♦ India assumed the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) from Thailand during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs held in Visakhapatnam on 20 February 2026, marking its return to the leadership of the forum after 16 years. India will hold the chair for the next two years. Having earlier held the inaugural Chairmanship from 2008 to 2010. 

♦ Chief of the Naval Staff Adm Dinesh K Tripathi became the Chair of IONS.

♦ The Philippines was included as an Observer, and Oman joined the IONS Working Group on HADR, further enhancing the scope of collaborative engagement under IONS and widening forum’s cooperative reach.