Strong defence posture maintained at LAC: Army Chief

Press Trust of India

Bengaluru: The Indian army is maintaining a strong defence posture along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and is ready to deal with any contingency, Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande said on Sunday.

In his address at the Army Day celebrations here, which is happening for the first time outside the national capital, he said the northern border region has been peaceful and steps have been taken to maintain peace through established protocol and existing mechanism. Referring to the situation along the western border, the Army Chief said the ceasefire continues at LOC and there has been a substantial reduction in violations. However, the terror infrastructure still remains on other side of border.

“Our counter insurgency mechanism is effectively foiling the infiltration bid from Pakistan,” he added. Pointing to the attempts to smuggle arms and drugs into Jammu and Punjab border regions using drones, General Pande said counter drone jammers were being used against such activities.The Indian Army with other security forces is committed to foiling these attempts, he told the gathering.

"Our focuses are also on building goodwill and carry out developmental projects through which we can bring the local population into the mainstream. As part of it, the influential youth are being given opportunities to fulfill their dreams in their profession field of their choice and sports," General Pande said.Alluding to the security situation in the North East, he said there is improvement in the situation.

The army has played a significant role in minimising violence. Many insurgent groups have entered into peace agreement with the government or dialogues in that direction are underway. According to him, there is an increase in development in these regions and the Army will continue its efforts to empower people and help them prosper in the remote areas.

On reforms in the Indian Army in light of the geopolitical situation, Pande said last year, changes were visible in the global security environment. The RussiaUkraine conflict has clearly proved the importance of disruptive and dual use technologies. "Information warfare, cyber and space war have emerged as the new domain of warfare.

The gray zone warfare too has proved that in the future war and conflict, non-kinetic warfare will be equally important as the kinetic warfare. Because of this, the battle field is becoming more complicated, fierce and dangerous," he underlined. Being an important component of the comprehensive national power, it is the responsibility of the Indian Army to be ready, General Pande said.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Atma-Nirbhar Bharat', the Army chief too emphasised upon indigenization.General Pande said that India is standing at the threshold of a new era where one can see the country's increasing dominance in the international forums, economic development and progress.

Accordingly, the country is witnessing the growing aspirations of Indians and expectations of the world community. Because of this, it is essential that the Indian Army be aligned and integrated to meet the national goal and objectives, he pointed out. Averring that there should be no hurdle in the national progress in terms of security, Pande said the Indian Army has initiated a major process of transformation to promote its operational preparedness.

"We are planning to convert our battle contingents into integrated battle groups, which will contribute significantly in our future wars. Old establishments and units are being disbanded or are being given new shape through appropriate transformation," he said.