War and peace are no longer two exclusive states, but a continuum, Rajnath Singh said

Full-scale wars have been replaced by proxies and non-combat wars over the past few decades, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday as he called for people’s cooperation to deal with the widened scope of security challenges.

According to Singh, unless the silos of the civil administration and Armed Forces are broken to deal with hybrid threats, the nation cannot expect adequate preparedness to respond to future challenges.

The concept of national security has broadened as various non-military components have been added to the more basic aspect of protection from military threats, he added.

He was speaking with the attendees of the 28th Joint Civil-Military Training Programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.

The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged more cooperation between the civil administration and the armed forces to bolster national security and address future challenges posed by the ever-changing global scenario.

He described the Russia-Ukraine situation and other similar conflicts as proof that the world is witnessing challenges far beyond conventional warfare.

“War and peace are no longer two exclusive states, but a continuum. Even during peace, war continues on many fronts. A full-scale war is lethal to a country as much as it is for its enemies. Therefore, full scale wars have been avoided in the last few decades," he said.

According to Singh, full-scale wars have been replaced by proxies and non-combat wars. "Technology, supply line, information, energy, trade system, finance system etc. are being weaponised, which can be used as a weapon against us in the coming times. People’s cooperation is needed to deal with this widened scope of security challenges,” he said,

He also stressed the importance of taking a "whole of the nation" and "whole of the government" approach.

According to the Defence Minister, with the formation of the position of Chief of Defence Staff and the establishment of the Department of Military Affairs, the government has begun a full-fledged process of civil-military jointness.

He stated that the actions taken to modernise the Armed Forces and create the defence sector 'Aatmanirbhar' have begun to produce results, adding that these decisions are proving to be beneficial in preparing the country for future difficulties.

Singh further said, "India is a peace-loving nation which does not want war. It has never attacked any country, nor has it captured an inch of anyone’s land. However, if anyone casts an evil eye on us, we will give a befitting reply."

In 2001, the Joint Civil-Military Program was established with the goal of developing a structured interface between civil employees and officers of the Armed Forces in order to promote a common understanding of national security.