Armed Forces must operate jointly & remain future-ready: Raksha Mantri

“Armed Forces must operate jointly and remain future-ready in today’s ever-evolving multi-domain environment where cyber, space & information warfare etc. are as potent as conventional operations,” said Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh while addressing the Armed Forces officers of India and friendly countries during the Convocation Ceremony of the 80th Staff Course of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, Tamil Nadu on April 10. 

Raksha Mantri pointed out that today’s global geopolitics is being redefined by three key metrics: a major pivot towards prioritising national security, a technological tsunami sweeping the global landscape, and accelerating innovation. 

He urged the officers to study the nuances of these trends in-depth to stay ahead on strategic-military change curve, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government is leaving no stone unturned to transform the Armed Forces into a technologically-advanced combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations.

Highlighting that Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies are revolutionising deterrence and war-fighting in critical ways, Rajnath Singh termed the power of technological innovation in combat theatres as breathtaking. 

“In the Ukraine-Russia conflict, drones have virtually emerged as a new arm, if not a transformative science. The majority of losses of soldiers and equipment have been attributed neither to traditional artillery nor to armour but to drones. Similarly, space capacities in the Low Earth Orbit are transforming military intelligence, persistent surveillance, positioning, targeting and communications, thus taking combat to a new high,” he said.

Rajnath Singh also spoke of the impact of the conflict in West Asia and the geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific on the overall security calculus, in addition to non-traditional security threats such as natural disasters and climate change. He stressed on the need to vigorously pursue the transformation of the Armed Forces to remain capable and relevant for future wars, stating that PM Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 rests firmly on two foundational pillars – Surakshit Bharat and Sashakt Bharat.