Defence unshakeable commitment of govt: Kalam

New Delhi, Feb 23: President A P J Abdul Kalam today described Defence as an ''unshakeable commitment'' of the government and said focus would be maintained on strengthening the Armed Forces.

In his address to both Houses of Parliament, the President said that at a time when new and unconventional threats to national security were increasingly visible, the government would maintain focus on strengthening the country's defence and the Armed Forces would be provided with the best possible means to do so.

The President, who is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, said the government was investing in modernisation of the Armed Forces and indigenous Defence industry to make them fully capable of dealing with existing and emerging challenges.

The Armed Forces had also been engaged in cooperative exercises with many partner countries and their performance had invariably come in for praise, the President said while asserting that the welfare of ex-servicemen was a priority of the government.

UNI