New Delhi: After having the apex meet postponed due to the deadly second wave of COVID-19, the top commanders of India’s about 14-lakh-strong Army will now meet in the national capital for three days from June 16. The Army Commanders’ Conference (ACC) was earlier scheduled for April 26-30. The last ACC was held in New Delhi from October 26-29 last year when the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had somewhat subsided.
Among the other issues that will be discussed, the stalemate on the disengagement and de-escalation process with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the Line on Actual Control in eastern Ladakh will occupy primacy. The last time senior commanders of the two sides had met was for the eleventh round of talks on April 9 this year at Chushul, which resulted in a damp squib despite the talks extending to about 13 hours.
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Held usually in March and October every year, the ACC is an important event in the planning and execution process of Indian Army that undertakes a 360 degree look at the current emerging perspectives on issues relating to operations, logistics, administration, human resources and welfare. Normally, the defence minister addresses the top military brass on the first day of the conference that is chaired by the Army chief. Besides the top commanders, the ACC is attended by heads of defence public sector undertakings and director-generals of various military arms and branches.
To ensure due diligence, decisions taken in the ACC are taken through the collegiate system comprising army commanders and senior officers. There was a lot of expectation from the April 9 senior commander-level talks, especially after the completion of the disengagement process at two face-off points on the north and south banks of the Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. Resolution therefore remains evasive for the Gogra, Hot Springs and Demchok areas. The 10 earlier rounds were held on June 6, June 22, June 30, July 14, August 2, September 21, October 12, November 6, January 24 and February 20 respectively.
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Disengagement remains a priority as the Indian and Chinese militaries have deployed about 1,00,000 troops and equipment on both sides of the LAC in an unprecedented level of escalation in the eastern Ladakh region. The huge mobilization effort has resulted in huge expenditures that have been telling particularly at a time when India is combating the scourge of the deadly second wave of the pandemic.
More than 3.67 lakh people have died in the pandemic in India even though the number of active cases has come down to about 10.8 lakh on Saturday. The other issues that will be brainstormed in the ACC include the ongoing ceasefire with Pakistan, the move to set up theatre commands in what is being seen as one of the biggest reform measures of the Indian military in its history besides a host of other issues relating to organizational and functional reforms, deployments, etc.
