The Indian Army organised the 2nd edition of General SF Rodrigues Memorial Seminar at Pune, to pay tribute to the late Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), on 19th September 2024. The Keynote Address was delivered by Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth. The Seminar was based on the theme ‘National Security @2047’ and included deliberations on critical aspects in the form of Fireside Chat Sessions on ‘Audit of India’s Defence Posture’ in session one and ‘Armit Kaal-The Road Ahead (Blueprint on Capacity Building)’ in session two.
Lieutenant General Seth during his keynote address reminisced the Late General S F Rodrigues, 15th COAS and former Governor of Punjab, while mentioning about his contributions in modernising the Indian Army, induction of women in Short Service commission and vigorous push to the UN Mission’s strength underscoring the military diplomacy. He alluded on the changing geopolitical landscape, diffused global response and differing international rule-based order. Striking a balance between national interests and global responsibility, India is manoeuvring between power play and adversarial competition. India has made major reforms to strengthen the Higher Defence Management and its defence capabilities. He highlighted that theatreisation is an impending reality and one that is likely to manifest sooner than later. New organisations like Space and Cyber commands are steps in the right direction. The military, as a crucial pillar of national security, must evolve into an inclusive, multi-domain, multi-dimensional force beyond the current single-service, single-domain focus. Economically, we have embarked on a journey to self-reliance for a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Investing in future technologies, research, and development remains vital for achieving self-reliance in critical areas and creating an India-centric and India-dependent region, particularly within the Indo-Pacific framework. India must emerge as a stable, secure, mature, and inclusive alternative power.
The speakers for the session one included Lieutenant General Sunil Srivastava (Retired), Lieutenant General Rajeev Sirohi (Retired), and Dr Tara Kartha; Lieutenant General Subrata Saha (Retired) was the Chair for the session. Enlightening perspectives on India’s defence posture and the establishment of new normal in the strategic outlook and stature in diplomatic, economic, and securities spheres were shared by the panellists.
In the second session, discussions were held on the blueprint for capacity building, including strategic collaborations and international relations. The session also included an interesting discussion on the dynamic military landscape of the country and its neighbourhood. This session was chaired by Lieutenant General Raj Shukla (Retired), and the speakers included Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired), Mr Jayadeva Ranade and Major General Rajiv Narayanan (Retired).
Both the sessions were followed by an interactive question and answer session where the panellists answered queries from the attendees and also allowed them to share their perspectives. The seminar also included a special address on Atma Nirbharta.
The issues were deliberated comprehensively to generate implementable options from the military, economic and diplomatic perspectives. The event also had a large attendance of esteemed Veterans, who, drawing from their varied and diverse experience, contributed meaningfully to the Seminar. Lieutenant General Adosh Kumar, Director General of Artillery and Senior Colonel Commandant, Regiment of Artillery delivered the concluding remarks and ‘Vote of Thanks’ on culmination of the memorable event.
