A BMP infantry combat vehicle is put through its paces over
 A BMP infantry combat vehicle is put through its paces over rough terrain
Photo courtesy Defence PIB

State-of-the-art equipment and precision training add to the lethal power of the Indian Army’s infantry, writes Vijay Mohan, after
a visit to
the Vajra Battle School

IN peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace. The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence, under no circumstances can it be neglected, says noted military strategist Sun Tzu, and very rightly so. This is the core of peacetime operations of armed forces all over the world.

The essence of modern military training lies in moulding its commanders and soldiers into effective tools of combat, capable not only of rapid re-adjustment and delivering across a vast spectrum of armed conflict when required , but also to maintain its capability of deterrence and enforce peace.

As the dynamics of geopolitics shift across the continents and non-state players become an increasingly hostile element in the security environment, soldiers have to be trained, equipped and oriented for a variety of roles in vastly different terrains and situations.

Army commanders and military think tanks have been involved in re-writing training manuals and devising suitable training models encompassing new subjects and fine-tuning the existing syllabi to cater to the current and future requirements.

Despite huge advances in technology leading to automation and digitisation of the battlefield, the ubiquitous infantryman retains his position of importance, though he, too, has become tech-savvy and a multi-role combat machine than the plain rifle-and-bayonet- wielding humble foot soldier of yore.

Consequent to the 1999 Kargil conflict, which was primarily an infantry affair with troops assaulting mountain peaks, the Indian infantry has witnessed significant modernisation. Hand-held thermal imagers and night vision goggles, GPS sets, light-weight secure radios and improved clothing and webbing have become the order of the day, enabling the infantry to observe, move and strike in the dark. Gone are the bulky 7.62 mm self-loading rifles and the huge recoilless guns mounted on jeeps.

Soldiers are now equipped with indigenous smaller and lighter 5.56 mm INSAS rifles, backed by awesome firepower from automatic grenade launchers, flame throwers, hand-held multi-grenade launchers and the latest Carl Gustav Mark-3 rocket launchers. Soldiers today, officers said, are catagorised by the quantum of their firepower and mobility.

The Army’s role in counter-terrorist operations, low-intensity conflict and operations in urban areas have given a new impetus to close quarter battle drills and combat in built-up areas.

A visit to Vajra Battle School in the western sector showed how serious the Army is about this aspect of warfare. A special indoor range, simulating a series of rooms with automatic prop-up targets, trains soldiers in reflex shooting, neutralising hostile elements in building and hostage rescue. Live ammunition is used and standards have been set where a particular number of targets have to be shot within a specific time.

"Though such activity was always a part of the training, the emphasis on combat in built-up areas is now more than before, though not at the cost of training in conventional warfare," an officer said. "Troops from all formations undergo this periodically and the school remains busy throughout the year," he added.

Also assuming greater significance is the slithering operation, where troops are trained to descend from helicopters hovering about 30 metres above the ground using ropes and special gloves. This indicates growing emphasis on heli-borne operations by the infantry and acquiring a capability of rapid redeployment.

With the nuclear umbrella shadowing the subcontinent, troops also have a new topic to learn — protection as well as combat in an nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC)-contaminated area. Special shelters have been designed to insulate troops from radiation as well as from chemically and biologically-contaminated environment. Though the Army is inducting equipment and training for operations in an NBC environment, it is still far from achieving the desired levels of sufficiency in equipment.

As the Army grapples with the challenge of modernisation and ambles down the road into the future, it has devised the concept of converting an individual soldier into a hi-tech fighting machine. Termed F-INSAS (Future Infantry Soldier as a System), it envisions the Indian infantry equipped with the latest weaponry, communication network and instant access to information on the battlefield. It includes a fully networked all-terrain, all-weather personal-equipment platform, enhanced firepower and mobility for the digitalised battlefield of the future.

With speed, precision and lethality being the hallmark of F-INSAS, the fully integrated infantryman will be equipped with mission-oriented equipment integrated with his buddy soldier team, the sub-unit, as also the overall C4I2 (Command, Control, Communications Computers, Information and Intelligence) system.

A soldier’s kit would include helmets with visors, video camera, thermal, chemical and biological sensors. and head-up display, waterproof but breathable clothing with a light weight bullet-proof jacket and health monitoring sensors, palmtop computer and a new array of multi-caliber assault weapons.

Glorious
trail

 Western Command turns 62 on September 15

Western Command — the Army’s sword arm — turns 62 this month. Raised on September 15, 1947, with its Headquarters at Delhi and Lieut-Gen Dudley Russel as the first General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, it was then called the Delhi and East Punjab (DEP) Command, controlling formations with an operational role in the jurisdiction of the present Western, South-Western and Northern Commands.

A trooper lines up the sights of a Carl Gustav rocket launcher during training
A trooper lines up the sights of a Carl Gustav rocket launcher during training Tribune photo: S. Chandan

The genesis of the Command can be traced back to the abolition of the Presidency armies on April 1, 1895, and the subsequent formation of four commands. In June, 1947, the Punjab Boundary Force, comprising units of Indian and Pakistan armies was set up for both, east and west Punjab. But it was disbanded on September 15, 1947, with the two nations taking responsibility for their respective territories. It was then that the DEP Command was raised.

With war breaking out between India and Pakistan in October, 1947, the area of responsibility of the Command was extended to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Troops were immediately airlifted into the war zone and a battalion — the famed 1 Sikh — was deployed effectively on October 27. This action gave the Indian Army a foothold for undertaking subsequent operations that saved Srinagar from being captured by Pakistan.

Later, with the operational area of the Command extending beyond Delhi, it was decided to re-christen DEP as Western Command on January 18, 1948.

Since the Indian Government had imposed a ban on the movement of British officers in Jammu and Kashmir due to political reasons, it was decided to replace Lieut-General Russel. On January 20, 1948, Lieut-Gen (later Field Marshal) K.M. Carriappa took over the reigns of the Western Command. Problems of infrastructure and lack of accommodation in Delhi led to the Command being shifted to Shimla in 1954.

During the 1962 Chinese aggression, a number of officers and men from formations under the Western Command exhibited exemplary courage. The Command managed to save a major portion of Ladakh, including Leh and Chushul, from falling into enemy hands despite overwhelming odds.

In May, 1965, Pakistan’s "Gibraltar Force", consisting of guerrillas, started operations to capture the Kashmir valley. Anti-guerrilla operations launched by the Command cleared the Valley of "Gibraltar Force" within three months. This was followed by a major armour-backed Pakistani attack called Operation Grandslam, in the Chhamb Sector in September in an attempt to isolate Kashmir.

Opening new fronts, Western Command, then under Lieut-Gen Harbaksh Singh, deployed its formations towards Sialkot and Lahore — a manoeuvre, which checked the advance of Pakistan Army’s Patton tanks in the Chhamb area. The famous "Battle of Dograi", which is described as "the Infantryman’s finest hour", and the "Battle of Assal Uttar", that gave India its largest haul of enemy tanks when the offensive by Pakistan’s 1 Armoured Division was blunted, are notable examples of the Command’s achievements in this war.

In 1971, the Command Headquarters moved to Jalandhar. The Army, under the leadership of Gen (later Field Marshal) Sam Manekshaw, went into what was then known as East Pakistan. The western front, too, was under threat. Under the command of Lieut-Gen K.P. Candeth, preparations were made to thwart enemy movement. The "Battle of Basantar" is another fine example of military victory during the 1971 war.

After the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the Northern Command, with its Headquarters at Udhampur, was carved out of this Command to assume operational responsibility of Jammu and Kashmir.

Headquarters of the Western Command eventually moved to its present location at Chandimandir in 1985. In 2005, consequent to the raising of the South Western Command, the areas of responsibility of the Command were readjusted. Today Western Command guards the heartland of the country, including parts of Punjab and J&K. It has played an important role in all wars since Independence by blunting enemy offensives and carrying the battle into the enemy territory.

When militancy was at its peak in Punjab, the Western Command rendered yeoman service to combat militancy and restoring normalcy and faith of civilians in the democratically installed government in the strife-torn state.

The Command also won the hearts of the people of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh by rescuing marooned people in areas devastated by floods and other natural disasters. — VM





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