'Hamesha Vijayee': Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat witnesses military exercise near Indo-Pak border

New Delhi: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday witnessed the 'Hamesha Vijayee' military exercise in Thar desert close to the India-Pakistan border where the Army and Air Force in integration executed manoeuvres to evaluate the capabilities to strike deep into the enemy territory.

The exercise conducted by the Southern command was aimed at streamlining operational procedures, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said. Rawat witnessed the army executing its manoeuvres in a network-enabled environment by employing diverse elements of combat and combat support arms fully integrated with air assets to achieve decisive results.

Having closely witnessed the exercise, the Army chief commended the forces on their battle preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres, Ojha said. Rawat also complimented the troops on achieving a high standard of training during the exercise and termed it as “highly successful.”

The Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General D R Soni, stated that a number of vital concepts were validated during the exercise and a number of important lessons were drawn which will enable the army to further streamline its operational plans and procedures. With an emphasis on surveillance, a multitude of aerial and land-based surveillance devices was fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders, he said.

Various electronic warfare equipment and other new age force multipliers were also used to amalgamate technology and further refine real-time information of adversary’s activities which was shared with various command and control centres for planning and execution of coordinated operations, Ojha said. Thereafter, a host of medium and long-range weapons, as well as airborne and heliborne forces and the entire spectrum of aerial platforms, were utilised to ensure non-linear application of combat potential.

With a large array of tanks and other types of armoured vehicles duly supported by extensive firepower assets and robust logistics, the army showcased its operational readiness.