New Delhi, Jan 11, TEN Network | Army chief General MM Naravane today said that allegiance to the core values of the constitution should guide “us in all times”. “As the Army, we swear allegiance to the constitution of India…Justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in the constitution should guide us,” he said at a press conference.
He also said that the focus of training will be on preparing the Army for future wars which will be network-centric and complex. It is the “quality and not the quantity that will be our mantra on training for future warfare”, General Naravane said.
“Men behind the machine matter the most. We will make sure that our men get the best and we will look into all their aspirations, needs,” General Naravane said at a press conference.
General Naravane took charge as the Army chief on December 31, succeeding General Bipin Rawat who is now the Chief of Defence Staff. He assumed the new role after he was appointed Vice Chief of the Army in September. General Naravane earlier headed the Eastern Command, which guards India’s nearly 4,000-kilometre-long border with China.
Referring to the border with China, he said the Indian Army is prepared to deal with challenges along the northern border.
Over the last years, there have been several incursions by Chinese soldiers, both in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. In 2017, the Chinese and Indian troops had a 10-week face-off at Doklam near Sikkim, as Indian soldiers crossed into the plateau to prevent Chinese road construction workers from extending a road to the strategic Jampheri ridge-line.
India considers the Doklam plateau an undisputed part of Bhutanese territory, while China considers it an extension of its Chumbi Valley, a wedge of land that lies in between Sikkim to the west and Bhutan to the east.
General Naravane termed the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff a “very big step” towards integration of the three forces and said the Army will ensure its success. “Integration will also be within the Army and the integrated battle group is just one example of that. But I also want to assure everyone that in this process of integration we will take everyone along. Nobody will be left behind,” he said. (NDTV)
