General Manoj Pande noted that India will never forget the soldiers of the 1999 Kargil war

Drass: The dangers and challenges before the armed forces are likely to get more complex in the future and India needs to be ready to face them, the Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, said today.

The armed forces should prepare for the future keeping in mind the possible challenges, the Army chief said.

"Dangers and challenges before us are likely to get complex in the future. We need to be ready," General Pande told reporters at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass on the occasion of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas.

"We have been working on adaptive, resilient, and responsive processes. Our Army will emerge as a technology-enabled and future-ready force to deal with security challenges," he said.

The Army chief noted that the country will never forget the sacrifices of the soldiers in the 1999 Kargil war.

"Operation Vijay was a difficult and high-intensity military operation. It was a difficult terrain that was under the possession of the enemy. It was a challenge that our soldiers accomplished... I also want to commend the air warriors for their contribution in achieving the final objective," he said.

The Indian Army launched a fierce counter-assault to push back Pakistani forces that had stealthily occupied important heights in Ladakh in 1999.

The Kargil War saw soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces fight in the most challenging terrain under harsh weather conditions leading to the defeat of the enemy in the Drass, Kargil, and Batalik Sectors.

The Kargil Vijay Diwas marks India's victory over Pakistan.