The Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023, a two-day groundbreaking event steered by the Indian Army in collaboration with the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), concluded on Saturday with takeaways on security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
The event organised in Manekshaw Centre on November 3 and 4, over six different sessions, was centred around the theme, ‘Serving India and the Indo-Pacific Region: Collaborating for Comprehensive Security’.
The Dialogue, inspired by the sagacity of the ancient strategist Chanakya, unfolded crucial discussions on global and regional security issues with a distinctive emphasis on South Asian and Indo-Pacific security dynamics, a roadmap for collaborative security in the region, optimisation of emerging technologies for defence and security, ways to enhance the collaborative capacity of the Indian defence industry, and options for India to achieve comprehensive deterrence, according to a release.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar graced the occasion and delivered a keynote address on November 3, 2023.
The Vice President congratulated the Army for the conception of this ideation forum to dissect contemporary challenges to global security and peace.
He expressed confidence that the Chanakya Defence Dialogue will turn out to be a well-suited platform for in-depth analyses of security complexities in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific, ultimately paving the way for collective security solutions in the region.
He underscored the paramount importance of achieving and upholding peace through a multifaceted approach, combining ideation, advocacy, outreach, persuasion, and dialogue while also being vigilant and prepared, according to the release.
He noted that “being prepared for war is a pathway to peace”, emphasising that a nation’s strength stands as the most impactful defence and deterrent. He mentioned that peace can be established by possessing strength.
He highlighted the significance of harnessing a nation’s soft power and economic strength as integral components in enhancing the security environment.
Also underlining the emergence of deep technologies like AI, robotics, quantum, semi-conductors, biotechnology, drones, and hypersonics, the Vice President stressed that “prowess and mastery of these domains will determine the strategic haves and have-nots of the future”.
On the aspect of technology, he also said technology is changing the character of war, and there is a need to continuously build the country’s capabilities to meet such changes and challenges.
He remarked that India’s capabilities in space, cyberspace, and the electromagnetic spectrum complement the traditional domains of land, sea, and air.
General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), delivered the plenary address at the event.
The COAS, in his address, said the unprecedented churn in the global landscape has set into motion a chain of events and new trend lines. He said that technology is driving geopolitics like never before and emerging as a new strategic arena of geopolitical competition.
He added that India’s resolve, resilience, and diverse capacities were put to a severe test during the pandemic, and our nation rode the storm well.
He remarked that the “agile, resilient, consumer-driven economy of our nation helped us to brave the economic downturn of the Russia-Ukraine conflict”.
He added that India has a credible voice on the world stage, “one that is distinct, rooted in Indian ethos, and effective in articulating the concerns of the Global South”. (ANI)
