COAS Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag (front and center) arrives at Kashmir to inspect Indian Army units. (Photo : Indian Army)
General Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, recently inspected army units stationed along the volatile border with China at Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Gen. Singh reviewed the security situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and operational preparedness along the border with China with senior army officers at both states.
Army sources said Gen. Singh arrived at the Indian Army's IV Corps (Gajraj Corps) based at the city of Tezpur in Assam and was given detailed briefing by the top commanders in the region. A statement from IV Corps said Gen. Singh was briefed on the operational preparedness along the borders and other details.
IV Corps, which consists of three mountain divisions with headquarters at Tezpur, is in charge of the border with China at Arunachal Pradesh and is headed by Lt. Gen. Devraj Anbu.
Gen. Singh's inspection also took him to Srinagar, headquarters of the XV Corps (Chinar Corps), based in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
He was briefed about the prevailing situation in the valley by General Officer Commanding XV Corps Lt. Gen. Satish Dua. Gen. Singh also reviewed the security situation in violence-wracked Kashmir, especially in the four worst-affected districts in south Kashmir.
COAS visited army units stationed in the north and south of the Valley to get a first-hand account of the situation from the officers on the ground. He was informed about the steps to be taken to help the civil administration restore normalcy, particularly in south Kashmir.
Gen. Singh toured forward positions along the LAC in Kupwara district to review the preparedness of the anti-infiltration grid. He called on Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra later before heading back to Delhi.
The Indian Army has been steadily reinforcing units stationed at Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the likeliest locations for any future conflict with China.
The Indian Army will soon deploy a BrahMos regiment operating the Block III version of the feared supersonic cruise missile, the latest and deadliest, to defend Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims belongs to it.
Last July, the army reinforced units defending its border with China in the Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir with more tanks, troops and armored fighting vehicles amid an ongoing Chinese military build-up.
The Army deployed some 100 specially modified Russian-made T-72 main battle tanks along its mountainous frontline border in Ladakh, a key geostrategic region located along the LAC.
