NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday chaired a review meeting with senior defence officials to take stock of the situation due to the West Asia crisis and said there was need to learn lessons from the conflict to improve the country’s defence preparedness.Rajnath was briefed on the global and regional security scenario, the impact of a possible escalation of the ongoing conflict on India as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by the current geopolitical situation.The minister directed that operational and technological takeaways from the ongoing conflict be studied continuously in order to improve India’s defences. “We need to formalise a comprehensive integrated roadmap for the next decade factoring in the lessons learnt, challenges and opportunities going forward while ensuring Aatmanirbharta and operational readiness across all fronts,” he said.Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Samir Kamat and defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh were present at the meeting.The impact of the crisis on supply chain management for procurement and production of defence equipment, including maintenance and serviceability of existing equipment, was also examined at the review meeting.Rajnath held the security review meeting just two days after Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) discussed the situation arising out of the conflict in West Asia and carried out a detailed assessment of the availability of critical goods for the common people, including food, energy and fuel security.Last week, Rajnath credited PM Modi’s competence and foresight for “safeguarding” India from the ripple effects of global instability, asserting that the country has remained secure despite the escalating conflict in West Asia. The minister also backed the PM’s stance that “war is not a solution” and called for a resolution through dialogue and diplomacy. “When the world is at war, no country can remain unaffected. India may also be impacted during such times, but our prime minister, through his competence, capability and foresight, has ensured that the country does not get trapped in such a crisis,” he said.
