Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday and exhorted the troops to remain steadfast to meet all security challenges, officials said. This was his first visit to the Jammu region after taking charge as the 30th chief of the Indian Army on June 30 and it assumes significance in view of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra and massive anti-terror operations underway, especially in the hilly districts.

The Army chief reached Jammu in the morning and flew to the border district of Poonch to review the security situation and operational preparedness along the LoC, the officials said, adding he was accompanied by General Officer Commanding-in-chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar and General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva.

Gen Dwivedi also chaired a high-level meeting of Army and police officers on his return from Poonch at the Army headquarters in Nagrota. Director General of J&K Police R R Swain, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Vijay Kumar and ADGP, Jammu zone, Anand Jain attended the meeting.

In a post on ‘X’, the additional directorate general of public information of the Army said Chief of Army Staff Dwivedi, along with the Northern Army and the White Knight Corps commanders, visited forward locations of the ‘XVI Corps’, also known as the White Knight Corps, to review the security situation along the LoC.

“He was briefed on the operational preparedness by the commanders on the ground. The COAS lauded all ranks for maintaining high standards of professionalism and exhorted them to remain steadfast to meet all current and emerging security challenges,” the additional directorate general of public information said.

In photos shared by the Army, Gen Dwivedi can be seen interacting with troops. Earlier, the officials said, the Army chief chaired a meeting of field commanders on reaching Poonch before leaving for the forward areas. He also interacted with some ex-servicemen at the 93 Infantry Brigade and visited the district police headquarters in Poonch, they said.

A police spokesperson said Gen Dwivedi was received by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch Range, Tejinder Singh, District Magistrate Yaseen M Choudhary and Senior Superintendent of Police Yougal Manhas.

Gen Dwivedi’s visit underscores the commitment to maintaining strong collaboration between the military and civil forces for enhanced security and development in the region, he said.

The Army chief, who served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command from 2022 to 2024, returned to Delhi in the evening, the officials added.