New Delhi, March 14 The Indian armed forces should be able to address the current security threats and anticipate future challenges, and develop capabilities that will enable them to "effectively fight future wars," said former Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande (retired) on Saturday.
In his address at an event here, he also said that when national interests are involved, "we see the primacy of military force or military power," citing examples such as the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
Gen Pande served as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff from April 2022 to June 2024. His tenure saw the Army focusing on a high state of combat readiness, pushing for its transformation, and a strong push towards initiatives to achieve self-reliance.
The event was hosted by Delhi Marathi Pratishtan at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi.
The topic of his address was "Nation Building and Leadership: A Soldier's Perspective." He largely spoke in Marathi, interspersed with English.
"We are living in a very complex world...not only to deal with the current security threat challenges, but also to anticipate what is coming in the future. Once you have anticipated, you have to prepare accordingly," said the former Army Chief.
"You have to have the capabilities that will enable you to effectively fight future wars. Therefore, the armed forces have to be future-ready," he asserted.
He also emphasized that the nature of war is changing and underlined the need to prepare for a full-fledged, long-duration war, citing the Russia-Ukraine war.
The former Army Chief emphasized that if a nation is strong, powerful, and capable, then war will not occur, but "if you are weak," then a battle or war could occur.
Speaking about the new security threats in various domains, such as cyber, space, and information warfare, he said that there should now be a new maxim – "expect the unexpected."
"What will happen in the future? Geopolitically, who are your alliances, who are your friends, who are your adversaries, it has become difficult to tell," he added.
In his address lasting about 40 minutes, he also emphasized that economy and security share a "symbiotic relationship," and said, "when we envision a Viksit Bharat, what do we imagine – a country that is united, secure, stable, prosperous, and Atmanirbhar (self-reliant)?"