A ceremonial border personnel meeting was conducted with Chinese military officials on the occasion of New Year. Tribune photo
Our Correspondent
Jammu, January 1
The Indian and Chinese armies on Wednesday held a ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) to mark the New Year at Chushul-Moldo and DBO-TWD meeting points in eastern Ladakh.
The Indian delegation was led by Brig HS Gill and Col Manoj Kumar and the Chinese delegation by senior Col Bai Min and Lt-Col Lee Ming Ju, respectively.
“Both delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment. The meeting reflected the mutual desire to maintain and improve relations at functional level in the border areas,” a Defence spokesperson said.
A cultural programme showcasing the Chinese culture and traditions was organised by the Chinese side. The delegations met amidst a feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and trust along the border.
A capacity-building tour to Delhi and Agra was organised for30 girl students from different parts of the Valley under the aegis of the Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps.
The tour was “flagged in” by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen KJS Dhillon on December 31. The 30 girl students were accompanied by two teachers and two Army officers. The tour had left for Delhi on December 19, an Army statement said.
“The aim was to provide the students a better perspective of the available educational and career choices, to expose them to the rich cultural diversity and history of India and to empower the girls with an exposure of a lifetime,” it said.
Lt General Dhillon congratulated the students on the successful completion of the tour and expressed his satisfaction at the learning imbibed by the students and encouraged them to make the best use of the exposure towards building a better future for themselves. — TNS
Pakistan shells border areas in Poonch in first ceasefire violation of 2020
The Pakistan Army shelled mortars along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, a defence spokesman said on Thursday.
The Indian Army retaliated to the shelling that took place on Wednesday night.
“Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector in district Poonch around 2100 hours on Wednesday,” the spokesman said.
Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday said the Army would lay equal focus on the country’s borders with China and Pakistan.
We stay away, we stay far away from politics. We work on the directives of the government in power. — Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff
“We have been paying attention in the past to the western front, but the northern front requires equal attention. It is in that context we are doing capability development and enhancement on our northern borders, including the Northeast,” the Army chief said after inspecting a guard of honour outside South Block.
On settling the boundary issue with China, he said: “We have a Line of Actual Control. The border question is yet to be settled. Progress has been made in maintaining peace and tranquility.”
On the border with Pakistan and threats from across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, General Naravane said, “Whatever threats we have, we keep analysing them. This is a continuous process. We analyse threats and act accordingly.”
The Army Chief termed modernisation of the force as one of the key priority areas. “We have a long-term perspective plan based on the analysis of likely threat. Threats keep changing and we change our plan.”
Army husband dies in Jammu; shocked wife commits suicide in Ranchi
According to the police, Maneeta Oraon, wife of Bajrang Bhagat, 29, committed suicide by jumping into a well at her village Channo, 40 km from here. Thinkstock
Ranchi, January 2
A woman shocked by the death of her husband, who was in the Army, committed suicide by jumping into the well on the outskirts of Ranchi on Thursday morning, police said.
According to the police, Maneeta Oraon, wife of Bajrang Bhagat, 29, committed suicide by jumping into a well at her village Channo, 40 km from here.
Bhagat died on December 30 at Jammu, where he was posted. His body was brought to the village in the evening on January 1.
The cremation was scheduled for Thursday. She was shocked with the death of her husband.
The woman’s body has been sent for post-mortem.
Maneeta married Bajrang two years ago. They had no issue. According to the villagers, the sister-in-law of Maneeta used to taunt her for having no children. After the death of her husband, she found herself helpless and decided to commit suicide, the police said.
Bajrang had joined the Army in 2012. He was transferred from Maharashtra to Jammu three months ago. He reportedly died after falling from the bed. Police have started a probe into his death. IANS
Hope peace along frontier will lead to border resolution with China: Army Chief
Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane inspects the Guard of Honour at South Block lawns in New Delhi on January 1, 2020. PTI
New Delhi, January 1
New Army Chief Gen M M Naravane on Wednesday hoped that maintaining peace and tranquillity along India’s border with China will lead to an “eventual solution” to the boundary dispute, and asserted that military capabilities will be bolstered along the northern frontier.
A day after taking charge as 28th Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Naravane also said that his force will give special attention to issues relating to human rights.
On the prevailing situation along the border with China, Gen Naravane said the Indian Army will enhance its capabilities along the frontier as the focus in the past was on the boundary with Pakistan.
“We have the Line of Actual Control with China. The border question is yet to be settled. However, we have made a lot of progress in maintaining peace and tranquillity along the borders,” he told reporters.
“I am sure that the situation will prevail. And by maintaining peace and tranquillity along the borders, we will be able to set the stage for an eventual solution,” he added.
The India-China border dispute covers 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.
Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
“While we have been giving attention in the past to our western front (border with Pakistan), the northern front also requires equal amount of attention. And it is in that context we are now going in for embranchment of our capacities along the northern border,” Gen. Naravane said.
He also said that the armed forces were fully ready to deal with any security challenge facing the nation.
“I am assuring the people of the country that armed forces are fully prepared to keep the country secure. We will not allow any harm to come to the country. We are fully alert round the clock. Our forces are fully capable of dealing with any challenge,” he said after a ceremonial Guard of Honour.
Gen Naravane said his priority would be to keep the Army operationally prepared at all times.
“This will happen as a result of modernisation. We will continue to build capabilities, particularly in north and northeastern regions. We will also lay emphasise on raising security awareness among our rank and file and also pay special attention to the issue of human rights,” he said.
In his 37 years of service, Gen Naravane served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. PTI
Won’t copy models of the West: CDS RawatROAD AHEAD New head lays down his priorities, as PM Modi terms his appointment momentous ROAD AHEAD New head lays down his priorities, as PM Modi terms his appointment momentous
Rahul Singh
rahul.singh@hindustantimes.com
New Delhi : India’s first chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said he would work towards creating theatre commands to prepare the military for future battles, adding that India’s armed forces need not necessarily imitate the models devised by western militaries for this. The three services are not in agreement on theaterisation.
General Rawat’s first public comments after taking over came on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the appointment of the CDS was a “momentous and comprehensive reform” that would help India face challenges of modern warfare and that the position carried the “tremendous responsibility of modernising our military forces”.
Theaterisation refers to placing specific units of the army, the navy and the air force under a Theatre Commander. Such commands will come under the operational control of an officer from any of the three services, depending on the function assigned to that command. Experts believe that theatres are key to the way battles will be fought in the future.
“I think there are methods of doing theaterisation. I think we all are copying Western methods and what others have done. We can have our own system. We will work out a mechanism. We have to study and work with the three services to come out with a mechanism that suits the Indian system,” Rawat said, responding to a question from HT on the Indian Air Force’s traditional resistance to theaterisation.
In April 2018, then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa disapproved of the concept of theatre commands, saying it would require the creation of more assets. “Compartmentalising will require more assets. We believe in one country, one theatre,” he said, pointing out the pitfalls of cherry picking concepts of western warfighting. Two former IAF chiefs HT spoke to also opposed the idea of theaterisation.
As CDS, Rawat’s mandate includes facilitating the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about so-called jointness in operations, including through establishment of theatre commands.
IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said the appointment of a CDS was a “big and bold” step. He said the onus was now on the three services to fully support the CDS and make the model succeed.
The government expects the CDS to bring about jointness among the three services in operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance within three years. Rawat said the objective could be achieved in the time-frame laid down by the government.
“I want to assure you, that the army, the navy and the air force will work as a team. The CDS will keep control over them, but action will be taken through teamwork,” he said, adding that he would be impartial in his new role.
New Army Chief says India can go in for preemptive strike
In a stern warning to Pakistan, new Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday said, “India reserves the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror, asserting that a new normal in the country’s response mechanism to acts of cross-border terrorism has already been emphatically displayed.”
Gen Naravane also said the Army would enhance combat capabilities along the border with China so that it was fully prepared to deal with any security challenge.
“The threat remains from both northern and western sides. Over the last many years, we have been concentrating on our western borders while our northern border was at a little lower in priority. There was a need to rebalance and reprioritise,” he said.
Giving a detailed brief on India’s security challenges, including combating cross-border terrorism, Gen Naravane said a strategy of “resolute punitive response” was put in place to deal with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, noting that the policy of “zero tolerance” would continue to drive counter-terror measures.
“If Pakistan does not stop its policy of state-sponsored terrorism, we reserve the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror threat,” he said. — PTI
We keep ourselves away from politics, follow govt directives: Gen Rawat
Newly-appointed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said the armed forces stayed away from politics and worked as per the directives of the government, amid allegations that the forces were being politicised.
Laying down his tasks, General Rawat said they had to find ways of doing theatre commands without copying the Western models and strive for completing the jointness and integration of the services as mandated within the three-year timeline set by the government.
He inspected a tri-services guard of honour outside the South Block where the three service chiefs were present. The CDS will be the head of the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA). The three services will be under the DMA for matters of military like procurement, logistics, training, transport and maintenance.
On being asked as to how will he complete the mandate of having theatre commands as the IAF, in the past, opposed it, General Rawat told the media, “There are methods of doing theatres, we need not copy the western system. We will work out a system of our own.”
When asked if India would retain its current 19 commands or merge them, the CDS said, “That is something we have to study. We will surely come up with a mechanism that suits the Indian system.”
On the government setting a three-year timeline for integration, is it possible to do it in three years or more time was needed, General Rawat said, “I will say it is possible. I cannot say we give up. The government has said three years, so we will strive to achieve it in three years.”
On the role of the CDS, he said, “I can assure that the Army, the IAF and the Navy will work as a team. The CDS will only keep control; it is not that the CDS will want to run a force on his own.”
On how he felt as CDS, the General pointed towards his new military cap saying, “I am wearing a peaked cap after 42 years. The last I wore this was when I passed out of the IMA. The Gorkha tilted hat is gone. This shows the CDS will remain neutral within the service and to all three services.”
The General said all three services could not work on the formula that the sum total of three energies translated into “only three”. The total of energies had to be much more, maybe five or seven, meaning multiplication, he added.
The forces, he said, had to have best economical use of resources as they focused on integration. “We can do training jointly. Procurement procedure can be made uniform.”
The US has congratulated General Bipin Rawat on his appointment as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, saying this will help “catalyse” greater defence cooperation between the two countries.
Gen Rawat was on Monday appointed to the post with a mandate to bring in convergence in functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force and bolster the country’s military prowess.
“Congrats to General Bipin Rawat” on his appointment as India’s first-ever Chief of Defence Staff, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells said in a tweet on Monday soon after his elevation.
“The position will help catalyse greater US-India ‘joint’ cooperation between our militaries as discussed at recent 2+2, including through joint exercises and info sharing,” Wells said.
Defence to defence cooperation between the two countries have increased tremendously in the last decade and a half.
However, the highest level of interaction between the two countries had not been happening frequently because of lack of protocol in the sense of absence of an equivalent of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The current position in the US is being held by Gen Mark A Milley.
The appointment of Gen Rawat as the first Chief of Defence Staff is expected to increase interaction between the top military leadership of India and the US. — PTI
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