The Hindu : National : Change mindset, armed forces brass told

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Thursday, Oct 25, 2007
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Change mindset, armed forces brass told

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Wednesday told top commanders and strategic planners of the armed forces to change their mindset in tune with the changing times where transparency and fairness were the buzzwords.

“Steps like institutionalisation of the defence planning process and refinement of the defence procurement procedure have added urgency in the methodology and transparency in the functioning. Another instrument towards change is the delegation of powers and the transition towards the fusion of authority, responsibility and accountability. We have delegated significant financial powers from the Ministry of Defence to the Services Headquarters. However, it must be ensured that these powers are put to best use,” he said at the Combined Commanders Conference. “A change in mindset is called for,” he said, adding that the country was accelerating the pace of modernisation of the armed forces by inducting hi-tech weapons. “Technology has compressed distances and times. Hence, a speedy response time is called for.”

Terrorism continued to be a major security challenge that the country was facing. Terrorists were constantly modernising their communication networks, and there was an urgent need for the security forces to successfully counter this.

PTI reports:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh advocated an integrated approach among the Services and other agencies to meet the long-term strategic goals.

He mooted institutional changes to ensure its practical implementation.

Dr. Singh stressed the need for enmeshing military capabilities with strategic and long term plans.

Though the Prime Minister spoke for about 90 minutes after being briefed by the Service chiefs on operational aspects, the details of the speech were not revealed.

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