New Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Wednesday that the Army will focus on the border with China with equal attention as it does on the Pakistan border.

He exuded confidence that India will “eventually resolve” the border issue with China.

“We have the Line of Actual Control. The border question (with China) is yet to be settled. We have made progress in maintaining peace and tranquility. We will be able to set the stage for an eventual solution,” General Naravane said after the Indian Army presented him a Guard of Honour.

Taking a tough stand on Pakistan and the terror it sponsors, General Mukund Naravane, who succeeded General Bipin Rawat as the 28th Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday, said that in such a situation, India “reserves the right to preemptively strike at the sources of terror”.

He further stated that India has land borders with the two countries and both are equally important.

The Army chief said that “while a lot of attention has been paid to the western front in the past, the northern front also requires equal attention”.

“It is in that context that we are now going in for capability development even in the northern borders, which includes the north-east parts of our country,” said General Naravane, who earlier headed the Army’s Eastern Command, that takes care of India’s nearly 4,000-km border with China.

About India’s border with Pakistan and threats from across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, General Naravane said, “Whatever threats we have, we keep analysing. This is a continuous process where we analyse threats and act accordingly.”

On force modernisation, he said that “modernisation is one of the key and priorities area”. “We have a long term perspective plan based on the analysis of likely threat. These threats keep changing and we change our perspective plan.”

General Naravane also said that special attention will be given to the issues of human rights and added that the Indian Army is battle-hardened and capable of facing all challenges.

“Our priority will be to be operationally prepared at all times,” he said.

“मैं समस्त देशवासियों को आश्वस्त करता हूँ कि हमारी सशस्त्र सेनाएं हर चुनौती के लिए हमेशा तैयार हैं और हम देश के दामन पर कोई आँच नहीं आने देंगे। देशवासियों को नए साल और नए दशक की शुभकामनाएं”।

-जनरल मनोज मुकुंद नरवणे#सेनाध्यक्ष#IndianArmy
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1 जनवरी 2020 pic.twitter.com/MDecVIKdgK

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) January 1, 2020

A day after taking charge as Chief of the Indian Army, General MM Naravane visited the National War Memorial in Delhi to pay tribute to soldiers who died fighting for the country.

General Naravane saluted the Amar Jawan Jyoti, or the eternal flame, and laid a wreath at the memorial.

General Naravane has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast in his 37 years of service.

He had assumed charge as Vice Chief of the 1.3 million-strong Army on September 1 last year.

In a distinguished military career spanning almost four decades, the General has the distinction of holding key command and staff appointments in peace and field both in the northeast and Jammu & Kashmir and has been part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.

The officer had commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion, raised an Infantry brigade, as Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) and has also commanded a prestigious Strike Corps.