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Proxy war by Pakistan, Ladakh border row among India’s top security challenges: CDS
Stressing that the world is currently in the most violent stage of its existence since World War 2, Chauhan said the ongoing global conflicts had hit defence supply chains.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Thursday said that the proxy war waged by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, whose sudden escalation is being witnessed in areas even to the south of the Pir Panjal range, along with the prolonged border dispute with China in eastern Ladakh, are among the top security challenges India faces at present.
“These are two major security challenges that we face. Instability in our neighbourhood is another cause of concern for us,” Chauhan said at Ammo India 2024, a conference organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
A strong military, backed by a strong defence industrial sector, is a sine qua non of the nation state, Chauhan said.
“For a large nation like India with a plenitude of security problems, it can’t remain dependent on imports for warfighting and sustenance, especially when the global security environment is in a state of flux... India’s quest for indigenisation and Atmanirbharta is central to maintaining the strategic autonomy. This means, complete sovereignty over the product cycle, from its design and development to manufacturing, induction and sustenance,” he said.
Stressing that the world is currently in the most violent stage of its existence since World War 2, Chauhan said the ongoing global conflicts had hit defence supply chains.
“The global arms industry is grappling with a widening gap between demand and supply. The reliance on imports to bridge this gap is becoming a necessity for most nations, highlighting global interdependence in defence supplies. These disruptions have also presented an opportunity for global defence arms manufacturers including those in India,” he said.
The disruptions have presented an opportunity to the Indian defence ecosystem to ramp up its defence manufacturing capabilities so that the country transcends from being an importer to an exporter of military hardware, Chauhan added.
