New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) Modern warfare does not respect silos; success will depend on how efficiently the Indian defence forces are brought together across all domains, including land, sea, air, space and cyberspace, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.
In a video message played at the defence conclave ‘Kalam & Kavach’ at Manekshaw Centre here, Singh said, “A nation’s strength will increasingly depend on how quickly its defence forces, laboratories and industries think and act as one.” He underscored the importance of self-reliance and jointness in securing strategic autonomy and remaining future-ready to tackle emerging security challenges.
The conclave was attended by policy makers, members of the military leadership, defence industry stakeholders, diplomats, innovators, representatives of start-ups and the field of academics, besides several strategic experts, according to a defence ministry statement.
In his message, Singh emphasised that battlefields of tomorrow will reward those who can shorten the time between an idea, a prototype, and its operational deployment.
He added that national security cannot rest on “old assumptions” in the current geopolitical scenario of tensions, ongoing conflicts, cyber threats, supply-chain vulnerabilities and new forms of hybrid warfare.
“National security demands our preparedness, resilience, innovation and strategic confidence,” Singh said.
He said self-reliance was not only an economic goal, but also a strategic necessity, and asserted that a nation that depends excessively on others for critical defence capability remains vulnerable in times of crisis.
“We must design, develop, produce, maintain and upgrade key systems within our own national ecosystem. That is how we will be able to secure our strategic autonomy,” the defence minister said.
Underlining the need to achieve jointness, he said that modern warfare does not respect silos, and success will depend on how efficiently “we bring together our defence forces across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.” It will also depend on how closely laboratories, industries, start-ups, policymakers, and military institutions work together, he added.
Delivering the inaugural address, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth described Operation Sindoor as a defining example of “the capabilities of new India”.
He highlighted the role of indigenous systems, speed of response, technological integration, and seamless jointness among the military forces.
Seth noted that such operations reflect the nation’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism, and its firm resolve that those supporting terrorism will be “held accountable”.
In his special address, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, underlined the importance of indigenous innovation in securing India’s strategic future.
India’s defence capability must be built on self-reliance and the ability to create cutting-edge technologies, he said.
The event comprised multiple high-level sessions, keynote addresses and panel discussions focusing on critical areas including Artificial Intelligence-enabled warfare, autonomous systems, hypersonic technologies, quantum-enabled Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), defence manufacturing scale-up, aerospace advancements, and strategic partnerships.
An exhibition, featuring products by Indian private industry, MSMEs and start-ups in advancing defence innovation was also part of the conclave. PTI KND RUK RUK
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