India’s armed forces are ready to deal with any security challenge: CDS Bipin Rawat

NEW DELHI: India’s armed forces are ready to deal with any security challenge, and measures taken to increase synergy among the three services will enhance their overall capabilities, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said on Friday.

Gen Rawat also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directions to modernise the armed forces and noted that there was a need to increase their capabilities further.

The Chief of Defence Staff was speaking at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence which is being celebrated as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

Gen Rawat said India is a peace-loving nation but it had to train its forces for war considering the kind of challenges it has been facing.

“Our prime minister has given us some directions that we have to focus on our country’s economic revival, think on human resource development and encourage technology and research. We have to progress towards military defence reforms,” Gen Rawat said.

In an apparent reference to cross border terrorism into Jammu and Kashmir, he said ending it is one of the focus areas.

“The armed forces are ready to deal with any challenge,” Gen Rawat said, adding efforts taken to increase jointness among the forces will enhance their capabilities.

As part of India’s mega defence reform initiative, Gen Rawat has been working on the theaterisation model under which at least six new integrated commands are being envisaged.

As per the plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander.

At present, the Army, Navy and the Air Force have separate commands.

Initially, a plan has been firmed up for the creation of Air Defence Command and Maritime Theatre Command.

In his brief address, the Chief of Defence Staff also remembered Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for their leadership role in India’s Independence movement.