Rajnath lauds army’s handling of the ‘current security environment’

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday addressed top Army commanders and lauded the force for the way it is handling the “current security environment”, in a clear reference to the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

The top Army commanders are carrying out a comprehensive review of India’s combat readiness along the Line of Actual Control with China as well as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a four-day conference that began on Monday.

The defence minister also said that the government will leave no stone unturned to strengthen the “arms of our armed forces.”

“Addressed the Army Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi today. I’m extremely proud of the initiatives undertaken by the Indian Army in the current security environment,”

Singh tweeted.

The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in an over five-month bitter standoff in eastern Ladakh with each side deploying over 50,000 troops in the region, reflecting the intensity of the confrontation.

Both sides held multiple rounds of talks but no breakthrough in resolving the standoff has been found yet.

“The Ministry of Defence is committed to facilitate the Army in their forward movement on road to reforms and help them in achieving advantages in all areas. We will leave no stone unturned to strengthen the arms of our Armed forces,” Singh said. Lauding the Army, Singh said the force has been successful in addressing several challenges to the security and sovereignty of the country since Independence.

“Be it the problem of terrorism, insurgency or any external attack, the Army has played a significant role in neutralising those threats,” he said.