“Along with the efforts put together by the scientific community, health professionals, civil administration, the Armed Forces, too, have been pitched in this battle against an invisible yet deadly enemy. Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, and other organisations in the Ministry of Defence like Director General Armed Forces Medical Services, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Ordnance Factory Board, National Cadet Corps, Cantonment Boards are engaged to help mitigate the sufferings of the people. ...

All the efforts by the Armed Forces are being done without compromising the objectives of defending the nation from any external threat.” -Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister of India, in a special article in ‘The Hitavada’

THE importance of this assertion by the Minister of Defence Mr. Rajnath Singh cannot be overstated. This assertion crowns the whole range of systematic efforts the Armed Forces are putting in the nation’s fight against coronavirus -- which Mr. Rajnath Singh aptly described as ‘invisible but deadly enemy’. More important is the assertion that the Armed Forces are allowing no compromise on national security and defence.

No matter a little thaw has taken place in the India-China tensions, and also that a ‘no-ceasefire-violation’ pact stands refreshed between India and Pakistan, the threat on the northern and western borders still persists. It is only natural for the common citizens to wonder if the attention of Armed Forces stands diverted from the tasks pertaining to national defence because of the focus on anti-corona fight. The assertion that there is no compromise on national security, thus, assumes a great importance in the given circumstances. Mr. Singh has done well to reassure the nation of a proud reality.

In fact, this crisis has also offered the nation to understand the wider and deeper meaning of the concept of ‘security’. The concept is comprehensive in the sense it deals with territorial security, energy security, food security, health security, environmental security. In fact, the idea of national defence stands on the foundation of this comprehensive, multi-dimensional concept of security. Given the current conditions, it is only naturally, therefore, that the nation’s legendary Armed Forces marshal all their resources

-- physical, intellectual and spiritual -- in the task of staving off the crisis of a rare kind.

Of course, India has seen the use of Armed Forces in various crises including natural calamities in the past seven decades and more. The Armed Forces have sprung to action to help people come out of flooded places, raging fires, and an occasional engagement to handle social disturbance. India’s civil administration has made an appropriate use of the Armed Forces to emerge from crises on several occasions. A continuance of that tradition is in evidence at the present when the Armed Forces are putting together cumulatively their best foot forward to help the nation in this crisis which even the world has seen for the first time in the past century and a half.

Of course, the involvement of the Armed Forces in the nation’s fight against current pandemic conditions is of exemplary and extraordinary levels. Even as the Armed Forces moved into urgent action of putting up COVID-19 care centres and hospitals and started bringing in critical merchandise by air and sea routes from all over the world, the Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane paid a quick visit to the forward areas in the Himalayas to ensure that all strategic issues were handled most professionally. Similar has been the manner and method of Chief of Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal R.K. Bhadauria, and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh.

It is important at this point to recall the way Lt. General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Services (Medical), has been working round the clock to spearhead the Armed Forces’ efforts to put up fantastic medical facilities all over the country to aid the fight against the invisible yet deadly enemy. These few names offer only a symbolism of the overall efforts of the people in the uniform. Each organisation related in any manner to the country’s defence management is equally eagerly engaged in the effort.

This is the crux of the Defence Minister’s message to the nation. The very awareness that our Armed Forces are firmly standing by us in this crisis is very reassuring, very calming. Unmindful of the dirty political games a few elements are playing in the country, the Armed Forces are busy doing their mandated work with a missionary focus so natural to their creed.

Mr. Rajnath Singh brings to fore this aspect very well without actually making any political references. Of course, the nation cannot miss those details and will always remain grateful to the Armed Forces. Every nationalistic citizen is conscious of the contribution of the legendary Armed Forces to fulfilling the national goals. Mr. Rajnath Singh has only verbalised that national sentiment.

The actual need of the moment is for the nation to understand all the details of the current operations of the overall Armed Forces. They are putting up medical facilities, are picking up supplies from far corners of the world, airlifting critical merchandise domestically -- all in the manner of fighting a war where no compromises or adjustment with the ideal is entertained. By taking a good look at all those details, the common Indian people understand the meaning of the concept of comprehensive security. In the long run, this awareness will make a tremendous difference to the national need of an evolved and comprehensive strategic culture.