The Defence Minister A.K. Antony recently asked the top brass of the Indian Armed Forces to continuously assess the security situation in ‘our strategic neighbourhood’ in the aftermath of the elimination of Osama bin Laden and remain prepared for any eventualities. Describing the US operations in Pakistan as ‘a watershed in the global war on terror’, Antony said the event has ‘internationally stamped’ Pakistan’s position as the core of terrorist activities in the region.

Addressing the Unified Commanders Conference in New Delhi, he said the ripples of this event will have wide ranging impact on ‘our strategic neighbourhood’. The security situation in Pakistan continues to be a cause for concern. Despite supporting the war on terror, China continues to remain its main strategic partner. The Defence Minister said if any real progress is to be made in improving bilateral relations, Pakistan must take concrete action to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on its soil.

The two-day annual conference was attended among others by the Minister of State for Defence Dr M.M. Pallam Raju, the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh and the Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

The Defence Minister said India has always desired friendly relation with all its neighbours. “Though we are not unduly concerned over China’s moves to modernise and upgrade its military capability, we must on our part, keep up the ongoing process of upgrading our military structure.” He expressed the hope that progress will be made in discussion with China on border dispute.

Dwelling on the ground situation in Jammu & Kashmir, he said it has shown improvement over the past few months. The violence level has declined and the political processes have come to the forefront, due in a large measure, to the sustained efforts of our security forces. He, however, said that the armed forces need to keep up the vigil to ensure that the levels of violence are kept to the minimum. ‘This calls for a lot of restraint and upholding the human rights of the local people, without compromising over all our preparedness to meet any evil designs’. The summer months will be a crucial test of our response mechanism.

Referring to modernisation in the armed forces, he called upon the top brass to adopt a change in world view “just as the old brick and morter economies have given way to the new economic architecture across the world, so too modernisation of our armed forces must chart a new path. The thrust for modernisation and change has to be necessarily top driven and that is where your role assumes a crucial significance”