New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat outlined the need to balance the requirements of the armed forces in the overall context of national resources and infrastructure needs.

Delivering the  12th Y B Chavan Memorial Lecture, which was organised under the aegis of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), on ‘Restructuring of the Indian Armed Forces: The Way Ahead,’ he touched upon the concept of strategic frontiers as distinct from geographical boundaries.

Outlining the difference between ‘military force’ and ‘military power’, he underscored India’s pole position in an evolving security scenario. He recalled the journey of Indian armed forces over the decades and the lessons learnt through various wars leading up to the current focus on integrated functional commands and theatres.

General Rawat also emphasised that to deal with the challenges of the future battlespace, it is vital to pay adequate attention to cyber threats, integration of special forces, reform of the current tri-service commands and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in defence manufacturing with the involvement of both public and private sectors.

He said defence reforms would help in optimising and integrating the strength and responsibilities of the three defence wings, which in turn could be exploited optimally by a single commander in charge.

The YB Chavan Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture organised by MP-IDSA in collaboration with the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan since 2010.