NEW DELHI – Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday said that there would not be any change in organisational structure of the Northern Command as it looks after the two fronts as well as internal security in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at a webinar organised by Global Counter-Terrorism Council on Artificial Intelligence and other modern technologies, General Rawat said, “Northern command is undergoing in a different kind of situation, the terrorism, the insurgencies which are going on there. The northern command is one command which looks after both the fronts like China front in Ladakh and the northern front in the Kargil sector. This is one area which would witness a two front war and then you have a unified command HQ which is functioning very well, ensuring stability in the internal security in Jammu & Kashmir. The situation is gradually improving day after day but the fact the situation which is improving does not mean that the situation again may not turn ugly.”
“We have to be careful and not let out guard down and we do not want to disrupt our existing organisational structure of the northern command. Therefore, the northern command for the time being will remain as a command while we have two theatres on the east and the north and other on the western side,” he added.
The CDS also said that as far as the Indian Air Force (IAF) is concerned, the entire airspace of the nation will be looked after by one air defence command. “So we are creating one air defence command to look after entire nation’s airspace….”
He also said that IAF is not just responsible for air defence only, it has got other charter like providing close air support to land forces when they undertake operations and for offensive air operations in case you go into adversary’s territory. Same thing when the navy is operating at the sea the naval ships also require some air support, he added.
“Apart from air defence, the Air Force is responsible for carrying out close air support and offensive air support. Now, you need some kind of air command component, advising the theatre commanders.
What we are saying is there will be air component commanders who will be advisers to the western theatre commanders and northern theatre while the air defence command will be done by one entity as is being done today. Even today entire air components are not commanded by one agency. They have got five operational commands, where the entire resources of Air Force are distributed”, General Rawat said.
Speaking on the India-China border standoff, he said that negotiations have been in process at all levels— the political, the diplomatic and the military. “There are suspicion on both sides and also the other side has deployed their forces and created infrastructures… we are not lagging any more from deploying large number of troops and resources. I will take time to erase suspicion in a gradual manner and we will be able to achieve status quo. Both the nations understand that returning to status quo is the best way of ensuring peace and tranquility.….”
