NEW DELHI: The combat formations of the Indian Army are set for a major reorganisation, for which specific orders have been issued with ‘implementation instructions,’ sources said on Sunday.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi is pushing for the reorganisation as part of the greater design to modernise the force. The combat formations are being raised on “Save and Raise” mode with no cost to the exchequer, sources said.
To begin with, their would be reorganisation at the Unit level of the Artillery and Infantry, which will be christened as Shaktiban Regiments and Bhairav Battalions. The reorganisation exercise will also be at the Brigade level with the new ones being called the Rudra Brigades.
A brigade of the Indian Army, commanded by a Brigadier, generally comprises three units comprising around 3,000 to 3,500 personnel.
According to sources, the Shaktiban Regiments will comprise two larger batteries with increased firepower (a typical battery operates six guns) and a composite battery operating two systems together. The composite battery will operate loiter munitions (extended range) and the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) on the lines of the Divyastra Battery.
One regiment generally comprises three batteries totalling 18 guns. A battery is a tactical unit of the regiment with guns and the requisite number of personnel and equipment to operate the weapons.
According to sources, these reconfigured brigades and regiments will be deployed along the western border, which India shares with Pakistan.
In an interesting move, based on an old Indian Army concept of raising battalions with the “son of the soil” concept, the Army Chief has mobilised Infantry Regimental Centres to select, train and depute personnel for the Light Commando Battalions, which, as earlier reported, will be named as Bhairav Battalions. These units will be affiliated with and operate with specific corps.
After the completion of initial training, these personnel of the newly-raised battalions will also train subsequently at Special Forces training centres.
Bhairav Battalions will be deployed on special tasks and assignments to inflict damage to the enemy. However, these units will not be as heavily armed and tasked with strategic operations like the Special Forces units.
“The Bhairav Units will be a bridge between the Special Forces and the Infantry Units, aimed to relieve the Special Forces for more critical assignments,” sources pointed out.
A Unit in the Indian Army, commanded by a colonel rank officer, is the primary executor of the tasks assigned to the formations. These units are referred to as Regiments in the artillery and armoured corps, and as Units in the Infantry. For Infantry in the Army, a regiment is a lineage of multiple units. organised as one group, like the Rajputana, Dogra, Sikh, Kumaon, etc.
“These units, with time, will be deployed to both the western borders and along the northern borders with China,” sources said, adding, “The even bigger plan of the Indian Army is to raise a self-contained Brigade which will not be constrained to operate in any terrain and will be taking on the enemy in every role.”
For this, the Bhairav Brigade will comprise all Combat Arms (Infantry, Armoured and Mechanised Infantry), Support Arms (Artillery, Engineers, Air Defence, Electronic Warfare, etc) and backed by specially designed logistics and combat support. Importantly, the raisings are on the ‘Save and Raise Concept’ wherein “no accretion in manpower will not burden the exchequer”.
The changes are part of the Army chief’s push towards modernising the force. These new brigades will be scaled up formations oriented for “agile movement and task-based configuration” sources privy to the development pointed out.
‘Self-contained brigade to operate on all terrains’
“The bigger plan of the Indian Army is to raise a self-contained Brigade which will not be constrained to operate in any terrain and will be taking on the enemy in every role,” sources said. For this, the Bhairav Brigade will comprise all Combat Arms (Infantry, Armoured and Mechanised Infantry), Support Arms (Artillery, Engineers, Air Defence, Electronic Warfare, etc) and backed by specially designed logistics and combat support.