Army Chief General Manoj Pande called for criticality of “strategic deterrence instruments” to ward off full-blown wars and preparation for Grey zone warfare in the future in a seminar on March 22. “Our legacy challenges of unsettled borders continue to engage us. It is important to recognise that infirmities in border management can lead to wider conflict. Therefore, the first imperative that comes across is that - possession of strategic deterrence instruments is essential,” the Army chief said as per the Times of India.
“Grey zone aggression is increasingly becoming a preferred strategy of conflict prosecution, with its scope enhanced by technological advancements. Here, I would like to emphasize that our adversaries’ pursuits against us in the grey zone continue even as we speak,” Gen Pande said. “These entail all aspects under the gambit of security and not just exclusive to the military domain. We need capabilities to not just negate or mitigate such attacks, but instead keep the adversary in a reactive modeperpetually,” he added.
Procurements
On the indigenous procurement plans he said, “The Indian defence industry is rising up to the challenge and the pay-offs are beginning to fructify. In the design & develop category, 14 projects worth over Rs 61,000 crore are being pursued,” Gen Pande said.
Seventeen projects, in turn, are underway with premier institutions like IITs in robotics, sensors, smart munitions, high-powered lasers, lightweight armour, low-light imaging, range extension of artillery shells, habitats for highaltitude areas and UAV jamming. Under the `Make-II’ category projects, where prototype development is funded by the industry, 45 projects amounting to around Rs 28,000 crore are underway. The Army is also leveraging the vibrant start-up ecosystemperpetually,” he added.
The Army is also leveraging the vibrant start-up ecosystem with 42 projects under the iDEX (innovations for defence excellence) category. Of them, nine projects worth approximately Rs 300 crore are already under procurement.
“Our ‘desired military capabilities’ flow out from the aim that we define for ourselves. It is to deter war, achieve desired political aims by application of military power and foster a conducive internal and external environment for the unhindered socio-economic development of India, enabling it to assume its rightful role in the emerging world order,” Gen Pande said.
“The capabilities thus arrived at ought to prevent war by presenting a credible deterrence as also enable responding to threats in the entire spectrum of conflict,” he added as per the Times of India.