Strengthening security and achieving self-reliance is a necessity in the face of uncertainty across the globe including Afghanistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.
He made these observations after presiding over the induction ceremony of indigenously designed and developed medium range surface to air missile(MRSAM)into the IAF at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Underlining the need for self-reliance, Rajnath said, “Whether it is South China Sea, Indian Ocean region, Indo-Pacific region or Central Asia, we can see uncertainty everywhere. The current developments in Afghanistan are one such example,” he said.
Cautioning that the global scenario is changing very quickly and in an unexpected way, the minister said the equations between the nations are also changing quickly as per their interests. He said the changing geopolitics is affecting trade, economy, as well as the current security scenario. “In such a situation, the strength of our security and our self-reliance is not an achievement, but a necessity.”
As regards manufacturing weapon systems, Rajnath said from being tagged as number one defence importer in the world, India today is supplying defence systems and sub-systems to foreign countries and it is something worth to be proud of.
The MRSAM (IAF) is an advanced network centric combat Air Defence System developed jointly by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with the Indian industry comprising of private and public sectors including MSMEs.
Terming the production of the MRSAM as a “game changer in the air-defence-system,” Rajnath reiterated the government’s resolve to strengthen the security infrastructure of the country to deal with any challenges arising out of the rapidly changing global strategic scenario.
Rajnath also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to bolster the technological base through indigenous research, design and development, with focus on ‘Make in India, ‘Make for the world’.
The minister described the development of MRSAM system as a shining example of the close partnership between India and Israel, adding that handing over of the system to IAF has taken this decades-old friendship to greater heights. It has played an important role in strengthening the defence industrial base of India and Israel, he added.