India stands enabled not just for deterrence, but also for robust response: Army Chief Manoj Pande

NEW DELHI: Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Wednesday said that India stands enabled, not just for deterrence, but also to undertake robust response if required. The Army Chief and Indian Air Force Chief Air Marshal V R Chaudhari were speaking at the BrahMos User Meet 2023.

Addressing the event, General Manoj Pande said, “Today, the nation is at the cusp of transformational changes, we are witness to the growing stature of our country in the international environment and higher expectations from the world community. Our concurrent growth and development, and the rising aspirations of our people, all reflect the confident optimism of a rising nation”.

“Due to our legacy issues of unsettled borders and related security challenges, possession of strategic deterrence instruments in our case is essential. And the three services of the defence forces as users of the BrahMos missile system, now stand enabled to not just stand deterrence, but also to respond robustly when required”, he added.

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, in his address, highlighted the role of BrahMos supersonic missile and said that it has galvanized India’s firepower.

“As one of our most lethal air combat assets, the BrahMos supersonic missile has really galvanized the way we will equip ourselves with precision firepower in the coming years. Seeing the conflicts that are happening across the globe the importance of precision, long-range firepower can’t be underscored”, he said.

He further added that the BrahMos missile has made the deterrence value of the IAF go up by leaps and bounds. “The combination of BrahMos on the Sukhoi Su-30 has really given us a tremendous capability that has enhanced our firepower. It has made the deterrence value of the IAF go up by leaps and bounds”, he said.

The Air Force Chief added, “As the situation unfolded in Northern borders three years ago, we realised that the potent weapon can be used very effectively for land attacks. In future, next-generation BrahMos, or a small version that can be fitted on to smaller platforms like MiG-29, Mirage 2000 or even the LCA, will play an important role, he said”. (ANI)