General Pande gets one-month extension, but challenges and opportunities for new Army chief remain

Maj Gen Ashok Kumar

The month of May 2024 may be a historic month, as it is going to be followed by the declaration of parliamentary election results on June 4. Also, on May 31, the current Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen Manoj Pande, was supposed to superannuate, but he has been given a one-month extension—apparently to allow the next government to decide upon the next Army chief. However, once Gen Pande hands over the baton to the new incumbent, the dawn of a new era will begin.

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Though it is a natural phenomenon wherein a new COAS takes over after the superannuation of the previous one, this change is taking place at a momentous time in world history. It is also at a very important juncture for India, as India is spearheading to become a developed nation by 2047. It is also very important for the Indian defence forces, as they are moving towards jointness, integration, and theaterisation. The new COAS will be leading the Indian Army at a time when our majority equipment is still imported, whose indigenisation will take considerable time. In addition to this, some other major challenges for the COAS are as follows:

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• The China challenge is continuing on our northern borders, where the Chinese have still not vacated all the transgressed areas. The resultant mobilisation from both sides, resulting in larger than usual force levels, is likely to continue, and it is a matter of time when the ‘LOCification’ of the LAC takes place. This will place a huge demand on the forces required to man the borders, besides the associated increased logistics expenditure.
• Though Saksgam Valley, part of POK, was ceded to China by Pakistan as early as 1963, the recent Chinese infrastructure development in Saksgam Valley may result in enhancing the conflict gradient.
• The support being provided by China to Pakistan to arm the latter is also going to be a worrying issue for the new COAS.
• Though there is huge dissatisfaction in POK at the moment, the physical alignment of CPEC infrastructure passing through these areas is going to embed Chinese for some time to come. If one remembers, the Chinese developed a major road through Aksai Chin, which came to be known only after it was completed, and similarly, these infrastructure-based aggressions may result in a potential conflict. In fact, the new COAS has to factor in the collusive threat from China and Pakistan; the threat is on the brink of emerging Chinese threats from both sides. Force and resource surges, including changes in warfighting TTPs, to cope with this operational challenge have to be prioritised by the new COAS.
• Though there is a capability disparity with Pakistan favouring us, Pakistan will continue to remain a serious irritant on both sides of its border/ LOC/AGPL, sucking up a up a huge number of troops committed to national security. With the revocation of Article 370 and the huge turnout in parliamentary elections, peace appears to have returned to the valley, but Pakistan-sponsored terrorists still have the wherewithal to carry out large attacks, for which the new COAS will need to be vigilant all the time.
• The developing situation in Myanmar is also likely to be a major issue that the new COAS has to deal with. Despite being a foreign policy issue, it will involve the Army when the physical infrastructure of fencing is implemented. The COAS has to carefully handle the situation as a number of northeastern states have opposed the idea of fencing the India-Myanmar border and stopping the Free Movement Regime (FMR). Despite being an MHA issue, the involvement of the Army will become inevitable, more so when Manipur has been in a disturbed state for a long time.
• Though relations with neighbouring countries are in the domain of diplomacy, these will also impact the Indian Army as Chinese inroads in these neighbouring countries are changing their fabric substantially. The Army chief will do well if he doesn’t take these countries as that kind of buffer where peace and tranquilly are ‘a given’. This may require a revised approach to border guarding, including 100 per cent compatibility with the Army.
• The new COAS has to hit the ground running for the restructuring of the Army, and that too within the emerging contours of joint war fighting. There is a tremendous amount of scope for change, including the adoption of new warfighting norms. Though the Army has done well to declare 2024 a year of technology absorption, the new chief has to ensure its physical implementation with set objectives that go beyond the usual rhetoric.
• The world is adopting manned-unmanned teaming in a big way, but the situation is not as encouraging for India as it should be. While the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have moved some distance, there has been limited adoption of this concept in the Army. The new chief has to focus on this as well.
• Though theaterisation and related activities will result in optimisation of resources, including some saving of manpower, these need to be used for raising additional and specialised units in consonance with the national threat.

The challenges are galore, be it the HR management of in-service personnel, addressing the concerns of the veterans, meeting the training needs of the Army, or meeting the aspirations of all. The new chief is also blessed to take over this Army at a time when India is emerging in a big way at the regional and international stage. A professional army under his leadership can provide the desired muscle for the nation, not only to address Indian national interests but also to come to the rescue of friendly nations in all domains.

The author is Director General of CENJOWS and Kargil war veteran. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author.