Top Army commanders to deliberate on national security challenges at 5-day conference from Monday

The conference will also focus on the ongoing reform process in the force and the use of high technologies such as artificial Intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality for various purposes, officials said.

New Delhi: Top commanders of the Indian Army will carry out a comprehensive review of India's national security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan and ways to boost the combat capability of the force at a five-day conclave beginning Monday.

The conference will also focus on the ongoing reform process in the force and the use of high technologies such as artificial Intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality for various purposes, officials said. The commanders' conference will take place under the theme 'Year of Transformation-2023,' with a focus on progress on the Agnipath scheme, digitization, and automation initiatives.

Former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale is expected to give a talk on the future contours of Indo-China relations during the conference, which will take place from April 17 to 21. The commanders will carry out an extensive review of the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in view of the three-year border row in eastern Ladakh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the conference on April 19 and review an equipment display focusing on niche technology, innovation, solutions for surveillance, artificial intelligence, training, robotics, virtual reality, and operational logistics.

For the first time, the conference will be conducted in a hybrid format, with senior functionaries meeting virtually on the first day and then traveling to Delhi for in-person discussions on matters requiring detailed deliberations, read a statement from the Ministry of Defence. The conference will start with agenda points suggested by various command headquarters, followed by an update from the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command and sessions by Principal Staff Officers of the Army headquarters.

"The forum will also review the progress on the activities charted out as part of 'Year of Transformation-2023' along with progress on Agnipath scheme, digitization, and automation initiatives, combat engineers tasks, work aspects, and budget management," the Army said. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari will also address the senior officers.

The regional security situation and geopolitical implications of the Russia-Ukraine war may also figure at the conference. The Army Commanders' Conference is an apex-level biannual event held in April and October every year, which is an institutional platform for conceptual-level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army. The anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir and the overall situation in the Union Territory will also be deliberated upon at the conference, the officials said.