“Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas War, learning experience for India”: Lt Gen Manjinder Singh

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 17 (ANI): The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Lt Gen Manjinder Singh, has said that the war between Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas has been a learning experience for India, as it may face similar warfare practices from terror-hit regions on Pakistan’s borders.

He said this at the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) investiture ceremony held at the Army Training Command in Shimla on Tuesday.

Lt Gen Singh, awarded ARTRAC Unit awards to the Army officials for their noteworthy performance in the year 2022-23.

Appreciation was given to seven training establishments of the Indian Army for their outstanding performance; four training institutes, including the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, were also awarded, and seven awards were given in individual categories.

“Warfare is a very dynamic and evolving process; what won the last war may not win the next war, so as the nation economically evolves, the threats also evolve. Whatever is happening in the region and around the world, the military commanders have to be aware of it. The last three years of the Russia-Ukrainian war, we have been watching it very closely. How that war is happening, how drones are impacting, and what new technologies are being used and impacting that war. Similarly, the Israel-Hamas practice is a classic case. We may also have similar practices on the borders of Pakistan and neighbouring countries with terrorist attacks. We will have to study those things. We try to apply our war way of training and prepare for such a contingent. The methods of warfare change with the evolving technologies and we also train our soldiers,” Lt Gen Manjinder Singh said.

He also added that the ‘Make in India’ war weapons are helping the Indian army in self-reliance.

“We also focus on training the foreign students who come to India and are also sending our officers and students who go to other countries for training. We also have something called Mobile training teams in foreign-friendly training teams. We have 11 such teams deployed in foreign-friendly countries and send these teams on request of the friendly countries so that the training content can be curated as required. As of today, we are subscribing to 22 foreign courses in eight countries, and we are offering 273 courses to 74 foreign-friendly countries,” he said.

“The process means to learn from each other, learn the best practices and then carry on for the further procedures,” Singh said further.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, of the Army Training Command emphasised that the Army Training Command has been improving training with evolving technologies.

“HQ ARTRAC was raised on October 1, 1991, with a mandate to ensure operational preparedness through institutionalised training in the Indian Army. It started with two training establishments, the Infantry School & Army War College, but the magnitude of ARTRAC’s footprint has grown overwhelmingly, and today it has 34 training establishments across India. The training canvas of ARTRAC encompasses the conceptualization and implementation of training in eight specialised fields, covering a wide spectrum including agniveer training, officer pre-commission training, combat arms & combat support arms training, technical training, and logistic training,” he said.

“The desired focus is on Indigenous Research and Development in emerging niche technologies, as well to ARTRAC, which permeates into nearly every facet of training and empowerment of officers, JCOs and ORs. After serving the country proudly and with distinction, when our service personnel are ready to hang their uniform, ARTRAC steps in to empower them with the skills needed to chart their course through civil society and contribute gainfully to nation-building as veterans,” Lt Gen Manjinder Singh added.

Lt. Gen. Col. Commandant AMC Centre and College, Lucknow, Kavita Sahai, the only woman commander in one of the training units, felt privileged to receive the Unit Appreciation Award.

“I am feeling glad, and it is an honour to get the award. I am the first female army officer commanding the training unit. Our centre was started in 1957, after amalgamation. We are a premier training establishment. We provide both military and technical training to the medical officers of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force, as well as to the nursing officers and JCOs. The Centre aims to maintain the highest standard so that we can provide comprehensive support to the army during wartime as well as during peace,” she said.

“We are using technological advancements; we are using artificial intelligence to combat medical support. These kinds of appreciations are important, and for me, being a woman, I would say it is important to encourage women so they can achieve in every field,” Sahai added.