Embracing Technology: The New Currency of Security and Trade

COAS Gen Upendra Dwivedi underscores technology's role in national security, labeling it as the new deterrence currency. At Gen Bipin Rawat’s Memorial Lecture, he emphasized military-civil fusion, India's global alliances, and its leadership in peacekeeping as central to a multi-polar world order.

General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, emphasized the growing significance of technological advancement in national security by stating it has become the new currency for deterrence. During the fourth General Bipin Rawat Memorial Lecture in Delhi, he expressed how data has also turned into a pivotal asset in both trade and security.

General Dwivedi remarked that comprehensive capabilities, including an integrated military-civil framework, and an autonomous defense industrial base, are essential for national security. He also stressed on the necessity for dual-use assets at a national scale and the empowerment of decision-makers.

Highlighting India's strategic role, he suggested multi-nation cooperation to prevent conflicts and urged for India's engagement in international frameworks like SCO, BRICS and BIMSTEC. Dwivedi also advocated reforms in the UN Security Council to include representatives of the global South, promoting conflict resolution, humanitarian efforts, and peacekeeping operations.

He further elaborated on India's potential to lead global negotiations, harnessing the diaspora for humanitarian initiatives, and emphasized on advocating for nuclear restraint. Affirming the Indian Army's commitment, he emphasized its role in regional conflicts and global anti-terrorism efforts.

(With inputs from agencies.)