The Indian Navy is preparing to commission the naval detachment in Minicoy as INS Jatayu on March 6, in the presence of Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff.
The ceremony is a significant milestone in the Navy’s efforts to gradually improve security infrastructure on the strategically critical Lakshadweep Islands.
Naval Detachment Minicoy was established in the early 1980s under the operational command of the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Lakshadweep).
Minicoy is Lakshadweep’s southernmost island, straddling the critical Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs). The formation of an independent naval unit with the necessary facilities and resources will improve the Indian Navy’s overall operational capacity on the islands.
The facility would increase operational reach and support the Indian Navy’s anti-piracy and anti-narcotics efforts in the Western Arabian Sea. It would also strengthen the Indian Navy’s capability as a first responder in the region and improve connectivity to the mainland.
The building of a naval base is consistent with the Indian government’s goal of comprehensive island development.
INS Jatayu is Lakshadweep’s second naval base, following INS Dweeprakshak at Kavaratti.
By putting INS Jatayu into service, the Indian Navy will increase its presence in the Lakshadweep islands and herald in a new age of capacity building and all-encompassing island territory development. It will also boost its operational surveillance, reach, and sustenance capabilities.
Notably, in addition to other warships and submarines participating in carrier battle groups, the Indian Navy will hold its commanders’ conference on board the twin aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, where they will perform fast-paced operations like taking off from one carrier and landing at the other.
Additionally, they stated that the multirole helicopter MH-60 Romeo of the Indian Navy will be formally commissioned in Kochi within the upcoming week.
Additionally, the Indian Navy will present its twin carrier operations in the vicinity of Lakshadweep for the first time. For the first time since INS Vikrant was commissioned, the Navy would be combining the two aircraft carriers’ operations under one roof.
