This is the recording of a talk I gave on China's Civil Military Fusion on 16 Jan 22 as part of the Institutional Dialogue at Chennai Centre for China Studies. The Q&A session of the talk was very interesting and thought provoking. The talk is based on an Article I had written earlier @ Civil Military Fusion an Indian Necessity . This talk also puts in perspective the gap between China and India in terms of Defence development, production, acquisitions and management. My article The Army Needs a Serious Rethink is specifically contextual in this environment. Strictly speaking, the larger national security and defence establishment needs a serious rethink.
‘Sir, will China invade us?’ ‘We hear China has increased activities on the border’. Chinese consolidation activities on the LAC have prompted such reactions and fears. Lot of such inquiries from citizens within and outside India. Why? Bodies floating down Ganga, mass graves, lack of oxygen, medicines or hospital beds, botched vaccination program, uninterrupted work on Central Vista - all these have eroded our political capital immensely and seeded such doubts. Our national institutions are being compared to ‘rottweilers’ in the media. Economy? Unemployment figures and stock markets – both rattling up. Strangest combination. Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. An ominous divergence which bodes ill. Leadership? Kis Chidiya ka naam hai bhai? National level paralysis in responding to the second wave. Erosion in comprehensive national power. Many have never experienced India being so weak. Nor did I for that matter. This frightening experience ...
Well spoken
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