Second Line Troops, Use Of Drones: Top Defence Advisor On War Lessons For India From Russia-Ukraine Conflict

New Delhi: Primary lessons for India from the war between Russia And Ukraine, now on for over two years, relate to having a “second line” and the use of drones. Speaking at a function, Lieutenant General V.G. Khandare, principal advisor to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, pointed out that the war between Russia and Ukraine was “an artillery war” and in some ways, reminiscent of the First World War. “Your best troops will perish first. You need a second line. As for India, there are short-service officers and every year, 30,000 Agniveers will go out,” he said, suggesting that trained personnel will be there, if necessary. But different levels of technology are being used, he added, referring to the drones coming from Iran. This is a lesson India is learning. “Drones are potent and part of the war fighting methodology. We are looking at drones in a big way through the atmanirbharata process. Startups are involved in drone manufacturing and India is looking drones of different kinds with different payloads and secure electronics. It helps that we are manufacturing semiconductors.” Of course, going to war is national interest related and India has to decide for itself. The “best strategy is war avoidance without compromising on sovereignty.” He said that “diplomacy has to be robust and agile.” Lieutenant General Khandare (Retd.) was speaking at a function, chaired by Bhaswati Mukherjee, a retired diplomat, today. Other speakers included Ajai Malhotra, a former diplomat, who spoke about his discussions with President Mikhail Gorbachev, former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and Lieutenant General Raj Shukla (Retd.)