Mumbai. The 2019 edition of the Defence Correspondents Course (DCC), a month-long course for selected journalists from regional and national media houses, commenced at the Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC) in Mumbai on August 26.

The Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command delivered the inaugural address and the Director MWC welcomed the 32 participants of the course. The aim of DCC is to build over time, a pool of journalists at all levels, who understand the Armed Forces and are cognizant of the domain when reporting on stories regarding the maritime environment.

For the next one week, the participants will be addressed by subject matter experts from within the Navy and the Coast Guard and acquainted with aspects of naval operations like aircraft carrier operations, Naval Diplomacy, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) role of the Navy, the organisational structure of the Navy and the Coast Guard.

The participants will also visit naval and Coast Guard ships, submarines and the Naval Dockyard. The highlight of the Naval leg of the DCC is a sea sortie on a frontline Fleet ship where the participants will experience a glimpse of the Navy in action, hands on.