BANGALORE: The Indian Army will celebrate the 66th Army Day on Wednesday, reaffirming it pledge to defend the nation against all adversaries, external and within.

Preparing for the celebrations, Lt Gen Ashok Singh, general officer commanding-in-chief, Southern Command, said in his message: "...On the auspicious occasion I extend my heartiest congratulation to all ranks of the Southern Command, our honoured veterans, Veer Naries, civilians and their family members."

Stating that the Army Day provides an opportunity to reaffirm the army's pledge to defend the nation, he said: "We, the soldiers of the Southern Command rededicate ourselves to carry out our duties towards achieving our goal of safeguarding the borders of this great nation and serve the citizens of India."

An official note from the Southern Command said that the future holds more challenges and that the command is optimistic that each and every member will put in his and her best to keep the Indian flag flying higher than ever.

"We head towards a year of achievements, even more than the year gone past. We stand firm in our resolve to defend the nation. We stand firm in our resolve to serve all the citizens of the Nation in every manner that we can. We stand firm in our resolve to take care of our veterans, Veer Naries and their families," Lt Gen Singh said.

