Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday stated that if the Government issues orders to include Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir as part of India, then the force would take appropriate action in that direction.

“There is a parliamentary resolution that entire J-K is part of India. If Parliament wants it, then that area (PoK) also should belong to us. When we get orders to that effect, we will take appropriate action,” General Naravane said on being asked if PoK can be part of India as stated by the political leadership.

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Briefing the media in Delhi, Gen Naravane said that “allegiance to the core values of the Constitution should guide the armed forces at 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.

#ArmyDay#APC

“Indian Army is a professional Army.We are for the people & by the people of #India.Our actions are for our countrymen.We function within the ambit of Indian Constitution & core values enshrined in the Indian Constitution”.

– General MM Naravane #COAS#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/c36uEeAW7o

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) January 11, 2020

Naravane further said that the focus will be on training the armed forces 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.

He further asserted that the Indian Army is much better prepared today than before.

On the Army’s operational priorities, General Naravane said that the short-term threat for the force is countering insurgency operations, while the long-term threat is conventional wars, which the Army is preparing for.

The Army Chief further reiterated for re-balancing the force on both Pakistan and China borders.

“Re-balancing is required as there is a feeling that both northern and western borders require equal attention.”

The newly appointed Indian Army Chief had on January 1 asserted that the Army will focus on the border with China with equal attention as it does on the Pakistan border.

“We have the Line of Actual Control. The border question (with China) is yet to be settled. We have made progress in maintaining peace and tranquillity. We will be able to set the stage for an eventual solution,” General Naravane had said.

The Army chief said that “while a lot of attention has been paid to the western front in the past, the northern front also requires equal attention”.

Further, on preparedness for a two-front war, Naravane said: “Wherever there is a primary front, we will deploy the bulk of forces. On the secondary front, we will ensure we aren’t found wanting. That’s why we have dual front task forces.”

Referring to the border with China, he said the Indian Army is prepared to deal with challenges along the northern border.

He said that six Army Apache attack choppers would be given to an Army unit on the western borders from where there is a greater threat from armoured columns.

Naravane also informed that there will soon be a hotline between Indian Director General Military Operations and the Chinese Western Command.

On the fratricides like the one in Iran (Ukrainian plane crash) and the Budgam IAF chopper crash in February 2019, Naravane said that the formation of an air defence command will help ensure that there are no fratricides as far as the Army is concerned.

Gen Naravane further informed that the training of the first batch of 100 female jawans has started from January 6 for being inducted into military police.

General Mukund Naravane has succeeded General Bipin Rawat as the 28th Chief of Army Staff.

He has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast in his 37 years of service.