Army Chief General Manoj Pande said here on Thursday Defence manufacturing has shifted from buyer-seller relationship with foreign countries and collaboration with them now focused on co-development and co-production. Enunciating this factor, he also said collaboration with foreign companies is intrinsic to India's ambition of becoming self-reliant in Defence production.
The geostrategic security environment has witnessed significant changes in recent times, leading to recalibration of established world order, he said at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). "India's security concerns emanate from the geopolitical dynamics at both— global as well as the regional level. These include the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as the instability and the political uncertainty that we see in our immediate neighbourhood," he said.
The contemporary security environment and the changing character of war requires that the Indian armed forces must be prepared to handle wide spectrum of challenges in conventional and sub-conventional domains, the Army Chief noted. Underlining this, he said our interests are best served by being atmanirbhar, especially in Defence production. Self-reliance is one of the key factors on which the military capability of any nation rests, he said.
There are new opportunities for "our foreign partners" and Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) is not only about isolating ourselves from the world, he noted. It is about self-sustaining and pursuing policies that promote efficiency, quality and resilience, Pande added. The ongoing reforms in the defence sector offer opportunities to the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers(OEM) to partner with Indian companies and work towards our shared objectives, he said. There is huge potential for export which can also contribute to the vision of our Prime Minister to become USD 5 trillion economy in the foreseeable future, Pande said.
He also stressed that a holistic, all-encompassing, well-calibrated, multi-pronged, and futuristic approach in defence production is fundamental in safeguarding our national interests. A pragmatic and actionable indigenous defence production strategy would ensure a secure and sustained supply of armaments and ammunitions to cater for our national security needs, the Army Chief said.