NEW DELHI: The February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama, in which 44 CRPF soldiers were killed, has led to a delay in a comprehensive exercise being carried out by the Indian Army to restructure the organisation of its fighting formations.
The attack and the deployment in the state after it, has delayed testing of Integrated Battle Groups (IBG), a senior Army officer said on Monday, on condition of anonymity.
“There is a delay till the time the precautionary deployment along the Western Border with Pakistan is not lifted,” added the official. IBGs will comprise of all the elements needed for fighting a full-scale war on any chosen terrain. According to the official, the idea is to apply these changes at a brigade level with specific changes, according to the terrain. Each brigade has an average of 3,000- 4,000 troops.
IBGs will not only restrict the formation sizes but will lead to an increase in mobility — a crucial element for first-response units. Currently, an Army Division is the lowest self-sufficient formation that can wage an independent war. It generally consists of three brigades of about 4,500 soldiers each. The larger body of troops is changed as per the terrain. During a war situation, each section of troops has to congregate, which takes time.
According to the official, the IBGs, finalized upon after the force’s largest-ever restructuring exercise, are delayed because War Gaming (field testing) and table-top exercises between select officers on various aspects of this new formation were to be completed in March. The strategies devised would then have been applied in May.
“The aim is to develop a formation which is quick with ability to cause maximum damage to enemy as future wars will be of small duration and intense.” said the official.
Sources added that three different locations were chosen for test-bedding the IBGs. One was in the mountainous terrain of the Northern Borders and the other two were along the Western Borders — including a desert, a riverine and plains.
Smaller battle units
IBGs will comprise of all the elements needed for fighting a full-scale war on any chosen terrain. According to the official, the idea is to apply these changes at a brigade level with specific changes, according to the terrain. Each brigade has an average of 3,000- 4,000 troops