A two-day army commanders' conference will be held in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim that sits on the China border, starting Thursday.

According to army sources, defence minister Rajnath Singh is expected to deliver a keynote address to senior army leadership in Gangtok on Thursday.

The first phase of the conference will be held in Gangtok on October 10 and 11. The second phase in a hybrid mode will be held in October-end. “He (the defence minister) will be briefed on the emerging security challenges and the response of the army in the security domain,” a release issued by the defence ministry on Wednesday said, adding that the event "underlines Indian army's focus on ground realities".

"The conference will serve as a forum for senior commanders to review current operational preparedness, deliberate on critical strategies and outline future directives,” the release stated.

It said that talks would focus on critical national security issues and strategic aspects aimed at sharpening the Indian army's warfighting capabilities, including "the growing importance of a multi-pronged national security strategy that incorporates integration of civil-military fusion and the Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic (DIME) pillars...."