India needs to be ready for short wars, says army chief

Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh on Tuesday accused Pakistan of using "new methods" for creating unrest in Jammu and Kashmir and said that recent incidents of terrorist violence were clear pointers towards its attempts to extend the arc of violence to other areas.

He said that the commitment of his force has increased in scope and intensity in the past few years.

"(Because of) the frequency of ceasefire violation and infiltration bids by our western neighbour, the border remains live and active," he said adding that ‘new methods’ continue to be employed to create unrest in J&K. Recent incidents of terrorist violence are clear pointers...to extend this arc of violence to other areas," he said.

Gen Singh, who was addressing a tri-services seminar in New Delhi on the 1965 Indo-Pak war, said the Indian military was "acutely aware" that "swift, short nature of future wars" are likely to offer limited warning time.

"The 1965 war is a saga of raw courage, extraordinary greatness and dogged determination of the Indian military. Most prominently, the Indian Army delivered a blow to Pakistan across the entire western front. The war settled many negative myths, restored confidence and laid the ground work for the spectacular victory in 1971 six years later," he said.

He also praised the contribution of the civil population during the war and how the public support was highly important to the troops.

"There was overwhelming support from the civil population. Breaking caste and communal barriers, people, plunged into civil defence work. Cheering crowds saw marching troops to the fronts, as patriotism swept across the country. This immense public support was highly important to the troops, as it strengthened the bond between civil society and the army," General Dalbir Singh recalled.

"This calls for maintaining very high levels of operational preparedness at all times, something that has now become inherent in our operational strategy," he said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who also spoke on the event, said the security situation is more complex and nuanced than earlier and called for round-the-clock vigilance.

"The security environment today is complex, nuanced compared to earlier. Therefore, we need to be vigilant taking into account all dimension so that all emerging challenges are suitably addressed," Parrikar said.

"A cursory analysis of 1965 war highlights the fact that the entire military establishment of the nation needs to constantly refine its capabilities in order to ensure counter to any hostile environment," he said.

The minister also said that school textbooks should include stories of valour from the war so that this generation gets to know about the sacrifices rendered by the soldiers.

Both he and the army chief said that the 1965 war had dealt a heavy blow to Pakistan.

Parrikar praised the leadership of then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

On his part, Gen Singh said the war displayed "bold leadership" at all levels.

Parrikar said Pakistan paid for its "misadventure", adding that India had clearly won the war even though sceptics said it was a draw. 

Image: An Indian soldier stationed near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters