NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has been “considerably overstretched” countering insurgency during the last three to four years affecting the training of the troops the Chief of the Army Staff Gen S.F. Rodrigues has said.
Asserting that the Army should be “insulated from internal security commitments Gen Rodrigues said that the army’s involvement in internal security duties should be restricted to a supportive role and limited to the minimum possible duration.
In an interview to the forces newsletter Sanik Samachar on Army Day Tuesday the Army Chief asserted that inspite of the additional commitments the forces were doing their best to retain the requisite level of training proficiency.
“Large scale and frequent deployment of troops to combat insurgency certainly affects the training of troops in their primary role of combating external aggression and safeguarding the security of national borders.” Gen Rodrigues said.
The Army Chief also assisting the government in countering internal threats which were beyond the capability of the state police and paramilitary forces was also the job of the Army adding “therefore this increasing commitment of the army on internal security duty falls into place when viewed on a national canvas”.
Lauding the role of officer JCOs and men for the big success achieved during the year in countering insurgency in Assam and Kashmir the Army Chief said that ultimately there had to be a Political solution to these problem’s with a “spirit of accommodation having to exist on both sides within the parameter of national security imperatives.
Asked about the inflow of s0phisticated weapons to militants and whether this necessitated a change in the training program of troops arranged against them Gen Rodrigues replied that militants in Punjab and Kashmir had recently been receiving rifles with increased fire power an accuracy including the M16 and Kalashnikov series machine guns rocket launchers mines night vision devices and impulsive explosive devices.
The Army Chief said modernization of the army was a continuous process and efforts were always there to see that the jawans did not operate from a position of comparative disadvantage. He asserted that the Army continued to retain ascendency over the militants.
Turning to the supply of spares from the erstwhile Soviet Union for the frontline. Soviet equipment in use with the Indian Army Gen Rodrigues said:” At the moment the situation is rather fluid but we have no doubt that it will settle down soon so that we can continue with the traditional ties developed over the years”.
Asked about the movement towards induction of woman into the Army with decisions having been already taken to this effect by the Navy and Air Force Gen Rodrigues replied that the proposal to induct women into the Army had been approved and that the implementation would be effected within the shortest time frame.
Gen Rodrigues said the proposal envisaged the induction of women in the year officer cadre is selected appointments for a fixed service span of five years adding “appointments enable by women have been identified keeping in view the job requirements and the service conditions”.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 24, 1992
