Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat outlines need to balance requirements of armed forces

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat outlined the need to balance the requirements of the armed forces in the overall context of national resources and the needs of infrastructure. Outlining the difference between 'military force' and 'military power', he underscored India’s pole position in an evolving security scenario.

General Bipin Rawat delivered the 12th YB Chavan Memorial Lecture, which was organised under the aegis of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), on ‘Restructuring of the Indian Armed Forces: The Way Ahead’ on Friday.

In his keynote address, General Rawat touched upon the concept of strategic frontiers as distinct from geographical boundaries. He termed the journey of the Indian armed forces over the decades and the lessons learnt through various wars leading up to the current focus on integrated functional commands and theatres.

He emphasised that to deal with the challenges of the future battlespace, it is vital to pay adequate attention to cyber threats, integration of special forces, reform of the current tri-service commands and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in defence manufacturing with the fullest involvement of both the public and private sectors.

He observed that defence reforms would help in optimising and integrating the strength and responsibilities of the three defence wings, which in turn could be exploited optimally by a single commander in-charge.

He argued that while actual combat may be rare in today’s age yet one needs to be prepared for any eventuality. The YB Chavan Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture organised by MP-IDSA in collaboration with the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan since 2010.

In his welcome address, Director General MP-IDSA Amb Sujan R Chinoy pointed out that the task of restructuring the Higher Defence Organisation (HDO) is being addressed in right earnest by the government today with General Bipin Rawat at the helm of affairs. "Even in the age of Artificial Intelligence and stand-off weapons, many of the challenges that India faces and many of its adversaries have remained the same. Today, unlike in the past, India does not lack resources for its armed forces, because the government is committed to providing them with whatever they need to protect the country’s interests," he said.