Tough days ahead for new Indian Army chief

New Delhi -  He surmounted blistering attacks and challenges to his elevation but Gen Bikram Singh, who Thursday assumed command of the 1.13 million strong Indian Army has his task cut out on two fronts: restoring the image and public perception of the force and ensuring its rapid modernisation.

The turbulent civilian-military relations over the last two years, primarily caused by the age row of previous chief V.K. Singh that went up to the Supreme Court to be settled, has taken a heavy toll and it will be an uphill effort for Bikram Singh to bridge the wedge.

That apart, recent allegations of corruption in army purchases, in particular the bribe offer for Tatra trucks, has dented the confidence that the people of the country had in the army as a bastion of morality.

How Bikram Singh changes that perception will be keenly watched.

Differences of opinion between the military and the civilian leadership in a democracy like India is nothing unusual, but the way these differences are dealt with is an indicator of how matured

the nation is in its governance practices.

On this score, Bikram Singh would need a lot of help from the defence ministry mandarins and the civilian political leadership.

Then, within the army itself, restoring the morale of the troops and the confidence of the soldiers in their commanders would be the key focus.

Ahead of moving to Delhi, Bikram Singh, in his last meeting with officers and staff at the Kolkata-based Eastern Army Command, is quoted as having listed getting the army "back on track" as

one of his primary tasks.

He also talked about "setbacks" in the recent months for the army, and also promised not to "brush anything under the carpet".

The other major challenge for the new chief is to further the army's modernisation process and push the defence ministry for fast-tracking key purchases of weapons and equipment for the

force, whose hollowness in critical areas is now out in the public domain thanks to his predecessor's letter to the prime minister on the issue finding its way to the media.

There are several procurements that need to be expedited. These include buying four different types of artillery guns, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, 10,000 Konkurs-M anti-tank

guided missiles and 25,000 anti-tank Invar missiles. This apart, there is the need to raise new regiments to operate the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

Stepping up of border infrastructure for smooth, quicker movement of troops and equipment is another key area, particularly in the northeast.

And finally, the 15-year and five-year plans for the force, approved earlier this month, need to be followed up with the defence ministry and timely implementation ensured.