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Naval Fleet Review is a long-standing tradition followed by navies all over the
world. It is a grand occasion when every operational ship is spruced up,
proudly displaying its crest and its company in a spirit of loyalty and
allegiance to its sovereign and the state. The idea of a Review was perhaps
conceived as a show of naval might or an inspection of readiness for battle at
sea. The Hon’ble President of India being the Supreme Commander of the Armed
Forces, once in his/her term, reviews the Indian Naval (IN) Fleet as part of
the ‘President’s Fleet Review’ (PFR). This review aims at assuring the country
of the Indian Navy’s preparedness, high morale and discipline. The Indian Navy
is the fifth largest in the world, and was known as the Royal Indian Navy in
the British Raj.
International
Fleet Review (IFR) allows the host nation an occasion to display its maritime
capabilities and the ‘bridges of friendship’ and trust it has built with other
maritime nations. In India the last IFR was conducted in January 2001, off
Mumbai with participation from 29 countries. International Fleet Review 2016 is
an International Military Exercise hosted and conducted by Indian Navy on
behalf of the President of India. Its objective is to enhance mutual trust and
confidence with neighbouring navies by inviting their ships to participate in
the event. The Indian Navy conducted the International Fleet Review 2016 at a
larger scale from 4th to 8th February 2016, in Visakhapatnam. More than 100
warships from 50 countries, including the US, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea
and Australia took part in the event at the Bay of Bengal to showcase naval
combat readiness.
President
of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee released commemorative stamp on the occasion of
International Fleet Review 2016 jointly with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,
Union Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar and other dignitaries at
Visakhapatnam on 6th February, 2016.
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