"Will always be ready to face whatever is thrown at India: MM Naravane
Dec 14, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 14 : Emphasizing that India is aware of all the developments that are happening across the world, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Indian Army chief said that the Indian Armed Forces are always ready to face whatever is thrown at the country.
In a podcast with Smita Prakash, Editor-in-Chief, ANI, the former Army Chief on how the Chinese troops have been indulging in mobbing incidents, "As a country as a nation and as an army, we are always prepared for war... it is not that we are not prepared at any point in time... appreciation of likely threats is a continuous process, intelligence inputs are always there of who is mobilizing how it is mobilizing. The kind of mobilization that has happened on the Chinese side is not indicative of war. Mobilization for the small mobbing actions here and there."
Further elaborating on what are indications that the war is going to happen, the former Army chief said, "For a country to go to a war, many more indications will be there at the diplomatic and economic level. One it will stop your oil reserves, on your food, and cater for disruption to that supply lines, these kinds of indications start coming six months in advance or eight months... war doesn't happen overnight. Today you are sitting quietly like this and at midnight today you are at war it is not that way."
"See Ukraine and Russia mobilization happened and people kept saying war will be their war will not be there, but everything failed that is when Russia decided to attack. It is not one fine day February 24 they went off," he added.
Lauding Intelligence agencies for the inputs Naravane said, "Yes, we should not discount our forces and Intelligence agencies. We are very good at intelligence and we know what is happening. In an era of technology with satellites and all very well know each and every move of this. As I have said the whole nation approach and it is not the army alone. All the organs of the state and our RAW are doing wonderful."
He further said that people should not live under the delusion that wars happen suddenly.
"We know exactly what is happening. So let's don't be under any delusion that one fine day we are going to get surprise that we are at war. We will get adequate notice, adequate notice to mobilize and adequate notice to go and occupy our defences. We are prepared in all respects I can say with the utmost confidence to the entire nation that we will be always ready to face whatever is thrown at us," he said.
Talking about the Ukraine and Russia war, Naravane said that war doesn't happen overnight.
"See Ukraine and Russia mobilization happened and people kept saying war will be their war will not be there, but everything failed that is when Russia decided to attack. It is not one fine day February 24 they went off," he added.
When asked if India is equipped enough to handle propaganda wars, he said, "For that actually again I would say at the military level we are very much capable of handling."
Drawing a comparison between Indian and Chinese troops on resilience, Gen Naravane said, "On the ground we know we can see what their physical standards are. In fact, at the height of the crisis in eastern Ladakh, their troops were in that forward line and they have to be relieved after every 48 hours. And ours (Army).. once you go, you sit there till next you go on leave or something ...so once you go up you sit for 3-4 months whatever is the thing that that is the hardiness of our troops."
"Their troops have to be relieved every 48 hours.10 people would come up and 10 people will go down. That was their staying power. Our staying power was much more as I said our troops are very fine people, resolute they are hardy, they come from a good background, they have nationalistic fervour, they will do whatever is required," Gen Naravane added.
