The number of Chinese troops across the Eastern border has witnessed a slight increase, but the Indian Army has enough reserves to deal with any contingency.
At the annual media interaction ahead of the Army Day on Jan 15, the Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said that the situation along the northern borders Line of Actual Control (LAC) is stable but unpredictable. “”The troops that came for training have remained,” he said.
In his opening remarks the chief said that five of the seven friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh that were on the table have been resolved. “We are talking both at the military and diplomatic levels. And, we have enough reserves to deal with any contingency,” he said.
Responding to a media query on the challenges for the Indian Army, he stated that “situation along the northern borders” is one of the challenges. “We have been able to manage the situation in a firm and resolute manner. Adding, “We have been able to prevent attempts by our adversary (read China) to unilaterally change the Status Quo. And are keeping a watch with all our surveillance resources on the northern border” he said.
The Indian Army has enough troops to cater to any contingency on the northern border, the chief told the media persons. According to him the Army has made some modifications on the deployment in that region.
Infrastructure around Doklam
On a question related to the PLA infrastructure around Doklam which is adjacent to Bhutan, Gen Pande said that a close watch was being kept on all activities by the Indian Army. And without going into specifics he stated that a `close watch’ was being kept on Doklam and all activities were being monitored that were taking place there. He went on to assure that the Army is fully prepared to respond in case there is a situation of an armed conflict with India’s adversaries.
In eastern Ladakh the chief said there has been a marked improvement in infrastructure and by the year end for round-the-year connectivity to Ladakh the tunnel under the Zoji La would become operational.
Infiltration
In 2022, the Indian Army was able to foil several infiltration attempts by terrorists.
According to the chief in 2022 the infiltration came down significantly, and sharing details he said that 12 infiltration attempts in Jammu & Kashmir were made and 18 infiltrators were killed by the Army. “Since our counter infiltration grid has been strong and effective, the focus of our adversary is on the south of Pir Panjal,” said the chief.
Adding that there have been cases of weapons and explosives being dropped and these attempts have jointly been foiled by the Army and Border Security Force (BSF). The army has procured drone jammers and the army has found its efficacy to be good.
To spread terror in Jammu and Kashmir, the army chief said that neighbouring Pakistan has been trying to conduct targeted killings of minorities. And the Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have both increased their deployment.
Women in Artillery Regiment
He said that a proposal has been sent to the government to include women officers in the Artillery Regiment and expressed hope that it will be accepted.
Agniveer/Agnipath
On a question related to Agniveers, Gen Pande said that the level of enthusiasm, motivation and physical fitness of the first batch has been positive.
Joshimath
Cracks have developed in around 27 Army buildings in Joshimath. However, the chief said that the situation has not impacted the Army’s access to forward areas. And if there is a requirement the Army is ready to extend its help to the local administration.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Impact on maintenance of equipment & Lesson Learnt
Assessment has been carried out of the impact the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war will have on the weapon systems and platforms. “We have got the waiver to procure spares and ammunition. There are 40 such cases – largely Air Defence Systems and Tank Fleet. And the Army is already looking at the alternate sources of supply.’’
Lessons Learnt” the chief said that the Army has carried out an assessment on the conflict and lessons from it “in our context” which will be “incorporated in a larger weapon platform”.
2023 year of transformation
This year will be a year of transformation, the army chief said.
Modernisation
The Indian Army plans to have almost 45 percent state of the art technology by and 35 percent will be current technology.
“There is 45 percent vintage equipment; 41 percent of the equipment is current technology and some 12 to 15 percent are state-of-the-art,” said the chief.