‘Army gearing up for a two-and-a-half front challenge’

Priorities include multi-platform and multi-sensor real-time surveillance, long-range precision fires, advanced artillery, says Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi

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CHIEF of the Army Staff, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, says the Army is gearing up for a “two-and-a-half front challenge” amid evolving threats from China and Pakistan, as well as internal security and grey-zone challenges.

In an interview with Javaria Rana before demitting office on June 30, Gen Dwivedi says the LAC remains “stable but sensitive” and the security situation in the Northeast continues to improve. He also details the Army’s post-Op Sindoor transformation for future warfare. “The future warrior will be a human being amplified by technology, not replaced by it,” he says. Excerpts:

The challenge, as I see it, is not merely a two-front threat but a two-and-a-half front challenge. The Army must remain prepared for simultaneous contingencies along the Northern and Western borders while retaining the ability to address internal security challenges, proxy threats and grey-zone activities. This reality is understood and our force posture, planning and capability development are firmly geared towards meeting such contingencies without any dilution of focus.

On the internal security front, operations remain intelligence-driven and are being conducted in close coordination with CAPFs, central agencies and state authorities.

The situation in the Northeast remains stable with violence levels on a sustained decline and positive trends holding across the region.

The Army’s approach to such a threat is unambiguous: Maintain a high state of readiness on both fronts, retain the capability to respond decisively across the full spectrum of conflict and ensure internal stability. Whether the challenge is conventional, sub-conventional or emerging in the grey zone, the Army stands prepared.