Jaishankar addresses Army commanders conference, stresses need for ‘whole of government’ approach to national security

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday stressed the importance of a “whole of the government” approach to effectively advance national security during his address at the Army Commanders Conference in the national capital.

He spoke about the intricacies of current geopolitics including its challenges, possibilities and opportunities.

Sharing some pictures of the conference on X, Jaishankar wrote, “Pleased to address the Army Commanders Conference in Delhi today. Discussed the intricacies of current geopolitics, as well as its challenges, possibilities and opportunities. Urged that a more ‘whole of the government’ approach is needed to effectively advance national security.”

The Second Army Commanders’ Conference for the year 2024 is organised in a hybrid mode in two phases during which the army will review current operational preparedness and deliberate on critical strategies.

The first phase was held on October 10-11 in a forward location at Gangtok. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Conference via video conference from the Sukna Cantt in Darjeeling.

During the conference, the challenges and suggestions related to border security were discussed in details.

During the conference, Singh also delivered a keynote address to senior army officers. The Raksha Mantri stressed upon the present complex and ambiguous world situation which affects everyone globally.

In the second phase, senior hierarchy of Indian Army will congregate at Delhi on October 28-29, according to a statement.

It said that the second phase of the conference will feature a discussion on evolving geopolitical landscape followed by brainstorming on operational matters and meetings of various Board of Governors to deliberate upon welfare measures and schemes for financial security of serving soldiers, veterans and their families.

This gathering of Indian Army’s senior leadership reinforces the Army’s enduring resolve to stay prepared, adapt swiftly, and defend with precision to ensure the Indian Army remains progressive, forward-looking, adaptive and future-ready.

The statement said that during the first phase of the conference, discussions will focus on critical national security issues and strategic aspects aimed at sharpening Indian Army’s warfighting capabilities.

Major issues to be deliberated during the two-day session will include the growing importance of a multi-pronged national security strategy that incorporates integration of Civil Military Fusion and the Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic (DIME) pillars to counter contemporary threats besides the need for developing low-cost technologies and alternate strategies to counter the rapidly evolving character of warfare.