Corona delays revamped attack system: Army Chief

The Army planned to introduce the IBGs, comprising a mix of infantry, artillery, air defence, tanks and logistics units, as part of a far reaching revamp of its war fighting capability, particularly along the borders with China and Pakistan. “The roll out of the IBGs has been delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic and the need to divert critical resources towards containment efforts,” the Army Chief said.

“However, I can assure you that we will roll out the IBGs in the requisite time frame as the conceptual groundwork has already been laid out and extensive test-bedding had already been carried out prior to the outbreak,” he said. The Army Chief also said that there could be some disruptions in defence production and procurement in the wake of COVID, but it will be a “temporary phase”.

After years of deliberations, the Army decided to raise the IBGs along the borders with China and Pakistan that will help it carry out swift strikes in case of a war. Each IBG will be headed by a Major General and comprise around 5,000 troops. Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in October, the Indian Army carried out the “Him Vijay” exercise in Arunachal Pradesh primarily to test the effectiveness of the IBGs in mountain combat exercise. Each IBG would be modelled on specific operational requirement considering the topography as well as threat perceptions.

The time has come for India to adopt a “whole-of-government approach” in decisively confronting the “strategic uncertainties” looming on its horizon as well as non-traditional threats like pandemics, Naravane said, strongly pitching for broadening the country’s national security doctrine. Though Naravane did not elaborate, his comments came in the backdrop of Taliban’s aim for a role in the power structure in Afghanistan and China’s persistent efforts to expand military ties with coun tries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and the Maldives.