New Delhi: The novel coronavirus outbreak has made the international scenario more complex, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, emphasising the country should be prepared to tackle challenges that might not allow adequate reaction time.
Speaking at the 58th M.Phil convocation ceremony of the National Defence College (NDC) here, he said developing and grooming future senior leadership, both of the military and the civil services, by the institution will play a vital role in tackling future potential challenges.
Today, India has emerged as an important contributor towards growth, development, prosperity, peace and stability in both Asia and the world, Singh said.
The country's armed forces are swiftly transforming to meet future regional and global security challenges, he said.
"In this regard, our government has given the highest priority to our national security through vital defence acquisitions to fill our gaps, and more importantly concentrating on building a robust indigenous manufacturing base for our future defence needs," Singh said.
"The creation of the department of military affairs in the defence ministry and chief of defence staff are steps in the right direction to synergise our military strengths and capabilities," the defence minister said.
Congratulating the graduates of the M.Phil course, Singh said the current security environment is a challenging one, and the internal and external aspects of national security are closely linked.
"The world is facing many challenges in the form of international terrorism, fundamentalism, ethnic discontent, economic disparity, competition for dwindling resources and organised crime, among others. Changing geopolitics and geo-strategic equations directly impact our national security," he said.