New Delhi, Feb 17 (NationPress) The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will be arriving in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday for a two-day engagement to witness the International Fleet Review (IFR). As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President will oversee the IFR, a ceremonial gathering of international naval delegations, ships, submarines, and aircraft.

The IFR 2026 will kick off with a Presidential Banquet on Tuesday. The following day, she will inspect a fleet of 70 vessels from India and allied nations at the review anchorage area off Visakhapatnam.

Attendees will include Andhra Pradesh Governor Justice S. Abdul Nazeer (Retd) and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. As per the Indian Navy, this event emphasizes maritime strength, collaboration, and camaraderie while affirming sovereign oversight. India has previously hosted IFRs in 2001 at Mumbai and in 2016 at Visakhapatnam.

Warships, submarines, and aircraft from allied nations will gather at sea to demonstrate their capabilities. The star of Operation Sindoor, INS Vikrant, is expected to be a focal point at the IFR as foreign navies will closely observe India’s indigenous aircraft carrier.

The Vikrant carrier battle group was central to the Indian Navy's offensive deterrent strategy during Operation Sindoor. Deployed in the northern Arabian Sea, it played a crucial role in compelling the Pakistan Navy into a defensive stance, prompting them to request an urgent ceasefire.

IFR 2026 will also feature an International City Parade, cultural exhibitions, and public engagement programs to celebrate global maritime heritage.

Visakhapatnam is additionally hosting the 13th edition of MILAN, the Indian Navy's flagship Multilateral Naval Exercise, under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command in the Bay of Bengal. Over 135 nations have been invited to participate in MILAN 26.

This event aims to bring together navies from friendly foreign countries to fortify professional ties, share best practices, and improve cooperation at sea. The exercise focuses on large-scale multilateral operations, equipping participants with invaluable experience in functioning as a unified maritime force.

The coastal city will also be the venue for the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave, marking the first instance where India is hosting all three significant maritime events concurrently. The inaugural IFR took place in 2001, when then-President K. R. Narayanan inspected the fleet from INS Sukanya.

In that first IFR, 97 warships from 20 nations participated, including 73 Indian and 24 foreign warships. The second edition of IFR was held in Visakhapatnam in 2016, which saw the participation of more nations than before in the Bay of Bengal, with around 100 warships from 50 countries.

This marked the largest assembly of warships in Indian waters. The then-President Pranab Mukherjee inspected the fleet from INS Sumitra, accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.