No service can fight modern warfare alone, and only theater can align the Army’s strategic vision and capabilities, said Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, who is retiring on Sunday. He said theater — a long-overdue reform to integrate the Army’s resources into future conflicts — seeks to maximize combat effectiveness in all domains of warfare: land, sea, air, cyber, space and cognitive domain.
In an interview with HT, Tripathi spoke on several issues, including the urgent need for theater commands to dominate the battlefield, lessons learned from the war in West Asia, India’s maritime posture in the Indo-Pacific region, and the potential role of the Navy if India launches Operation Sindoor 2.0.
Why is it important for India to issue joint orders as soon as possible?
Modern conflicts require closer integration of strategic thinking and technological capability, making joint action an absolute necessity. Theater is fundamentally about enhancing operational effectiveness, unity of effort, integrated planning, and speed of response across land, sea, air, cyber, space, and cognitive domains. No single service can operate in isolation under these conditions. Operation Sindor clearly demonstrated the advantages of integrated planning and operational synergies between the three services. All stakeholders worked with a clear and singular focus, greatly supported by the freedom and flexibility given to teams at all levels – from the Chiefs of Staff Committee to the tactical level – in planning, preparation and implementation. Interconnection is no longer optional, but an operational necessity. Dramatization is about operational effectiveness, not just organizational restructuring.
What lessons has the Navy learned from the ongoing war in West Asia?
One thing is clear: staying away from conflict no longer means staying away from its consequences. It also completely debunked the myth of short and quick wars. The conflict has reinforced that maritime security and economic security are inseparable. Disruptions directly impact shipping lanes, trade flows, insurance costs, and national economies. The nature of the battlefield has changed profoundly. It is now cross-domain and very transparent. We see how unmanned systems allow small platforms to have macro effects at sea, shifting us from linear kill chains to networked kill networks driven by AI. Strategic depth no longer guarantees safe haven due to long-range precision strike capabilities. Overlapping actions by state and non-state actors complicate the attribution process.
India is on the cusp of completing Project 75I to build next-generation conventional submarines. How do you rate India’s underwater capabilities?
The subsea domain is a critical dimension of maritime warfare and deterrence. Enhancing underwater capability remains a key priority for the Indian Navy. The P-75I is a strategically important program aimed at progressively building indigenous capabilities in design, development and manufacturing of advanced conventional submarines in India. Timelines and processes are currently progressing through established procurement procedures, and we expect to close the contract early. The first submarine is expected to be inducted by 2033, followed by the delivery of one submarine each year until 2038.
How do you view India’s evolving maritime posture in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is trying to strengthen its presence?
We realize that the global environment is moving from an “age of cooperation” to an “age of intense competition.” India’s maritime position has never been about just one country; Rather, it is about protecting our national maritime interests and contributing to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The Indian Navy has achieved this by maintaining strong maritime domain awareness through continuous mission-based deployments across the vast maritime expanse. Over the past two years, we have conducted 23 bilateral exercises, 16 multilateral exercises, and 70 maritime partnership exercises.
What will be the role of the Navy if circumstances require India to launch Operation Sindoor 2.0?
Should such circumstances arise, the Indian Navy remains fully prepared to undertake any role delegated by the National Command to defend India’s sovereignty. Our role will be a direct continuation of our readiness, capabilities and deterrence capabilities. Operation Sindor demonstrated our reach and ability to rapidly deploy combat power. The forward deployment of a carrier group (CBG) and our aggressive operational posture in the North Arabian Sea has enhanced deterrence and operational dominance. The adversary’s maritime economy has been severely impacted by increased shipping risks and insurance premiums, deterring global commercial shipping from its ports. As per the new normal, any notification to sail to our platforms could be a signal to fight – a direct result of Operation Sindoor.
