M A I N   N E W S

India, Pak prepare to test military might
* War games begin almost simultaneously
* Tanks accompanied by fully equipped infantry troops, air elements to be used
Ajay Banerjee/TNS

New Delhi, November 13
Nuclear armed neighbours India and Pakistan are conducting almost simultaneous war games in their respective territories over the next few weeks. The two armies, which have gone to war four times - in 1948, 1965, 1971 and 1999 - since Partition, will be separated by only a couple of hundred miles as they fine-tune their skills.

On both sides, it was expected that tanks will be used on the ground accompanied by fully equipped troops of the infantry besides air elements like attack choppers, fighter jets, UAVs and radars.

The Indian Army, aided by elements of the Indian Air Force, has already started what is termed as a ‘build-up’ to the major exercise named “Sudershan Shakti” being conducted in Rajasthan. This includes a series of manoeuvres involving a small number of troops culminating in the first week of December.

Pakistan will start its two-week joint exercise with China named ‘Youvi-IV’ on November 16, which, as per Islamabad’s own admission, is aimed at mutual exchange of experience and sharing of real-time information. The exercise will encompass techniques and procedures involved in low-intensity conflict operations. This will be conducted opposite India’s Barmer sector.

New Delhi and Islamabad have to inform each other whenever the armies close in on the borders for practice lest it should be wrongly construed as preparation for an attack. This protocol was worked out following the 1988 Operation Brasstacks when the entire western command of the Indian Army was deployed for an exercise. Gen K Sundarji was the then Army chief. Pakistan had raised a red flag and an understanding to inform each other was reached.

The Indian exercise will test the Army’s efficiency. In the last six months, this is the second full-scale exercise of the Indian Army to transform itself into a force aided by high-end technology. This is to ramp up the speed and accuracy of striking capabilities besides being aimed at provision of seamless integration with attack choppers and fighter jets of the IAF.

One of the key features of the transformation is real-time data and video sharing from inputs between tanks on the ground, IAF aircraft in the sky and advancing infantrymen. Commanders on the field and Generals sitting in war-rooms will be seeing the same live pictures as the entire battlefield will be connected seamlessly.

The data will be beamed across laptops using a mix of satellites and radio communication. All this will have very high encryption levels and is supposed to be very secure to prevent snooping.

In May this year, Ambala-based 2 Strike Corps had conducted an exercise “Vijayee Bhava” across an area of 2,400 square km in the deserts.

Incidentally, the transformation studies were ordered by Chief of Army Staff Gen VK Singh, when he was the GOC-in-C of the Eastern command. Gen Singh had also headed the 2 Strike Corps.

Sino-Pak drill

• Pakistan will start its two-week joint exercise with China named ‘Youvi-IV’ on November 16
• As per Islamabad’s own admission, it is aimed at mutual exchange of experience and sharing of real-time information
• The exercise will encompass techniques and procedures involved in low-intensity conflict operations
• The exercise will be conducted opposite India’s Barmer sector