Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday visited Eastern Command and reviewed the operational preparedness of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
Sitharaman, accompanied by Vice Chief of the Army Staff, lt Gen Sarath Chand and GOC-in-C Eastern Command lt Gen Abhay Krishna was received at Tezpur Air Force Station by GOC Gajraj Corps, lt Gen AS Bedi, and other senior dignitaries of the Army and the India Air Force.
The visit of the Defence Minister is part of her familiarisation with all the formations of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is also her maiden visit to the region after becoming Defence Minister. Prior to this visit, the Defence Minister had visited Northern Command and Sikkim on Saturday.
The Defence Minister extended her good wishes to the Air Warriors on the occasion of 85th Air Force Day anniversary as she interacted with them at the strategically important Eastern airbase of Tezpur. She also reviewed the operational readiness of the airbase, seeing the Sukhoi fighter aircraft & other IAF assets at first-hand.
She later visited the Gajraj Corps headquarters where she was briefed by lt Gen AS Bedi, on the overall security situation in Assam and the Kameng Sector of Arunachal Pradesh and the operational preparedness of the Corps Sitharaman, subsequently visited Solmara Military Station, Tezpur where she interacted with the officers and jawans over a cup of tea.