The Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, listed the key security challenges before India on Thursday. These run from the continuing proxy conflict with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir—where he claimed that the situation in the past few days had escalated south of the Pir Panjal range—to the legacy problem of border dispute with China. He also alluded to the threat of instability erupting in the region around India.
General Chauhan's comments came at a time when current political upheaval was rocking Bangladesh.
He said while speaking at a New Delhi conference organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. According to General Chauhan, the global geopolitical landscape stood in a flux.
"The world is really in the era of great global disruption, including technological, economic, environmental, and demographic changes, besides peace and security-related issues," he said while defining it.
He pointed out that two large and protracted wars had shaped the global security environment. Added to this are the smoldering conflicts in Myanmar, Sudan, Congo, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Armenia, which, while subdued for the moment, still do not have lasting peace.
According to General Chauhan, the world is undergoing the most violent period since World War II. He added that VUCA of the present global environment is very strongly impacting global defense supply chains, more so in ammunition, misaligning demand with supply.
He reiterated that this requires more, much more, in terms of civil-military cooperation, adding that the combined efforts of the armed forces, defense industries, scientists, and academia must lend impetus to the 'Aatmanirbharta' initiative being pursued by the nation.
General Chauhan also spoke about India's security issues during his address. "India has its own set of security challenges," he said as he pointed towards the ongoing proxy war with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and the festering border tensions with China as major concerns. Instability in the region is a broader issue that he also mentioned without naming any particular country.
General Chauhan said that an effective armed force in India had to be based on a strong industrial sector, stressing that India cannot afford to depend on foreign imports for its defense any longer while the global security environment has turned volatile and borders remain active.
While disengagement is currently underway in some friction points in eastern Ladakh, tensions with China persist. General Chauhan said that it was important for strategic autonomy to pursue the policy of 'Atmanirbharata'.
He said innovations during conflicts are being seen - relevant not just in terms of technology or tactics, but even ammunition - much as it was seen during the Kargil War, so now during the Ukraine conflict.
The indigenization of capabilities can open up a lot of other opportunities both for industry and defense diplomacy, believes General Chauhan. An increasing reliance on imports opens up an opportunity for global defense manufacturers, including those based out of India, to come good despite challenges.
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