On Monday, June 23, 2025, the Hellenic Navy conducted training launches of guided missiles in the wider area of the southern Ionian Sea. The exercise was observed by Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff General Dimitrios Choupis, Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras, and Commander in Chief of the Hellenic Fleet Vice Admiral Christos Sasiakos. Greece showcased its naval strength with a spectacular live-fire exercise involving twelve missiles of seven different types—highlighting the full range of the Hellenic Navy’s arsenal and its combat readiness. This marked the largest live missile-firing drill in the Navy’s history. My story for Naval News, here.
On June 18, 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned the first of 16 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), essentially a light corvette, to enhance the protection of its vast coastline against subsurface threats such as submarines, midget submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The commissioning ceremony took place at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, in the presence of General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff. Among the others present were Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Rajaram Swaminathan, CWP&A, Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, ADG Donny Michael, Coast Guard Commander (Eastern Seaboard), senior officials from Indian Navy and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Larsen & Toubro Shipbuilding (L&T), distinguished civilian dignitaries, ex- Commanding Officers of erstwhile Arnala and guests. My story for Naval News, here.
On May 22, 2025, at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) in Farnborough, UK, a Navy Leaders Conference, Commodore Konstantinos Tourkantonis, Deputy Director of the Armaments Directorate of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, revealed new details for the imminent modernization of the Hellenic Navy’s submarine fleet. It is worth noting that the Greek Commodore previously served as Director of the submarine program, giving him direct and extensive involvement in Greece’s submarine initiatives. He also held the position of Commander of the Hellenic Navy Submarine Command. Naval News was present for the briefing, titled “Submarine Modernization Across the Hellenic Naval Force,” and here are the key takeaways from the presentation. My story for Naval News, here.
