Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi said yesterday on Wednesday that during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Navy had come very close to attacking Pakistan through the sea and was just minutes away from attacking, but a request was made from Islamabad to stop Kinetic Actions.
Navy Chief Tripathi was speaking at the Naval Investiture Ceremony in Mumbai, where he awarded 'Yudh Seva Medal' to two top naval officers for distinguished service during Operation Sindoor, conducted after the terror attack in Pahalgam in April last year. During this, he said that Operation Sindoor demonstrated the readiness and determination of the Indian Navy, as its units made quick deployment and maintained a very aggressive stance during this period.
Regarding the Navy's role in the operation, Admiral Tripathi said, "Now it is no hidden fact that we were just minutes away from attacking Pakistan through the sea, but during this time a request was made from their side to stop the military action." He further said that the Indian Navy has further strengthened the confidence and trust of the country with its capability during Operation Sindoor.
Talking about the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Admiral said that since the war broke out between America, Israel and Iran, more than 20 merchant ships have been attacked in the region. He said that amidst this extremely tense environment, about 1,900 ships are stranded, and daily traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has also been affected. Before the war started, 130 ships used to come and go on this route daily, which has now reduced to only 6-7 ships daily.
The Navy Chief further said, “At a time when the global order has been profoundly transformed by increasing fragmentation and conflict, the seas are no longer mere battlefields where continental conflicts play out. Instead, they are now becoming platforms where strategic intentions are signaled and challenged, often with lopsided outcomes.”
He said constantly evolving technologies and strategies have not only reshaped how wars are planned, initiated and sustained, but have also made countering non-traditional challenges more complex and less predictable. He said that we inducted 12 ships and submarines into the Navy in a single year.
