Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday emphasized that India's current border conflict with China remains one of the country's greatest issues.
Addressing a function in Gorakhpur, he also named Pakistan's proxy war against India as another serious national security issue. He pointed out that Islamabad's long-standing policy has been to "bleed India by a thousand cuts.
General Chauhan also referred to regional instability and the likely impact on India, and the need to plan for future battlefield contexts involving cutting-edge technology, as other key challenges to the nation.
"Tough decisions in front of nations aren't short-term in nature; they're of varying types. I believe the boundary conflict with China is India's most serious challenge and will remain so in the future. The second significant challenge is Pakistan's proxy conflict against India, with a strategy of 'bleed India by a thousand cuts'," Chauhan stated while speaking.
He also highlighted the changing dynamics of war, further saying, "Another challenge is that the spheres of war have changed-it now comprises cyber and space. Both our adversaries are nuclear countries, and it will always be a challenge to determine what type of operations we wish to conduct against them."
The country's highest-ranking military commander talked about Operation Sindoor, conducted in May against Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The armed forces enjoyed unbridled operational freedom during the operation, he said, adding that the core aim was to "draw a red line to our patience."
"We enjoyed complete operational independence, including targeting and planning, during Operation Sindoor. The objective was not to take revenge for the terrorist attack, but to draw a red line of our patience," he clarified.
Operation Sindoor, Chauhan further added, was a multi-domain operation comprising cyber war and interagency operations across branches of the armed forces.
General Chauhan came to Gorakhpur on Thursday and joined Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for renovation of the Gorkha War Memorial and the Gorkha Museum. He went to the Gorakhnath temple to pray there.
