Future conflicts will be shorter, full scale wars will become rare: PM Modi
Sandeep Unnithan | | New Delhi, October 17, 2014 | UPDATED 17:16 IST
The Prime Minister's eagerly awaited address at the close of the Combined Commanders Conference was astonishing in its grasp of the troubles bedeviling India's armed forces. He spoke of the need for ' jointmanship', 'transformation' and a 'Digital Armed Force'.
He outlined India's key strategic challenges and priorities (not shared in the press release issued by the PMO) but observed that in addition to the 'familiar challenges' India had to be prepared for a changing world, which demanded a new thinking on our part with regard to economic, diplomatic and security policies. Also read: Chinks in the armour
Prime Ministers' addresses at the combined commanders conferences are generally mundane affairs, that typically steer clear of detail. At the last combined commanders' conference last November, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of managing military budgets in times of economic downturn and civil-military balance. Modi's speech, however, articulated a vision which could instantly translate into instant deliverables on the ground.
He may have, for instance, tacitly approved a long- pending demand of the armed forces for the creation of three new commands: a cyber command, a special forces command and a space command. Modi noted "beyond the immediate, we are facing a future where security challenges will be less predictable; situations will evolve and change swiftly; and, technological changes will make responses more difficult to keep pace with.
"The threats may be known," Modi said, "but the enemy may be invisible. Domination of cyber space will become increasingly important. Control of space may become as critical as that of land, air and sea."
He asked the services to give serious thought to upgrade technological skills for effective "projection of power" by men. "When we speak of Digital India, we would also like to see a Digital Armed Force," he said.
The most important task, the PM observed, was to 'transform our armed forces'. He called for increased jointness and urged the three wings of the Services to work as a team all the way from the lowest levels of the Services to the top. He suggested a number of practical steps to achieve that goal.
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