Army chief pushes for fast track mode of acquistion

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said that the armed forces, in the present complex environment, should be well prepared for conventional warfare.
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat.(File| PTI)
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat.(File| PTI)

NEW DELHI: While pushing for fast track mode of military acquisitions, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said that the armed forces, in the present complex environment, should be well prepared for conventional warfare along the country’s borders. However, after the last September’s surgical strike, ministry of defence has put several defence acquisitions on fast track mode.  

While at an event in national Army Chief maintained that in the present complex environment, technology is imbibed by the Armed Forces in a manner that will rapidly keep pace with the changing technologies before they become obsolete.

“But for that to happen it is important that we are able to identify the correct type of technology and equipment that is to be inducted into the Armed Forces”, he stated.

Gen. Rawat further emphasized that the Army has to keep pace with the digitized world and ensure that most of its systems are digitised as early as possible. At the same time it has to be remembered that war will be fought on the border and therefore the technology to be incorporated into the Army’s communication system has to be ruggedized and light weight.

Army chief, while avoiding to name any immediate enemy for the nation, has said that India will continue to face conventional or non-traditional forms of warfare and the armed forces will have to be ready to deal with any such challenge. He also said that communication technology for the armed forces must be simple, light-weight and easy to maintain as they will be required for wars on the borders, he said adding the technology must work in extreme weather conditions.

Referring to social media, the army chief said the "adversaries" appeared to be taking advantage of it.

He also talked about the need for having proper encryption mechanism, both for voice and data, for communication network for the armed forces.

Addressing armed forces concerns, junior minister in the defence ministry  Subhash Bhamre said the government was committed to fulfil requirements of the armed forces and that information technology can act as a force multiplier.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com