NEW DELHI: At a time when India has tensions along the Line of Actual Control with China, India's Army chief on Thursday reiterated the significance of land as a key domain of warfare.
General Manoj Pande said, "One of the key lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, I think, is that land will continue to be a key domain of warfare. Especially when there are contested borders like in our context."
He added, "The jointness and integration that we wish to or must achieve with the other services and other stakeholders are as important. But in my view, the land domain is going to be extremely important."
Commenting on the tensions in eastern Ladakh, he said that the last one year had been challenging but the situation at the borders is stable.
General Pande was speaking at the curtain raiser to the Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023. The event is being organised by the Indian Army in partnership with the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). The first edition of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue will be held on November 3-4 in Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
This event will carry out a comprehensive analysis of security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. It will focus on crafting a roadmap for collaborative security measures to fortify India's position as a ready, resurgent and relevant stakeholder among the nations of this region.
The platform aspires to meticulously analyse the multifaceted security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific and define a roadmap for collective security within the region.
Commenting on the operational situation, General Pande said, "The last year has been challenging yet satisfying. As far as the operational situation is concerned, it is stable and we have dealt with internal security challenges the way we are supposed to deal with them."
Highlighting the significance of self-reliance or Atmanirbharta, General Pande mentioned that recent conflicts reveal that security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the largesse of others. He noted that the Indian Army has been closely working with 340 indigenous defence industries towards fructification of 230 contracts by 2025.
"We are putting significant focus to leverage infusion of modern technology in the Army," he said, adding that technology is the new strategic arena of geo-political competition.
The COAS mentioned that the Indian Army has identified 45 niche technologies in the field of military applications. Underlining the importance accorded to niche technologies, the COAS highlighted that Centres of Excellence have been established by the Indian Army including 5G Test Bed, Artificial Laboratory and Quantum Laboratory.