Modernisation of the armed forces and their preparedness to meet internal and external challenges will figure prominently during the four-day Combined Commanders’ Conference starting here on November 22. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the top brass of three Services and take stock of situation in the strategic neighbourhood including Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.
While the IAF and Navy are in a better position in terms of acquisitions, the Army is lagging behind as it is yet to get long range artillery guns, howitzers, assault rifles for infantry, missiles and bullet proof jackets for soldiers engaged in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East. The Commanders’ Conference will pay special attention to these aspects as the paucity of these critical weaponry affect operational preparedness of the Army, officials said here on Sunday.
Elaborating upon the seriousness of the situation, they said the Army is yet to get a new artillery gun since the Bofors guns were procured more than 25 years back. The controversy surrounding the Bofors procurement has delayed the acquisition of the state of the art artillery guns.
In fact, the entire deal for artillery guns and howitzers is more than Rs 15,000 crore and the Army needs them urgently after the Government gave the go-ahead for raising a Mountain Strike Corps to meet threat from China. Incidentally, the howitzers will be procured from the US through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route.
Artillery guns and howitzers are the mainstay of the Strike Corps (40,000 soldiers) to be raised at a cost of more than Rs 80,000 crore, sources said adding the conference will also take stock of the progress made regarding the Corps since the approval earlier this year. The Corps is scheduled to be raised in a time span of five to seven years with special focus on the North-East as most of the elements of the Corps will be trained and based there to counter China in Arunachal Pradesh.
As regards the Conference, officials said the three Services will apprise the Prime Minister about the present security scenario and status of their preparedness to meet any eventuality. The meet will also dwell on the security scenario post US forces pull out from Afghanistan next year and its impact on India’s strategic concerns.
China’s growing military might and its influence in the region and change in Army leadership in Pakistan with present chief Ashfaq Kayani set to retire later this month and its impact on Nawaz Sharif Government will also be discussed during the conference.