New Delhi, Oct. 15: In a candid declaration on Friday, the Army chief, Gen. V.K. Singh, described Pakistan and China as “two irritants” for Indian national security.
On China, the Army chief cautioned that India has a “border dispute” with a “rising China” and said Chinese “intentions” need to be examined.
On Pakistan, he said there was “certain amount of support” for terror groups in that country and that India had something to worry about till the time terror camps in that country were “intact”.
The Army chief also said that while conventional war was not certain, skirmishes were possible and that India should have substantial conventional war-fighting capabilities along with the ability to fight in a nuclear scenario.
He said, “We have a rising China with economic and military capabilities. Although we have Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in place and a stable border, we have a border dispute (with China). The intentions (of China) need to be looked at.”
The Indian Army already has a doctrine in place to fight a “two-front” war in case of the eventuality of any joint aggression by India’s neighbours.
But interestingly, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, warned later in the day that a “country (adversary)-specific” policy could lead India into an arms race and that therefore, the armed forces need to have a “capability-specific” policy rather than “country-specific policy".
The two statements are being interpreted in some quarters as a possible difference in perception on the issue by the two service chiefs.