On the 66th birth anniversary of the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff late Gen Bipin Rawat, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said his legacy should be used for building national will and inspiring citizens and soldiers in the country.
“When I see Gen. Rawat and his legacy, now that he is not here, whether we can leverage that for building up the national will for creating his brand, his image as an inspiration for the people and soldier of this country… Heroes of the country are essential for the national will and for the existence of a country,” the NSA said in his speech to pay tributes to the late CDS.
He said the country will soon have lakhs of Agniveers coming out of the services and joining the civil society.
He said the GBR Memorial Foundation of India launched m today under the Presidentship of former Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria can work towards using such resources towards building national will.
He said that the Agniveers will go to different avenues in society and can be used for building national will and creating a great awareness about the issue of national security. He said the Agniveers can be converted into a great workforce with guidance.
Narrating about his recent visit to Israel and his meetings with top dignitaries there, Doval said he asked his Israeli counterpart whether India could learn any lesson from their conflict, he said the reply, was that “Be prepared for a surprise.”
Doval said there are always surprises and added “The Russians thought it would be a cakewalk. The Ukrainians thought sanctions would work. We have to have the mindset for surprise. We have to have the instinct.”
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said that he and Gen Bipin Rawat were from the same regiment but different battalions.
“I followed him as the second CDS of the armed forces, here again, my job was made slightly easier. He had set the initial set of reforms to be undertaken. It helps me convert his thoughts and ideas into firm policies and lay down achievable milestones,” he said.
The reforms that we are asking for today are the continuation of the efforts made by Gen. Bipin Rawat as the first CDS of the country. But, if I look back in time, probably it’s the govt of India that took the first path of reforms by announcing the post of CDS and carving out the Department of Military Affairs, it was a bold and major announcement and can be called the starting point of the reforms,” Chauhan said.
The CDS said that in 2024, he would be “working on creating a joint culture in the three services… MiG 29s of the Indian Navy were put on operational readiness platform duties in Naliya to free the Air Force for operations in North.”
Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, former chief of air staff, called the late CDS a thinker who had worked towards restructuring and integration of the armed forces. His death was a loss for the armed forces and the country. He hoped the GBR Foundation would provide skilling opportunities to the youth of the country.
