Land will remain currency of victory: Army Chief

New Delhi: Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday underlined the primacy of land forces in any battlefield and said dominance over land will remain the currency of victory in India’s context.

In an address at an event here, he argued the importance of land forces in any war and referred to last month’s summit talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on the Ukraine conflict.

“When you go back to the Alaska conference that took place between the two presidents, they just discussed how much land has to exchange hands,” Dwivedi said.

“In India, since we have two-and-a-half-front threats, land will remain the currency of victory,” he said.

The Chief of Army Staff’s comments in an address at the All India Management Association’s 52nd National Management Convention came two weeks after Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said Operation Sindoor had once again established the “primacy” of air power.

In India’s military context, the challenges emanating from China and Pakistan are considered as two fronts and the half front is generally referred to internal threats from insurgency and militancy.

The Army Chief, touching upon Operation Sindoor, said it was a fine example of synergy and contribution by India’s soldiers, commanders and other stakeholders without even a declaration of war. Gen Dwivedi said a whole of government approach was on display as everyone operated without the Union of war book being invoked.

He also underlined the importance of self-reliance in the defence sector.