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Army chief foresee 'leaner, meaner, balanced' force

There is scope for reducing manpower and creating a 'leaner, meaner and balanced army', Chief of Army Staff General Ved Prakash Malik has said.

He made the statement to the Asia Defence News International.

Speaking about the Jammu and Kashmir situation, he said Pakistan is trying to upgrade the proxy war there by pushing in foreign militants with sophisticated communication equipment and weapons; but the Indian Army and paramilitary forces have been able to contain them.

''The proxy war continues and I am quite hopeful -- we cannot lay down any timeframe -- but I am hopeful that we will be able to control it totally,'' General Malik said.

The army chief said with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war, ethnic conflicts and low intensity warfare had come to the fore, particularly in Asia. India too had been a target of proxy war, but in 1998 the army had had more successes and there was 'greater normalcy' in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the valley.

In the north-east also, the situation was fairly controlled and a political dialogue could be started if the people were prepared to talk, he added.

General Malik said the army would focus on acquiring force multipliers, consolidation and upgradation, and human resource development to keep the forces fighting fit.

UNI

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