China-India border tension discussed at Army meet

The three-day conference began with seven Army commanders and Principal Staff Officers being briefed about the situation in eastern Ladakh and other aspects of national security.

Amid the tension between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in east Ladakh, the first phase of the Army leadership’s biannual conference came to a close on Friday. The three-day conference began with seven Army commanders and Principal Staff Officers being briefed about the situation in eastern Ladakh and other aspects of national security.

The conference was to be held in April but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown. The second phase of the conference will take place in June-end. While this phase focused on human resources and logistical issues, the second phase will see detailed presentations for each Army command.

The Army said in a statement on Friday that “over three days, the Indian Army’s apex leadership deliberated upon various aspects related to existing and developing security challenges”. It said “human resource management issues, studies pertaining to ammunition management, merger of co-located training establishments and merger of Military Training Directorate with HQ Army Training Command were also discussed”.

The second phase is scheduled to be held from June 24 to June 27. While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not attend the first phase, he and Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat are likely to address the conference in June.