Antony asks armed forces commanders to change mindsets

Defence Minister A K Antony today emphasised the need for change in mindsets of the armed forces commanders, saying it was the urgent need of the hour.

New Delhi, Oct 24 : Defence Minister A K Antony today emphasised the need for change in mindsets of the armed forces commanders, saying it was the urgent need of the hour.

"The urgent need of the hour is to change mindsets, in tune with the changing times - where transparency and fairness are the buzzwords," Antony said in his address at the Combined Commanders Conference here.

He said that steps like institutionalisation of Defence Planning Process and refinement of Defence Procurement Procedure have added urgency in the methodology and transparency in functioning.

"Another instrument towards change is the delegation of powers and transition towards fusion of authority, responsibility and accountability. We have delegated significant financial powers from the Ministry of Defence to Services HQ. However, it must be ensured that these powers are put to best use," Antony added.

He went on to say that "jointness and integration" was not merely a desire, but an urgent need of the hour. "It is a process that is destined to grow. Synergy can produce only better results, than individual efforts."

Antony said that terrorism continued to be one of the major challenges facing the country.

"As terrorists constantly modernize their communication network, there is an urgent need to continuously upgrade our own capabilities to successfully counter the threat posed by them. In this context, it must be said that the overall situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East has shown steady signs of improvement," he said.

Pointing out that it is a "multi-polar world," Antony said that the Asian region has a geo-political and a strategic importance.

However, he said, while Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region were comparatively more peaceful, Asia had been plagued by "several ongoing territorial disputes, low-key armed conflicts and tensions."

"As we develop as a regional and an economic superpower, our role and responsibilities are bound to increase too. Today, India is firmly on the centre stage of international geo-politics. Our defence and strategic partnerships bear testimony to this fact. As trans-border threats change in nature and scope, nations are becoming increasingly inter-dependent," Antony said.

Underlining the need for carefully monitoring the international environment and formulate flexible response options to emerging situations, he said: "As we accelerate the process of modernization of our Armed Forces, we must bear in mind that technology has compressed distances and times. At the same time, it has also significantly reduced response timings at every level."

ANI