New Delhi, Nov 10 (Bureau) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said armed forces should be prepared to respond to any contingency at a short notice, as he remarked on the volatile situation along the borders at a conference of top commanders of the Indian Air Force. The Defence Minister addressed the Air Force Commanders on the inaugural day of the Commanders’ Conference, and appreciated the IAF for maintaining a high level of preparedness, ability to respond on a short notice and displaying high standards of professionalism in carrying out operational and peace time tasks. “The Raksha Mantri remarked on the volatile situation on our borders and said that the Armed Forces need to be prepared to respond at a short notice for any contingency,” an official statement said. He said the role of IAF in future conflicts is crucial and it needs to harness the capabilities and opportunities offered by AI, Big Data Handling and Machine Learning.
The minister also mentioned that the efforts in the field of indigenization through ‘Make in India’ initiative of Govt of India is showing results and the orders of LCA Mk 1A and C-295 will open new opportunities in the indigenous aerospace sector. Speaking on theaterisation, he mentioned that enhancing jointness is essential and the structure should be evolved after closely examining various options. Singh said inputs from all stake holders would be taken into consideration. The Defence Minister also asked the commanders to brainstorm to evolve viable solutions towards the conference theme of, “Ensuring Certainty amidst Uncertainities”. Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari briefed the Defence Minister on the current status of the IAF. The Air Force Chief in his address emphasized on the need to develop multi-domain capability in order to give a swift and befitting response to any misadventures by adversaries. He also emphasized on the need for joint training with the Indian Army and Indian Navy to enable synergized application of combat power in future conflicts.
The Air Force Chief complimented all the commanders for maintaining a high state of readiness despite challenges posed by the pandemic. The Commanders’ Conference of IAF started today, and will conclude on November 12. “Uncertainty in the geo-political landscape makes it an imperative for the armed forces to train, equip and adapt to rapid changes. During the Conference, commanders will discuss and brainstorm situations which may affect National Security and focus on measures to enhance operational capability. Issues pertaining to strengthening training and optimising HR policies for effective utilization of manpower will also be discussed,” the IAF said in a statement. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was also present at the commanders’ conference.