India a “bright spot” amidst uncertainty and upheaval in the world: Army chief

A new strategic arena for global competition is emerging: technology. Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Friday that although there is unprecedented upheaval in the world, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the escalating conflict in West Asia, India still remains a bright spot in a world full of challenges, economic turbulence, and grey zone contestations in non-traditional domains that seem to be expanding, as does the probability and arc of all-out conflicts.

The world that has become more globalised, which we once welcomed, is now full of challenges. Decoupling, de-risking, and possibly de-globalization are the directions it is heading in.”I think that India is still a bright spot in the midst of all of this despair,” Pande stated during his speech at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue’s opening ceremony. The army and the think tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies are collaborating to organise the two-day discussion.

In order to strengthen India’s position as a prepared, resurgent, and significant participant in the area, it aims to conduct a thorough examination of security concerns in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. It will concentrate on developing a roadmap for cooperative security measures in the region.

VP Jagdeep Dhankhar was the guest of honour

In order to create a safe, stable, and prosperous future in the dynamic region of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, the conversation will provide a useful forum where defence policy and cooperative collaboration will intersect. It will be an essential forum for the sharing of knowledge and conversations on important security issues, according to Dhankhar.
According to Pande, technology is changing warfighting and driving geopolitics like never before. It is also changing strategic competition.

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“A new strategic arena for geopolitical struggle is emerging: technology. The army chief continued, “The likelihood and trajectory of all-out hostilities appear to be growing along with the expansion of grey zone contestations in non-traditional areas.

The army chief stated that it is crucial to recognise the increasing importance of national security in international affairs and the revived value of hard power amid the extraordinary upheaval in the world that has sparked a series of events and some new trend lines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic followed the catastrophic events in Ukraine, starting as a health issue and evolving into a national security issue. The violence in West Asia is currently getting worse. Significant economic volatility and the weaponization of a wide range of characteristics and domains, from information to supply chains, exacerbate these instabilities and challenges, according to Pande. He also mentioned problems like radicalization, terrorism, piracy, illegal immigration, and refugees.

He claimed that there was less of a Cold War peace dividend and that other divisions were occurring around the world. “There are emerging new divides not only between the Global North and South but also between the East and the West.”

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He talked about how the pandemic tested India’s willpower, fortitude, and range of abilities. “We not only weathered the storm quite nicely, but Vaccine Maitri’s outreach also received much praise. We have been able to weather the economic slowdown brought on by the Russia-Ukraine conflict thanks to an adaptable, robust, and consumer-driven economy.

According to him, India’s efforts through the International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuel Alliance, and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure demonstrate its will to address global issues. India now has a distinct, ethos-rooted voice on the international scene that is adept at communicating the issues facing the Global South. The G20 summit was successfully conducted, demonstrating India’s capacity to overcome differences and reach agreement on a number of extremely complex subjects, Pande continued.

He stated that India is eager to expand the scope and scale of cooperative exercises, interoperability, sub-regional perspectives, and sharing of best practices with friendly foreign partner nations because it recognises its place in the architecture of multilateral engagement. Our outreach for defence cooperation is being bolstered by the establishment of defence wings at new sites worldwide. The thriving Indian defence sector is contributing to our country’s desire to become self-sufficient in defence gear.