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Unconventional and asymmetric warfare will be a part of conventional wars as seen during recent global conflicts, and the armed forces should factor this into their planning, said defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday while addressing the army’s top commanders, days after Hamas launched an assault against Israel and a war rages between the two sides.
“We must keep learning from the incidents to include the global ones…Expect the unexpected and plan, strategise and prepare,” Singh said during his address at the Army Commanders’ Conference. The five-day conference, chaired by army chief General Manoj Pande, began on October 16.
Singh said the complex and ambiguous global situation affected all.
“War preparedness should be a continuous phenomenon and we should always be ready for unpredictables, the uncertainties that may crop up. We should always be strengthening our fighting skills and weapons technologies to act effectively wherever called upon,” he said.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict was discussed at the top conference, officials aware of the matter said, requesting anonymity. The Indian armed forces are tracking global conflicts closely, including the Russia-Ukraine war, for lessons.
Singh also touched upon the military standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. He expressed confidence in the army to deal with any contingency, while stressing that “talks for peaceful resolution will continue”.
Indian and Chinese senior military commanders recently concluded another round of talks on the standoff by agreeing to continue their dialogue and to maintain peace. A statement by the external affairs ministry after the 20th round of talks on October 9-10 didn’t point to any breakthrough.