Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met top commanders of the Indian Air Force
In an apparent reference to the crisis in Ukraine, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday told top commanders of the Indian Air Force that the current geopolitical situation has again highlighted the need for indigenisation of military hardware.
In his inaugural address at a three-day commanders' conference of the IAF, Mr Singh also delved into the challenges being faced by India on the northern and western borders and expressed satisfaction over the way Indian Armed Forces have been able to respond to emerging situations, officials said.
The Defence Minister also praised the IAF's role in 'Operation Ganga' under which stranded Indians were evacuated from Ukraine after the crisis unfolded in that country, they said.
The commanders of the IAF will carry out a comprehensive review of India's security challenges and review the force's preparations to deal with any situation.
Mitigation of threats posed by drones will also be brainstormed during the conference.
In his address, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, asked the commanders to be ready to meet all the challenges and enhance capabilities for responding in multiple domains at short notice.
He also emphasised the need for conserving assets, optimally utilising resources and the need for jointmanship to enhance national security, according to a statement by the IAF.
It said the Defence Minister noted that he was happy to observe that the directions given by higher authorities were comprehensively being discussed in the conference and would be the guiding light for all future courses of action.
"He covered the challenges being faced on the northern and western borders and expressed his satisfaction in the way Indian Armed Forces have been able to respond to emerging situations," it said.
Mr Singh stressed that the current geopolitical situation has again highlighted the need for indigenisation.
To provide a boost to the indigenous drone industry, Mr Singh also launched a competition aimed at developing technology for a 'swarm drone-based system' to detect foreign objects on aircraft operating surfaces, according to the IAF statement.
It said the IAF commanders will discuss important issues related to future challenges in a hi-tech and evolving operational scenario.
"The theme for this Conference is 'Optimising human resources' and the focus will be on the conduct of operations in a smart and efficient manner," it said.
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