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The Indian Army on Thursday organised the second edition of General SF Rodrigues Memorial Seminar at Pune to pay tribute to the late Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).
The Seminar was based on the theme 'National Security @2047' and included deliberations on critical aspects in the form of Fireside Chat Sessions on 'Audit of India's Defence Posture' in session one and 'Armit Kaal-The Road Ahead (Blueprint on Capacity Building)' in session two. Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, during his keynote address, reminisced about the late General SF Rodrigues, 15th COAS and former Governor of Punjab, while mentioning his contributions in modernising the Indian Army, induction of women in the Short Service Commission, and vigorous push to the UN Mission's strength underscoring the military diplomacy. He alluded to the changing geopolitical landscape, diffused global response and differing international rule-based order. "Striking a balance between national interests and global responsibility, India is manoeuvring between power play and adversarial competition. India has made major reforms to strengthen the higher defence management and its defence capabilities," he said. He highlighted that catheterization is an impending reality and one that is likely to manifest sooner than later. "New organisations like Space and Cyber Commands are steps in the right direction. The military, as a crucial pillar of national security, must evolve into an inclusive, multi-domain, multi-dimensional force beyond the current single-service, single-domain focus," he said. "Economically, we have embarked on a journey to self-reliance for a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Investing in future technologies, research, and development remains vital for achieving self-reliance in critical areas and creating an India-centric and India-dependent region, particularly within the Indo-Pacific framework. India must emerge as a stable, secure, mature, and inclusive alternative power," Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth added. In the second session, discussions were held on the blueprint for capacity building, including strategic collaborations and international relations. The session also included an interesting discussion on the dynamic military landscape of the country and its neighbourhood. This session was chaired by Lieutenant General Raj Shukla (Retired), and the speakers included Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired), Jayadeva Ranade and Major General Rajiv Narayanan (Retired). (ANI)
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