The Hindu : Military commanders to meet next week

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 13, 2002

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Military commanders to meet next week

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI APRIL 12. The bi-annual commanders' conference of the three Services will be held next week against the backdrop of the forward mobilisation of troops. The meeting will give the military-planners the latitude for major brain storming to fine-tune preparedness and future action on key operational and logistical issues concerning the defence forces.

Although the joint commanders' meeting, to be held later in the year — which is also addressed by the Prime Minister — is a bigger event, the April meeting assumes importance because the Indian and the Pakistani forces have been fully mobilised on the borders for nearly four months. The meeting will, therefore, enable the military-planners to assess the situation at the grassroots level after receiving the feedback from the commanders of all the sectors.

The commanders will also be able to inform the Defence Ministry about their familiarity with force multipliers and weapons being inducted at a frenetic pace. Supplies of the new T-90 tanks for the Indian Army have already begun while the Air Force is due to receive the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft. During his recent Moscow visit, the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, requested the Russian authorities to speed up the delivery of T-90 tanks and Sukhoi 30-MKI, which are slated to provide a "generational leap in air power.''

The Air Force is also due to receive the upgraded MiG-21 BiS aircraft. The defence forces have started receiving surveillance equipment such as long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and remotely piloted vehicles. The readiness of ordinance factories to respond to a war-like situation will also be assessed.

Mr. Fernandes will separately address the commanders of the Services. The Army and the Air Force begin their meetings from Monday while the Navy starts its deliberations from April 17, according to official sources. Discussions will last most of the week.

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