Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today exhorted the Indian Air Force (IAF) to become an ”Aerospace Force” and be prepared to protect the country from the challenges of the future.

Delivering the keynote address to the 37th Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture, he called for technology evolution, gaining expertise and human resource management to defend the country against space-guided attacks and protect the space assets.

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“Change is the law of nature. It is eternal. This law is applicable to war as well. As students of military affairs and geopolitics, it is our duty to keep anticipating the nature of future wars. Steps are being taken by our adversaries toward military use of space. This is likely to have an adverse effect on our interests. We, therefore, need to identify and be fully prepared for the evolving security challenges,” he said.

Rajnath said the nature of future wars could be assessed through a closer look at the situation in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and the recent Ukrainian conflict. “Although these trends are suggestive, we can gain a deeper understanding by correlating them with our local threats,” he said.

He voiced the government’s resolve to provide specialised skills training to the armed forces personnel, especially IAF, in the latest technology to make them future-ready.

Highlighting the importance of technology in wars, Rajnath said the use of technology has seen an unprecedented increase in recent times.

He, however, stated that expensive platforms/weapon systems do not alone ensure victory. ”It is their employment which gives an edge in wars. Be it precision-guided munition, unmanned aerial vehicles or manpack anti-tank weapons, their deployment in any future war will be as critical as it had been in the past. Technology is a force multiplier, but without innovative deployment, state-of-the-art equipment will be a mere display,” he added.

Sharing his views on the need to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, the minister described self-reliance as essential for not only building the domestic capacity but also for safeguarding the sovereignty of the country. “Our past experiences have taught us that India cannot depend on imports for its security and security. Recent conflicts, especially the situation in Ukraine, have told us that not just defence supplies, but commercial contracts are also prone to be affected when it comes to national interests,” he added.

Rajnath stressed that achieving self-reliance in defence would have middle and long-term benefits as it would help in building the foundation of a robust industrial base not only in the defence sector but in every sphere of the industry.