Defence preparedness itself our best defence: Arun Jaitley

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], Aug 27 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday shared the defence strategies of the country.

In India's current geo-political situation that poses multiple threats to its security, Jaitley said that "defence preparedness itself is our best defence."

The Union Minister was at Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad to hand over a long range surface-to-air missile to the Indian Navy.

"Indian navy has become the proud owner of yet another important weaponry in its armory," the Defence Minister said on the occasion.

Jaitley then went on to talk about the national security and India's defence policies.

"India has to remain prepared. Our defence preparedness itself is our best defence and therefore we need to equip our forces with all the support system that they require," he said.

He also said that there's no reason why the ministry shouldn't further expand the manufacture of support system to the forces that are required in India.

India's ever-growing and accomplished human resource along with it being one of the fastest growing economies, Jaitley said, has allowed the spending on science and research and also for national defence.

Another reason to expand defence manufacture for Jaitley is the increasing threat to national security.

"In the current geo-political situation, we are located at a place where we have multiple threats and to face those multiple threats our preparedness itself is our best defence," he said.

"It is extremely important that India's defence manufacturing policy itself needs to grow," he added.

Discussing the strategic partner policy, Jaitley said that the ministry is trying for the defence sector to be more sulf-sufficient and indigenous in areas where the country was entirely dependent on equipment being brought from outside.

"We are inviting Indian private sector along with our foreign partners to come and invest in India; We want India from a net buyer of defence equipment to become as much self sufficient and indigenous as possible and hopefully in foreseeable future, to also become a supplier to other friendly countries in the world," he said, stressing that this move will add to our defence as well as economic growth.

With the rapid change in the defence policies and advancement in technology, Jaitley said that the country's defence strategy "will continue to become stronger by the day." (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI