Firstpost Defence Summit: Army Chief Manoj Pande reveals how recent conflicts have shaped understanding of India's military needs

Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande said lessons learnt from the ongoing conflict in the world have clearly underscored that the security of the nation can neither be outsourced, nor be dependent on the larges of others.  There is a need to be self reliant, he said.

Speaking at Firstpost Defence Summit in New Delhi, the Indian Army Chief said: “I think there are very profound lessons to learn from the ongoing conflicts and I have been saying this at all levels, be the tactical operational or at the strategic level.”

“What coming specifically to the lesson in the context of what we are talking today, in terms of self reliance, I think it is extremely important, and again, I want to amplify that it is not only just buying new equipment or purchasing new equipment, but it is also the aspect of their sustenance. So, we have to make sure that whatever equipment we have, or whatever new equipment we get are sustenance the supply chains are available indigenously,” General Pande said.

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“Be it supply of the ammunition, the spare, the maintenance requirements, we have to look at this issue in its entirety, and just purchasing or procuring new systems may not be good enough. So this is one area which will have to continuously focus on,” the Army Chief said.

Amidst wars in Ukraine & West Asia, how are recent global events shaping India’s military needs?

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Self reliance consequence of a number of events

“I think this push for self reliance, has been a consequence of a number of events that have taken place in last five to six years, which includes the lesson that we learnt out of pandemic. Where again, it came adequately to the fore that we need to be self-reliant in meeting her own requirement. So not necessarily after Galwan, but yes, because of what is happening around us,” General Pande said.

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“I mean, the world over the ongoing conflicts, the pandemic, including our aspirations of our people, the rising status of the country in the world. So I think all these together, when you look at I feel has made becoming self-reliant or Aatmanirbhar a necessary or an imperative, and an inescapable thing for us to do,” he added.