The role of military defence has been gradually shifted away from its primary role of providing security to enhancing commercial interest.
With industrial growth and advancement of science and technology, the defence production led to a market oriented producer- purchaser relation between the developed and developing countries.
The poor nation afflicted with conflicts became a super market for defence deals.
For the powerful, military prowess which was earlier synonymous with political power has become a trademark of economic power.
But restraining factors were at work.
The intellectual circle and the wisdom acquired from past experiences as also the active international diplomacy successfully taught the world community to disarm for peace and development.
The agreement to network for prosperity through friendly trades and to resolve conflicts through peaceful dialogues have been advocated vehemently.
The world community is now wiser and is aware of the bigger threat of survival posed by depleting resources.
They campaign for pooled resources through collective efforts to save mankind and the world from further depletion.
Resource is scarce and is even scarcer with rising population particularly in poor countries which are already afflicted with hunger, illiteracy and joblessness.
For these countries, the preparation for an impending war, which may never occur, is a sheer wastage of precious resource in terms of man, money and material.
History evidenced the worthless used of armed coercion.
If a stick is given to a hungry man to stop him from his cry for hunger, he will roar to bite you and connive with the neighbor to cause disaster.
Instead of using the resources to crush the anger, it would be wiser to use the resource to fill the hungry belly and teach the hungry man to grow crops to sustain his future needs.
The resources used for military purchase can fruitfully be used for peace and development.
The political compulsions may tempt the authority to take pride in the strength of the defence force.
The military men pride themselves as the savior of the country.
With due respect and regard to the defence services, I have a considered opinion to express.
I think military might is an outdated concept of exalting the national self esteem.
Recent history of military powers have evidenced the fatality of this approach.
The pride of the nation is in the human asset and any nation that failed to nurture its most precious asset will lose its national pride even if it owns the most sophisticated war weapons to erase the entire human race.
Big defence budget in the developed world may entail an economic investment return out of defence production and sale exports.
But how long can this go on? For poor countries, big defence budget produces a negative return, and hits the belly of the poor as his pie is taken away with every military purchase.
In the new age, the defence security trade mark will diminish as more focus is now on economic security and sustainability of the future.
The creative and innovative thinking to meet the future challenges will be a supreme consideration while war weapons will be valueless in the approaching apocalypse.