ladakh: New Army chief reviews operational readiness in Ladakh amid continuing military confrontation with China | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday reviewed the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness along the frontier in eastern Ladakh, even as the continuing military confrontation with China has entered the third year now.
On his first visit to Ladakh after becoming the Army chief, Gen Pande was briefed on the situation by top commanders, including Northern Command chief Lt-General Upendra Dwivedi and 14 Corps commander Lt-General Anindya Sengupta.
“The high level of operational readiness being maintained by the forces while undertaking a high tempo of capability development was highlighted in the briefings,” an officer said.
Gen Pande also inspected new weapon systems and platforms deployed in the high-altitude region, including all-terrain vehicles and Israeli `Spike’ anti-tank guided missiles.
“He will also visit forward areas during his three-day visit to Ladakh and interact with troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control in the most difficult and inhospitable terrain in the world,” he added.
Gen Pande’s visit comes at a time when there are still no signs of any de-escalation in the troop confrontation with China, which erupted after the People’s Liberation Army made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020
With over 50,000 troops from each side deployed along the frontier, along with heavy weapon systems, China has so far refused to even complete the stalled troop disengagement at Patrolling Point-15 (PP-15) in the Hot Springs-Gogra-Kongka La area, let alone discuss the bigger problems at Depsang and Demchok.
On his first visit to Ladakh after becoming the Army chief, Gen Pande was briefed on the situation by top commanders, including Northern Command chief Lt-General Upendra Dwivedi and 14 Corps commander Lt-General Anindya Sengupta.
“The high level of operational readiness being maintained by the forces while undertaking a high tempo of capability development was highlighted in the briefings,” an officer said.
Gen Pande also inspected new weapon systems and platforms deployed in the high-altitude region, including all-terrain vehicles and Israeli `Spike’ anti-tank guided missiles.
“He will also visit forward areas during his three-day visit to Ladakh and interact with troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control in the most difficult and inhospitable terrain in the world,” he added.
Gen Pande’s visit comes at a time when there are still no signs of any de-escalation in the troop confrontation with China, which erupted after the People’s Liberation Army made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020
With over 50,000 troops from each side deployed along the frontier, along with heavy weapon systems, China has so far refused to even complete the stalled troop disengagement at Patrolling Point-15 (PP-15) in the Hot Springs-Gogra-Kongka La area, let alone discuss the bigger problems at Depsang and Demchok.
