Think Big and Clear

Col Tej Dalal (retd)

India is emerging as a world economic power and that cannot be ignored. But, to achieve this, it has to be militarily strong too. With two hostile neighbours, sharing almost 8,000 km of our land boundary, we have to be strong. Diplomacy only works from position of strength. The threat of radical terrorism and proxy war, from Pakistan and covert support to the Naxal movement from China, has increased our security concerns. The internal insurgencies and belligerent postures of both these neighbours force us to think of ways to deal with arising situations, in more pragmatic ways.

One of the main ingredients to be a world power is to have strong defence forces, which are not only capable of defending own interests but also of its friendly nations.

India is capable of becoming a great power, but as Manjari Chatterjee Miller, assistant professor of international relations at Boston University, says that it ‘resists its own rise’. Let us examine Miller’s statement from our defence aspect. We have one of the largest armed forces in the world, with more than 13,00,000 active troops and an equal number in the paramilitary and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

BSF personnel at Indo-Banglades