The Ministry of Defence flagged in Samudra Pradakshina, a Tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition, on 22 July 2026. The mission matters for UPSC because it combines tri-service jointness, women’s participation in the armed forces, maritime diplomacy and Aatmanirbhar Bharat in one operational story.
Nine women officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force returned to Mumbai aboard the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni after completing a 314-day voyage across four oceans. The expedition had been virtually flagged off by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on 11 September 2025 from Mumbai.
What happened
The expedition was presented as a global sailing mission by women officers serving in the three Services. According to the Ministry of Defence, the crew completed an internationally recognised circumnavigation and returned home after extensive sailing, training and shore support.
What makes the voyage a circumnavigation
The Ministry of Defence said the crew met recognised criteria for circumnavigation by crossing all meridians of longitude, crossing the Equator twice, crossing the International Date Line and rounding the Three Great Capes: Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope. Passage through the Drake Passage and rounding Cape Horn earned the crew membership of the fraternity of Cape Horners.
Related current affairs
- Delivery of Mangrol – Third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft Built by CSL, Kochi
- INS Malvan commissioned into Indian Navy
- Indian Navy inducts indigenous stealth frigate Mahendragiri (Project 17A) into Eastern Fleet
- INDIAN NAVY SET TO COMMISSION MAHENDRAGIRI, THE SIXTH PROJECT 17A INDIGENOUS STEALTH FRIGATE
- INDIAN NAVY SET TO COMMISSION THREE INDIGENOUS NAVAL PLATFORMS IN KOLKATA
- Defence Export SOP and Open General Export Licence (OGEL) framework simplified to reduce procedural burden and expand global market access