Be prepared for anti-Naxal fight, army chief tells officers

The army chief today asked his officers to be mentally prepared to step into the fight against Naxals if the situation did not improve.

"It might be in six months or in one year or two years but if we have to maintain our relevance as a tool of the state we will have to undertake things that the nation wants us to," a defence release quoted General VK Singh as saying.

He was addressing army officers during his visit to the Southern Command headquarters here.

On the current security environment, he said there was no let up in the proxy war situation with the western neighbours and their activities, including operation of sleeper cells in Jammu and Kashmir.

On China, Singh said though talks are on with that  country, it continues its heavy spend on modernising armed forces.

"With our unsettled border, transgressions taking place in disputed border areas cannot be ruled out," he said.

Commenting on a variety of institutional and behavioural issues in the army, he said the officer shortages are here to stay as less people are joining in the direct entry and short service schemes. "Everyone has to learn to live with the shortages for the time being."