Rajnath said, Russia-Ukraine war underscored the need for self-reliance in military needs
New Delhi. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that the Russo-Ukraine war has underscored the importance of being self-reliant in terms of military equipment. He stressed the need for synergy of the three services to deal with the challenges of national security. In his address at the Naval Commanders’ Conference, Singh said “joint working” in operations would be crucial in any future war and that restructuring of military commands and establishment of theater commands were also necessary. “I am aware that a lot of progress has been made on the study on the Maritime Theater Command,” he told reporters.
As per the plan, each theater command will have units of Army, Navy and Air Force and all of them will work as a unit led by an operations commander to deal with security challenges in a particular geographical area. Singh said, “Given the current security scenario in the world, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has once made it clear that it is very important to be self-dependent without being dependent on anyone.” The focus is on making India the center of defense manufacturing. The Defense Minister said that the launch of the first indigenously built aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’ will be another historic development. The ship has successfully completed its three sea trials. He said, “Every effort will have to be made so that this ship can be inducted into the Navy in the 75th year of our independence. This will be an important contribution in the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
The Defense Minister said 41 ships and submarines have been ordered out of which 39 are being built in Indian docks. Singh said, “While the Navy has been a pioneer in indigenization, we have to hold on to the successes achieved so far. I request senior officials to keep their focus on future capability development so that the country’s maritime power grows in sync with our economic interests. The four-day Naval Commanders’ Conference began on Monday.
