Army Chief General MM Naravane to review military preparedness along Pakistan, China borders

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane will carry out a comprehensive review of India's military preparedness along the borders with China and Pakistan as well as possible implications of the ongoing geopolitical turmoil for national security at a high-level meeting today. Senior commanders of the three services will attend the meeting being held at the headquarters of the Army's central command in Lucknow, official sources said.

The conflict in Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan are expected to be discussed in the context of their possible long-term implications for India as well as the region, they said. The sources said extensive deliberations will be held on ensuring smooth transitioning of the troops from winter to summer posturing in sensitive locations, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. "The Army Chief is scheduled to review the deployment of Indian Army formations deployed in Western and Northern borders while they are transitioning from winter to summer posturing," said a source.

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The deliberations on various aspects of the national security challenges began at the central command on Tuesday. "Senior Army, Navy and Air force officers are attending a series of discussions focused on reviewing the current international and regional environment with a view to progressively increase own capabilities through force level optimisation, technology adoption, induction of force multipliers, as also modernisation and improvement of infrastructure," said the source.

The sources said that operational readiness of troops and equipment to match the strategy and tactics of the adversaries are also being reviewed to respond to the emerging threats and challenges. India has been maintaining a strict vigil along the 3,400-km-long LAC for nearly two years after the military standoff in eastern Ladakh. During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Delhi last week, India pressed China to complete the disengagement process in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh as soon as possible.

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In the talks, India asserted that bilateral ties cannot return to normal if the situation in the border areas is "abnormal". After talks with Wang, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the frictions and tensions triggered by China's military deployments in the region since April 2020 cannot be reconciled with a normal relationship between the two neighbours.

India and China have been holding high-level military talks to resolve the face-off in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have already withdrawn troops from some areas following the talks. On March 11, India and China held the 15th round of the dialogue to resolve the pending issues in the eastern Ladakh region. However, there was no forward movement. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.

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