NEW DELHI: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Thursday said the unrest in Bangladesh is a concern for India as the regime change there comes amid tensions on borders with other countries.
“India has its own share of security challenges; we have a proxy war waged by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, whose sudden escalation we are now seeing in south of Pir Panjal,” General Chauhan said while speaking at the ‘Ammo India’ conference organised here by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
“The prolonged border dispute with China is yet to abate. There are two major security challenges that we face. The instability in our neighbourhood is another cause of concern for us,” he said.
The CDS said the global geopolitical environment is in a state of flux. “We are passing through an era of big global disruptions. Amidst the vagaries of the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the world, the global arms industry is grappling with a seemingly insurmountable problem of widening demand and supply gap,” he stressed.
The CDS gave examples of Ukraine-Russia conflict along with the turmoil in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Armenia region. “The world is in the most violent phase of its existence since World War II,” he said.
“The global security environment has been altered by two major wars that are not only intense but also have been protracted. However, there are also a number of other conflicts raging across other parts of the world, be it Myanmar, Sudan, Sahel region or Congo. The wars in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Armenia may have settled down for the time being but a lasting peace is still elusive,” CDS said.
A strong armed force backed by a strong defence industrial sector is a ‘sine qua non’ for the nation state, he said.
“For a large nation like India, with plenitudes of security problems, it cannot remain dependent on foreign imports of war fighting and sustenance, especially in an environment where the global security and government are in a state of flux and we have live borders at our hand,” General Chauhan said.
He said the global turmoil and India’s own share of security challenges have come as an opportunity for the domestic defence industry to bolster manufacturing capabilities to make the country a net exporter. “India’s quest for indigenisation and atmanirbharta (self-reliance) is central to maintaining this strategic autonomy,” said the CDS.
“This whole concept of atma nirbharta is more than just about defence manufacturing. If we have to translate atmanirbharta only in defence or ammunition manufacturing, it is complete sovereignty over the product cycle right from its design, its development to manufacturing, induction to sustenance and even to its end of life. That means a complete womb to tomb kind of approach,” he said.