Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat revealed that India had prepared a strategy to combat off the dual-threat posed by neighbours Pakistan and China at its borders.
Chief of Defence Staff, CDS General Bipin Rawat, said that India wants the Quad to become a system to ensure freedom of navigation and freedom for the navigation operation in the Indian Ocean and around. The CDS asserted that India is obligated to ensure that there is complete FoN on the sea as well as in the airspace above.
He added issues regarding Chinese economic cooperation with Pakistan in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, along with continued military, economic and diplomatic support, that mandates high levels of preparation and also poses the threat of action on the Northern and Western fronts.
He also emphasized adequate precautions to sure any misadventure by Pakistan is thwarted. They won’t be able to accomplish the mission that has been taken by them. Of course, these are not-so-subtle references to China, and Rawat’s statement introduces the idea of introducing a militaristic aspect to the ‘Quad.’
That’s is where things get interesting because even if the Quad forum goes back as far as 2006, the alliance has repressed from exhibiting a military purpose, largely because China has always viewed the partnership with suspicion. Indian thus far has also always been circumspect of joining any kind of military alliance that would choose sides between any of the world’s superpowers.
QUAD
Quad grouping consists of India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. It is an informal strategic dialogue between India, USA, Japan, and Australia with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
