New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said full scale wars may become rare and military strength will remain an instrument of deterrence. He urged the armed forces to instead incorporate “new thinking” and keep pace with a changing world where domination of cyberspace will become important.
In his first meeting with top commanders, he said, “The threats may be known, but the enemy may be invisible. Domination of cyber space will become increasingly important.”
The Prime Minister’s observation came against the backdrop of recent cross-border violations by Pakistan and tensions on the Line of Control and International Border as well as Chinese incursions in Ladakh.
“Beyond the immediate, we are facing a future where security challenges will be less predictable; situations will evolve and change swiftly; and, technological changes will make responses more difficult to keep pace with,” Modi said.
Outlining his strategic vision, he observed that in addition to the familiar challenges, India has to be prepared for a changing world, which demanded new thinking on our part with regard to economic, diplomatic and security policies. In this context, he underlined that domination of cyber space will become increasingly important and control of space may become as critical as that of land, air and sea.
He asked the military to give serious thought to upgrading technological skills for “effective projection of power” by their men. “When we speak of Digital India, we would also like to see a Digital Armed Force,” he commented.
Some 100 officers from all three forces attended the conference.
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