National security strategy must evolve in line with changes in geopolitical order: CDS Gen Chauhan

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Friday. Addressing the inauguration of the DRDO Directors' Conclave here, he also said theaterisation will ensure «effective response along the entire spectrum of conflict». Gen Chauhan stressed the need to perform, reform, transform, inform and conform to meet the emerging challenges, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Geopolitics is in a flux and the national strategy should aim to absorb the changes in such a way that it meets the challenges and exploits the opportunities, he said. The two-day conclave is organised as a follow-up to the various 'Chintan Shivir' meetings and a review of their outcome by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Gen Chauhan said superiority in technology and tactics is «the need of the hour» and the Indian armed forces are investing in new technologies to win engagements.

Highlighting the principles of jointness, integration and theaterisation, he said, in the national security realm, «the concept of theaterisation is a fundamental change that is on the anvil». «It is one of the most ambitious changes with far-reaching implications attempted post-Independence. »The start on this journey depends on the right steps being taken first towards jointness and integration.

Theaterisation involves the creation of tri-services theatre-specific structures for effective response along the entire spectrum of conflict," he said. The CDS said integration in the physical domain aims to achieve a «multiplier effect» as it combines the unique capabilities of the services through integrated processes and structures to «increase the war-fighting capability». Samir V Kamat, the secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and DRDO chairman, in his inaugural address,