Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan Meets Karnataka CM, Discusses Karwar Naval Base Development
Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Western Naval Command, called on Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on October 5, 2026, in his first courtesy meeting with the state leader since taking command.
According to the information shared after the visit, the meeting gave the Navy an opportunity to brief the Chief Minister on the activities of the Indian Navy and the Western Naval Command, with particular reference to work being carried out in Karnataka. Among the key subjects discussed were the development of the Naval Base at Karwar and innovation partnerships involving the defence industry and startups in Bengaluru.
The interaction also served to familiarise the Chief Minister with the wider maritime and defence ecosystem linked to the state, including ongoing naval activities and related initiatives. The visit underlined the Western Naval Command’s engagement with Karnataka on infrastructure development, innovation and other areas of mutual interest.
During the same visit, Vice Admiral Vatsayan also met the Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister and Secretaries of various departments of the Karnataka State Government. Those discussions focused on ways to strengthen civil-military liaison in the state from a naval perspective and explore greater coordination between the Navy and the state administration.
The Karnataka leg of the visit appears to have centred on the Navy’s operational presence in the state, the development of naval infrastructure at Karwar, and the role Bengaluru’s defence and startup ecosystem can play in supporting innovation partnerships. The engagement with state officials also reflected the broader effort to maintain regular coordination between the Western Naval Command and the Karnataka government.
Overall, the visit marked Vice Admiral Vatsayan’s first courtesy call on the Karnataka Chief Minister after assuming command of the Western Naval Command, bringing together the state’s political leadership and senior officials for discussions on naval activities, infrastructure and civil-military liaison.
