Nation's security cannot be outsourced, says Army chief General Pande

Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande said no country is willing to share the latest, "state-of-the-art" technologies and it implies that security of the nation cannot be outsourced

Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande on Wednesday said no country is willing to share the latest, "state-of-the-art" technologies and it implies that security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the largesse of others.

He was speaking at the foundation day of the Army Institute of Technology in Maharashtra's Pune city.

"The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has brought to fore certain key facts such as the impact of asymmetric warfare, the potential of information warfare, digital resilience, weaponisation of economic mechanisms, communication redundancy, space based system and many more, all are driven by possession of technology prowess," he said.

Today's security, therefore, is founded in the technological edge over the adversary, General Pande said.

"No country is willing to share the latest, state-of-the-art technologies, it hence implies that the security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the largesse of others. Self-sufficiency in critical technologies and investment in research and development is a strategic imperative that can no longer be ignored," he said.

The Indian Army is cognisant of these realities, he further said.

"We have resolved to ensure that the development of our capabilities is based on the principles of self-reliance and leveraging niche technologies and the Indian Army is taking concrete steps on both these aspects," he said.

The slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan" given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi captures the contemporary reality aptly and underscores the importance of research and innovation, the Army chief added.