Strengthen internal security: Army chief

NEW DELHI - A day after taking charge as the Indian army chief, Gen V.K. Singh Thursday said internal security in the country needs to be strengthened to fight external challenges.

“Our internal health (security) is very important. Till the time our internal security is not up to the mark, we won’t be able to take good care of external challenges,” Singh told reporters here.

“For this, we will give due attention to our core values and ethos,” he added.

Singh, 59, took over as army chief Wednesday. He will hold the office till he turns 62.

Asked about the Chinese threat perception against India, he said: “I can assure (that) for any challenges against us we are fully prepared. Preparedness is (an) ongoing process… we are making our training more practical.”