Rajnath Singh backs Joint civil-military programmes; 'India peace-loving, but can retort'

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed optimism on June 13 that the Joint Civil-Military Program will go a long way to help civil servants and Armed Forces officers have a better grasp of coordination and collaboration in the domain of national security.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government launched the Joint Civil-Military Programme in 2001 with the goal of developing a structured interface between civil officials and Armed Forces personnel for a shared understanding of national security.

The participants in the programme are drawn from the Civil Services, Armed Forces, and Central Armed Police Forces, with the goal of familiarising them with challenges in national security management, the emerging external and internal security environment, and the impact of globalisation, as well as providing an opportunity for them to interact and exchange ideas on the subject and expose them to the imperatives of civil-military synergy.

World facing difficulties that go beyond traditional warfare: Union Min Rajnath Singh

While adressing the participants at the 28th Joint Civil-Military Training Programme held at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that since many non-military elements have been incorporated to the more general aspect of protection from military attacks, the concept of National Security has broadened.
He also described the situation between Russia and Ukraine, as well as other such crises, as an indication that the globe is facing difficulties that go beyond traditional warfare.

"War and peace are no longer two distinct states, but rather a continuous one. The conflict continues on numerous fronts even while the country is at peace. A full-scale conflict is as deadly to a country as it is to its adversaries. As a result, full-fledged battles have been avoided in recent decades. Proxy conflicts and non-combat wars have taken their place," the Defence Minister said.

When emphasising the need to adopt the 'Whole of the Nation' and 'Whole of the Government' approach, Rajnath Singh said, “Technology, supply line, information, energy, trade system, finance system etc. are being weaponised, which can be used against us in the coming times. People’s cooperation is needed to deal with this widened scope of security challenges.”

With the introduction of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and the establishment of the Department of Military Affairs, the Union Defence Minister said that the government has begun a full-fledged process of civil-military jointness. He apprised, “These decisions are proving to be helpful in making the country ready for future challenges." The initiatives taken to modernise the Armed Forces make the Defence sector 'Aatmanirbhar' have already started to bear fruit.

The Defence Minister averred that “unless the silos of the civil administration and Armed Forces are broken to deal with hybrid threats, the nation cannot expect adequate preparedness to respond to the future challenges.” He, however, sustained that “synergy does not mean infringing upon each other’s autonomy, it means working together while respecting one’s identity, like the colours in a rainbow.” 

'India is a peace-loving country, but if anyone casts an evil eye, we will give a befitting reply'

“India is a peace-loving nation which does not want war. It has never attacked any country, nor has it captured an inch of anyone’s land. However, if anyone casts an evil eye on us, we will give a befitting reply,” the Union Minister said.

"After independence, India continued on the ancient path of governance, which resulted in the establishment of different social, economic, and political institutions and ministries/departments for the people's protection and prosperity... While task division was important for the proper functioning of a large country like India, departments and ministries began to work in silos over time," Defence Minister Singh stated.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed the paradigm of working in silos by focussing on collaboration. "This new method, with which the government is now working has assured the nation's holistic development," he said. The Minister also paid homage to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who devoted his life to the nation's upliftment. 

(With inputs from ANI)

Image: PTI