New Delhi: New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said the role of the force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not “shy away from flexing its muscle, if the need be”. Eastern Army commander Lt General Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt General P M Hariz will continue to serve the Army and maintain the unity, he said. “The force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not shy away from flexing its muscle, if the need be,” General Rawat said.
All units and services of the Army are together and he would always look at each one of them as one unit, he said.
General Rawat, who took over as the 27th Army chief on Saturday, was speaking to reporters here after inspecting the Guard of Honour at the South Block in New Delhi.
General Rawat had superseded two senior most Lt Generals – Praveen Bakshi and P M Hariz.
Lt General Bakshi Saturday announced “full support” to the new chief and told theatre officers through video conferencing he will continue to lead with full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore.
Government sources had earlier said Rawat was found best suited among the Lt Generals to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganised and restructured military force in the north, continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the North-East.
PTI