Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 29 AUGUST: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the changing equation in Afghanistan is a challenge for India and the Union government has been forced to rethink its strategy in view of the latest developments since the Taliban took over on 15 August.
“The changing equations have forced every country to think on its strategy. “QUAD, a group of India, Australia, America and Japan, has been formed under this background,” he added stressing on the need to view every dimension of national security in one frame in this new era.
Delivering a keynote address to the 77th Staff Course of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Mr Singh said India is ready to face the changing security dynamics of the world due to the reforms taken by the Government, emphasising that the Armed Forces need to be fully equipped and prepared at all times. “We will continue to strengthen our military and ensure that we are a step ahead to deal with any challenges arising out of the changing global security environment,” he added.
He also expressed hope that DSSC will train and equip the future officers of the Armed Forces to deal with these challenges. He exuded confidence that the officers will be trained in a way that they will give a befitting reply to any kind of challenge facing the country.
Mr Singh also asserted that India, despite its capabilities, has never attacked any country till date and has always considered the whole world as its family. This is the spirit of our neighborhood first policy, he said, adding that India has always been proactive in helping the neighboring countries in humanitarian relief work during disasters.
He, however, made it clear that while India believes in peace, it has always been ready at all fronts to protect the self-respect and interest of its people and ensure their security. He reiterated the Government’s resolve to protect the country from all kinds of external and internal threats.
The Defence Minister also stated that, ever since Independence, some evil forces have resorted to various methods to try and create an atmosphere of instability in the country, but the Armed
Forces have ensured that the unity and integrity of the country is maintained. “When our neighboring country realised that it cannot fight a front-war with us, it resorted to proxy war and made terrorism an integral part of its state policy. This was a major paradigm shift in the challenges faced by our country. Keeping these changes in mind, we made major changes to our security related policies. Under a new dynamic, we developed a pro-active attitude against the menace of terrorism,” he added.
Referring to the cross-border strikes on terror camps, Mr Singh said these strikes changed the reactionary mindset into proactive mindset. “Despite the challenges on India’s border, the people are now confident that there will be no compromise on national security. There is a strong belief that India would not only end terror on its own land, but if needed it would not hesitate to end terrorism anywhere else. This change defines a new era of national security in India,” he added.
On the 2020 Galwan Valley incident, the Defence Minister said the unilateral attempt to change the status-quo at the Northern border was also dealt with a new dynamic. “Our soldiers displayed bravery as well as restraint, when required, to thwart enemy plans,” he said, lauding the exemplary courage of the Indian Army personnel, under the leadership of Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, for effectively dealing with the situation at the Northern border. He assured the Nation that the security forces are fully committed to face any enemy, at any time, in any situation and protect the country in every way. Mr Singh also paid tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the Nation.
Sharing his insights on cyber warfare and biological attacks, he said the perception of linking national security to geographical boundaries has changed and the alignment & re-alignment of global powers add to the already changing security challenges. He stated that the Government is making all efforts to develop capabilities to deal with these new and emerging threats to national security.
The Defence Minister appreciated the unique role of DSSC in nurturing the future leadership of the three Services of India and the officers from friendly foreign countries. He complimented the student officers for having been selected after a rigorous selection process to train at the DSSC and encouraged them to make most of this unique opportunity to widen their mental horizons and understanding of warfare.
Tags: #RajnathSingh #Afghanistan #security #Taliban #DSSC #Wellington #IndianArmy
