Introduction

The Navy Foundation Pune Chapter (NFPC) annually conducts a Memorial Lecture to honour the memory of the late Admiral JG Nadkarni the 12th Chief of the Naval Staff (1987-1990), who had settled in Pune after his retirement. This year, NFPC was honoured to have the Chief of the Naval Staff himself, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM deliver the 6th Admiral JG Nadkarni Memorial Lecture on the topic “Indian Navy – Navigating Amidst Ongoing Flux of Geopolitics, Technology & Tactics” at Charak Auditorium, Command Hospital, Pune at 11.30 a.m. on 30 Nov 2025. The CNS was received by VAdm Jaywant Korde PVSM AVSM VSM (Retd), President NFPC who introduced him to the other NFPC Committee members as well as the senior veterans present. The proceedings began with observing a two minute silence for departed Veterans and Veer Naaris, followed by the National Anthem, after which President NFPC delivered the welcome address. Cmde Ramaswamy, Secretary NFPC, then introduced the CNS to the audience before inviting him to deliver the Memorial Lecture.

Memorial Lecture

At the outset, Adm Tripathi reflected on the personal significance of returning to Pune, a city associated with his formative years at the NDA. He also acknowledged the presence of several veterans who had been his mentors and helped shaped his career. He recollected the only personal interaction with Adm Nadkarni as a then young officer on INS Ranvir, which left a lasting impression. He also highlighted some of the major achievements of Adm Nadkarni, including initiating the Indian Navy’s entry into the Information Age, induction of the IN’s first nuclear submarine, INS Chakra, the Indian Navy in the form of INS Godavari featuring on the cover of Time magazine, as well as conceptualizing and setting up the Navy Foundation.

The CNS quoted the words of the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh, who said that India’s maritime identity has evolved from a “landlocked country with sea shores” to an “island country with land borders” and this shift was reflected in national initiatives such as Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. He said that there were several geopolitical challenges faced in the maritime domain, highlighting crises such as the one in the Red Sea as underscoring the vulnerability of critical sea lanes to disruptions. He added that rapid technological advances – and in particular autonomous vessels as well as AI – would have a major impact on the maritime domain. Additionally, space-based surveillance and data-driven analytics were increasing battlespace transparency and the economics of offence and defence were shifting, with interceptors costing millions being used to counter low-cost drones and hypersonic weapons.

In response, the Indian Navy was gearing up to meet these evolving threats. He said that combat readiness is the raison d’etre of the Indian Navy and required it to be perpetually ready as exemplified during Operation Sindoor. Hence he had issued a directive that ‘notice for motoring’ equated to ‘notice for combat.’

The CNS added that the the Navy was also sharpening its doctrinal processes to take on the evolving challenges. He described the operations that the Navy was undertaking on several fronts, including mission-based deployments, anti-piracy operations, humanitarian missions and exercises with foreign navies. He quoted the Hon’ble PM who had said that “When the global seas are rough, the world looks for a steady lighthouse, India is well poised to play that role with strength and stability.”

He also spoke of the Navy’s Human Resource, which he stated was shaped by Gen Z officers and Agniveers and said that the Navy was channeling their energy into outcomes that strengthen its warfighting edge, partnering with academic and research institutions to build specialists in AI, quantum computing, advanced materials, and space technologies. He added that the Navy was prioritizing holistic wellness, emphasizing mental stability and spiritual grounding alongside physical fitness. He also spoke about some ambitious housing projects to improve the quality of life of naval personnel. The CNS stated that veterans were regarded as an enduring part of the naval family and spoke about the work being done by both the Navy Foundation as well as the Veteran Sailors Forum to provide support and outreach to veterans across the country.

Adm Tripathi said that the Navy is visualizing a balanced high–low force structure, combining powerful platforms with agile systems for lower-spectrum conflicts and by 2047, it aimed to be a fully ‘Aatmanirbhar’ force. He spoke about the various innovataion and indigenisation initiatives taken such as NIIO and the TDAC, as well as a more recent Incubation Centre for Artificial Intelligence established in Bengaluru.

In his conclusion, the CNS reiterated that the maritime landscape is changing rapidly and decisively, presenting both challenges and opportunities. He stated that with a clear vision, a confident Navy, and rising maritime consciousness, India is well-positioned to shape its destiny at sea and added that the Navy will continue to stand as a pillar of stability and strength for the nation and the region, honoring the past, embracing the present, and preparing for the future.

Following the lecture, the CNS also fielded a number of questions from the audience members.

RAdm RJ Nadkarni, AVSM, VSM (Retd), delivered the Vote of Thanks.

Honouring of Nanogenarian and Octogenarians

As part of the event, the CNS also honoured RAdm MM Puri, a nonagenarian, as well as 7 octogenarians: VAdm Vinod Pasricha, Cmde KV Sonalkar, Cmde Narendra Kapoor. Cdr Suraj Kumar Sriram, Cdr DM Purohit, Cdr DK Mali and Lt Cdr Ulhas Gupte. They were all presented with a shawl. RAdm Puri was presented with a special sea cap inscribed with the words ’90 year Proud Navy Veteran’; while the octogenarians were presented with a Puneri pheta and a specially made ‘porthole’ memento by the CNS. Additionally, Cmde Sumeet Kapoor, Principal Director Naval Veterans presented all the octogenarians with a certificate of recognition.