Indian Army's new doctrine being tested in Thar

The joint Army and Air Force exercise Shoorveer is presently on in the desert of Rajasthan. It is in the series of exercises carried by the Indian Army to validate many of the points of its transformational study. Here is a glimpse of what how the force intends to become leaner, meaner and more lethal.

Somewhere in Thar desert in Rajasthan: Indian Army took close to eight months to get battle ready for the 1971 war, in 2001 it took three weeks to mobilize under Operation Parakram after Parliament Attack and after 26/11 immediate retaliatory strikes were ruled out as mobilization of troops would have taken long. Taking a lesson, the Indian Army is now testing doctrinal changes in a series of war-games going on here that will to deploy swiftly, strike decisively and carry out ‘pre-emptive’ strikes if given a go-ahead by the political leadership. 

In words of a senior officer, the endeavour of the Army earlier used to be move swiftly and reach a location where the enemy could be at offensive. But now the thrust is to mobilise to such a location where the Indian Army would be at offensive and thus forcing the enemy to get on a defensive position.

One of the biggest exercises Sudarshan Shakti was carried out in the Southern Command of the Indian Army last year in conjugation with the South-Western Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The exercise is led by the Bhopal-based 21 strike corps and is the first in the series of exercise conducted after the conclusion of its “transformation study”.

“Time since 26/11 has changed. It has changed drastically. Earlier we used to take 7-15 days to mobilize, now the time has been compressed a lot. What we are following is a pro-active strategy which entails pre-emptive strikes, if the need be,” a senior Indian Army official said. 

The official added that movement and mobilization of troops is directly related to the infrastructure development of the country. “We are dependent on roads and railways. Over the period the infrastructure has improved in the country and we have benefitted from it. Also with the modernization of the military hardware it is easier to maintain and move,” said the official. The acquisition of strategic airlifters like C-130 J Super Hercules by the IAF will also help in inserting the troops behind the enemy lines in a swift movement.

A reflection of the improvement is the increase in number of trains in the border areas and also the speed and quality of the locomotive engines. With the increase in number of canals on both sides of India and Pakistan, the unhindered movement of tanks has become close to impossible. The Southern Command, with 41 percent of the country’s landmass, has swathes of land along Runn of Kutch that can aid movement of tanks in case of any eventuality.

The Indian Army, which is has been carrying out transformation study for the last few years. Following the study certain conceptual, operational and structural changes have been recommended. “The changes are more about how we conduct an operation and may include relocation of forces as well,” another officer added.

As he spoke, about 60,000 troops were engaged in an exercise across the Bikaner-Jaisalmer sector testing its concepts for nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare; logistic systems and renergising of Army’s Aviation Corps. In a joint operations with the IAF’s fighter jets Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, Jaguars and MiG-21s, about 300 odd tanks including Russian-built T-90s, T-72s and indigenous Arjuns, have been practicing the strategy of striking hard by launching swift continuous armoured thrusts that won it the 1971 war. “While the basic technique might be the same, the new equipments and improvisation gives it the edge,” the official added.

As the officer spoke the network centricity of the army second largest standing army in the world was also being put to test. Aided by advent in technology, the army is using satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, fighters and other aerial means to gather intelligence. “Now all the information is available at one common point. The synergy between different forces is greater and the controlled flow of information to the executing troops makes the decision making faster and comparatively error free,” another official summed up the objective of the exercise.

In the ongoing Shoorveer exercise in the South Western Command of Army , the IAF is involved with troops (EWT) in a big way with elements from Western Air Command providing full spectrum of Air Support during the exercise. The offensive Air Support will involve all type of fighters including SU-30.  Mi-35 attack helicopters would also be providing the Offensive Air Support to the ground troops. Counter Surface Force Operations are crucial to the overall success of the Land Operations. The Mi-17s including some elements from South Western Air Command would be employed for the Special Heliborne Operations (SHBO). The Combat Support role will also see, the Airborne Assault Operations where a large contingent of paratroopers will be para dropped in the exercise area.

The exercise would see the Surface Forces and the Air Force elements fighting together in close coordination with each other. This however, calls for a high degree of Control and Coordination which is achieved by adhering to laid down operating procedures and supported by complex communication networks. Both the Army and    Air Force would field their Remotely Piloted Aircrafts (RPAs) in support of their missions.

A significant amount of joint training has been carried out by the Army and  Air Force prior to the exercise during the preparatory phase, both by day and by night.