New Delhi: In his first address to top
commanders, Army Chief Gen V K Singh Monday asked them to gear
up to meet multi-spectral threats and asserted that there
would be no compromise on upholding the image of the force
tainted by recent corruption charges against some officers.
At the Army Commanders` Conference which discussed
challenges posed by terrorism and Naxalism along with
situation in the region, he talked of the asymmetric means
adopted by terrorists to achieve their objectives.
Noting that the multi-spectral threats directly affect
military doctrines and restructuring, he underlined the need
for transforming the Army to customise its operational
effectiveness.
In view of the new challenges, Gen Singh said Army
training needed to be "realistic, imaginative and practical."
The Army Chief referred to low intensity conflicts,
particularly in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states
and emphasised that there would be "zero tolerance" for human
rights violations by personnel of his force.
He asserted that there would be "no compromise" with
respect to upholding the image of the Army as he laid emphasis
on morals, ethics and value systems of the force.
This assumes significance as there have been allegations
of corruption and other misdemeanours by some top ranking
officers, which have tainted the Army`s image.
The latest was the Sukna land scam in which four
General-rank officers, including Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, the
then Military Secretary to the former Army Chief, are facing
action. The scam involved permission to a private builder to
undertake construction on a piece of land adjacent to the
Sukna Army base in West Bengal.
Underlining that "moral values" were the "need of the
hour", Gen Singh pressed for "professional commitment,
loyalty, sacrifice and integrity".
On the day he took over office as the Army Chief on
March 31, he had said that he would work towards "improving
the internal health" of the force in the backdrop of
complaints of misuse of office by some officers.
PTI
