New Delhi, March 15 The Indian armed forces should be able to deal with the current security threat and anticipate future challenges, and build capabilities that will enable them to "effectively fight future wars," said former Army Chief General Manoj Pande 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," and cited examples of the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
General Pande served as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff from April 2022 to June 2024. During his tenure, the Army focused on a high state of combat readiness, pushed for its transformation, and strongly advocated for initiatives to achieve self-reliance.
The event was hosted by the 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 primarily spoke in Marathi, occasionally mixing in 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. So, the armed forces have to be future-ready," he asserted.
He also emphasized that the nature of war is changing and highlighted 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 a war will not take place, but "if you are weak" then a battle or war could take place.
Speaking about the new security threats in various domains, such as cyber, space, and information warfare, he said that now there should be a new maxim – "expect the unexpected."
"What will happen in the future? Geopolitically, who your alliances are, who your friends are, who your adversaries are, it's become difficult to tell," he added.
In his address that lasted 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."