'Modernisation is my first priority'

The incoming army chief, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, has said that his foremost priority would be to modernise the force and ensure that it is ready to take on assigned tasks.

The incoming army chief, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, has said that his foremost priority would be to modernise the force and ensure that it is ready to take on assigned tasks.

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He will be replacing VK Singh, whose 26-month tenure was marked by a string of issues. In an interview to the Sainik Samachar, Bikram Singh said the army was prepared to counter internal as well as external threats. Singh, who was the Eastern Army commander until now, said the army should be employed internally only as a last resort. He denied comment on demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.