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Updated March 4th, 2020 at 13:52 IST

'Tanks & fighter jets on way out': COAS talks Lasers, Balakot escalation & China's 'aura'

Army Chief General Naravane said warfare in the present-day world was in 'grey zone' & the forces were according to due attention to their various nuances

Reported by: Jay Pandya
Army
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Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday speaking about changing character of warfare said warfare in the present-day world was in 'grey zone' and the forces were according to due attention to their various nuances. Speaking at the Indian Army's internal seminar with the theme 'changing characteristics of land warfare and its impact on the military', the Army Chief said icons of the previous century were on their way out.

'We have to be extremely agile in our thought'

“Icons of the 20th-century warfare like large main battle tanks and fighter aircraft are on their way out,” General Naravane said. "The advent of rapidly evolving dual-use technology presents new opportunities and changing the character of warfare. As armies, we have to be extremely agile in our thought and fleet-footed in our actions to stay ahead or even abreast, of the scale and pace of change," he added.

He said the Army was looking at using "blockchain technologies" and direct energy weapons like a laser in the future. "We are looking at using blockchain technologies and direct energy weapons like a laser in future. We are also focusing on dynamic response. We are refining our capacities on both the western and northern borders. We are developing both kinetic and non-kinetic methods," the Army Chief said.

‘Escalation not equal to war’

Referring to the Balakot airstrikes in February last year, General Naravane said the action had demonstrated the fact that if one is skilful, escalation does not always lead to war. "The Balakot airstrike demonstrated that if you play an escalatory game with skill, military ascendence can be established in cycles that do not necessarily lead to war," he said.

Last year, the Indian Air Force had carried out an airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot, targetting Jaish-e-Muhammed's (JeM) terror training camps in response to a terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in which at least 40 personnel were killed.

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Emphasising on China's military might, he said, "China has not been involved in real hardcore combat for a few decades now, yet its regular showcasing of its military might has created this aura of China being the undisputed military leader in the key technology domain."

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General Naravane also said that the terrorist organisation ISIS was far more advanced in using social media than forces like the US and the UK. "In Iraq and Syria, it is the ISIS an organisation steeped in the 17th century, was far more advanced in using social media than the 21st-century forces like the US and the UK," said the COAS.

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(With ANI inputs)

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Published March 4th, 2020 at 13:52 IST

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