Nation's defence priority, 'aatmaribharta' is what we are riding on: IAF

Emphasising 'Aatmanirbharta and Aatmanirbhar Bharat', Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal AP Singh on Friday asserted that the weapons that the forces are talking about of the future should be developed and manufactured in India, adding that Aatmaribharta is what we are riding on.

"We all understand that we, as a nation, face a large number of challenges today. It is from conventional challenges, which are also increasingly becoming more and more aggressive and also unorthodox application of force in the air domain using the sub-conventional weapons that we spoke about," the Air Marshal said.

He further said that, as an Indian Air Force, we are engaged with the DRDO, private industry, communications, command and control, and we already have a very robust Air Defence network.

"So, it's in this highly dense battlespace, we need to put in place plans to have optimal and innovative utilization of whatever resources we have. At the same time, we need to make sure that we are innovating, we are improving our system by going through upgrades or by going through procurements - whatever is possible. We are putting things in place so that we understand where we are going and whether we can match the challenges that are in the future," he added.

He further said that the biggest lesson that we have learned from today's geopolitics is to be self-reliant.

"Like they say, there is no permanent enemy or permanent friend. They all have permanent interests. So, Aatmanirbharta and Aatmanirbhar Bharat which we have been talking about are not just buzzwords. It is something that we need to put our heart and soul into and make sure that these technologies that we are talking about, the weapons that we are talking about of the future, are all developed and manufactured in India so that we are not relying on an outside agency who could change its alliance, who could stop the flow of weapons to our country and put us on the mat when the time comes," he said.

The Air Marshal said that the nation's defence comes first and foremost and if the Indian Air Force or Indian forces have to ride on this Aatmaribharta.

"Aatmaribharta is what we are riding on...But this aatmaribharta cannot be at the cost of the nation's defence. The nation's defence comes first and foremost and if the Indian Air Force or Indian forces have to ride on this aatmaribharta, it is only possible if everyone - from DRDO, to DPSU, to the private industry, holds the hand and takes us to that path and don't let us deviate from that path. Because when it comes to national defence, there will be compulsions to deviate from their path in case we do not get the things that we need or the kind of system and weaponry that is required to survive in today's world," he said.

"So, my humble request to each one of us here is that let's put a system in place where we are helping each other out in achieving the overall goal, which is our goal. It is not anybody else's...If we have to defend the nation, it is everybody's job. It is not just the job of a person in uniform," he said.