NEW DELHI, APRIL 20: The army is gearing up for major war games to keep the troops engaged at the borders through the summers.
After the Army Commanders’ Conference, the Army will undertake a Corps-level exercise in Rajasthan desert for training in assault and capture of crucial ‘enemy territory’.
A strike corps comprising two infantry divisions and an armoured division will be engaged in the exercise, part of a series of war games to be undertaken in the coming months to keep the troops busy till ‘‘at least October’’.
According to top sources in army headquarters, troop deployment is part of a ‘‘bigger strategy’’ and its impact would be noticed in coming months. An important aspect will be to test the ‘‘jointmanship’’ and close coordination between services (army and air force) in various sectors.
While IAF aircrafts will soften enemy targets before an armoured assault, the infantry will follow to physically occupy enemy territory. For the initial period, the troops will be ‘self-contained’ but a logistics chain to cater to food, fuel and ammunition replenishment will be established during the exercises.
The exercise assumes significance with both Corps commander and army commander having recently taken over. ‘‘Pakistan will be informed at a suitable time about the exercises,’’ sources said. The exercise will not only keep troops engaged but help in maintaining pressure on Pakistani forces. ‘‘It will act as deterrent,’’ sources said.
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