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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 07, 2004

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Terrorism bigger challenge: Army Chief

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 6. The Chief of the Army Staff, N.C. Vij, today called on armies to coordinate efforts to fight terrorism.

Addressing the four-day 28th Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS) here, he said terrorism was a greater challenge to global peace than nuclear proliferation. The threat from nuclear proliferation was relatively easy to control because checks and balances had been institutionalised and the world community was geared to counter new threats.

Asymmetrical warfare, however, was posing a bigger challenge because there were no rules. The world's armies must understand one another's views and learn to operate in tandem against terrorism, the Army Chief said. The Army Chief felt that the challenge of terrorism could be met if long-term goals were worked out after identifying the problems that were preventing a coordinated approach.

The theme for PAMS is "regional cooperation in a changing security environment."

The seminar includes panel discussions on various topics of regional security. The keynote speakers from the co-host nations — Shantonu Choudhry of the Indian Army and John M. Brown III of the U.S. Army — also addressed the participants, giving an overview of the PAMS theme. Military representatives from 34 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are attending the seminar.

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