Article Posted on : - Apr 18, 2023

NEW DELHI (PTI): Top commanders of the Indian Army has begun deliberations on India's national security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan and ways to boost combat capability of the force on the first day of a five-day conclave.

The commanders' conference will also focus on the ongoing reform process in the 1.3 million force and use of high technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality for various purposes, officials said.

For the first time, the commanders' conference is being conducted in hybrid format.

The commanders present in Delhi gathered at the South Block in Raisina Hills area, while many others joined the deliberations virtually.

The commanders and other senior functionaries will hold in-person deliberations in Delhi from Tuesday, the officials said.

The army's plan charted out as part of 'Year of Transformation-2023' along with the progress on Agnipath scheme and ambitious digitisation and automation initiatives will also feature at the conference.

During the course of the conference from April 17 to 21, the commanders are expected to carry out an extensive review of the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in view of the three-year border row in eastern Ladakh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to address the conference on April 19 where he will also review an equipment display focussing on niche technology, innovation, solutions for surveillance, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and operational logistics, according to the army.

The senior officers will also be addressed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari.

The regional security situation and geopolitical implications of the Russia-Ukraine war may also figure at the conference, the officials said.

The Army Commanders' Conference is an apex-level biannual event that is held in April and October every year. The conference is an institutional platform for conceptual-level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army.

The anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the overall situation in the Union territory will also be deliberated upon extensively at the conference, the officials said.