Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday called on newly-appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and apprised her of the overall security preparedness of the Army and the situation along the borders with China and Pakistan. The Army chief met the defence minister hours after she assumed charge. Sources said issues related to the security challenges the country was facing on the northern and western borders figured at the meeting between the two. The Army chief on Wednesday had said the country should be prepared for a two-front war, noting that China had started "flexing its muscles" and there seemed no scope for any reconciliation with Pakistan. Chief of the Naval Staff and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Sunil Lanba also called on Sitharaman and briefed her on various key issues, including the security challenges at the high seas. A number of senior officials, including DRDO chief S Christopher and Defence Production Secretary A K Gupta, also briefed the defence minister on key issues. Sitharaman also called on former president Pranab Mukherjee at his residence. Mukherjee had held the defence portfolio from May, 2004 to October, 2006 in the UPA-I government.
