'Strong posture' along LAC, prepared for contingency: Army Chief

'In line with efforts to enhance its operational preparedness, the Army has undertaken transformative steps,' he said

The Indian Army has maintained a strong defence posture along the Line of Actual Control and is prepared to face any contingency, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande said on Sunday. He was addressing a gathering during the 75th Army Day celebrations, held at the Madras Engineering Group and Centre.

While the ceasefire violations along the western border region have come down, the terror infrastructure across the border is still functional. The CoAS said the Army’s counter-infiltration grid has been consistently scuttling attempted infiltration from across the border. Counter-drone jammers and spoofers are being used to beat efforts to smuggle in arms and drugs through the international border sectors in Jammu and Punjab, he said.

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“With the efforts from the security forces, violence has come down significantly (in Jammu and Kashmir) but many proxy terrorists have adopted a new strategy, of targeted killings, to gain visibility. The army is resolved to foil these efforts,” he said.

Asked on readiness for future warfare, he said, "The utility of disruptive and dual-use technologies (as validated in the Russia-Ukraine war), information warfare in the form of cyber and space variants, and grey zone warfare have made wars more complex and lethal."

In line with efforts to enhance its operational preparedness, the Army has undertaken transformative steps. As part of a force structuring and optimisation initiative, it has lined up plans to form integrated battle groups and close or upgrade old establishments and units. “The force will be rightsized through modernisation and technological infusion. The idea is to switch from being a manpower-intensive force to one driven by technology,” General Pande said.

Aatmanirbharta se aadhunikta – modernisation through self-reliance –will be the new mantra, he said. The Army’s relationship with the industry is also seeing a shift – from “buyer-seller” to “partnership”. Niche technologies including AI, blockchain, quantum communications, unmanned systems and directed energy weapons are being indegenised.

While the first batch of male agniveers have started their training, the training for the women will start in March this year, he said.