Strong defence a must for rising India: Arunachal Pradesh Governor K.T. Parnaik

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lieutenant General (Retired) K.T. Parnaik has said that rising India would be heavily dependent on a strong professional armed force.

In a talk on ‘Armed Forces contributions to realize the vision of a Rising India’ at the Lieutenant General P.S. Bhagat Memorial Lecture at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on Friday, Parnaik said the Indian armed forces have emerged as a national symbol of integrity and resilience, a Raj Bhawan communiqué informed on Saturday.

The governor recollected the vision of Viksit Bharat and emphasized the transformation of the armed forces hinges on force structuring and optimization, modernization and technology infusion, system, process and functions, human resource management and integration.

He elaborated on the kind of niche disruptive technologies, which are transforming and revolutionizing warfare in a big way, i.e., focusing on kinetic and non-kinetic realms of modern warfare which needs to be embedded in comprehensive national power.

With his experience of having handled transformation of the Indian army as the Director General Perspective Plans and handled operations on northern and eastern borders, Parnaik outlined the important operational, training, humanitarian and diplomatic activities which could contribute to realizing the vision of Rising India.

The governor stressed the need to review the doctrines and philosophies to combat modern warfare and the need to ameliorate the leadership patterns by the armed forces. 

The armed forces should be the biggest catalyst to facilitate the country to become a developed nation, he said.

Parnaik suggested finer points of transformation of the armed forces according to the changing face of warfare evolution, mandatory endeavours towards self-reliance through industry integration, infusion of latest disruptive and grey zone technologies to counter cyber warfare, far-sighted perception management and integration of population from far-flung areas with the main stream India in the spirit of ‘nation first’.

Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, United Service Institution of India director general Major General B.K. Sharma, Director, Centre for Strategic Studies and Simulation Major General R.S. Yadav and Major General (retired) S.G. Pitre also participated in the lecture besides former chiefs, senior serving and retired army officers, the communiqué said.

On the occasion, a film on Lieutenant General P.S. Bhagat was screened and a book, titled ‘The Victoria Cross Icon: Vision and Legacy’ authored by Major General S.G. Pitre was launched.

The United Service Institution of India (USI), a national security and defence services think-tank based in New Delhi, organized the annual event.

Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh Governor K T Parnaik appeals youth to voluntarily join Indian Red Cross Society (sentinelassam.com)

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