It is a real pleasure to be back amidst you for the 44th Foundation Day of the Institute. The Foundation Day is an occasion for both – reflection and introspection. I congratulate IDSA scholars for doing a good job over the past four-and-a-half decades.

Since our last meeting, the quality and quantity of the work output has been enhanced. The research done at IDSA has been well-received by members of the strategic community for its content, objectivity and analysis. Thanks are also due to my colleagues on the Executive Council for their support for the Institute’s agenda for development. I express my thanks to the entire staff of IDSA. However, we cannot afford to be complacent and must continue to work with renewed vigour. We cannot say everything is perfect. There is always room for improvement.

The various commentaries and reports on the website have gained wider acceptance and visibility. The attempt to activate your defence studies programme with the launch of the Journal of Defence Studies and through seminars on topical subjects like defence budget, defence acquisition and civil-military relations, is particularly welcome.

I would like to congratulate the young winners of the IDSA debating Awards for their commendable performance. I once again congratulate you. You all are the future. A rising India needs bright, young thinkers like you. I am confident that participation of youth in debates on national security issues would encourage the youth to seriously pursue studies in related disciplines in the future. At the same time, through you all, I invite youth to join our Armed Forces.

I felicitate Dr Harsh V Pant, the winner of the K Subrahmanyam Award, for his outstanding contribution to the field of strategic studies. I also congratulate Air Commodore Arjun Subramaniam, who has earned an Honourable Mention for his work in defence and security studies. It is gratifying that despite a demanding schedule, a serving Air Force officer has devoted time and energy to pen well-researched articles for prestigious defence journals. I am sure that such recognition would encourage more serving officers to follow suit. We need more officers with a broader vision of the new challenges confronting India’s security.

Let me now focus on IDSA and our country’s defence and a few other related issues.

India’s profile is growing in the international arena. Other nations are expecting more and more from us in meeting some common challenges. We have been making sincere and continuous efforts to resolve long outstanding issues in our region. We have always strived for peaceful relations with all our neighbours. Even with a vibrant democracy and a prospering economy, we cannot ignore the security calculus.

Our Prime Minister’s willingness to resume the dialogue with Pakistan must be seen in this context. Pakistan must put an end to terror activities emanating from its soil. However, the terror infrastructure on the ground remains intact – and is actually thriving. Pakistan is yet to demonstrate any will to take speedy action against terrorists and international criminals. We need to closely monitor the developments in Pakistan.

We are hopeful that China will reciprocate the initiatives aimed at mutual trust-building and understanding. The increasing nexus between China and Pakistan in military sphere remains an area of serious concern. We have to carry out continuous appraisals of Chinese military capabilities and shape our responses accordingly. At the same time, we need to be vigilant at all times.

I am tempted to react. As a Defence Minister, I can’t react often. As the Defence Minister, I can’t support many of his views.

We have taken several steps for enhancing the capacity-building of our Armed Forces to meet new and varied challenges. However, we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of regional and global peace. It is here that a committed pool of strategic thinkers and policy analysts need to undertake quality research. We will need high-quality research papers and studies of on a wide array of subjects to counter information or misinformation campaigns. The role of organisations like IDSA in providing such qualitative inputs to assist policy formulation can never be underestimated.

Over the past couple of years, we have also seen how issues of national security and foreign policy have arrived at the forefront of public debates. As public awareness of such issues grows, the debates will only gain currency. In a vibrant democracy like ours, such debates are both natural and healthy. So I welcome more and more thought-provoking speeches and articles. However, to enhance the quality of these debates, think tanks like IDSA will have to play a far more proactive role by undertaking a thorough research and wide dissemination of their findings. As one of the premier think tanks of the country, IDSA will have to shoulder the responsibility in this regard. You need to constantly ask yourself whether your work is making a significant contribution towards improving the quality of policy debates? As President of IDSA, I am not the judge. The others will have to say that you are doing good work. You also need to deliberate on whether the quality of work is respected by experts.

In this context, I compliment the initiative taken by IDSA last year to produce valuable reports based on studies carried out by Task Forces of in-house scholars and outside experts on such burning issues as Climate Change and Space Security. I understand that similar Task Forces are also working on other issues like Water Security and Nuclear Disarmament. You must aim at an early finalization of these reports for the strategic community, as well as for the public. This is a vital requirement in a democratic polity, where governments have to take policy decisions based on informed opinions and at the same time, take adequate care of the sensitivities and preferences of citizens.

I once again congratulate the IDSA family for the Foundation Day celebrations. I urge all of you to redouble your efforts to fulfil the vision of becoming an Institute of international repute.

Jai Hind.