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Chief of Army Staff, General V.K. Singh, on Tuesday said operationally the army was prepared to take on any contingency. "Defence preparedness is a very large field. It comprises the training of troops, it comprises the morale of troops, and it compromises type of equipment and other things that they hold. When we take all those factors then you can say whether we are operationally prepared or not," said General Singh, clarifying his earlier remarks. "And I would like to say, with great confidence, operationally we are prepared to take on any contingency that may arise," he added. It may be recalled here that the Army Chief had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on the lack of defence preparedness, which was later leaked to the media. The Army Chief's letter to the Prime Minister brought to his notice critical gaps in the security apparatus and warned that the country's security is at risk. The letter reportedly apparently emphasized the need to bridge the shortcomings and bring the army to fighting level. General Singh, however, later defended his letter, saying giving details of the preparedness to the Defence Minister and all those concerned is an ongoing process. Meanwhile, General Singh also said the northeast, made of eight mountainous states, was much more peaceful than what it was five years ago. "Mizoram is very peaceful and Meghalaya is very peaceful except for political violence by one particular group. So generally, I would say, the whole of northeast is much more peaceful than what it was, let say five years back," he added.

Army prepared to take on any contingency: VK Singh