Pune: The Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, stated on Saturday that all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces are preparing thoroughly for "Operation Sindoor 2.0" should the need arise. He emphasised that Operation Sindoor is ongoing, with only a temporary cessation of hostilities currently in place.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the Passing Out Parade of the 150th Course at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, General Dwivedi noted that the three services are focused on enhancing synergy and preparing for future warfare. The Army Chief pointed out that modern battlefields have become highly transparent, demanding constant vigilance regarding troop deployment and civilian safety.

"Operation Sindoor is still continuing. There is a temporary cessation of hostilities. The Indian Army and all three services are preparing well for Operation Sindoor 2.0, if it takes place. Presently, we are looking at enhancing our synergy within the three services, equipping ourselves for the next warfare... 24x7, the battlefield is so transparent that every movement is known to the other side, therefore we have to be very cautious in terms of our deployment, employment and the protection required to protect our troops as well as the civilians in the border areas," the COAS said.

On the subject of information warfare, General Dwivedi asserted that success depends entirely on public trust and national unity. "Information warfare is only successful if the whole of nation gets together and trusts the people who are giving the information. If that happens, I can assure you that the nation which trusts each other and all these stakeholders will always win the war," he said.

Joint theatre commands

Addressing the creation of proposed military theatre commands, the Army Chief confirmed that the process of theatrisation is progressing as planned and that a comprehensive report has already been submitted to the Defence Minister.

"As far as the theatrisation is concerned, I assure the house that it is on the right track. As of now, all the discussions on theatrisation have got over within the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the complete report has been submitted to the Defence Minister. It is undergoing a review from various stakeholders at this stage. In this, the CDS and the present three chiefs, including the outgoing CNS, we have taken a conscious view that all the major interests of all three services are met with," he stated.

General Dwivedi added that under the proposed structure, service chiefs would focus on force sustenance and readiness, whilst theatre commanders would handle the operational deployment of forces.

"Whenever you will find there is a kind of synergy which is to be brought in, there will be some kind of a giveaway by all three services. Therefore the service chiefs will be responsible for the restrain and sustain and the theatre commanders will be responsible for the operation, orchestration of the forces. We are hopeful that the next setup, which is coming under the new CDS should be able to take the journey forward and in next 2-3 years we should be able to see it happening on ground," General Dwivedi said.

Memories of NDA

Recalling his own days as an NDA cadet, General Dwivedi shared fond memories of Charlie Squadron, which emerged as the Champion Squadron this term. Praising the current generation of cadets, the Army Chief expressed complete confidence in their ability to lead the armed forces to greater heights.

He remarked, "When I reached NDA, the first thing I did was go to Charlie Squadron... When I came to know that this time it was the Champion Squadron, my enthusiasm increased and I remembered my days, how we used to live there because I myself was a PT Captain... Yesterday, when the PT display was taking place, I also felt like doing this exercise with them, and if it were not for the constraints of age, then perhaps I would have done it... I am happy that the confidence that today's NDA cadets have gives us the satisfaction that the coming generation will go one step ahead of us."

ANI