Full faith in Army, but must brace for unconventional war: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Friday expressed “full confidence” in the Army saying the force was capable of tackling any contingency.

Addressing via video-conference the “Army Commanders’ Conference” being conducted in Sikkim capital Gangtok, the Defence Minister’s remarks came in reference to the present situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He said the ongoing talks for peaceful resolution (of pending issues with China) would continue at all levels. India and China have been locked in a military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since April 2020 and there have been multiple rounds of talks.

The minister said the present situation across the world was “complex and ambiguous”. “Unconventional and asymmetric warfare, including hybrid war, will be part of future conventional wars. This has been evident in recent conflicts happening in various parts of the world,” he said.

War preparedness should be a continuous process and the Army needed to be always ready for unpredictable scenarios that may crop up any time, he said. At the event, the Army’s top leadership deliberated on various aspects of the existing security scenarios, situation along borders and the challenges for the security apparatus.

Due to adverse weather, Rajnath could not reach Gangtok and he addressed the Army commanders virtually from the Sukna military station near Darjeeling. He is slated to visit a forward location to celebrate Dasehra with troops tomorrow.

Rajnath also virtually inaugurated a memorial in Sikkim’s Burdang dedicated to the 22 soldiers who lost their lives in last year’s flashfloods in the northeastern state.