01 June 2017

News Report: India Says Defense Preparedness Necessary for Peace in the Region

Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley has said that India’s defense preparation is the best deterrent to ensure peace and stability in South Asia, in an oblique reference to the Chinese warning to India to not develop the border areas after a long river bridge was opened for traffic.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — India has been developing its infrastructure and defense preparedness along the China border to increase its deterrence. Apart from that, India is also increasing its military capability along the Pakistan border. 

“Security environments are dictated by the neighborhood you have. Obviously, in view of the peculiar situation from the point of view of where we are located, our defense preparedness is the best deterrent which is certainly a guarantee for peace in our region,” Defense Minister Arun Jaitley said.

While giving a thrust to the indigenous production of defense equipment under ‘Make in India’, Jaitley stressed that increasing indigenous production base will help India to increase its deterrence.

“No country can win wars and battles on the strength of imported equipment from outside. Therefore, there is need for unleashing the full potential to make own equipment,” he added.

The Indian defense ministry recently approved the Strategic Partnership Policy to boost private sector involvement in production of cutting-edge weapons. This is aimed at reducing import dependency for defense equipment.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.