Aatmanirbharta doesn’t mean isolation: Navy Chief stresses collaboration from a position of strength

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Allaying apprehensions that aatmanirbharta in the defence sector doesn’t mean isolation, Chief of Navy Staff, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan on Tuesday insisted on having collaboration with friendly foreign countries “from a position of strength, and not from a position of weakness”.

In his address at the Delhi Defence Dialogue, organised by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), the Navy chief stated that aatmanirbharta or self-reliance is a “strategic necessity” as there is a need to build a navy that can fight, sustain and adapt without being constrained by extraneous factors or external dependencies.

The Admiral, who was speaking on ’Aatmanirbharta in Naval Systems at 2047’, urged all stakeholders to put their minds and hearts together to build a Navy hat can “answer the requirements of the 21^st century national security of India and make every single one of us proud”.

R&D Investments

There was a need to fill “critical gaps” and invest more in research and development (R&D), as well as in niche and emerging technologies, the Chief of Naval Staff said. “Also, the innovation-to-operational-capabilities transition needs to take place in a reasonable time,” he added.

Referencing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Swaminathan noted that growing political tensions globally have inflamed “old, historical fault lines, and today one can see the use of force as an acceptable instrument of national policy, or rather a preferred instrument”.

He also pointed towards the democratisation of technology, ensuring that it’s available to both “good boys” and “bad boys”.

Strait of Malacca

Later, the Navy Chief took questions from the audience regarding the Indian Navy’s strategic outlook for key areas in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Strait of Malacca, particularly in light of adversaries’ capabilities.

“We are quite cognisant of the capabilities of our adversaries,” he responded.

Highlighting that both the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are vital operational areas, he added that the naval force is “doing everything it can” to strengthen its overall capability matrix.

Addressing the Strait of Malacca, the Navy Chief noted that any developments on this critical sea lane directly “impact us,” assuring that the Navy “keeps a very good watch on that part of the world.”

Published on November 3, 2026