Indian Army trains to hit the enemy hard, fast

Agencies

Suratgarh, 17 May 2011: Just one hour from the Pakistan border, the Indian Army unleashed its meanest weapons, to test its readiness for battle.

 

The week long exercise is called Vijayee Bhava.Four-hundred tanks, 300 aircraft, 45,000 men are practicing in the war games, 40 kilometers from the Pakistan border.

 

Every year since the Kargil War, the Indian Army has trained to strike the enemy hard and lightning fast if ever challenged again."Every army fights to win. There is no prize for second place.

 

I believe there is scope for a conventional war without escalating beyond the nuclear threshold," says Western Army Command Chief Lieutenant General SR Ghosh.

 

Brains over brawn is the new mantra, as the Indian army is now using unmanned aerial vehicles, satellite feeds and televised updates from the battle field to plan operations.

 

"There is one thing about fighting in the dark. Its another thing entirely to know where you are and where your other units are and to combine your forces for maximum lethality," says Ghosh.

 

These exercises are essentially training to invade and subdue enemy territory within three to four days. While the Indian Army is confident of doing that, the truth is that in areas like night time operations, air defence and tracked artillery guns, India still has a long way to go.