M A I N   N E W S

Defence exercises in May
Battle procedures in N-backdrop to be tested
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30
The Army is out to give its men a new experience by holding its first-ever battlefield training exercises in the backdrop of country’s nuclear capability.

To be called “Poorna Vijay”, the exercises will be held in early May. It will be a number of exercises to evaluate concepts and practice battle procedures during offensive and defensive operations in the nuclear backdrop, an Army press note said here today.

The go-ahead for holding such exercises was given during the just concluded Army commanders’ conference here. The war games seek to enhance Army’s operational preparedness with tactical exercises with troops under live firing ranges.

The corp-level exercises in which the Indian Air Force will interdict by launching ground attack formations and carrying out deep insertion of airborne and heli-borne troops will also test challenges of nuclear, chemical and biological strike.

The first war games of 2001 will feature the armour, the artillery, and engineers conducting breakthrough operations in obstacle-ridden terrain, while other formations like mechanised forces will be put through their paces in the mobile format in the Thar desert.

“The emphasis will be on mission accomplishment on a conventional battlefield with a nuclear backdrop”, an Army spokesman said. He said special forces of the Army, the para-commando battalions would also participate by launching deep penetration attacks on the enemy’s rear.

Also being put through their paces would be major airborne forces who along with airborne heavy equipment would be airdropped during the night to assist advancing mechanised forces.

The spokesman said during the war games, focus would be on mobilisation procedures, movement, and efficacy of the vast communications network required in war.

He said the war games would culminate in an operational evaluation of the effect of integrated firepower in a combined arms battle, which would be conducted at field firing ranges under simulated conditions.