Andaman and Nicobar Command The Andaman and Nicobar Command is a tri - service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces , based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India . It was created in 2001 to safeguard India ' s strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region . History . Previously there was a consideration to replace Fortress Commander , Andaman and Nicobar Islands ( FORTAN ) with a Far Eastern Naval Command ( FENC ) . The previous plan to set up FENC was set in motion in 1995 following a closed - door meeting in Washington between then Indian prime minister , P V Narasimha Rao , and then US president , Bill Clinton . At the time , Pentagon officials made a formal request to the United Front coalition government in New Delhi to open a base in the islands . The 750 - km long Andaman and Nicobar archipelago comprise a chain of 572 islands , and is located about 1200 km from mainland India , but is merely 90 km from Indonesia and 50 km from Myanmar . An Indian command in the islands would counter any threat from China , which was reported to have set up surveillance posts in Myanmar ' s Coco Islands , 40 km off the northern tip of the Andamans . An Indian armed forces command at Andaman and Nicobar Islands would help in to prevent smuggling , piracy , drug and gun trafficking , poaching and illegal immigration in the region and especially in the Malacca Strait . The A & NC would also be in a position to assist the multinational Malacca Straits Security Initiative , aimed at curbing threats in the Malacca Straits . The Group of Ministers ' ( GoM ) report on Reforming the National Security System recommended the replacement of the FORTAN , under the Indian Navy , with a Joint Andaman and Nicobar Command which will control the assets of the tri - services and the Coast Guard on the islands . The GoM had recommended that the Commander of this Joint Command would report to the proposed Chief of Defence Staff ( CDS ) . The Andaman and Nicobar Command was in place by the end of September 2001 . Force structure . The Andaman and Nicobar Command is commanded by three - star ranked officer ( rank of Lieutenant General of the Indian Army or equivalent ) who reports directly to Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in New Delhi . As of 2011 , these were 13 navy ships based in Post Blair under the A & N Command . Naval vessels under the command may include Trinkat - class patrol vessel , Mk . 3 LCU vessels , Polnochny - C / D class amphibious warfare vessels and the SDB Mk . 3 large patrol craft . Do - 228 - 101 maritime patrol craft , operating from airfields at Port Blair , Car Nicobar , Campbell Bay and Diglipur maintain surveillance over the sea areas and approaches . The Andaman & Nicobar region of the Indian Coast Guard also falls under the purview of the command . The command provides logistical and administrative support to naval ships which are sent on deployment to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean . In July 2012 , the navy commissioned INS Baaz , a naval air station which is located 300 nautical miles south of Port Blair and is the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces . The naval port in Port Blair base amphibious platforms , offshore patrol vessel s ( OPV ) and fast attack craft s ( FAC ) . In 2013 , the navy proposed to station a nuclear submarine and a landing deck platform at the islands in the future , and the Indian Air Force has decided to station Sukhoi Su - 30MKI fighters on the islands along with increasing the number of operational airfields . The 108 Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army , which includes the 21 Bihar , is deployed to the A & N Command . This is planned to be increased by deploying a division size force under the command .