INS Jatayu at Minicoy, the Navy's base on Lakshadweep's southernmost island, and the Maritime Operations Centre that followed
Background
Lakshadweep's strategic position in the Arabian Sea is what the Navy's own base at Minicoy is built on, as the Press Information Bureau release records.
INS Jatayu was commissioned at Minicoy Island on 6 March 2024 in the presence of Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, Lakshadweep Administrator Shri Praful K. Patel and Vice Admiral V. Srinivas, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command.
The unit is tied to a new naval base at Minicoy and functions under the operational control of the Naval Officer in Charge, Lakshadweep, Southern Naval Command.
Commander Vrat Baghel is the first Commanding Officer of the unit, and a 50-person Guard of Honour was presented at the ceremony.
A Maritime Operations Centre at Minicoy was inaugurated after the commissioning.
The release frames the base as adding capacity building, operational reach and sustainment in the region and as part of the SAGAR vision, and expects it to improve connectivity with the mainland.
In plain words
SAGAR Security and Growth for All in the Region — India's maritime policy vision for the Indian Ocean neighbourhood.
Southern Naval Command Southern Naval Command, Indian Navy — The Indian Navy's training command, headquartered at Kochi, which also controls the Lakshadweep naval presence.