Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan today lauded India’s policy of self-reliance, recalling how ‘aatmanirbharta’ is deep-rooted in the country’s defence preparedness since 1944.
‘We have to find our own solutions to global threats’: CDS Anil Chauhan acclaims ‘aatmanirbharta’
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan today lauded India’s policy of self-reliance, recalling how ‘aatmanirbharta’ is deep-rooted in the country’s defence preparedness since 1944. He credited Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for visualising an industrial program for producing arms India would need for its self-defence. He was addressing at the Jawaharlal Nehru University on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
CDS said that for the armed forces, innovation is associated with defence manufacturing, and research and development. He highlighted that the threats and challenges which India faces are unique to itself; hence, it has to find its own solutions to those threats and challenges. He insisted, “Western concepts and Western weapon systems will only introduce predictability into warfare… We need to take inspiration from the Indian strategic culture…”
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#WATCH | Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan says, “When we talk about innovation or innovative mindset, we naturally associate this to defence manufacturing, defence R&D, et cetera… First and foremost, for the defence services, is to think differently because… pic.twitter.com/qEEfY2NLeB
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— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2026
The Chief of Defence Staff outlined Netaji’s early blueprint of India’s military self-reliance. He said, “Something like ‘aatmnirbharta’ was thought about in 1944… A classic example of strategic foresight was when he negotiated and secured the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Japan as the first bit of sovereign Indian territory, and named them Shaheed and Swaraj… When you talk about military preparedness, it is the ability of armed forces to anticipate threats and respond to them by conducting military operations. It will involve analysis of the emerging security environment, global and regional, including lessons from history….”
#WATCH | Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan says, “… He (Subhas Chandra Bose) visualised an industrial program for producing arms that India will need for its self-defence. Something like ‘aatmnirbharta’ was thought about in 1944… A classic example of… pic.twitter.com/72EP4FYr8O
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2026
CDS calls Netaji ‘classically a military leader’
Speaking at the event, CDS called Netaji ‘classically a military leader’ and credited him for creating a government, building an army, planning campaigns, negotiating alliances, and managing logistics for that army, demonstrating a close relationship among political vision, astute diplomacy, and military operations. For navigating today’s polycentric, unstable, and uncertain global disorder, CDS asserted that Netaji’s policy of assertive diplomacy and strategic realism is more relevant for India today than ever.
However, he highlighted that the full impact of the INA (Indian National Army)’s achievements on India’s independence movement is yet to be recognised.
CDS General Anil Chauhan explained that a combination of economic security, environmental security, energy security, information security, and cyber security ensures comprehensive national security. He further pinpointed the significant contribution of astute diplomacy and statecraft, grounded in a good understanding of the geopolitical situation at both the global and regional levels to building the country’s defence preparedness.
He said, “For example, it requires diplomatic creativity and imagination to be part of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), the BRICS, and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) simultaneously. Such friendships and multiple groupings are required to secure a nation. To counter the influence of BRI and to secure India’s long-term strategic interests, trade interests, or economic interests, India became part of a multinational India-Middle East Europe economic corridor. That is taking a long-term view of how you secure your economic future….”
#WATCH | Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan says, “… A comprehensive national security would be a combination of economic security, environmental security, energy security, information security, cyber security and so on… It is achieved through astute diplomacy… pic.twitter.com/vMJM8vMiHN
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2026
Referring to his book about national security, General Anil Chauhan said that he visualizes national security as three concentric circles in which the outermost circles address the problem, how do you secure a nation?; a subset of that is middle circle, which identifies itself with the problem, how do you defend your nation?; and the inner core of it, the smallest circle inside it, is about the military preparedness of a nation.
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