic defence ecosystem to move towards exporting warships to friendly countries — a step that would strengthen India's standing as a shipbuilding nation and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

He also commended the Navy's "All Ranks, All Roles" approach and the deployment of women officers on frontline warships and aircraft.

Mr. Singh congratulated the Navy on assuming command of Combined Task Force-154 under the Combined Maritime Forces, the multinational naval partnership headquartered in Bahrain that works on maritime security, counter-piracy and capacity-building among regional navies. He also highlighted Operation Southern Readiness, which involved 276 personnel from 27 countries — an example of international cooperation in maritime security.

The three-day conference, being held from September 29 to October 1, brings together the Navy's senior leadership to review operational preparedness, maritime security and future capability development. Such conferences are held twice a year and serve as a forum for the naval leadership to assess threats and plan force structure.

India's stated position is that it seeks a free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order in the Indian Ocean Region, in keeping with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Navy's expanding area of operations, growing fleet and widening partnerships reflect both that aim and the practical demands of protecting the trade routes on which the country's economy depends.