General Dwivedi will take over as Army Chief tomorrow, will have to focus on issues ranging from Agniveer to terrorism

New Delhi: The Indian Army will get a new chief on Sunday afternoon. The current Vice Chief Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi will take over as the new Army Chief. he/she is taking over as the Army Chief at a time when challenges have increased from dealing with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to dealing with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Along with the modernization of the army, a major issue in the form of Agniveer is yet to be resolved.

Change in Agnipath will be a challenge
In 2022, the recruitment process in the army changed and Agniveers are being recruited under the Agneepath scheme. According to the provision so far, 25 percent of Agniveers will be given the option of becoming permanent before the completion of four years, till then General Dwivedi will remain the Army Chief. A study is going on within the army regarding the changes in Agneepath, but along with this it has also become a big political issue. Especially this time, the form of the central government and the numbers of the opposition have made this issue hot and it is expected to heat up further. In such a situation, keeping in mind the needs and morale of the army, General Dwivedi will have to take a strong stand as the Army Chief.

Terrorism raising its head again
The terrorists’ conspiracy to spread terror in the valley of Jammu and Kashmir continues, but now terrorist activities have also increased in the areas of Jammu which were peaceful for many years. Terrorists have carried out many attacks continuously and the army has lost many of its soldiers. The question is being raised as to why the intelligence is failing and why human intelligence has become so weak that the terrorists’ plans are not even being detected in time. The new Army Chief will face the challenge of strengthening the intelligence and establishing the belief that the army has the ability to detect the conspiracies of the terrorists beforehand and foil them.

Management of manpower
The deadlock on the LAC in Eastern Ladakh has been continuing for four years. There is continuous deployment of soldiers there, due to which LAC has also become LOC in a way. The deployment of soldiers has increased not only on the LAC in Eastern Ladakh but also in the Eastern Sector as compared to earlier. Terrorists are getting out of control in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation in Manipur is bad. Amidst all these challenges, the army also has to reduce the number of soldiers. The government has a target to reduce the number of soldiers and there are challenges all around. The Northern Border will remain a priority but there can be no laxity on the Western Front as well. In such a situation, manpower management will be a big challenge for the new chief as to how to meet the needs of all the fronts.

Critical Equipment and Training
There is a shortage of some critical ammunition in the army right now. To promote self-reliance in the defense sector, a ban has been imposed on the import of many military equipment and they have to be purchased only from indigenous companies. In such a situation, it is a big task to ensure that the army gets all the necessary equipment on time. Because many times DRDO prepares the prototype of the product according to the army’s requirement but there is a delay in getting the actual functional product. It will also be a challenge to provide facilities to the indigenous industry so that they can prepare products according to the army’s requirement and fit their standards. Along with the changing method of war, providing new equipment as well as new types of training without delay will also be a challenge. Despite Pakistan’s bad economic condition, Pakistan is also modernizing its army at a fast pace.

How prepared are you for the increased threat?
China has recently restructured its Strategic Support Force and brought the three departments under it, namely Cyber, Space and Info Support Force, directly under the Central Military Commission (CMC). This will enable better monitoring of them and make them more effective. This will increase threat perception for India. The process of restructuring is also going on in the Indian Army. In such a situation, it will be important to see how quickly the army is preparing itself according to the changing threat perception. New equipment along with new strategies and new types of training for new threats… Indian Army should not be left behind in all this.