Calling for the greater jointness of civil administration & Armed Forces to bolster national security and to deal with future challenges, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the participants of the 28th Joint Civil-Military Training Programme at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
The Defence Minister asserted that the full-fledged process of ‘civil-military jointness’ has been started by the Government with the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and establishment of the Department of Military Affairs.
“These decisions are proving to be helpful in making the country ready for future challenges. The steps taken to modernise the Armed Forces and make the defence sector ‘Aatmanirbhar’ have started to yield results. Now, India is not only manufacturing equipment for its Armed Forces, but is meeting the needs of friendly countries as well,” the Defence Minister said.
Unless the silos of the civil administration and Armed Forces are removed to deal with hybrid threats, India cannot expect adequate preparedness to respond to future challenges, the Defence Minister added.
LBSNAA’s Joint Civil-Military Programme
The Defence Minister further exuded confidence that programmes such as the Joint Civil-Military Programme at LBSNAA will play an imperative role in the journey of civil-military integration, which has started under the present regime. The programme aims to provide benefits to civil servants and Armed Forces officers in developing an understanding of coordination and collaboration in the domain of national security.
Terming the service rendered to the nation by LBSNAA over the last several decades as unparalleled, the Defence Minister asserted that the institution, through its training, is nurturing the civil services officers, known as the steel frame of the country’s system, and is contributing to the prosperity of the nation.
Notably, the Joint Civil-Military Programme was initiated in 2001 with the aim of fostering a structured interface between civil servants and Armed Forces officers for a shared understanding of national security.
Further, the objective is to familiarise the participants with challenges to management of national security, emerging external and internal security environment and impact of globalisation; to provide an opportunity for the participants to interact and exchange ideas on the subject and expose them to the imperatives of civil-military synergy.
Defence Minister Rajnath also pointed out that the concept of national security has broadened, as many non-military dimensions have been added to the more general aspect of protection from military attacks.
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