Re-adjust military preparedness to meet new threats: PM
Thursday, January 08, 2009 21:09 [IST]
Warning of new terror threats from the seas, prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that the country needed to re-adjust its military preparedness and promised to work with the global community to ensure that there are no safe havens and launching pads for terrorists.
Against the backdrop of Pak-based terrorists using the sea route for the Mumbai strikes, he pressed for credible strategies to counter the threats faced not only in the Arabian Sea but also in the Indian Ocean.
The prime minister voiced concern over the marked increase in attempts by various terrorists and other groups to use the blue waters around India for nefarious purposes.
The Mumbai attacks have highlighted the need for heightened vigilance and response to asymmetric threats from the sea, he said.
"The sea is increasingly becoming relevant in the context of Indias security interests and we must re-adjust our military preparedness to this changing environment," Singh said inaugurating the Naval Academy in Ezhimala, near Kannur in north Kerala.
He said there was an ambitious plan for modernisation of the navy to make it emerge as a three-dimensional force.
The terror issue also dominated the prime ministers address at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Chennai.
He noted that the Mumbai attacks were a grim reminder of the grave threat posed by extremism and terrorism and that the country would not allow these forces to destabilise its polity, economy and society.
"We will continue to work with the international community to ensure that there are no safe havens and launching pads for terrorists," he said.