Even as the Navy is all set to make a giant technological leap in its arsenal, including warships, planes and weapons, it will also increase its manpower from the existing 1 lakh to 1.7 lakh by 2027.
As part of this, B Tech degrees will be awarded to the first batch of 300 Permanent Commissioned Officers passing out of the Ezhimala-based Indian Naval Academy (INA) near Kannur in Kerala, on Saturday. Union Defence Minister A K Antony will be the chief guest at the passing out parade (POP).
And the officers from the latest batch will oversee the adoption of the cutting-edge technology by the Navy.
The manpower increase, according to Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resources Development) Rear Admiral S N Ghormade , was in line with the Navy’s plans for induction of new warships, aviation assets and weapon systems under its ‘Maritime Capabilities Perspective Plan’.
The Navy has already placed orders for over 40 warships and another 50-odd aviation, including aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered and conventional submarines, long-range maritime reconnaissance planes, new combat jets and helicopters.
“The complexity of modern warfare together with induction of cutting-edge technology in the Navy has necessitated the need for highly trained men and women to operate, maintain, and gainfully exploit modern Naval platforms,” Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation and Intelligence) Rear Admiral Monty Khanna said at a briefing on Friday.
The B Tech degrees from the JNU, which will be awarded to the Permament Commissioned Naval cadets after a four-year course approved by the AICTE that integrates military and technical knowledge.
Presently, the INA has an annual intake of 750-odd cadets, but under the ‘Manpower Growth Plan’, the infrastructure and facilities at the academy will be augmented to take in around 1,200 cadets and the necessary sanction for this has been obtained, Ghormade said.