Success of any nation state depends on how effectively it harnesses all available resources at its disposal, foremost among these being the human resource, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday.
Addressing members of the 55th course of National Defence College at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president said the role of the armed forces has also expanded far beyond traditional military matters with revolutions in military affairs and globalisation.
"It is clear that future conflicts in the complex defence and security environment will require a more integrated multi-state and multi-agency approach. Preparing military leaders, police officers and civil servants to deal with the complex security environment will have to be addressed in a comprehensive manner," he said.
Mukherjee said the present global environment poses numerous challenges to the world because of its dynamic nature.
He said the astonishing pace at which events have unfolded in the recent past could not have been foreseen a decade earlier.
Also Read
The president said various organs of the state must understand the strengths and limitations of each other in a democratic system.
"Political leadership and senior civil services officers must be conversant with the capabilities and limitations of the defence forces. Similarly, armed forces officers need to understand the limitations and constitutional frame work under which the political set up and civil services function."
"However, both of them should be aware of the larger perspective of national security in order to take informed decisions of vital importance," the president said.
He said each country was guided in its actions by its national interests.
"The power relationships are constantly changing, and unless a country understands, appreciates and adjusts itself to the changes that are taking place around it, its own security will be seriously jeopardised," he said.
Mukherjee said security was no more confined to preservation of territorial integrity alone as it encompasses economic, energy, food, health, environmental and several other dimensions of national well being.
"Intensive research and quality analysis in all fields and disciplines is thus a pre-requisite which calls for a holistic approach to studies across a vast spectrum of disciplines," he said.
He said there must be a conscious effort to strengthen the underlying linkages and not divide them into watertight compartments.
"The success of any nation state depends on how effectively it harnesses all the available resources at its disposal, foremost among these being the human resource," he said.
He said the NDC undertakes the task of development of human resource for national security with senior officers from armed forces, civil services and friendly foreign countries endowed with background knowledge to make policy decisions related to national security.
The president hoped that the course will make the participants more aware and well-informed individuals, who can make well reasoned decisions taking the country's security perspectives into consideration.
