India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh advocates for civil-military synergy to enhance military preparedness. Speaking on Friday, addressing the 84th Armed Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) Civilian Services Day event at DRDO Bhawan, the defence minister further stressed the need to move forward with dynamism and innovative spirit in today's uncertain times and amid the rapidly changing security scenario.
"More emphasis should be laid on enhancing synergy between the civil and military sides. The importance of civil-military synergy in today's time has also increased because today's world has become very uncertain" said Singh, adding this will also help bolster security structure and safeguard national interests.
The entire nation supports the bravery of the armed forces whenever they engage in combat. Furthermore, when a soldier fights a war, the entire nation and system, in a sense, fight alongside him, the defence minister cited.
"Today, we can't assess that those parts of the world which are peaceful will not see tension or lack of peace in the future. Three to four months ago, did we think that we would have to do Operation Sindoor so soon? Our ancient texts say that preparation for a war should be done in peacetime," he said.
Speaking on the Operation Sindoor, Rajnath said that on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam attack, in a meeting where the CDS, all the three forces' chiefs, the defence secretary and the national security advisor were present, he had asked them 'are you prepared for a major military action', and, "I am not exaggerating, they had all said, 'yes'."
"Your role, when it comes to warfare, is very important. We understand it. We cannot leave scope for even the slightest negligence or mistake."
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Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Department of Defence R&D Secretary, and DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat were also present on the occasion, along with other senior officials of the ministry.
Emphasising that a robust administrative system is integral for a strong military power, Singh commended the AFHQ Civilian Services for playing an important role in strengthening the country’s security system during war as well as peace time.
"AFHQ Services acts as an institutional memory for the Ministry of Defence. It provides consistency, domain expertise and uniformity in the administration, while playing a key role in policy continuity and establishing civil-military synergy. It is a strong pillar of a modern and integrated national defence system," he said.
"Emerging technologies, new challenges and changing global scenario indicate that training should not be just a formal process, but a continuous cycle of development. Skill upgrade, ethical orientation and behavioural excellence need to be added as integral parts of training," he added.
On the occasion, the minister launched a redeveloped website of Office of Joint Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer which will provide all relevant information about the office to the employees and general public. He also released a book 'Viksit Bharat@2047: Karmikon Ke Vichar' and 'Samvad’ magazine.
AFHQ Day is celebrated on August 1 in recognition of the role of civilian personnel functioning shoulder-to-shoulder with the service personnel, primarily in the three Integrated Service Headquarters, HQ IDS and 24 Inter-Service Organisations of the ministry. The purpose of observing AFHQ Day is to foster esprit de corps of the civilian employees of the AFHQ cadres, who play the role of a bridge between the Service Headquarters and the defence ministry.
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