Rajnath for enhanced civil-military synergy to boost preparedness, safeguard national interests
Addressing the 84th Armed Forces Headquarters Civilian Services Day event at DRDO Bhawan here, he also said that amid uncertain times, "there is no control over unpredictability and our control is only on our preparations".
"Today, we can't assess that those parts of the world which are peaceful will not see tension or lack of peace in future. Three-four months ago, did we think that we would have to do Operation Sindoor so soon," Singh said.
The minister recalled he has always emphasised in his meetings with the service chiefs that "we have to be always prepared".
"Our ancient texts say that preparation for a war should be done in peace time," he added.
In his address, Singh commended the Chief of Defence Staff , the three service chiefs and the defence secretary for the success achieved in Operation Sindoor.
He said that on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam attack, in a meeting where the CDS, all the three service chiefs, the defence secretary and the national security advisor were present, he had asked them 'are you prepared for a major military action', and, "I am not exaggerating, they had all said, 'yes'."
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Department of Defence R&D Secretary and DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat were also present on the occasion along with other senior officials of the ministry.
The minister praised the "back-end support" provided by the Defence Ministry's different departments to the armed forces which was key to Operation Sindoor's success.
"More emphasis should be laid on enhancing synergy between the civil and military sides. The importance of civil-military synergy in today's time has also increased because today's world has become very uncertain" said Singh, adding this will also help bolster security structure and safeguard national interests.
Whenever the armed forces fight a war, their valour is backed by the entire country. And, when a soldier fights a war, then in a way the entire country and the entire system also fights along with him. "Your role, when it comes to warfare, is very important. We understand it," he said.
The defence minister asserted that in "today's rapidly-changing security scenario, there is a need to move ahead with dynamism and innovative spirit while making constant improvements according to the evolving needs".
"We cannot leave scope for even the slightest negligence or mistake," he said.
Emphasising that a robust administrative system is integral for a strong military power, Singh commended the AFHQ Civilian Services for playing an important role in strengthening the country's security system during war as well as peace time.
"AFHQ Services acts as an institutional memory for the Ministry of Defence. It provides consistency, domain expertise and uniformity in the administration, while playing a key role in policy continuity and establishing civil-military synergy. It is a strong pillar of a modern and integrated national defence system," he added.
Singh laid stress on capacity development, urging the AFHQ officials to assess and embrace the best practices being adopted by their counterparts in other ministries and countries in the fields of training and capability enhancement.
"Emerging technologies, new challenges and changing global scenario indicate that training should not be just a formal process, but a continuous cycle of development. Skill upgrade, ethical orientation and behavioural excellence need to be added as integral parts of training," he said.
On the occasion, the minister launched a redeveloped website of Office of Joint Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer which will provide all relevant information about the office to the employees and general public.
He also released a book 'Viksit Bharat@2047: Karmikon Ke Vichar' and 'Samvad' magazine.
The 'Viksit Bharat@2047' book comprises 40 articles written by employees of various ranks posted in the Service Headquarters and Inter Service Organisations. The articles are on various topics related to 'Viksit Bharat' theme such as digitisation, New Education Policy 2020, artificial intelligence, 'Atmanirbharta' in defence, green energy and poverty alleviation.
Singh also presented awards to the AFHQ personnel for their achievements in various fields such as sports and some of the children of the employees who excelled in academics.
AFHQ Day is celebrated on August 1 in recognition of the role of civilian personnel functioning shoulder-to-shoulder with the service personnel, primarily in the three Integrated Service Headquarters, HQ IDS and 24 Inter-Service Organisations of the ministry.
The purpose of observing AFHQ Day is to foster esprit de corps of the civilian employees of the AFHQ cadres, who play the role of a bridge between the Service Headquarters and the defence ministry.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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