Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor took over as the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) on Monday.
Army chief General Deepak Kapoor on Saturday reiterated that the country's army was 'ready to act in the manner the political leadership wanted it to'.General Kapoor, who reached Srinagar on Saturday morning and visited the forward areas along the Line of Control in Kashmir to assess the situation, also met senior army officers."The tensions have come down with the passage of time," he said.
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".
"Movement of Pak troops has been factored in India's planning. We are keeping all options -- diplomatic, economic and, as last resort, fighting option -- open," the army chief told media persons. "There is no need for any kind of hysteria; there is no cause for concern for us," Gen Kapoor added.
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.
In view of the heightening tension with Pakistan, the central government on Tuesday rushed Army chief General Deepak Kapoor to Siachen Glacier and forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir to check the operational preparedness of the troops. He will be there for a day to interact with unit commanders and senior officers before returning to New Delhi after taking stock of the situation.
"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.
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.
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Tuesday there is no "trace" of Taliban in the country amid reports some of these elements have infiltrated but women are being "trained" on the other side of the Line of Control to cross over for terror acts.
"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.
Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor on Monday said that India would give a befitting reply to the Taliban if they indulge in sabotage in the country. "I would just like to say that what the Taliban has done in Pakistan is their internal issue. As far as we are concerned, we don't have any doubt that if the Taliban indulges in sabotage in our country, we will give them a befitting reply," said General Kapoor.
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.
Terror infrastructure in Pakistan is 'existing and active', according to Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor, who puts the number of terror camps there between 30 and 50. "Pakistan seeks to convey an impression that it is taking action against terrorists and their infrastructure but the infrastructure is still active," said Kapoor. Kapoor said there were some other camps which were not located along the LoC but possibly in certain other areas.
"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.
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.
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).
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.
The army chief said Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was active in the region. He said ISI may be involved in the recent bomb blasts in Guwahati and other places of Assam.
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.
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.
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".
General Kapoor, who arrived in Srinagar on Friday for a three-day visit to the state, inaugurated a boys' hostel in the frontier town of Tangdhar. General Kapoor said, "The passes are still closed because of heavy snowfall, and it is too early to comment on the levels of infiltration this year." He said that the army's role during the forthcoming state assembly elections in the state would be "limited to providing a secure atmosphere."
The Defence Ministry on Wednesday announced a major reshuffle in the top echelons of the force, naming Lieutenant General Milan Lalitkumar Naidu as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The initial reaction to provide assistance to the quake-hit people was spontaneous and came from the grassroots levels of armed forces.
If the government of the day would like to set in place a smooth and well-planned changeover and facilitate the incoming chief to chalk out his action plan well in advance, the announcement of a successor needs to be done early, observes Colonel K Thammayya Udupa (retd).
The experts also said China's military 'misadventure' may have been driven in part by President Xi Jinping's attempt to show 'gains somewhere" after the growing global criticism against his country over the origin of COVID-19.
Hundreds of army veterans, students and tourists took out a candle light march in his memory, with many voicing their demand for the death of the young lieutenant to be "avenged".
Not only do Modi and Trump's personalities overshadow the high offices they hold, the way they attack people and speak are very similar, observes Karan Thapar.
Centre clears eight new schools to bridge regional imbalance in the armed forces.
'While the meeting on December 6th was perfectly legal, was it ethical?' asks Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Given the present force levels, India cannot fight and win.' 'India can't hope to terminate the conflict on India's terms and impose the nation's will upon the adversaries,' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
'The BJP is no longer the BJP. It has become the Bharatiya Janata Poaching Party.' 'They talk of black money and here they are ready to pay Rs 100 crore to MLAs.'
A soldier cannot justifiably demand faster, easier promotions based on frequent field tenures
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