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Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh felicitated nine women officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force who completed 'Samudra Pradakshina' — the first-ever all-women Tri-services circumnavigation — aboard the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni: a 314-day, ~25,500 nautical-mile voyage across four oceans.
The expedition met all internationally recognised circumnavigation criteria: crossing all longitude meridians, the Equator twice, the International Date Line, and rounding the Three Great Capes (Leeuwin, Horn, Good Hope) — earning the crew membership in the 'Cape Horners' fraternity.
Flagged off 11 September 2025 and flagged-in 22 July 2026 (Mumbai), felicitated in New Delhi on 30 July 2026.
India's first all-women NAVAL (Navy-only) circumnavigation, by a six-member Indian Navy crew — the precedent this Tri-service (Army+Navy+Air Force) expedition builds on and distinguishes itself from
A sailing voyage is only recognised as a true circumnavigation if it crosses all meridians of longitude, crosses the Equator at least twice, crosses the International Date Line, and rounds the Three Great Capes (Leeuwin in Australia, Horn in South America, Good Hope in Africa) — starting and finishing at (approximately) the same port.
Simple Analogy: It's not enough to sail a long distance — the route must genuinely loop the entire globe by touching every key navigational marker
GS Paper 1/3 > Defence Milestones, Women Empowerment
Low — one-off milestone, unlikely to recur but a clean factual pick
An honorary fraternity for sailors who have successfully rounded Cape Horn, one of the world's most demanding maritime passages