Defending his move to initiate disciplinary action against former military secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash in the Sukna land scam, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said it was the 'best course of action' he took after analysing the facts of the case and on the advice of Union Defence Minister A K Antony.
"There are projects already in the pipeline for ensuring the kind of night vision capability that some of our adversaries have. It takes at least three to four years and some of the projects are likely to fructify in the next year or so," Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said.
Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash, who is facing a court martial in connection with the Sukna land scam, has alleged that Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor had not applied his mind before changing his decision to initiate proceedings against him. He also said the fresh court of inquiry ordered by the Armed Forces Tribunal would help bring out new facts and clear his role in the entire case.
There has been no fresh induction of artillery guns since the infamous Rs 1,437-crore Bofors deal, under which 410 155mm 39-calibre field Howitzers were bought in 1986.
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor today "due action," on Thursday, under the Army Act against four generals allegedly involved in the Darjeeling land scam but said dispensing of justice will not be swayed by external considerations like "personal biases" and "media pressure".
Asserting that cutting age technology would be given to soldiers, for both policing the borders or countering internal unrest, Kapoor said soon after taking over from Gen J J Singh.
Israel's Army Chief Major General Avi Mizrahi is on a three-day visit to India beginning Tuesday to enhance the already-growing defence ties between the two countries. General Mizrahi, the Ground Forces Chief of the Israeli Defence Forces who flew in to New Delhi is scheduled to meet Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor later in the day, defence ministry sources said.
The terror attacks on Mumbai was a test of India's patience and the Army is ready to face any challenge posed by terrorism, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said today.
A top military official, Lt Gen Awadesh Prakash, allegedly involved in the Sukna land scam faces court martial with the Union Defence Minister A K Antony asking army chief General Deepak Kapoor to initiate disciplinary action against the officer.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani described the Indian Army chief's comments about the possibility of a limited war under a nuclear overhang as "irresponsible" and said "conflicts" between Pakistan and India could only be resolved through dialogue.
'In the absence of any further testing of nuclear warheads, it is essential to focus upon the associated structures of nuclear defence.'
Pakistan on Thursday said it was "disturbed" by reports that India could be preparing for additional nuclear tests and hoped a unilateral moratorium on testing would remain in place in the region.
The initial reaction to provide assistance to the quake-hit people was spontaneous and came from the grassroots levels of armed forces.
Against the backdrop of much-debated option of surgical strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan post-Mumbai terror attack, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has said that such strikes are "very much feasible" militarily.
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw's funeral did not receive the respect that a man of his stature deserved, feels Lieutenant General S K Sinha (retired).
Noting that infiltration attempts by terrorists from Pakistan will continue, Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Tuesday that the solution to the problem lies with the neighbour as it was helping them to sneak into Indian territory.
Sources in the Home Ministry said at least 60 attempts were made by Pakistan-based militants to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir since the beginning of this year, sparking "serious concern" in the government.
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Friday that Pakistan was continuing to push in militants from across the border into Jammu and Kashmir but the armed forces deployed there were capable of tackling it.
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor decorated former cricketer Kapil Dev with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after the latter voluntarily joined the Territorial Army during a ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday.
With intelligence inputs suggesting that terrorists were planning to attack India's nuclear installations, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor on Wednesday said Indian weapons were 'fully secure' and that there was no doubt about their safety. "As far as Indian nuclear weapons are concerned, I can assure you that whatever weapons we have, they are fully secure and there is no doubt about their safety," he told reporters.
After blowing the lid off the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai, Trinamool Congress MP Ambica Banerjee has now alleged that another defence land in the metropolis was given away to a private pharma company through a NOC from the army.
Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor on Thursday said that Haryana was a badly affected state as far as female foeticide was concerned."The sex ratio has slightly increased in the state recently. However, it is still adverse and more efforts are needed to improve the sex ratio," he said.There could not be stability in a society that did not have a balanced sex ratio, he added.The General was addressing the NCC cadets of Haryana.
Seeking to down play the Indian Army chief's remarks that all options were open for dealing with Pakistan, Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani today said there was "tremendous" public pressure on Indian government after the Mumbai attacks and insisted that there was "no threat of war".
As the operation to flush out terrorists in Mumbai got over, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday held a meeting with the chiefs of defence services and intelligence agencies to discuss the unprecedented attacks and ways to prevent such recurrences.
The government will name an under-construction complex for warfare studies in the Delhi Cantonment after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. "We have decided to rename the Param Vir Complex being constructed at the entrance to Delhi Cantonment as Manekshaw Centre in memory of the iconic military leader," Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Monday.
Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor on Friday said an upsurge in terrorist violence was a matter of concern and wanted nations and governments to come together to fight the menace.
"We have information that women are being trained on the other side to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir," the Army Chief said, when asked about the possibility of involvement of women handlers in the Pulwama encounter that ended with the killing of two.
Asked to comment on happenings in Myanmar, the new army chief said Indian armed forces had good relations with the armed forces of that country and "we are for maintaining these close relationships".
"The army is certainly facing shortage of officers and we will see how we can combat it. But if the government needs manpower in the anti-terror operations, we will certainly provide them," Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said, when queried about the army's manpower constraint and meeting the government demand for NSG.
Known for its stunning feats, the team from the Army's Signal Corps made it to the record book on June 11 this year when it successfully displayed its skill to carry 251 men on 11 motorcycles for a record-breaking distance of 240 metres.
As the government is busy preparing Budget, the Army on Thursday sought more funds for the force, saying this would help in its modernisation process.
Patriotism as a motivation for the youth was not so strong today as it was soon after the country's independence, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said, pointing out that priorities of the youth were very different now.
The terrorists exchanging heavy gunfire with security forces in Bhati Dhar jungles of Poonch are suspected to be from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, the army said on Wednesday, but did not specify any time frame for flushing them out.
Former Army Chief General K V Krishna Rao was on Sunday cremated with full military honours in New Delhi.
A soldier cannot justifiably demand faster, easier promotions based on frequent field tenures
President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday conferred Distinguished Service Awards, including 52 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, on 84 serving and retired personnel of the armed forces and the Indian Coast Guard.
Former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor on Thursday told a judicial panel conducting inquiry into the Adarsh Society scam that he didn't think that the high-rise would be a security threat due to its proximity to a military station.
Some terror camps in Pakistan have reinitiated operations against India which has conveyed its worries over United States military aid to Pakistan finding its way to terrorists, Army Chief Deepak Kapoor has told top American official, according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
Holding that the Adarsh Housing scam was a classic case of fence eating the crops and 'consistent failure' of Centre and Maharashtra government, the Comptroller and Auditor General on Tuesday said rules were bent to benefit relatives of politicians, public servants and senior service officers including former Army chiefs Gen Deepak Kapoor and N C Vij.