Topic Of The Day :- “Imagining The Future”
We must also debate the character of future wars. A number of questions need to be answered. What will be the contours of a war between nuclear armed adversaries, and how will victory be defined if we want to remain below the nuclear threshold? As our offensive columns enter the Punjab province of Pakistan, what is the sort of conflict that they will face? Will it merely be a pitting of two armies against each other or a hybrid conflict also involving the local population, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, and criminal elements?
How will China achieve its political objectives through armed conflict? Will it be by a massive application of force across the Himalayan watershed or by exploiting its advantages in information warfare, technology and ballistic missile capability? What will be the psychological impact of long-range missiles slamming into population centres and killing people who would never have imagined themselves to be a part of the conflict? Will this be the real clash of wills rather than actions along the border?
It is necessary for the three services to sit together and find realistic answers. We must be prepared for a whole range of options from non-contact warfare to a full-scale war. Our ability to generate 11,000 sorties in an exercise or launch three strike corps into Pakistan are visible displays of our combat potential but may not translate into the best utilisation of force for all contingencies.
It is only after these discussions crystallise that we will be able to arrive at a common understanding of how future wars could possibly play out and the kind of joint structures that are required to best fight this conflict. We may not get everything right but each service extolling its own importance is not helping our ability to prepare for the future.
WORDS AND MEANINGS
1) contours
Meaning : an outline representing or bounding the shape or form of something.
Synonyms : curve ,silhouette
Antonyms : affection
Example : “she traced the contours of his face with her finger”
2) exploiting
Meaning : make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).
Synonyms : apply
Antonyms : misuse
Example : “500 companies sprang up to exploit this new technology”
3) sorties
Meaning : come out from a defensive position to make an attack.
Synonyms : raid
Antonyms : retreat
Example : “we’ll soon know if they sortie”
4) corps
Meaning : a branch of an army assigned to a particular kind of work.
Synonyms : band
Antonyms : connection
Example : “the Royal Army Medical Corps”
5) extolling
Meaning : praise enthusiastically.
Synonyms : acclaim
Antonyms : castigate
Example : “he extolled the virtues of the Russian peoples”
6) slamming
Meaning : shut (a door, window, or lid) forcefully and loudly.
Synonyms : bang , bash
Antonyms : failure
Example : “he slams the door behind him as he leaves”
7) salvage
Meaning : rescue (a wrecked or disabled ship or its cargo) from loss at sea.
Synonyms : redeem
Antonyms : abandon
Example : “an emerald and gold cross was salvaged from the wreck”
8) massive
Meaning : large and heavy or solid.
Synonyms : colossal
Antonyms : common
Example : “a massive rampart of stone”
9) conflict
Meaning : be incompatible or at variance; clash.
Synonyms : battle
Antonyms : truce
Example : “parents’ and children’s interests sometimes conflict”
10) resounding
Meaning : unmistakable; emphatic.
Synonyms : forceful
Antonyms : incomplete
Example : “the evening was a resounding success”
