Army still importing cold weather gear: Vice-Chief

Army Vice Chief Lt Gen S K Saini (Source: Indian Army)

Army Vice Chief Lt Gen S K Saini Saturday said India is still importing cold-weather equipment, “mainly due to lack of viable indigenous solutions”. He pushed for collaborative efforts in the defence sector “to fulfill our vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

Saini said special clothing and mountaineering gear are among important elements for protection of the forces as the country has a large number of troops in extremely high altitude areas.

The remarks come at a time when the Army is preparing to meet the requirements of additional troops for a harsh winter in Ladakh, where they have been deployed due to the ongoing standoff with China.

Speaking about the requirements for armed forces’ protection at an event organised by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, Lt Gen Saini said special clothing and mountaineering equipment are among the aspects that need to be highlighted as “a large number of our troops are deployed in super high altitude areas where the temperature touches – 50 degrees Celsius”.

However, the Vice Chief of the Army said that “we are still importing cold-weather equipment, mainly due to the lack of viable indigenous solutions” and pushed for a “collaborative effort that needs to be put in this field to fulfill our vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

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