The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony today asked the top brass of the Armed Forces to adopt and further strengthen the Tri-Services approach to security related issues by telling them that victory in modern warfare can be achieved only through Jointness. Inaugurating the Unified Commanders Conference here, Shri Antony said no one service can by itself protect the nation’s security as war-fighting is today a complex and highly skilled business.
‘The traditional approach of combating threats with individual services acting according to their own plans must be shed. Jointness seeks the development of core competence by each service and synergising these capabilities. Requisite response can then be chosen from a “menu” of capabilities, to achieve specific military goals under varying conditions. Some may view this as being counter-intuitive, but it saves the military force undesirable redundancy. At the same time, it allows each service to maximise its yield by utilising its core competences to achieve a common goal. Therefore, it is our duty to resort to joint planning and develop integrated capabilities’, he said.
The two-day conference with the theme ‘Victory through Jointness’ is being attended among others by the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal PV Naik and Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, the Defence Secretary Shri Vijay Singh, the Secretary Defence Production Shri Pradip Kumar, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister Shri M Natarajan, Secretary Defence Finance Smt Indu Liberhan, Secretary Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare Smt Neelam Nath, Air Marshal SC Mukul, CIDS,C-in-Cs of Andaman & Nicobar Command and Strategic Forces Command and heads of various tri-Services training Institutions like Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and National Defence Academy, Pune, Senior officers from the Ministry of Defence and the three Services.
Dwelling at length the threat perceptions, Shri Antony said there are forces at work that do not wish us well. ‘It is imperative for our Armed Forces to be prepared to face any challenges to our security that could in turn affect our growing economic prosperity’.
Referring to Pakistan as a nation facing turmoil from within, he said, its problems could easily spill over. ‘Anti-Indian forces operating from Pakistan have been trying to destabilise us, as was evidenced by the dastardly attack in Mumbai last November’. Expressing concern at the induction of highly sophisticated Defence equipment, many of which are really not meant to develop Pakistan’s capacity to fight terror, Shri Antony said ‘we must be vigilant about the happenings on our Western Border, while at the same time, try to make peace with our neighbour. He however said peace with Pakistan cannot be a one-way traffic. ‘Surely a pre condition for peace lies in Pakistan taking strong action against anti-India terrorist groups operating from its territory. We should not forget that the groups against whom Pakistan is taking action today, were earlier seen as assets by its establishment.
Referring to cross-border infiltration into Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Antony said while it has declined in recent years, Pakistan has been unable to check terrorist attacks originating from its soil. In 2008, acts of terrorism were carried out in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bangalore and Delhi. The attack on Mumbai was the most audacious of terror attacks in the Indian hinterland.
Shri Antony said India has always tried to maintain friendly relations with China. ‘There is enough space for both India and China to grow into influential nations in the evolving international order. But there are complex unresolved issues between the two countries. India believes that these should be resolved through peaceful means.
Referring to other neighbours, he said the election of the present Government in Bangladesh is cause for optimism. On Sri Lanka, he said, for lasting peace within, Colombo needs to backup its military gains against the LTTE with a political devolution package that satisfies the aspiration of Tamils within a united Sri Lanka. On Nepal, Shri Antony said the democratic forces need to work together to frame a new Constitution that would underline the country’s emergence as a modern, prosperous and powerful nation. He said, India is willing to help these nations achieve peace and prosperity.
Underlining the importance of the Indian Ocean region, Shri Antony said, with a rapidly growing economy our dependence on the Ocean is increasing by the day. ‘It is imperative for our Armed Forces to ensure that the sea lanes of communication are not dominated by any one power to the exclusion of others’. Delving further on the issue, the Defence Minister said, sea lanes could easily become security threats.
‘Last year, piracy emerged as a major challenge for sea-borne traffic, off the coast of Somalia’. Sea routes can be used to transport weapons of mass destruction and arms and ammunition by terrorists. They are also commonly used for illegal migration and drug trafficking. Water-ways are used by terrorists to reach the hinterland, as was done by the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack’, he said.
Shri Antony said, the Government is trying its best to provide financial resources, surveillance equipment and adequate manpower to bolster Coastal Security. At the same time, he asked the Armed Forces to make optimum use of available resources both in terms of infrastructure and manpower. He said the onus lies on security forces, intelligence agencies and coastal police stations to work in tandem.
The Defence Minister assured the top brass that funds will never be a constraint for the modernisation of the Armed Forces and their welfare. He however asked them on improving efficacy and efficiency of our delivery mechanisms at all levels. He sought the cooperation of all Senior Officials to eradicate corruption and urged them to ensure ‘impeccable honesty, integrity and transparency in all transactions’.
Shri Antony emphasized the need to achieve greater indigenisation in Defence Sector. He called for increased and better synergy between the DRDO and the Armed Forces to achieve at least 70 % indigenisation in our procurements within the next ten years.
The Defence Minister said that there cannot be any let-up in our efforts for the welfare of our troops, women officers and ex-Servicemen. He lauded the role of the Armed Forces during natural calamities such as the relief operations during floods in Bihar, last year. He paid rich tributes to the valiant men and women in uniform, who at great personal cost are serving the country in most trying circumstances
‘The traditional approach of combating threats with individual services acting according to their own plans must be shed. Jointness seeks the development of core competence by each service and synergising these capabilities. Requisite response can then be chosen from a “menu” of capabilities, to achieve specific military goals under varying conditions. Some may view this as being counter-intuitive, but it saves the military force undesirable redundancy. At the same time, it allows each service to maximise its yield by utilising its core competences to achieve a common goal. Therefore, it is our duty to resort to joint planning and develop integrated capabilities’, he said.
The two-day conference with the theme ‘Victory through Jointness’ is being attended among others by the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal PV Naik and Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, the Defence Secretary Shri Vijay Singh, the Secretary Defence Production Shri Pradip Kumar, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister Shri M Natarajan, Secretary Defence Finance Smt Indu Liberhan, Secretary Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare Smt Neelam Nath, Air Marshal SC Mukul, CIDS,C-in-Cs of Andaman & Nicobar Command and Strategic Forces Command and heads of various tri-Services training Institutions like Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and National Defence Academy, Pune, Senior officers from the Ministry of Defence and the three Services.
Dwelling at length the threat perceptions, Shri Antony said there are forces at work that do not wish us well. ‘It is imperative for our Armed Forces to be prepared to face any challenges to our security that could in turn affect our growing economic prosperity’.
Referring to Pakistan as a nation facing turmoil from within, he said, its problems could easily spill over. ‘Anti-Indian forces operating from Pakistan have been trying to destabilise us, as was evidenced by the dastardly attack in Mumbai last November’. Expressing concern at the induction of highly sophisticated Defence equipment, many of which are really not meant to develop Pakistan’s capacity to fight terror, Shri Antony said ‘we must be vigilant about the happenings on our Western Border, while at the same time, try to make peace with our neighbour. He however said peace with Pakistan cannot be a one-way traffic. ‘Surely a pre condition for peace lies in Pakistan taking strong action against anti-India terrorist groups operating from its territory. We should not forget that the groups against whom Pakistan is taking action today, were earlier seen as assets by its establishment.
Referring to cross-border infiltration into Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Antony said while it has declined in recent years, Pakistan has been unable to check terrorist attacks originating from its soil. In 2008, acts of terrorism were carried out in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bangalore and Delhi. The attack on Mumbai was the most audacious of terror attacks in the Indian hinterland.
Shri Antony said India has always tried to maintain friendly relations with China. ‘There is enough space for both India and China to grow into influential nations in the evolving international order. But there are complex unresolved issues between the two countries. India believes that these should be resolved through peaceful means.
Referring to other neighbours, he said the election of the present Government in Bangladesh is cause for optimism. On Sri Lanka, he said, for lasting peace within, Colombo needs to backup its military gains against the LTTE with a political devolution package that satisfies the aspiration of Tamils within a united Sri Lanka. On Nepal, Shri Antony said the democratic forces need to work together to frame a new Constitution that would underline the country’s emergence as a modern, prosperous and powerful nation. He said, India is willing to help these nations achieve peace and prosperity.
Underlining the importance of the Indian Ocean region, Shri Antony said, with a rapidly growing economy our dependence on the Ocean is increasing by the day. ‘It is imperative for our Armed Forces to ensure that the sea lanes of communication are not dominated by any one power to the exclusion of others’. Delving further on the issue, the Defence Minister said, sea lanes could easily become security threats.
‘Last year, piracy emerged as a major challenge for sea-borne traffic, off the coast of Somalia’. Sea routes can be used to transport weapons of mass destruction and arms and ammunition by terrorists. They are also commonly used for illegal migration and drug trafficking. Water-ways are used by terrorists to reach the hinterland, as was done by the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack’, he said.
Shri Antony said, the Government is trying its best to provide financial resources, surveillance equipment and adequate manpower to bolster Coastal Security. At the same time, he asked the Armed Forces to make optimum use of available resources both in terms of infrastructure and manpower. He said the onus lies on security forces, intelligence agencies and coastal police stations to work in tandem.
The Defence Minister assured the top brass that funds will never be a constraint for the modernisation of the Armed Forces and their welfare. He however asked them on improving efficacy and efficiency of our delivery mechanisms at all levels. He sought the cooperation of all Senior Officials to eradicate corruption and urged them to ensure ‘impeccable honesty, integrity and transparency in all transactions’.
Shri Antony emphasized the need to achieve greater indigenisation in Defence Sector. He called for increased and better synergy between the DRDO and the Armed Forces to achieve at least 70 % indigenisation in our procurements within the next ten years.
The Defence Minister said that there cannot be any let-up in our efforts for the welfare of our troops, women officers and ex-Servicemen. He lauded the role of the Armed Forces during natural calamities such as the relief operations during floods in Bihar, last year. He paid rich tributes to the valiant men and women in uniform, who at great personal cost are serving the country in most trying circumstances
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