BARMER, Dec 5 � Noting that the country was facing multi-dimensional challenges, President Pratibha Patil today said the Army has to measure up to these threats to national security, reports PTI.
Dressed in black overalls of the tank regiments, Patil witnessed the culmination of the Exercise Sudarshan Shakti here.
�The country today is faced with multi-dimensional challenges and the Army has to measure up to these threats to our national security,� she said in her address.
Underlining the need for training and modern weaponry for the troops, she said, �We need to accordingly equip ourselves with state-of-the-art weaponry and hone our skills through relentless training to deliver the required response to our adversaries, when the need arises.�
The military exercise in the deserts of Rajasthan involved over 50,000 troops, 300 tanks and 250 artillery guns. It also involved operation by aircraft such as Su-30 MKI, Jaguars, Mig-27 and Mig-21 AWACS and helicopters.
The President termed the 21 Strike Corps as the �most potent� Strike Corps which has been the most devastating force of the Southern Command.
After witnessing the last phase of exercise, she said this will be the landmark exercise for our forces to enhance our combat preparedness and will build synergy between the services in a network centric environment.
She also witnessed the tank firepower along with infantry troops, artillery guns and aircraft of the Indian Air Force while they operated jointly to capture �enemy positions� in a simulated demonstration by Army�s Babina-based white Tiger Armoured Division.