The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Gen Manoj Pande, visited Southern Command Pune today, where he was briefed on combat readiness and defence preparedness by the Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General AK Singh. He also interacted with senior leadership of Southern Command and complimented them for their professionalism and steadfastness. He emphasised the importance of technological advancements and its impact on future wars. Gen Pande stressed the need for technology absorption in all fields and advocated for synergised efforts to achieve desired results for nation-building. The Army has declared the year 2024 as the Year of Technology Absorption, emphasising the importance of utilising technology as a catalyst for transformative change.
General Manoj Pande #COAS visited #SouthernCommand and was briefed on the operational preparedness and combat readiness.#COAS complimented the Commanders & troops for their steadfastness & professionalism. He emphasised on the need for Technology Absorption in all fields as well… pic.twitter.com/z6L7GMlU9g
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 4, 2024
The Southern Command is the oldest and largest command of the Indian Army. It covers 41 per cent of India’s landmass, spread over 11 states and four Union Territories. Being geographically co-located with the country’s industry hubs and having many field firing ranges (FFRs), the Southern Command acts as a test bed for trials of various weapon platforms, critical defence equipment, and sophisticated ammunition. The Southern Command has significantly contributed to India’s focus on self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing. Seven innovations fielded by Southern Command have been selected for pan-army implementation and technology transfer to industrial partners for production.
The Southern Command covers most of peninsular India. Operational commands of the Indian Navy and IAF are situated within the Command area, including Frontier HQs of the BSF and Coast Guard. It gives the Command a unique opportunity and added dimension to conduct tri-services or multi-agency operations. As part of the army’s transformation and operational effectiveness, the first medium lift attack helicopter squadron in the Southern Command region was raised on March 15 this year. The squadron will be equipped with state-of-the-art Apache AH 64E helicopters from Boeing.
The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, recently visited Pune to tour important Army installations and units before the Army Chief’s visit. During his visit, he inspected the military intelligence, training school, and depot and also visited the National Defence Academy to learn about the changing syllabus and activities conducted to groom future leaders of the armed forces. In addition, the Vice Chief paid a visit to private sector defence industries such as Bharat Forge and Larson and Toubro, as well as the public sector defence industry, the Emanation Factory, and research and development institutes like the Armament Research and Development Establishment.
Vinay Chati, Pune
