New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Thursday that the armed forces and its medical services have to be on the forefront of combating the threat of bio-terrorism.

Singh was speaking at the inaugural session of the First SCO Conference on Military Medicine.

"I would like to underline the importance of building capabilities to deal with the menace of bio-terrorism. Bio-terror is a real threat today. It breaks out as a contagious plague and the armed forces and its medical services have to be at the forefront of combating this menace," said Singh.

The conference is the first military cooperation event to be organised in India under the SCO after it joined the organisation in 2017. The two-day conference is being held in accordance with the SCO Defence Cooperation Plan 2019-20.

"The ever advancing battlefield technology has imposed a vast array of previously unrecognized challenges. Newer and non-conventional formats of warfare have further added to the complexity of existing challenges," he said.

During the conference, Indian armed forces will demonstrate the Rapid Action Medical Team and organise a guided tour for delegations of military medicine experts from various participating member nations to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi.

"The threat of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare further adds to the complexity of the situation. The medical professionals of the armed forces are probably uniquely equipped to deal with these deadly challenges. The medical services of the armed forces are expected to play a vital role in identifying these challenges, defining the limits of human tolerance and suggesting strategies to mitigate the adverse health effects of such environments," added Singh.