General Manoj Pande, Army Chief revealed that Russian-Ukraine war has important logistics lessons for India. He was addressing the first Indian Army Logistics seminar.
The Defence Minister meanwhile talked about reforming system of logistics to the requirements of 21st century. “India has become the fifth largest economy in the world today. It is fast moving towards becoming a $5 trillion economy. In future, whether in battlefield or civilian sector, the criticality of logistics sustenance is going to increase. In such a situation, reforming the system of logistics according to the needs of the 21st century is the need of the hour. Self-reliance is an important component in the field of logistics. To achieve our goals, we need an ‘Aatmanirbhar’ logistics supply system,” said Singh at the seminar which was organised on the theme Samanjasya Se Shakti.
Civil-military fusion
He called for civil-military fusion to further strengthen the logistics system and stay prepared to deal with future challenges.
The Minister emphasised that logistics in future wars will require jointness not only among the three services, but also among different bodies in the form of industrial back-up, research and development, material support, industry and man-power. He called for formulating robust policies to enhance commitment and mutual trust between civil and the military, which will provide a renewed thrust to the Government’s vision of protecting the people from future threats.
Important lessons
Army Chief says Russia-Ukraine war has lessons for India.
General Manoj Pande, in his address to the gathering, stated that the Russia-Ukraine war is far from over but it has important lessons for those concerned with national security. “One such lesson that has emerged clearly is that pace, intensity and reach of military operations ride on strength, agility and capacity of logistic support,” he pointed out.
Also known as military logistics, Army logistics, he elaborated, involves the process of planning and confirming the armed forces’ movement and maintenance, that deals with procurement, maintenance, distribution and replacement of personnel and material, follow previous plans and procedures.
“Wars are not fought by militaries alone, they remain a full nation endeavour. Wars put a country’s ability to bounce back under pressure and stretch its resources. An appropriate example is the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has now lasted for more than six months.”
He exuded confidence that the ongoing efforts will not only cater to the domestic needs, but also help the friendly foreign countries. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and other officials of Ministries of Defence, Railways, Civil Aviation, Commerce and Industry, Paramilitary Forces and representatives of academia and industry were present on the occasion.
