Declaring that the army will not relax its vigil in Jammu and Kashmir, new Army Chief General Nirmal Chandra Vij on Wednesday said troops would simultaneously assist the government in pressing ahead with its initiative for restoring peace and normalcy in the state.

After his formal assumption of office as the 21st Chief of Army Staff, Vij said the strategic relocation of troops now underway would be to place troops in 'maintainable positions' so that the country is not caught off guard.

Outlining his priorities for the army, Vij, a Kargil conflict-decorated hero and the Indian army's foremost strategist, said
emphasis would be on keeping the army in the highest state of preparedness to consolidate the gains of Operation Parakarma, the year-long forward deployment of troops on the Indo-Pak border.

Later, the General spoke to newspersons in Delhi after inspecting an impressive guard of honour by the smartly turned out men of the Dogra regiment.

On Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf's remarks that India would face an 'unconventional' war if its troops
crossed the Line of Control (LoC), Vij said, "No responsible army chief could make such a statement."

Only a few months back, Musharraf had commented that only a mad man could think of the use of nuclear weapons, Vij recalled.

Asked about level of preparedness of armed forces, the new army chief assured the people that the army was fully aware of its responsibility.

Disagreeing with assertions that army's role was becoming marginalised as the IAF and Navy took on a more strategic role, he said the byword in the present warfare scene was of 'total synergy'.

Armies and even nations worldwide were moving towards more tri-service integration, he said, adding in the present
and future context, all the three services had a specific role to play.

Gen Vij, a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva medal, said he would strive to take up welfare measures for soldiers as well as ex-servicemen.

He said from April one, the army would launch work on the new scheme announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to build 200,000 dwelling units for married officers and jawans at a cost of Rs 160 billion (Rs 16,000 crore).

The General said the construction work on the new premises would be completed in the next 3 to 4 years.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Vij has had a rich and varied command and staff experience in his almost 40 year career with the army.

After commanding an anti-insurgency Brigade in Assam and a Division in the Thar desert. Vij has the unique distinction of having commanded two separate corps for a period of three years, the first General after late Sundarji to have done so.

It was during his command that a major group of ULFA militants had surrendered in large numbers owing to intense pressure by security forces.

Besides insurgency, Vij's other field of speciality is military operations and during the Kargil conflict he held the key appointment of Director General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters in Delhi.

As commander of the Southern Command, troops from his formation won acclaim during earthquake relief operations in Gujarat. Before his elevation to Army Chief, Vij held the post of Vice Chief of Army Staff.