The Indian Navy is adapting its supply lines in response to disruptions in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan highlighted that the Navy has learned important lessons from these challenges, which have impacted maritime operations in the region.
READ | After Op Sindoor, India’s Defence Push Faces A New Test. Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit 2026 on Sunday, Admiral Swaminathan said the Navy is also working towards self-sufficiency.
What Experts Said
“In terms of energy security, the government has been very, very quick to diversify our sources of supply. The Indian Navy’s primary responsibility is to make sure that our sea lanes are always safe. Nearly 90% of India’s trade by volume, and over 70% by value, Admiral Swaminathan said, moves through maritime routes. Over 60% of India’s GDP originates in coastal states, and about 18% of the population lives within 50 kilometres of the coast.
So through the wars, there have been many tactical, operational and strategic lessons, but the biggest lesson we have learnt as a Navy – and this is going to be a recurring theme in everything – is that we have got to be self-sufficient,” he said. Admiral Swaminathan said this would not be restricted to defence technologies but would also apply to building and sustaining India’s forces. “India is a maritime nation, which is an economic, civilisational, geopolitical and psychological concept all by itself,” he said.
