Chief of Defense Staff Anil Chouhan said on October 14 that ongoing geopolitical, economic and technological changes are creating uncertainty in the world, creating a volatile, complex and ambiguous environment.
He said countries are preparing for this uncertain future, which is reflected in most national security strategies and defense spending.
CDS in collaboration with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, conducted the 14th Air Force Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture organized by Air Force Association (Karnataka Chapter).
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“If you look at national security strategies, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, South Korea, Bangladesh, and many other countries have revived their national security strategies. They actually revived them during the Ukraine war. .The conflict continues, but there are even bigger changes happening in the Middle East right now,” Chouhan said.
“If you look at the defense spending of most of these countries, it’s almost doubled,” he noted. “Whether the global defense industry is ready to meet the demands of these countries remains to be seen,” CDS said.
“What I’m saying is there’s a bit of an opportunity for us here. The environment that’s forming is creating future opportunities for the defense industry.” “We need to prepare for it,” he said, noting that the nature and character of technology-driven warfare is changing.
“The changes that are taking place are inevitable and India, like the rest of the world, is at a crossroads in its history, and the actions we take today will determine where we are for the next 25 years,” Chauhan said. Ta.
He also said, “When we look at a nation’s military preparedness, we look at a strong army, navy, air force, and space and cyberspace.” The global geopolitical environment is currently in a state of flux, CDS said, adding: “In fact, the world is in transition between two orders, with the old one in decline and the new world order taking shape. “The outline is changing,” he said. It’s not stable yet. It will be quite difficult to predict what the future will hold. ”
Explaining the current geopolitical environment, he said that despite being a nuclear power, he feels that Russia’s geopolitical importance will decline in the future.
“China currently occupies an important position in the geo-economic world order, is the fastest growing economy, and its economic rise is now visible in the political and diplomatic spheres as well. “We are mediating the approach between Iran and Iran,” he said. . Chauhan said.
“That’s reflected in military power, and we’re already seeing the seeds of that in the South China Sea and on our northern borders. So we’re going to see a more assertive China.”
“Of course, there will be common interests between Russia and the Chinese, and other countries such as North Korea and Iran may join this trend in the future. There are already no limits to the friendship between the Chinese and Russians. “I am declaring that,” he said. he pointed out.
According to CDS, the Indo-Pacific region is rapidly emerging and is an area of ​​future contention. “In fact, if you look at most countries’ national security strategies, they talk about the Indo-Pacific,” he says.
He said we could witness polycentric and polyconical competition and cooperation, hinting at the emergence of a multipolar world order.
“How this plays out – there are no forever friends and forever enemies, and the relationship between a nation’s friends and enemies will evolve more rapidly than ever before. In this changing security environment, “There will be partnerships and new alliances. NATO enlargement, the Quad, etc. are just examples of this.”
Chouhan further said that India has the potential to emerge as a leader in the Global South, and its success as G20 chairman is indeed pointing in that direction.
Pointing to the uncertainties caused by conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East, Libya, and Syria, he said, “What people are saying is that world order is not really world order; That’s what it means,” he said. In reality, it is the chaos of the world that currently exists. ” He also spoke about the geo-economic and geo-technical turmoil that is currently occurring.
Regarding the ongoing military reforms that started with the appointment of CDS, Chauhan said the creation of theater commands is fundamental and a major change that will happen if we are ready for it. said.
“Since becoming independent, we have operated in a particular way, with three service heads responsible for addressing the challenges in their respective areas. This has now fundamentally changed. “With the coming into force of theater commands, the responsibility of theater commanders will be assumed. This is a major change that will occur in the coming era,” he said. “Theatricalization will also be about communality and integration,” he added.
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