NEW DELHI: It is essential to achieve self-reliance in defence not only because it safeguards the sovereignty of the country said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday but it is also necessary as lessons from the conflicts like Ukraine tell us that not just the defence-related supplies but also the commercial contracts of the national interest are also prone to be affected.
Sharing his views on the need to achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence, the defence minister described self-reliance as essential for not only building the domestic capacity, but also for safeguarding the sovereignty of the country.
"Our past experiences have taught us that India cannot depend on imports for its security and security. Recent conflicts, especially the situation in Ukraine, have told us that not just defence supplies, but commercial contracts are also prone to be affected when it comes to national interests," said the Defence Minister.
The Defence Minister was delivering the keynote address for the 37thAir Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture here. It was organised by the Air Force Association.
Adding further the defence minister said that the nature of future wars can be assessed through a closer look at the situation in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and the recent Ukrainian conflict.
"Although these trends are suggestive, we can gain a deeper understanding by correlating them with our local threats," he said.
Highlighting the importance of technology in wars, Rajnath Singh said, the use of technology has seen an unprecedented increase in recent times. He, however, stated that expensive platforms/weapon systems do not alone ensure victory; it is their employment which gives an edge in wars.
"Be it precision guided munition, unmanned aerial vehicles or manpack anti-tank weapons, their deployment in any future war will be as critical as it had been in the past. Technology is a force multiplier, but without innovative deployment, state-of-the-art equipment will be a mere display," he added.
Rajnath Singh called for technology evolution, gaining expertise and human resource management to defend the country against space-guided attacks and protect the space assets.
"Change is the law of nature. It is eternal. This law is applicable to war as well. As students of military affairs and geopolitics, it is our duty to keep anticipating the nature of future wars. Steps are being taken by our adversaries toward military use of space. This is likely to have an adverse effect on our interests. We, therefore, need to identify and be fully prepared for the evolving security challenges," he said.
The Defence Minister also paid tributes to Air Chief Marshal PC Lal who was the Vice Chief of the Air Staff during the 1965 war and had served as the 7thChief of the Air Staff during the 1971 war.
Rajnath Singh asserted that through the process of integration structures can be built for bringing together the forces and greater synergy can be established between them through joint vision, training, planning and execution of operations.
“The ongoing process of integration of the Armed Forces is aimed at not only increasing the combined capability, but also efficiency. There have been deliberations in the Armed Forces regarding the envisaged changes. This consultative process will continue till the implementation of the reforms. We have to keep in mind that its long-term success will depend on the vision of the planners just as much as it depends on those who implement it. I have full faith that in future more unity will be established not just ideologically, but also in action,” he said.
On the occasion, the Minister also released a book titled ‘INDO-PAK WAR 1971- Reminiscences of Air Warriors’. The book comprises 50 articles penned by the veterans who have shared their experiences in detail. The book has been edited by Air Marshal Jagjeet Singh and Group Captain Shailendra Mohan.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari; President of the Air Force Association Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd) and senior officers of the IAF, both serving and retired were also present.