New Delhi, India’s armed forces must maintain the highest level of operational readiness to effectively counter any threats to national security, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, delivering his message from a key airbase near the frontier with China in the Eastern sector.
“Often, the adversary avoids direct confrontation and instead seeks to exploit our vulnerabilities. The defence minister underscored that discipline and courage remain indispensable, irrespective of technological advancements, stating that the conduct and restraint of the defence forces personnel shape the image of the military among local communities.
Addressing air warriors at the Bagdogra Air Force station, Singh, without naming any country, said the adversary avoids direct confrontation but seeks to exploit certain “vulnerabilities”, emphasising that the security landscape has become increasingly complex. Through social media, the adversary may attempt to sow doubt in the minds of the local population and our soldiers by spreading misleading information,” he said. “In such a scenario, your role extends beyond that of an ordinary soldier,” he said. Singh called upon the military to “maintain the highest level of operational readiness”, with special focus on strengthening domain awareness, cyber resilience and information integrity to effectively counter emerging security threats, according to the defence ministry. The defence minister emphasised that the security landscape has become “increasingly complex”, with warfare extending beyond conventional engagements along the borders to encompass asymmetric warfare, proxy wars, cyber-attacks, drone swarms, information operations and narrative management. “The more you engage with the local community, the weaker the adversary’s conspiracies will become,” he said.
