Navy chief lays emphasis on teamwork to strengthen force

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Robin K. Dhowan has once again stressed on the importance of teamwork and coordination with an aim to strengthen the force.

Attending an investiture ceremony here, Admiral Dhowan presented gallantry and distinguished service awards to naval personnel at the southern naval command base on Thursday.

"Unit citation is a significant citation which shows that ships, submarines, aircrafts squadrons and establishments are working in coordination to strengthen our navy," said Admiral Dhowan.

He also awarded unit citations for best performing shore establishments and operational units -ships, submarines and air squadrons.

For a country aspiring to be a modern military power in a volatile region, a sequence of fatal accidents aboard its submarines has demonstrated why Indian government needs to straighten out its defence priorities.

Still the world's largest arms importer, India has made slow progress in building its own arms industry. Once reliant on Soviet weaponry, it is now the top export market for U.S. arms.