Rajnath Singh Says Armed Forces Must Be Prepared For Longer Conflicts

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asserted that India's armed forces must be prepared for all kinds of security challenges including short-duration conflicts to even a five-year war in view of an unpredictable geopolitical environment. The remarks came during an address at the 'Ran Samvad' at the Army War College. 

Rajnath claimed that India does not want anybody’s land but is ready to go to any extent to protect its territorial integrity. "In today's era, wars have become so sudden and unpredictable that it is very difficult to predict when any war will end and how long it will last," he said. 

“If any war stretches for two months, four months, a year, two years, even five years, then we should be fully prepared for it," he said.

We do not want anyone's land, but we are ready to go to any extent to protect our land," the minister said in the presence of India's top military brass, including Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.

He appreciated the three services for Operation Sindoor and stated it has emerged as a great example of the success of India's indigenous platforms, equipment and weapon systems. 

"Its achievements have once again underlined that in the times to come, self-reliance is an absolute necessity. We have indeed made significant progress on the path of self-reliance, but there is still a long way ahead," he said.

Singh said the success of Operation Sindoor is a "perfect example" of bravery and swiftness with which the armed forces acted against the terrorists in Pakistan.

He further said that the operation was a striking demonstration of technology-driven warfare.  

With PTI inputs