India Bright Spot' Amid Global Churn

New Delhi: Amidst stand-off with China in Ladakh, Chief of Army Staff Chief General Manoj Pande said on Friday that India’s outlook emphasises respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations as well as peaceful resolution of disputes and adherence to international rules.

He said India remains a “bright spot” in the world amid an unprecedented churn in the global landscape arising out of geopolitical upheavals such as the escalating conflict in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine war.

In an address at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, Gen. Pande said, “Our outlook emphasises respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, equality of all, peaceful resolution of disputes, avoidance of use of force and adherence to international laws, rules and regulations.

The ‘Chanakya Defence Dialogue’ has been organised by the Indian Army in partnership with Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).

Delving into current geo-political upheavals, he emphasised on the need to take note of growing salience of national security in international affairs and the “renewed currency” of hard power. The Chief of Army Staff described India as the “bright spot” amidst despondency and geopolitical flux. “The unprecedented churn in the global landscape, which set into motion a chain of events as well as some new trend lines amongst others, we need to take particular note of the growing salience of ‘National Security’ in the international affairs and the renewed currency of hard power,” the
Army chief said.

He said that the globalised world that we once applauded is now fraught with difficulties. “Technology is driving geo politics like never before.

Transforming, not only strategic competition but also war fighting. Infact, Technology is emerging as a new strategic arena of geo-political competition,” Army chief said.

To give a fillip to defence co-operation outreach, Gen. Pande said India is establishing defence wings at new locations across the world. “We are keen to enhance the scope and scale of our joint exercises, interoperability, sub-regional perspectives and sharing of best practices, with our friendly foreign partner nations. To give a fillip to our defence cooperation outreach, we are establishing defence wings at new locations across the world,” he said.

Gen. Pande said India’s resolve to achieve self-reliance in defence hardware is also being enabled by a resurgent Indian defence industry.

He said that the pandemic, which began as the health crisis but became a national security event, closed on the heels of the cataclysm in Ukraine. “We are now faced with an escalating conflict in West Asia. These instabilities and challenges are compounded by notable economic turbulence and the weaponisation of multitude of attributes and domains from information to supply chains. Issues like radicalisation, terrorism, piracy, illegal migration, refugees and climate change, add to the bouquet of global concerns,” Gen. Pande said.