From eastern airbase, Rajnath Singh calls for highest readiness

New Delhi: India’s armed forces must maintain the highest level of operational readiness to effectively counter any threats to national security, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, delivering his message from a key airbase near the frontier with China in the Eastern sector.

Addressing air warriors at the Bagdogra Air Force station, Singh, without naming any country, said the adversary avoids direct confrontation but seeks to exploit certain “vulnerabilities”, emphasising that the security landscape has become increasingly complex.

“Often, the adversary avoids direct confrontation and instead seeks to exploit our vulnerabilities. Through social media, the adversary may attempt to sow doubt in the minds of the local population and our soldiers by spreading misleading information,” he said.

“In such a scenario, your role extends beyond that of an ordinary soldier,” he said.

Singh called upon the military to “maintain the highest level of operational readiness”, with special focus on strengthening domain awareness, cyber resilience and information integrity to effectively counter emerging security threats, according to the defence ministry. – PTI