"Need To Be Firm, Not Aggressive": Army Chief On China

We are focusing on infrastructure, surveillance and reserves," the Army Chief said. (File)

Emphasizing the need to boost military capabilities along the northern frontier, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday said that India needs to be firm in its resolve while dealing with the boundary issues with China. 

"The fact is that we have to be firm in our resolve. We don't want to be aggressive but firm. We have to assert legitimate claims but that does not mean we have to go and create a friction in any other talks that are going on. We should know what we want for resolution of boundary issue," General Naravane said.

"The border in the North is very large. It has inhospitable terrain so we need to focus there also. We are preparing for any eventuality. If we want peace, we should be ready," he added. 

"The army has been focusing on the northern borders for years. We are developing infrastructure. We are trying to increase capabilities for quick movement," the army chief said. 

General Naravane pointed out that the army keeps reviewing deployments across the northern border and upgrading arms and equipment and surveillance.

"Nothing is constant. We are focusing on three aspects --  infrastructure, surveillance and reserves."

General Naravane also clarified that it is nearly impossible to guard every inch of the border.

"If we do so, we will be very thin. We need to focus more at critical areas and less important areas can be manned through surveillance and latest equipment," he said. 

He said that India needs to develop infrastructure across the border so that quick movement of forces and capabilities could be carried out.