Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday expressed confidence that India's armed forces will discharge their collective responsibility towards flag and country with the zeal and passion.
He also said that India's security challenges would remain complex but the resolve too must remain steadfast.
"I know that our armed forces live by this creed and serve as an example to the rest of the world. They embody formidable strength, but wield it with maturity and responsibility. They are prepared for the toughest missions, but are committed to the cause of peace," he said while in his address at the Combined Commanders' Conference here today.
He said that the real strength of the country would come from an overriding sense of national purpose.
"We need to return our economy to the high growth path. We need to develop our industrial and manufacturing base. We also need to make our economic development socially and economically more inclusive, regionally balanced and environmentally sustainable. We need to strengthen the values that define us - democracy, rule of law, individual liberties, social and religious harmony and commitment to global peace," he added.
Dr. Singh said that the men and women in uniform function in an exceedingly complex and difficult security environment, but they have always faced the challenge with exemplary professionalism, valour and commitment.
"As their leaders, you have played a critical role in building the confidence and pride that our forces inspire in our nation," he said.
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Outlining few points before dealing with the unique security challenges, Dr. Singh expressed doubt on whether economic and strategic transitions will be peaceful.
"Firstly, if you survey the global strategic environment over the past decade, it would not escape your notice that, just as the economic pendulum is shifting inexorably from west to east, so is the strategic focus, as exemplified by the increasing contestation in the seas to our east and the related 'pivot' or 'rebalancing' by the US in this area. This, to my mind, is a development fraught with uncertainty,' he said.
He said that globalization is a phenomenon that has to be dealt with in every domain.
"We only need recall Pliny and the Roman Empire and the bemoaning of the fact that the coffers of imperial Rome were being emptied to import silk and spice from the east. What is new today is the pace and texture of globalization driven by technology, including the ubiquitous Internet," he said.
He said that globalization has also nurtured intense competition and rivalries in the security domain, while inducing growing and complex inter- dependencies among states and multinationals on the economic and trade front.
"Our objective must be to acquire tangible national capacity, or what the lexicon now refers to as comprehensive national power. This is the amalgam of economic, technological and industrial prowess, buttressed by the appropriate military sinews," he said.
Dr. Singh said the first six decades after independence have seen the country facing many challenges to its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and added that the nation and its military have risen to the occasion every time.
"The people acknowledge the Indian military for its patriotism and professionalism. But what is the way ahead for the Indian military? We are committed to the path of peace but the military must be able to protect Indian interests if they are threatened or challenged," he said.
He also said that creating a military that is driven by abiding interests, as opposed to the transient threat, is the driving principle.
He also said that there is no doubt that India will continue to confront formidable challenges with its neighbours.
"The continuing turmoil in West Asia could not only imperil our energy security and the livelihood and safety of seven million Indians, but also become a crucible for radicalism, terrorism, arms proliferation and sectarian conflict that could touch our shores too," he said.
"The Asia Pacific region, with which our relations are intensifying in every domain, is equally critical, not least because it is becoming the arena for shaping the behavior of major powers,' he added.
He also said that India's strategic horizons should also include the need to protect global seaborne trade in goods, energy and minerals, the well-being of Indian expatriate communities worldwide, and the growing global footprint of Indian capital, and also urged defence organization to pay close attention to these specific developments.
"As our capabilities grow, we will increasingly be called upon to help in natural disasters or zones of conflict and instability," he said.
He also urged the Defence Ministry and the armed forces, as also the DRDO, to build on this experience and urgently review the different Task Force reports that the government has initiated with a view to achieving a higher index of indigenous capability in military inventory production.
"For too long, we have debated the merits of private versus public sector. It would be more useful to think in terms of aggregate national capacity that harnesses the full power of our public sector, private enterprises, research laboratories and universities to create an innovative and efficient indigenous base for production, research and development," eh said.
He also said that India must also take advantage of a favourable international environment to build a domestic defence industrial base.
The Prime Minister also called for urgent and tangible progress in establishing the right structures for higher defence management, and the appropriate civil-military balance in decision making that the complex security environment demands.
He further said that there is a need to match investment in military equipment and forces to India's national resources.
'During most of the past decade, we have had the benefit of average annual growth rates of 8 percent. But the last two years have seen slow growth, and we continue to face an uncertain international economic climate marked by volatile exchange rate fluctuations and the possibility of fragmenting trade regimes," he said.
He expressed confidence that India will overcome our current economic slowdown, but added that there is a need to exercise prudence in defence acquisition plans
"While we must take into account the capabilities of our adversaries, we have to plan our long term acquisition on the assumption of limited resource availability. This is an exercise that has to be done with a high degree of priority and urgency,' he said.
He further reached out to the senior leadership, and said that they are responsible for the lives and welfare of their men and women in uniform
'As commanders, you also have to introspect over fidelity to inviolable principles and set an example. Where the institution has frayed, remedial policy initiatives are imperative and I urge you to heed the old adage that the management of human resources is of the highest importance to any military," he said.
"The Indian military has an illustrious pedigree and there can be nobody who knows better than you how best to burnish it," he added.
He said that the political leadership of India has the highest faith in its military and its institutional rectitude within the democratic framework.
'The apolitical nature of our military and its proven professionalism are the envy of the world and have also nurtured the Indian democratic experience. Our democracy and institutions have proven their ability to deal with any issues or doubts that may arise," he added.