Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 3: India is seeing the beginnings of future conflicts, and its adversaries will keep working to achieve their strategic goals, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said today as he discussed national security threats posed by China and Pakistan.
In an online lecture, he stated that India faces “unique, substantial and multi-domain” security problems, and that recent events on the northern border have amply demonstrated the need for ready and effective soldiers.
The Chief of Army Staff, without identifying China or Pakistan, stated that disputed boundaries with nuclear-capable neighbours, combined with state-sponsored proxy war, were straining the security infrastructure and resources.
“We are witnessing trailers of future conflicts. These are being enacted daily on the information battlefield, in the networks and cyberspace. They are also being played along unsettled and active borders,” he said.
“It is for us now to visualise the battlefield contours of tomorrow based on these trailers. If you look around, you will realise the reality of today,” he said.
The Army Chief stated that the recent events on the country’s northern frontiers have amply demonstrated the need for ready and capable forces with an optimal component of boots on the ground backed by modern technology in order to maintain the country’s sovereignty and integrity.
“Our adversary shall continue with their efforts to achieve their strategic aims…sort of conflict by use of grey zone activities in the political, military and economic domains, and do so in a collusive manner,” he said.
Referring to the eastern Ladakh face-off he said, “The events of 2020 have been testimony to the diversity of security threats in all domains and this has brought the spotlight towards non-contact and grey zone warfare. We need to augment capabilities in both non-contact and contact modes of warfare.”
He also noted that some countries are undermining globally accepted norms and the rules-based system, with a veiled reference to China.
The Army is working on reforming, rebalancing, and reorienting its forces, according to Gen Naravane, and the process has already begun.
“We are further consolidating our operational experiences to these changes and this shall remain a work in progress,” he added.
