Indian Army, the second largest in the world, is well on its way to becoming a more agile, balanced and versatile force, Chief of the Army Staff General J J Singh has said.
"With the induction of state-of-the-art technology and increased technical threshold within its personnel while retaining traditional skills as its main pillar, the Army shall fulfill its role of maintaining national security and the core interests of the nation," the Army chief told the Jane's Defence Weekly.
"We are well on our way to becoming a more agile, balanced and versatile force," he said.
Referring to steps taken to improve performance, Gen Singh said adequate attention was being given to improve the night fighting capability of the combat support arms, in addition to making the aviation wing of the army more versatile by enhancing its capability at the operational and tactical levels.
Singh said the Army was laying special emphasis on revamping surveillance and intelligence-gathering systems and integrating them into the information and decision support mechanism.
Noting that the era of all-out wars is slowly being replaced by war by other means --
The Army Chief said: "The Army's strategic vision, therefore, envisages a balanced, optimally equipped and weaponised force."
Emphasizing that Indian Army is highly versatile, having experienced in operations across the entire spectrum of conflict and in various types of terrain, he said: "Its secular and apolitical nature is the bedrock of its strength and represents its true national character."
The main focus of our evolving concepts, restructuring and modernization, Singh said, was to prepare for the modern battlefield and to absorb emerging technologies to keep pace with the 'revolution in military affairs.'
Singh emphasized that irrespective of the advances in technology the man behind the machine would always retain primacy.
