New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday underlined the need to strengthen India’s offensive and defensive responses in view of the turmoil being witnessed in the rules-based international order.
Addressing an event, organised to commemorate 2024 as the Year of Naval Civilians, the Defence Minister highlighted the increasing complexities for the armed forces due to the tense geopolitical security scenario and pitched to increase the critical capability of the country at the earliest.
“If we assess the entire decade from a defence and security perspective, we can say that it has been a volatile decade. We are witnessing conflicts and wars in different regions across the world. Keeping these things in mind, we need planning, resourcing and budgeting for our security,” he said.
“There is a need to adopt a consultative approach. We need to take inputs from all the stakeholders on how to face future challenges. Our forces should be equipped and ready according to the changing times,” Singh said.
He emphasised that the civilian workforce, an integral part of the armed forces, will play a crucial role in the planning process.
The Defence Minister stressed that the military is surging forward with a big mandate and complex structure and the civilian workforce “soldiers without uniforms” play a pivotal role as they work behind-the-scenes to provide significant strength to the troops.
He asserted that patriotism, valour and discipline help soldiers fulfil their responsibility of protecting the country from threats and challenges and the civilian workforce should imbibe these values to further bolster the security infrastructure.
“In the broader perspective of national service, every responsible civilian is a soldier without uniform and every soldier is a civilian in uniform,” he said.
In view of India’s strategic location and its geopolitical situation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated the resolve of the Modi government to strengthen the Navy, terming it as a necessity in today’s times.
He referred to the recent commissioning of three world-class warships – INS Surat, INS Nilgiri; INS Vaghsheer – stating that it was a result of concerted efforts of all stakeholders.
