New Delhi, March 24 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday directed the military leadership to conduct a comprehensive study of the West Asia conflict in order to improve India's military preparedness and secure vital supply chains.
Singh and the top military brass deliberated on the West Asia conflict and its possible impact on India in the context of supply chain management towards procurement and production of defence equipment.
The defence minister was briefed on the global and regional security scenario, the impact of a possible escalation of the ongoing conflicts on India, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by the current geopolitical situation, according to an official readout.
The impact of the situation on the supply chain management towards procurement and production of defence equipment, including maintenance and serviceability of the existing equipment, was also examined, it said.
Singh directed that operational and technological lessons of the ongoing conflict should be studied continuously to improve India's preparedness, the defence ministry said in the readout.
"We need to formalize a comprehensive integrated roadmap for the next decade, factoring in the lessons learnt, challenges and opportunities going forward whilst ensuring Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) and operational readiness across all fronts," the defence minister said in the meeting.
The meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, Defence Secretary R K Singh and several other senior officials.
The deliberations came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the situation arising out of the West Asia conflict.
