Armed forces need to be prepared for war in order to preserve peace: Rajnath

LUCKNOW: The armed forces need to be prepared for war in order to preserve peace, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday while addressing the top commanders of the Army, Navy and the Air Force.

In his remarks at the maiden joint commanders conference here, Singh, touching upon the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza as well as the situation in Bangladesh, exhorted the military to analyse these "episodes" and stay prepared to deal with the "unexpected".

India is a peace loving nation and the armed forces need to be prepared for war in order to preserve peace, he said stressing upon the significance of evolving joint military vision to deal with future security challenges.

The defence minister also referred to the over four-year border row with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and pitched for deeper analysis of the situation.

"Despite global volatility, India is enjoying a rare peace dividend and it is developing peacefully. However, due to the increasing number of challenges, we need to remain alert," he said.

"It is important that we keep our peace intact during Amrit Kaal. We need to focus on our present, keep an eye on the activities happening around us at present, and focus on being future-oriented," he said.

"For this, we should have a strong and robust national security component. We should have fail-proof deterrence," Singh added.

He also called upon the commanders to identify and include the right mix of traditional and modern warfare equipment in the armed forces arsenal.

He stressed on capability development in space and electronic warfare, describing them as integral to tackle modern-day challenges.

Singh also urged the military leadership to focus on increasing the use of latest technological advancements in the fields of data and artificial intelligence.

"These components do not participate in any conflict or war directly. Their indirect participation is deciding the course of warfare to a great extent," he added.

The two-day conference began on Wednesday.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane were among those who attended the deliberations.