On his last day in office as the chief of army staff, General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday paid tribute to martyrs at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
General Rawat remembered the brave personnel who had sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation.
He also received his farewell guard of honour as army chief at South Block.
He also thanked all army personnel and their families for extending full support to him in his three year tenure at the helm of the 1.3 million force.
General Rawat hoped that the army will rise to greater heights under the new chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.
When asked if the army is better prepared now to face the security challenges facing the country he said: "Yes, we are better prepared.
General Rawat took over as army chief on December 31, 2016, after superseding two officers senior to him.
On Monday, he was appointed as India's first chief of the defence staff, a post created to make it the main point of contact for the government to deal with defence issues.
He will take charge as the CDS after a tri-services guard of honour on January 1.
-- With inputs from PTI
Photographs: @adgpi/Twitter
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