NEW DELHI: Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Saturday visited several frontline air bases in forward areas near the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh and undertook a detailed review of India's overall military preparedness in the region amid the nearly eight-month-long Sino-India standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Official sources said Gen Rawat carried out an aerial recce of certain areas and he was briefed about key aspects of the security matrix in the region by senior military commanders.

In a series of tweets, the Army said Gen Rawat visited forward air force bases in the Eastern sector and interacted with personnel of the Special Frontier Force (SFF), the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) deployed at the "forward most air maintained" posts in Dibang Valley and Lohit sector.

It said the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) complimented the soldiers for the "innovative measures" to maintain effective surveillance and enhanced operational readiness, and exhorted them to continue working with the same "zeal and enthusiasm".

"#CDS said that only Indian soldiers could remain vigilant under such #challenging situations, ever willing to go well beyond the call of duty to safeguard the borders. Nothing can deter the Indian Armed Forces on remaining steadfast in their call for duty," it said.

Gen Rawat arrived at the Dinjan air force station in Chabua in Assam on Friday afternoon.

The sources said that Gen Rawat will visit several other strategically located bases in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday as well to gain first-hand experience of the security scenario.

Most of the forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are currently under the grip severe cold-wave with temperatures dropping to sub-zero level.

The Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have significantly bolstered their combat readiness in all the key formations along the LAC including in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in view of the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

In November, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane paid a three-day visit to various formations under the Army's Eastern Command and reviewed their overall operational preparedness. The Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command is responsible for guarding the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh as well as the Sikkim sectors.

On Friday, Gen Rawat completed one year as India's first CDS, a post which was created to bring in convergence in functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force in dealing with national security challenges.

A key mandate of the CDS was also to facilitate restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of theatre commands.

In the last one year, Gen Rawat along with the top brass of the three services carried out ground work to establish an air defence command and a Peninsula command initially. The IAF will helm the air defence command and all-long range missiles as well as air defence assets will come under it.

The CDS has been part of the top military brass framing strategies to enhance India's military prowess in view of the eastern Ladakh row.

Nearly 50,000 troops of the Indian Army are deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the standoff.

China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials.

The eighth and last round of military talks had taken place on November 6 during which both sides broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points.