NEW DELHI: General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff, on Thursday exhorted that self-sufficiency in critical defence requirements is a strategic imperative now more than ever. “Our external dependence on armaments and ammunition have been a matter of concern and the reversing of this trend which we are witnessing is quite encouraging,” he added.

Addressing the special session on the second day of the 2nd conference on Military Ammunition ‘AMMO INDIA 2022’, the Chief of Army Staff while highlighting the potential for domestic and foreign players in the Indian defence production, stated that Atmanirbharta does not mean isolating from the world, but it is self-sustaining and self-generating to promote efficiency, quality and resilience.

“It has been unequivocally stated that collaboration with foreign OEMs is intrinsic to Atmanirbhar Bharat and we have moved from a relationship of buyer-seller to a co-development and co-production with our foreign partners,” he said.

General Pande stated that the ongoing reforms in the defence sector offer opportunities for the foreign OEMs to partner with the Indian companies and work towards our shared objectives. There is a huge potential for exports which can also contribute to the vision of our honourable Prime Minister’s vision of a $5 trillion economy.

General Pande stated that the contemporary security environment and changing character of war requires the armed forces to handle a wide spectrum of challenges both in conventional and sub-conventional domains. “Our interests are best served by being Atmanirbhar, especially in the defence production. Self-reliance is among the key factors on which the military capability of any nation rests,” he added.

N Raveeswaran, Co-Chair, FICCI Defence and Aerospace Committee and Head- Aerospace and Defence Strategic Business Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd highlighted that "we need to create Indian OEMs which can design and create platforms for ammunition systems. With the government’s push for Make in India in recent years, the defence industry understands that the development of both platforms and ammunition through Indian industry is the way forward.” /BI/