‘Dilli Series’ Seapower Webinar 2020 Commences at Indian Naval Academy
‘Dilli Series’ Seapower Webinar 2020 Commences at Indian Naval Academy
The seventh edition of the annual ‘Dilli Series’ Sea Power Webinar on ‘Military Use of Sea Power’ commenced this morning at the Indian Naval Academy (INA). Several serving and retired senior Naval Officers, eminent academicians, representatives of think tanks and distinguished luminaries are participating in the two-day seminar.
The seminar proceedings commenced with the Opening Address by Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, AVSM, NM, Commandant, INA. This was followed by the Keynote Address delivered by the Chief Guest Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM (Retd), Chairman NMF & former Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy.
The first session of day one -‘Exploration and Annexation through the Seas’-chaired by Prof Ranabir Chakravarty, commenced with a presentation by Midshipmen Ojas Torah representing his syndicate of Midshipmen, who are currently in their 8th term at the Academy on the topic ‘Malabar and the Portuguese: the Native Resistance Against Colonial Powers’.
The second presentation– ‘Forts’ an Eyewitness to Explorations and Annexations’ - by Ms Aishwarya Devasthali and Ms Amruta Talwadekar brought out vibrant history of prominent forts of India and their role in maritime military power.
Session two of the day started with an Invitational Talk by Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, PVSM, AVSM (Retd.) former Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Naval Command. The second session - ‘Relevance of Corbett and Mahan for Military Dominance in the 21st Century’- chaired by RAdm SY Shrikhande, AVSM (Retd) commenced with presentation by Commodore G Prakash (Retd.) on ‘Situating Corbett and Mahan in India’s Strategic Calculus’, and ‘Tracing the Evolution of the PLA Navy’s Operating Philosophy from Corbett to Mahan’ by RAdm Monty Khanna, AVSM, NM (Retd). The papers examined the relevance of the two prominent theorists of sea power.
Day two, the concluding day of the Webinar (Saturday, 17 October 2020) will include an Invitational Talk on ‘War at Sea in the Pacific, India & South Atlantic Oceans-1914’ by Lieutenant Commander Desmond Woods, Australian Naval Institute. The third session on Contemporary Relevance of Sea Power on day two will be chaired by VAdm Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, (Retd). Commodore Ashok Rai, Shri Nitin Pai, RAdm SY Shrikhande, AVSM (Retd) and Commodore SB Kesnur, will be presenting papers in the session.
