Mastering frontier technologies is need of the hour: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that mastering frontier technologies in today's constantly-evolving times is the need of the hour, and the military training centres are playing a "crucial role in equipping and readying our soldiers to deal with future challenges". 

Addressing the officers at the Army War College (AWC) in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, the Defence Minister said that unconventional warfare methods like information warfare, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based warfare, proxy warfare, electro-magnetic warfare, space warfare and cyber attacks are posing big challenges.

The Defence Minister also stressed on the need for the military to remain well-trained and equipped to deal with such challenges, lauding the training centres in Mhow for their valuable contribution in these efforts.

He commended the centres for constantly improving their training curriculum, in sync with the changing times, and striving to make the personnel fighting fit for every kind of challenge.

Rajnath Singh highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's vision of making the country Viksit Bharat by 2047, describing the current phase as a transition period.

"India is constantly moving on the path of development and is rapidly emerging as a manufacturing hub. From a military point of view, we are getting equipped with modern weapons. We are also exporting Made-in-India equipment to other countries. Our defence exports, which were around Rs 2,000 crore a decade ago, have crossed the record figure of Rs 21,000 crore today. We have set an export target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," he added.

The Defence Minister re-asserted the government's resolve to strengthen integration and jointness among the three services, exuding confidence that, in the times to come, the Armed Forces will be able to face challenges together in a better and more efficient way.

He appreciated the fact that high-level training is provided to officers of all wings in Mhow Cantonment.

The Defence Minister urged the officers to explore the possibility of promoting integration through training in areas such as weapons training in Infantry School; AI and Communication Technology in Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) and Leadership - Junior and Senior Command in AWC.

Rajnath Singh added that some officers will work as defence attaches in the future, and they should strive to secure national interests at the global level.

"When you take up this post of Defence Attaches, you should imbibe the government’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. Only through self-reliance can India strengthen its defence capabilities and gain more respect on the world stage,” he added.

The Defence Minister voiced the government's unwavering commitment to make India one of the strongest economic and military powers in the world.

"Economic prosperity is possible only when full attention is paid to security. Similarly, the security system will be robust only when the economy is strong. Both complement each other. By 2047, we will not only become a developed nation, but our Armed Forces will also be one of the most modern and strongest militaries in the world," he said.

--IANS

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