New Delhi:

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan on Thursday said the form of war is transforming rapidly due to technological advancements and the country’s armed forces will have to be ready to accept this change.

He made the remarks while addressing a gathering of Army officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and soldiers drawn from 18 Grenadiers to mark 25 years of the battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill fought during the Kargil war in 1999.

Tiger Hill top was captured by the Indian Army on July 4, 1999. The 18 Grenadiers battalion played a pivotal role in the Kargil conflict. ‘Vijay Diwas’ is celebrated on July 26 every year to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 Kargil war.

“People of the country have faith in our capabilities and due to that, we have this immense prestige. The legacy that has been bequeathed to you has been earned by our ancestors. We may not have made a direct contribution but we are reaping its fruits,” Gen Chauhan told the gathering.

This also “entrusts on us responsibilities”, both individually and as a community, he said. One cannot make a mistake as a soldier and as a community, the trust can never be lowered, the chief of defence staff (CDS) added.

In his address, Gen Chauhan said, “We are going through an age of transformation. In today’s era, the form of a war is rapidly changing. Therefore, we will always have to be ready to accept this change.” “We want to become a professional armed force and a superpower… India. It is our desire. This can happen only if we work with new energy, new zeal and new thoughts”.

Quoting scientists and philosophers, the CDS underlined that change is the only constant and the Indian armed forces “cannot stay away from this change” “Due to rapid technological developments, the form of the war is changing rapidly. In the past, it was found that valour was an essential element in winning a battle. But in future wars, valour alone is not enough… We will have to be flexible and imaginative and keep an open mind,” he added.

As many weapons get upgraded with better technology, tactics and strategies also change and it is very rapid now, the CDS told the gathering.

“Today we are talking of a multi-domain warfare. Instead of just conventional domains like land, sea, maritime and air, the cyber, electromagnetic spectrum and space domains are also added to augment our military strength,” he said.

The CDS said that people love and trust the armed forces and if “we have to maintain it, we will have to bring change. “We cannot fail in a war,” he asserted, adding that unlike sports, there are no runners-up in war as winner takes it all.

“To maintain that trust, you will have to understand and adapt to these new things. This is the main reason why the government has made the post of a CDS and it is part of reforms that we are endeavouring to implement,” Gen Chauhan said.

He said that as CDS, his mandate is to bring jointness and integration among the three Services, that all must work in consonance. “A unit works like a human body where any ailment impacts overall health,” he said.

Gen Chauhan extended his greetings to members of the 18 Grenadiers battalion and also the Veer Nari, whose sons or husbands made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday announced cash prizes for armed forces’ personnel who won medals at the recently-concluded Asian Games and said whether on a battlefield or a playground “a soldier always performs” because of dedication, discipline, hard work and the desire to do something for the nation.

“Within a soldier, there is a player; within a player, there is a soldier,” he said during his address at a felicitation function held here.

The performance of the players also “reflected the image” of a rapidly growing and powerful ‘new India’, Mr Singh was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the the defence ministry.

He felicitated medal winners, other participants and support staff from the country’s armed forces, who were part of its contingent at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou.

He interacted with a total of 76 players and staff, who attended the event, and congratulated them for their excellent display at the Games.

Had a wonderful interaction with the Asian Games medal winners from the Armed Forces. Their success and spirited performance will inspire India’s youth. Wishing them the very best for their future endeavours.

The Government led by PM Shri @narendramodi has worked assiduously… pic.twitter.com/kv0v8ZaDxA

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 17, 2023

On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Singh announced cash prizes to the armed forces personnel, who brought laurels to the country and once again proved their mettle at an international event by “bagging 16 individual medals (3 Gold, 6 Silver and 7 Bronze) and eight team medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze) at the Games”, the statement said.

“Gold medal winners will be given Rs 25 lakh; silver medallists will get Rs 15 lakh and bronze medal winners will be awarded Rs 10 lakh. A contingent of 88 soldiers, including three sportswomen, participated in 18 disciplines at the Games, which were held from September 23 to October 8,” it added.

Mr Singh lauded the efforts of the players, including those who gave their best, but could not win medals.

He reminded them of ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh, who missed a medal in the 400-m race in the 1960 Olympics in Rome by a whisker, but became a guiding star of Indian athletics. Milkha Singh is an inspiration for all even today, the defence minister said.

Defence Minister Singh exuded confidence that these medals and performance will inspire the country’s youth to come forward in sports.

“You are not just representing a medal, but are also representing a narrative of excellence of Indian society. You are a great medium to provide inspiration to the youth,” he told the gathering.

Mr Singh commended the armed forces personnel for always being among the medal winners at different Games.

“Be it a battlefield or a playground, a soldier always performs because of dedication, discipline, hard work and the desire to do something for the nation. These virtues help in bringing medals for us in sports. Within a soldier, there is a player; within a player, there is a soldier,” he said.

He also pointed out that the performance of the players reflected the image of a rapidly growing and powerful ‘new India’.

“Many studies show that the progress in sports of any nation is more or less proportional to the economic prosperity of that country. In this context, as India is becoming an economically strong nation, our medals are also increasing in every field,” Mr Singh said.

He emphasised that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is “witnessing growth in every field” such as defence, infrastructure, health and education.

“Be it the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, India’s development journey is being discussed everywhere. Recently, American financial company JP Morgan Chase released the ‘Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets’ which guides investors. It has included India for the first time. It is the result of our growing economic strength.

“Now, there is an ambition to become the best; a vision to create the best and action to take the country to greater heights. The world is today recognising India’s growth story,” he asserted.

Mr Singh said the government is making relentless efforts to develop sports culture in India.

“On one hand, we have worked to increase awareness about sports among the youth through Fit India and Khelo India campaigns; on the other, through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, we are committed to increasing India’s medal count in the Olympics. Today, our country is taking steps to host the Olympic Games in 2036. I am confident that with the support of the government, our athletes will take India to the top of the medals tally through their hard work, dedication and passion,” he said.

The ceremony was also attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh and senior officers of Sports Control Board of respective services, the statement said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

China’s assertiveness is more evident now with its rise, and India will have to take this aspect into account in its overall “strategic calculus”, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Thursday while delving into various national security challenges and profound geopolitical changes.

Delivering the annual Gen KV Krishna Rao memorial lecture, he also referred to India’s “major dispute” along the northern borders with China and suggested that New Delhi will have to play its “strategic autonomy” card well.

“The strategic autonomy may be relevant to exploit opportunities rather than to take care of your threats. That’s where the future should lie. We should be thinking about opportunities more,” he said.

“This all that I said comes with a little bit of a caveat because of the northern neighbour. In this strategic calculus, India will have to take into account the emergence of China as a major power,” the Chief of Defence Staff said.

“China’s assertiveness is more evident with its rise. India has a major dispute on its northern borders with China and will have to play the strategic autonomy card…,” he added.

Referring to disruptions in the global geopolitical order, Gen Chauhan also underlined the need for India to continue maintaining “strategic autonomy” in its approach and highlighted how New Delhi was moving forward from its approach of “non-alignment” to an era of being a “vishwamitra” – a friend to the world.

He also cited India’s nuclear tests in 1998, its “neutral and a nuanced” stand on the Russia-Ukraine war and the decision to go ahead with procurement of S-400 missile systems from Moscow notwithstanding threats of sanctions as examples of the country exercising its “strategic autonomy”.

“I believe that India has transited ahead from non-alignment of yesteryears to self-alignment as you said to maybe multi-alignment,” he noted.

The Chief of Defence Staff also summarised India’s journey of being non-aligned to that of exercising strategic autonomy.

“If I were to summarise the journey of India from non-alignment to exercising of strategic autonomy, it can be based on what I can say is three S. First is securing India. Next is self-reliance. And lastly, shaping the environment to India’s advantage and benefit,” he said.

Gen Chauhan also elaborated on economic aspects of global geopolitics and that the global balance of power can be shifted by economic alignment and even issues like morality, righteousness and convergence of global interests.

“In India’s famous epic Mahabharata, Lord Krishna shifted the balance of power towards the Pandavas. His military might went to the Kauravas but it was only his righteousness and sage advice which shifted the balance of power,” he said.

“And ultimately the Pandavas emerged victorious in that particular war. We as a nation have utilised the G20 platform to leverage soft power to play a dominating role. So these are also important facts we must keep in mind when we take strategic decisions on how to get aligned in future,” he said.

Gen Chauhan said the global geopolitical environment is currently in a state of flux and India must exercise its options looking at its national interests.

“The world I believe is transiting between two orders. The old order is withering away and the shapes and no one knows the contours of this new order and how it will shape in the long run,” he said.

Gen Chauhan also cited the financial crisis, disruptions in the global supply chains due to COVID-19, food and fertilizer shortages due to Russia-Ukraine conflict, the situation in the South China Sea as some of the manifestations of the geopolitical and geoeconomic flux.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)