Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday, January 15, asked the army to be future-ready at a time when lessons should be learnt from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking at the 75th Indian Army Day event at the Army Service Corps (ASC) Bengaluru, he called upon the armed forces to enhance their adoption capabilities and that in the coming days all major armed forces would boost their security mechanism.
Over the years, there has been a significant change in every field - from society, politics to economy. Security challenges have also witnessed that change, Singh said. Not only the security challenges are evolving with time, the pace of that change is also increasing rapidly, he said at the celebrations here, which is happening for the first time outside the national capital.
"Drones, underwater drones and weapons powered by artificial intelligence are being used today. This era has become technology-intensive. Latest technological advancements have increased these challenges," Singh said.
Lauding the armed forces for adapting to the constantly-evolving times and dealing with the challenges with poise, patience and bravery, the Defence Minister exhorted them to further develop their capabilities and implement the lessons learnt from the ever-evolving global security scenario, including the Ukrainian conflict.
He stated that militaries across the world are actively engaged in modernisation and are working on new ideas, technologies and their organisational structure.
He urged the Indian Armed Forces to work on their strategies, tactics and policies keeping the future challenges in mind.
"Every today becomes tomorrow's yesterday. Any military or organisation, which prepares itself only according to the present soon becomes old and ineffective. It is imperative to work on tomorrow, the day after and the next 25-30 years. This will ensure our security and prosperity. Let us together build a developed and secure India," the Defence Minister underlined.
The government's focus has always been on developing a strong and foolproof security apparatus and it is now playing a crucial role in the progress of the nation, according to him.
The Defence Minister hailed the defence forces and recalled their bravery during 1962, 1965, 1971, 1999 wars and the recent skirmishes in Galwan and Tawang.
He stated that the spirit and bravery of the soldiers has not only enhanced India's respect around the world, but has also increased faith in the hearts of all Indians.
India's reputation has increased significantly in the international fora and this manifested in ceasing of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the leaders concerned to ensure safe evacuation of Indian students, he said.
Earlier, when India used to speak, no one would take it seriously, but now when we say, "the world listens to us carefully."
"An example of it is the evacuation of Indian students caught during the Russia and Ukraine war. There was an outcry to safely bring students back home," Singh said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukraine President ( Volodymyr) Zelensky, Russian President (Vladimir) Putin and US President Joe Biden and the war was stopped for a few hours during which students were safely evacuated," he said.