Armed forces need innovation to flow like rivers, not stagnant lakes: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday stressed the need for maintaining the traditions of the armed forces while adopting innovation and said there has to be a balance between both of them.

Addressing the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) at the Air Force Academy at Dundigul near here, Singh urged the newly commissioned officers to never lose their openness towards new ideas, innovative thinking and idealism.

He exhorted the officers to give due importance to tradition in the Armed Forces, terming it as time-tested, but pointed out that if tradition is followed for a long time without thinking, then a state of “inertia or ossification” occurs in the system. To avoid this situation and keep pace with the constantly-evolving times, there is a need to innovate.

The Defence Minister called for striking a balance between tradition and innovation, describing it as extremely crucial. “Strike a balance between tradition and innovation to keep pace with constantly-evolving times. If we follow only tradition, we will be like a dead lake. We need to be like a flowing river. For that, we will have to bring in innovation along with tradition. Keep flying and touch greater heights, but maintain your connection with the ground,” he said. Earlier, the Defence Minister was received by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.