NEW DELHI: Addressing the senior leadership of the Indian Army on Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the Army’s responses along the Northern and Western borders and reiterated that talks for the peaceful resolution of tensions with China will continue.
Commenting on the current situation along the Northern borders, the Defence Minister expressed “full confidence in the Army for any contingency though the ongoing talks for peaceful resolution will continue and disengagement and de-escalation is the best way forward.”
The Defence Minister also praised the efforts of the BRO, which has led to the incomparable improvement of road communication on the borders, both Western and Northern, while working under difficult conditions.
Referring to the situation along the Western borders, he complimented the Indian Army’s response to cross-border terrorism. Rajnath said “I compliment the excellent synergy between the CAPF/ Police forces and the Army in tackling the menace of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The synergised operations in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are contributing to increased stability and peace in the region and the same should continue, and for this I again compliment the Indian Army.”
The Defence Minister was addressing senior Army Commanders as part of the Annual Commanders Conference of the Army which began on Monday and will continue till Friday.
The main highlight of the third day of the conference was the address by the Defence Minister to the senior leadership of the Indian Army.
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The first Army Commanders’ Conference in 2023 commenced in a hybrid format on Monday. During the event, the Army's apex leadership is comprehensively deliberating upon all aspects of existing security scenarios, the situation along the borders and in the hinterland and challenges for the present security apparatus.
In addition, the conference is also focusing on issues pertaining to organisational restructuring, logistics, administration and human resource management.
The Defence Minister applauded the role of the Indian Army as “very important in nation-building as also in overall national development”.
Stressing upon the present complex world situation, he said, “Unconventional and asymmetric warfare, including hybrid war will be part of the future conventional wars. Cyber, information, communication, trade and finance have all become an inseparable part of future conflicts. War preparedness should be a continuous phenomenon and we should always be ready for unpredictable and uncertain events that may crop up at any time. We should always be honing our fighting skills and weapons technologies so as to act effectively whenever required.”
He complimented the significant contributions made by the Army in military diplomacy to further national security interests by creating sustainable cooperative relationships with foreign Armies. He also applauded the Indian Army for its effort in providing humanitarian assistance during its disaster relief mission, following the earthquake in Turkey, through ‘Operation Dost’.
He appreciated the Army’s collaborative efforts to develop niche technologies. The Defence Minister also stressed that as users “we must impose our faith in our own industries and technologies, which would in turn motivate the industry to produce the best as it would also boost self-reliance."
The minister also reviewed an equipment display focusing on niche technology, innovation, solutions for surveillance, artificial intelligence, training, robotics, virtual reality, operational logistics etc.