India’s Military Preparedness Must Be Of Very High Order: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan

In the midst of the protracted border dispute with China in eastern Ladakh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan stated on Wednesday that India’s military readiness must be of the highest calibre and ready to address both short- and long-term wars.

Gen Chauhan also identified operational preparedness, modernisation of the armed forces, transformation, and indigenisation of military hardware as critical pillars for enhancing national security during an address at an event.

“In the most violent decade since World War II, there is a growing propensity amongst nations to use force to contain conflicts,” according to him.

“The defence ministry noted that the increasing uncertainty and insecurity is prompting nations to revise their national security strategies and increase their defence expenditures.” The Chief of Defence Staff was delivering a speech at a conclave for foreign service attaches (FSAs) that was organised by the Defence Intelligence Agency of the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters.

“Our operational preparedness has to be of very high order,” he indicated. “We got to be prepared for short and intense conflicts to a long duration kind of a war,” he indicated.

“The world is currently experiencing a critical juncture in its history.” We are all at the core of it. In India, the world is regarded as a global village, as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) suggests. “It (India) understands its participative role in the larger good of the world,” he indicated.

The CDS also provided an understanding of India’s Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the development of defence capability and strategic autonomy.

Lt Gen DS Rana, the Director General of the Defence Intelligence Agency, informed the FSAs that India’s defence diplomacy was steadily expanding in terms of the nature of activities and geographic coverage.

He emphasised the importance of indigenisation and the vision of Atmanirbharta in the field of defence, and he encouraged FSAs to acquire firsthand experience in modernisation programs.

Following the eastern Ladakh border dispute, India has been substantially improving its combat capabilities, particularly along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Since May 2020, the Indian and Chinese militaries have been engaged in a standoff, and despite the fact that the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points, a complete resolution of the border dispute has not yet been achieved.

The relationship between the two nations experienced a substantial decline in the wake of the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which was the most severe military conflict between the two in decades.