In the run up to Balakot strikes, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat very categorically conveyed to the top brass of the government that his force was fully ready to deal with any ground offensive by Pakistan and take the battle into the enemy territory, top military sources said.
The Indian Army was prepared for a conventional warfare with Pakistan which would have included going inside Pakistan, the sources told PTI.
Gen. Rawat, at a closed door interaction with a group of retiring Army officials on Monday, said the force was combat ready for any hostilities from Pakistan Army after the Balakot strikes, the sources said.
Explaining Gen. Rawat's comments, a military official said what the Army Chief meant was that Indian Army was ready to take the battle into Pakistan.
The sources said Indian Army had finalised contracts to procure ammunition worth Rs 11,000 crore after the Uri terror attack in September 2016, and it has received 95 per cent of the total order.
Indian Air Force bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26, in response to the Pulwama attack.
Pakistan retaliated by attempting to target Indian military installations on Wednesday. However, the IAF thwarted their plans.
Sources said that the Indian Army has significantly improved availability of key armaments and ammunition in the last over two years, admitting that their shortage was a major issue earlier.
The availability of arms and armaments has improved significantly since the Uri attack, said a senior official.
In March last year, the vice chiefs of the three services were granted additional financial powers to carry out specific procurement to ensure operational preparedness.
The government also relaxed certain rules to cut delays in military purchase like allowing the three services to procure required weapons and equipment from a single vendor.
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