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PRESIDENT OF INDIA WITNESSES INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW AT VISAKHAPATNAM

February 18, 2026 4 min read International Relations Internal Security GS Paper 2 GS Paper 3
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What Happened

  • President Droupadi Murmu, in her capacity as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, reviewed the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 off the coast of Visakhapatnam on February 18, 2026.
  • The President reviewed the fleet from INS Sumedha, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel that served as the Presidential Yacht for the occasion.
  • A total of 85 ships participated, including 19 foreign warships, 60 Indian Navy ships, 4 Indian Coast Guard vessels, and one ship each from the Shipping Corporation of India and the National Institute of Ocean Technology.
  • Three Indian Navy submarines, one French Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft, and over 60 aircraft also participated in the review.
  • Navies from 74 countries participated, making it one of the largest fleet reviews globally.
  • The IFR was conducted under the theme "United through Oceans" and was part of a larger sequence of three naval events including Exercise MILAN 2026 and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Ninth Conclave of Navy Chiefs.

Static Topic Bridges

International Fleet Review: History and Tradition

A Fleet Review is a ceremonial assembly of naval vessels reviewed by the Head of State or sovereign, originating from the British naval tradition. In India, the President conducts the review as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces under Article 53 of the Constitution.

  • India has hosted three International Fleet Reviews: Mumbai (2001) with 97 warships from 20 countries reviewed by President K.R. Narayanan from INS Sukanya; Visakhapatnam (2016) with President Pranab Mukherjee reviewing from INS Sumitra; and Visakhapatnam (2026) with President Murmu reviewing from INS Sumedha.
  • The President of India is the Supreme Commander of all three branches of the Armed Forces under Article 53 of the Constitution, though the actual command is exercised through the Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs.
  • Domestic Fleet Reviews (without international participation) have been conducted more frequently, with the most recent ones at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.
  • The IFR serves both as a display of national naval capability and as a platform for maritime diplomacy.

Connection to this news: IFR 2026, with 74 participating nations, represents the largest scale of international participation in any Indian fleet review, signalling India's growing stature as a maritime power and its expanding network of naval partnerships.

Exercise MILAN and India's Maritime Diplomacy

MILAN (Multilateral Indian-Led Aligned Naval Exercise) is the Indian Navy's flagship multilateral naval exercise, first held in 1995 with the participation of four navies. It has grown into one of the largest multilateral naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific.

  • The 13th edition of MILAN (2026) is being conducted from February 18-25 at Visakhapatnam and in the Bay of Bengal under the Eastern Naval Command.
  • 72 countries confirmed participation in MILAN 2026, with 20 foreign warships from 19 countries and 3 foreign aircraft.
  • The exercise theme is "Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration."
  • MILAN focuses on enhancing interoperability, maritime domain awareness, and collective response capabilities among participating navies.
  • Alongside MILAN and IFR 2026, the Indian Navy is hosting the IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium) Ninth Conclave of Navy Chiefs, making it a triple-event maritime diplomacy showcase.
  • IONS was conceived by India in 2008 as a forum for chiefs of navies of Indian Ocean littoral states to discuss maritime issues.

Connection to this news: The sequential hosting of IFR, MILAN, and IONS within a single week at Visakhapatnam represents India's most ambitious maritime diplomacy initiative, positioning the Indian Navy as a central player in the Indo-Pacific security architecture.

Visakhapatnam: Eastern Naval Command and Maritime Infrastructure

Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command (ENC), one of the three geographic naval commands, and hosts critical maritime infrastructure.

  • The Eastern Naval Command, established in 1971, is responsible for the Bay of Bengal and the eastern Indian Ocean.
  • Visakhapatnam hosts India's submarine construction facility at the Naval Dockyard, where the Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) were built.
  • The INS Visakhapatnam (D66), a Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyer, was commissioned in 2021.
  • The port is also home to the INS Kalinga, a naval establishment critical to India's sea-based nuclear deterrent.
  • India's first Strategic Petroleum Reserve facility (1.33 MMT) is located at Visakhapatnam.

Connection to this news: The choice of Visakhapatnam for IFR 2026 highlights the city's strategic importance as India's eastern maritime hub and demonstrates the Eastern Naval Command's capacity to host large-scale multinational maritime events.

Key Facts & Data

  • IFR 2026 participation: 74 countries, 85 ships (including 19 foreign warships), 3 submarines, 60+ aircraft.
  • Presidential Yacht: INS Sumedha (indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel).
  • Previous Indian IFRs: Mumbai (2001), Visakhapatnam (2016), Visakhapatnam (2026).
  • MILAN 2026: 72 countries, February 18-25, Visakhapatnam and Bay of Bengal.
  • IONS: Conceived by India in 2008; 9th Conclave of Navy Chiefs hosted alongside IFR/MILAN.
  • Theme of IFR 2026: "United through Oceans."
  • Theme of MILAN 2026: "Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration."
  • Eastern Naval Command: Headquartered at Visakhapatnam, established 1971.