Making the first-ever Presidential visit to the world’s highest battlefield, A P J Abdul Kalam today said the 75 kms-long Siachen glacier was of “extreme geo-strategic importance” to India and told the troops there is a comprehensive security plan while having a diplomatic approach to peace.
He said thermally-heated shoes and maps drawn from ground penetration radars to indicate possible avalanche prone areas would soon be made available to troops serving in extreme high altitudes. Kalam also told the troops to get trained in usage of handheld GPS, which would help them in patrolling the snowy heights.
Kalam visited the Kumar advance camp located at an altitude of 4,800 metres, base camp at 4,000 metres, Siachen battle school and said that ground penetration radars fitted on helicopters used in tandem with GPS system could enable accurate mapping of crevassess, the major life coster in the glacier area.
The President also disclosed that the Thoise air base would soon be extended to enable take off and landings by high performance fighters by next year. He also advocated that high altitude UAV system with appropriate sensors should be deployed in the area for carrying out reconaissance operations.
