NEW DELHI, Sept 30: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday underlined that tri-services integration in India is not merely a matter of policy but a matter of survival in the current fast changing security environment.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF), Singh said the synergy displayed during Operation Sindoor between May 7 and 10 stood as a “living example” of jointness delivering decisive results.
He highlighted how the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System, the Army’s Akashteer air defence system, and the Navy’s Trigun platform worked together to form a unified, real-time operational backbone. “This empowered commanders to make timely decisions, enhanced situational awareness, and reduced the risk of fratricide,” Singh said, adding that such integration must set the benchmark for future operations.
The defence minister stressed that the path to true jointness lies in dialogue, understanding and respect for service traditions, while also acknowledging the challenges faced by each force. “While each service has the capacity to respond independently, the interconnected nature of land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace makes collaborative strength the guarantor of victory,” he said.
Recalling the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Kolkata earlier this year, Singh noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had underscored the importance of integration among the three services.
He observed that decades of compartmentalisation had kept valuable operational knowledge confined within individual services. “This approach must give way to open sharing and collective learning. Threats today are complex and no single service can succeed in isolation,” Singh remarked.
The minister concluded by urging the armed forces to make jointness and interoperability the cornerstone of India’s national security strategy in the face of evolving traditional and non-traditional threats.