A national military strategy and a security framework will be finalised very soon to effectively deal with security challenges facing the nation, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said today.

In an address at a defence think tank, the Army Chief lamented that the spending on defence is considered a "burden" by many in the country and the military is not getting its due share.

Citing China, he stressed that India's true potential will be realised only when both economic growth and might of the armed forces go hand-in-hand.

He said the country must look for new friends and allies to deal with neighbours along India's western and northern borders, an apparent reference to Pakistan and China.

Holding that a strong military is essential for India's forward march, he said the general thinking among people is that expenditure on defence "is a burden" on the economy.

He said a "very strong military" is key for the economy to develop and cited China's policy in this regard. The army chief also identified ensuring energy security as another important requirement for India to become a major power.

"While we are developing our economy, the military is not getting its due share. I think here we need to draw a lesson from China," he said, adding military and economic growth should be "co-joint" as they are two tenants of national power. India's defence budget for 2017-18 was Rs 2.74 lakh crore, which is 1.63 per cent of GDP. China's defence budget is close to three per cent of its GDP.

There has been a feeling among security experts and the defence establishment that the modernisation of armed forces is taking place at a very slow pace and that government has not been allocating adequate funds for it in the last few years.