Army Chief Bipin Rawat: 'Deeply committed to peace and stability'

Army Chief Bipin Rawat explained that India was deeply committed to peace and stability in the neighbourhood and would continue to partner with friends as done in the past on October 18. He also said India is now focusing on becoming an export-oriented defence industry. The Army Chief attended the fourth Defence Attaches's Conclave at the Constitutional Club of India in the national capital along with Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh.

'Deeply committed to peace and stability'

"We are deeply committed to peace and stability in the neighbourhood and also in the wider region. We will continue as we have in the past to partner with our friends, the concerns, any kind of emerging threats," he said. 

The Chief further stated the importance of ethics in the Defence industry and said India is one of the leading armed forces.  

"We are one of the leading armed forces of the world not only by virtue of our size but by virtue of our extensive combat experience, our professionalism and our apolitical nature. Because of that, we have very unique ethos," said the Army Chief.

The Army Chief Bipin Rawat also said the Indian defence industry is becoming export-oriented and the defence exports would also grow to Rs 35,000 crore in the next five years. 

"We are manufacturing weapons and equipment not just to arm our defence forces but we are now gradually becoming an export-oriented defence industry and our defence export which currently range in the region of just about Rs 11, 000 crores annually is set to grow to approximately Rs 35,000 crores by the year 2024," Army Chief Bipin Rawat said.

READ | Army Chief Bipin Rawat: 'India's Defence is export-oriented industry'

Next Defence Expo to be held in Lucknow 

The Army Chief asserted that in order to maintain peace and stability, the armed forces have to be capable to deliver the intent when called upon to do so. He also announced that the next defence expo is scheduled to be held in Lucknow in the first and second week of February 2020, where the defence industries supported by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and private enterprises will showcase their worth.

(With ANI inputs)

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