The nation celebrated the 77th Indian Army Day on January 15. The Army Day celebrations are spread over three days. On January 13, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) held the annual press conference to highlight the key issues of the land borders in the past one year and his vision ahead. January 14 marks the Armed Forces Veterans Day, which is a tri-service event but has the imprint of the Army, which has maximum number of veterans in the country.
On January 15, 1949, General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Thus, this day officially came to be called the Army Day. Incidentally, Indian Air Force continued to be headed by British officers till 1954 when Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee took over the charge on April 1, 1954. Indian Navy had to wait for the first Indian Navy Chief till April 22, 1958 when Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari took over the appointment. Later all three service chiefs were designated as the COAS, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) and Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).
The annual press conference on January 13 was the first one by General Upendra Dwivedi after taking over as the COAS on July 1 last year. Under his watch, the disengagement agreement between India and China in the Eastern Ladakh was reached in the third week of October last year. Before assuming the office of the COAS, General Dwivedi was the Army Commander of the Northern Command. He fully understands the operational dynamics of the area and thus described the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as ‘sensitive but stable’ and acknowledged ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions between India and China.
It should be appreciated that the Indian Army has dealt with the Chinese on the LAC from a position of strength and this has forced the Chinese climbdown. It has been a major operational engagement for the Indian Army for more than 4 ½ years post the Galwan clashes in June 2020. With major success in counter-terrorism operations in J&K, successful conduct of Amarnath Yatra and most peaceful Parliament and Assembly elections ever, Indian Army has been a key player in ushering near normalcy in the UT. Overall the message from the Army Chief was to convey the resolve of the Indian Army to maintain the security along the sensitive borders as also ensure internal stability whenever called upon.
On January 14, the COAS paid tribute to the veteran fraternity in a function at Pune to mark the 9th Veterans Day. He lauded the valiant protectors of our country who continue to contribute to society even after retirement. The massive collective strength of the uniformed community, veterans, dependents and other family members numbering above 1 crore continues to make a significant impact on nation building efforts. He also dedicated the Upper Limb Training Limb at the Artificial Limb Centre at Pune. This world class facility now is capable of providing tailored rehabilitation for upper limb amputees in war and warlike situations. Through this gesture, the message from the Army Chief was to his serving soldiers and officers that you do your duty in the line of action. A grateful nation and the Indian Army are always there to look after you and your dependents.
An impressive Army Day Parade was held on January 15 at Pune under the aegis of Headquarters Southern Command. The decision of the Modi government to hold Army, Navy and Air Force Days away from Delhi has projected the might of Indian Armed Forces to every corner of the country. During the parade, various weapon platforms, innovative equipment and warfighting capability were at their majestic display. Every facet to depict a modern, agile, adaptable, technology enabled capable yet a most disciplined Army was showcased. The Army Chief also disclosed that plans are afoot to take the Army Day Parade to smaller cities like Jabalpur, Jaipur, Guwahati and Bhopal as possible venues in the future.
During his address to the gathering, the COAS asserted that the Army is fully ready and capable of dealing with any situation. As a pragmatic Chief, he also desired that our eyes and ears and whole- of- nation approach with total synergy between military, diplomacy, CAPF and intelligence agencies should prevent a surprise like Galwan and such a situation should not get repeated. He also reiterated the resolve of the Indian Army to push the agenda in this Year of Defence Reforms, particularly towards the efforts Atma Nirbhar Bharat and of nation building in pursuit of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
Overall, the message from this year’s Army Day celebrations was a clear warning to our adversaries. Our adversaries would find the Indian Army ever ready to thwart their evil designs. In a subtle yet sure manner, Indian Army has overcome the serious security challenges of the last four years and has come out more strongly. It is now on the path of transforming into a modern fighting force with all the soldierly skills, backed by history of regimentation and timely reforms. Under Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, the Ministry of Defence and three services have worked in unison to consolidate the operational and strategic gains. Indian Army is poised to add another glorious chapter in the year 2025 towards ensuring the territorial integrity of the nation and securing the global security interest of India.
