Operational preparedness of Army at 95 per cent: VCOAS

New Delhi, Dec 28 (UNI) The Indian Army is at its ''highest stage'' of defence preparedness, and set to meet any challenge, outgoing Army Vice Chief Lt Gen S Pattabhiraman today said.

''I'm leaving the Army in good condition... the force's operational preparedness is at the highest stage. This can be gauged by the percentage of the men, material and equipment ready for any eventuality... the figure is currently 95 per cent,'' the VCOAS, who demits office on December 31, told mediapersons after inspecting a Guard of Honour here.

Lt Gen Pattabhiraman -- the first Engineer officer to become Vice Chief -- noted he had been closely associated with the efforts to increase the force's efficiency and in its modernisation for the last few years.

''In the last five years, I dealt with these issues and modernisation in an array of posts -- Additional Director-General Military Operations, XI ('Vajra') Corps GOC, Director General Information Systems, and GOC-in-C, Western Command, prior to this,'' he said, adding that modernisation was 'firmly on track' while the force's firepower would soon get a massive boost with the selection and induction of the new 155-mm Howitzer set to begin ''very shortly.'' On the recent spate of suicides and fratracidal killings in the force, especially in high tension-areas such as J&K, Lt Gen Pattabhiraman, terming all these incidents as ''saddening,'' said a range of measures were being implemented, with the active support of the Defence Ministry, to deal with the situation.

''In the last two to three months, there have been several such cases... we feel sad... However, the Army has a lot of resilience and I am sure we will get over the problem,'' he said.

To a query on the ''increasing'' infiltration from the soft and porous borders with Nepal and Bangladesh, he said that the trend had been noticed and was being dealt with.

''So long as the terrorist infrastructure is intact, there is bound to be infiltration. They are not succeeding in J&K because of the fence, the surveillance devices and heightened guard, so they have to try elsewhere,'' he said.

However, Lt Gen Pattabhiraman noted that there was no ''reason for alarm,'' as both the civil intelligence agencies and Military Intelligence were tackling the situation.

''MI, as well as intelligence agencies under the MHA, are working on this jointly,'' he said, adding that they were undertaking ''intelligence-based operations to deal with the situation.'' UNI VD AT DB1239