On Friday, President Murmu asked ARTRAC to work even harder on getting the Army ready for anything, and she said this as she finished a five-day trip to Himachal Pradesh. She very clearly said they need to be eager and prepared. She said training, technology, and doctrine should be dealt with right away, while at ARTRAC headquarters.
Visit to ARTRAC headquarters in Shimla
President Murmu, who is in charge of all the Armed Forces, got an explanation of how ARTRAC has changed from Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma, the officer in overall command of ARTRAC. The Ministry of Defence said she praised everyone in the Army, including civilian employees, for their outstanding work, and encouraged them to continue trying as hard as ever.
She was met at headquarters by Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta and Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma. The Ministry of Defence said her trip to ARTRAC happened just before she finished her time in Shimla, and bad weather meant she couldn’t travel around as much as she’d planned.
Focus on preparedness and modernisation
In her speech, President Murmu encouraged ARTRAC to continue enthusiastically working to make the Army’s readiness even stronger. The Ministry’s statement said she appreciates all the work ARTRAC does to train people, decide on the Army’s core beliefs, and improve the Army’s abilities.
She also said they should keep up the good work, and recognised the dedication of officers, soldiers, and the civilians who work for the Army. The Ministry said the main point was being ready through tough training and systematically using new ways of doing things.
Lieutenant General Sharma explained some of the things ARTRAC has been doing recently. He said they are making sure training matches the way battles are likely to happen in the future. The Ministry said he went into detail about how ARTRAC is promoting the use of technology, and improving decision-making with structured tests and simulations.
Key initiatives presented by ARTRAC included:
– Impetus to drone training across relevant formations
– Steps to absorb niche and emerging technologies
– Introduction of the Red Teaming concept
– Digitisation and automation initiatives within the Army
ARTRAC’s role across the Army ecosystem
The President acknowledged that ARTRAC is involved in everything relating to planning how wars will be fought, getting the necessary equipment, and working with other countries and the other branches of the Indian armed forces. The Ministry said that ARTRAC is a critical part of winning wars, becoming self-reliant (Atmanirbharta), and building a developed India (Viksit Bharat).
ARTRAC has 32 top-level training schools, and these improve the Army’s professionalism. The Ministry says because of this reach throughout the Army, ARTRAC has a unique understanding of the art and science of fighting wars, and can always improve the Army’s core beliefs and training.
The statement went on to say that ARTRAC’s work with other parts of the military and with partner countries helps create ideas, training courses, and ways to build up capabilities. All of these things together help the Army be prepared and have a training system that is looking to the future.
Sendoff in Shimla amid weather constraints
Afterwards, President Murmu was given a warm farewell at Annandale Helipad in Shimla. The Ministry said the bad weather meant that some events that had been scheduled had to be cancelled, and the President had to stay in Shimla itself.
Dignitaries present at the sendoff included:
– Governor Kavinder Gupta
– Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
– Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh
– Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta
– DGP Ashok Tiwari
– Senior civil, police and army officers
The visit ended with a renewed call to prioritize readiness through training, as the Ministry’s statement pointed out. The focus on drones, “red teaming” (challenging assumptions), becoming digital, and special technologies showed that ARTRAC will continue to strengthen how prepared the Army is through its core beliefs and new ideas.
By stressing enthusiasm, modernizing, and being highly professional, the President’s message matched what ARTRAC is meant to do. The Ministry emphasised that because of ARTRAC’s wide-ranging role and its network of training schools, it is able to continue to improve the Army’s readiness.
