Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called upon the three services to stay ready to deal with new and emerging threats while emphasising that all steps were being taken to equip the armed forces with necessary weapons and technologies.

The prime minister was reviewing the security situation and operational readiness of the armed forces during the valedictory session of the Combined Commanders’ Conference 2023 in Bhopal.

He was briefed by Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan about the various discussions conducted during this year’s conference. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air force were also present.

On the occasion, Narendra Modi complimented the armed forces for their role in nation building and providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to friendly countries.

During the final day of the three-day session, various topics including aspects of digitisation; cyber security; challenges of social media; Aatmanirbharta; absorption of Agniveers and jointness were discussed.

In a departure from the past, the scope of the conference was expanded this year, wherein, a few multi-layered and interactive sessions were conducted with the participation of soldiers from every command of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, including the Tri-Services Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The three-day conference of the combined apex-level military leadership of the country commenced on 30 March with the theme ‘Ready, Resurgent, Relevant’. During the conference, deliberations over a varied spectrum of issues were held, including on national security and evolving a Joint Military Vision for the future.

Yesterday, the defence minister interacted with the top military brass and reviewed the defence preparedness. He lauded the armed forces for their valuable contribution in protecting national interests and providing support to the government in realising its vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

This year’s conference was special since inputs from the field units were sought on contemporary issues like changes in TTP and way forward for greater integration among the three Services. These inputs were deliberated in detail by the Military Commanders. The conference also provided an opportunity for the Commanders to review the modernisation of the armed forces and the ongoing and concluded military operations, while also discussing ways to improve the country’s defence capabilities.

The conference was held close on the heels of the Ministry of Defence signing major indigenous contracts worth over Rs 32,000 crores for six next-generation missile vessels, 11 off-shore patrol vessels and two BrahMos missile coastal batteries for the Navy as well as two more Akash missile regiments and 12 weapon-locating radars for the Army.

The PM has applauded the fact that India’s defence exports have reached an all-time high of Rs 15,920 crores in 2022-2023. Responding to an announcement on India’s defence exports by the defence minister, the PM tweeted: “Excellent! A clear manifestation of India’s talent and enthusiasm towards ‘Make in India.’ It also shows the reforms in this sector over the last few years are delivering good results. Our Government will keep supporting efforts to make India a defence production hub.”