Interaction between UK’s Chief of Defence and the Vivekananda International Foundation on UK’s “Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy”.

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On 21 April 2021, Vivekananda International Foundation members had a virtual Interaction with UK’s Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nicholas PatrickCarter, GCB, CBE, DSO, ADC Gen. The interaction was focussed on the Indo-Pacific security and UK’s “Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy” released on 16 March 2021. Gen Carter highlighted the salient aspects of the review and emphasized on the areas of convergence from the perspective of the United Kingdom.

The General emphasized on the challenging and dynamic strategic world environment and the how the strategic community in the UK has read them. The emphasis on understanding the methods which would be employed by adversaries in the future to achieve its strategic aims would involve all levers of national power and not only the military and one which is common across all domains would be technology. He highlighted the need for countries with similar diagnostic understanding of the situation would need to pool in resources to deal with the challenges in order to present itself in the future in a unified manner. The General also touched upon the challenges of climate change and health resilience especially in the Covid-19 environment prevalent today.

An informative discussion followed the initial remarks by the CDS.