1. Shri A K Antony, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Mr H S Bhartia, Vice President, Confederation of Indian Industries, VCOAS, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, Confederation of Indian Industries, SO-in-C, Army Cdrs, Senior Officers from the Defence Forces, Distinguished personalities, Members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen.2. I am indeed privileged to be addressing this gathering of luminaries from the Industry, Academia, Research and Development Establishments and my colleagues from the three Services who have gathered here to participate in DEFCOM 2009. It is heartening to note that the Corps of Signals and the CII have been able to generate tremendous participation and interest in DEFCOM. The seminar, over the last few years, has become an annual event of considerable import. Equally encouraging is the fact that the efforts of Industry and the Defence Forces are being synergised to optimise our capabilities at the National level.3. Transformation, as a principle, seeks a sustained, purposeful change, undertaken with the objective of creating or maintaining competitive advantage, or of countering an advantage put in place by a competitor. Advancements in the field of Information and Communication Technologies have ushered in an era necessitating change in the way we operate and function, whether it is in the domain of Business Process transformation or Defence transformation. 4. Transforming of an operational Army like ours will lead to new Military engagement concepts that are tapered to execute a broad range of operations dictated by our strategic compulsions. It will usher in changes in institutional and training facilities and will also make support structures and logistics more focused. The transformed force needs to be flexible, versatile and adaptable in order to handle the entire spectrum of conflict situations that are likely to arise, in our context.5. Transformed forces establish military superiority through the consistent use of information and knowledge. Transformation is, therefore more than just acquiring new equipment and embracing new technology, but rather, the all encompassing capacity of leveraging technology to refine our operational doctrines. It is, in itself, a process and not an end state.
6. The battle space is slowly but surely shifting from platform centric warfare to Network Centric Warfare. In order to maintain a decisive edge over our adversaries, our Armed Forces have to prepare themselves for operating in such an environment. A strong, robust and secure information grid is therefore a pre-requisite for this. The information grid must always act as a force multiplier and an enabler for the soldier as well as the Commander in the battle field. Such an infostructure, and the applications riding over it, will help us to achieve a high degree of information superiority, enhancing our capabilities in situational awareness, sensor-to-shooter linkages, precision operations, collaborative planning, and focused logistics. The need of the hour is for a seamless and almost real time dissemination of information across the tactical, operational and strategic domain. The capability profiles of the armed forces include command & control, intelligence, reconnaissance, mobility, precision engagement as well as survivability and protection. If these capabilities are to be achieved, it would necessitate a complete transformation away from conventional concepts and structures to capability-oriented units.7. There is no gainsaying the fact that the three Services have to operate in complete harmony to fight an integrated battle, which can only be achieved through a secure, swift, reliable and fail proof Information Network, encompassing linkages with all important entities of the three Services.8. It is, therefore imperative that the Armed Forces undergo a dynamic, planned and speedy transformation to enable them to apply information technology and knowledge to evolve superior military capabilities. Such a requirement will also demand a great deal of synergy and cooperation between the Armed Forces and the Industry at all levels. 9. The theme for DEFCOM 2009 “Informatics For Defence Force Transformation and Technology Development in the Information Age” is therefore relevant and futuristic. I am confident that this seminar will provide an excellent platform for the speakers, who have come from various parts of the country and abroad, to present their views and share their experiences. We look forward to the private industry and our PSUs to come forward with innovative, affordable and India specific solutions for transformation of our defence forces.10. In the end l would like to compliment the Corps of Signals and the CII, for having organised this seminar. I am confident that DEFCOM 2009 will achieve its enshrined objectives and go a long way towards enhancing defence-industry partnership in all fields. I extend my best wishes for the successful conduct of the Event.
Thank you