Govt set to clear 40,000-strong force along China border

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet committee on security (CCS) could soon grant approval to the Army's proposal to raise a mountain strike corps along the China border.

The CCS approval would be given after the ministry of defence (MoD) gives its final clarification to certain questions raised by the finance ministry, sources said. The MoD is not expecting any further objections from the finance ministry over the ambitious proposal to raise a dedicated offensive capability in the north-east border with China.

The strike corps is expected to cost Rs 62,000 crore spread over the entire 12th Plan (2012-17).

The Army has proposed a mountain strike corps, two independent infantry brigades and two independent armoured brigades to plug its operational gaps along the entire line of actual control (LAC) with China, as well as to acquire offensive capabilities.

India started the catch-up game with the Chinese military and infrastructural capabilities only in the past decade, and is now furiously working to find some kind of parity with Beijing. The mountain strike corps would be a significant step towards the catching up, a senior official said.

The raising of the new formations will together cost over Rs 81,000 crore during the 12th Plan period. However, some parts of the entire build-up, especially the independent brigades, will spill over into the 13th Plan period.

The proposed mountain strike corps, with over 40,000 soldiers and headquartered at Panagarh in West Bengal, will for the first time give India the capability to also launch offensive action into Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in the event of a Chinese attack. The corps will have two high-altitude divisions for rapid reaction.

India has already raised two new infantry divisions at Lekhapani and Missamari in Assam in 2009-10. They are operationally tasked to defend Arunachal Pradesh.

India is also beefing up its missile and fighter capabilities along the China border in its desperate bid to catch up with a burgeoning China's military capabilities and developed infrastructure up to the border.

The proposal for raising India's first mountain strike corps has been hanging fire over the last few years. The finance ministry has in the past returned the file to the MoD objecting to the huge financial commitments. A few days ago, the finance ministry has sought further few clarifications. "It is just a matter of formalities," one source said.

Even as India plays catch up, China has built aggressive military and infrastructure capabilities. It has at least five fully-operational airbases, an extensive rail network and over 58,000-km of roads along the Indian border. This would allow China to move over 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) to the LAC, outnumbering Indian forces by at least 3:1 there.

Govt set to clear 40,000-strong force along China border - The Times of India

 

[pmaitra]

Good idea. Now that means 4 divisions dedicated to mountain warfare. Excellent idea.

 

[drkrn]

panagarh is way too away from tar.how come they go on offensive if they are placed too away

 

[pmaitra]

panagarh is way too away from tar.how come they go on offensive if they are placed too away

The HQ will be in Panagarh, but the soldiers will probably be deployed in the NE region.

 

[Bhadra]

Good idea. Now that means 4 divisions dedicated to mountain warfare. Excellent idea.

Ha....

Why only four divisions ??

There would be more than 20 divisions in India dedicated to mountain warfare.....
East to West and North to South....

 

[pmaitra]

Ha....

Why only four divisions ??

There would be more than 20 divisions in India dedicated to mountain warfare.....
East to West and North to South....

You mean 'should' or 'would?'

I think 20 divisions (200,000 troops) is not enough. Considering LoC with Pakistan, along with Tibet, India needs another 35 divisions (350,000 troops) in addition to what it already has.

 

[DivineHeretic]

The HQ will be in Panagarh, but the soldiers will probably be deployed in the NE region.

It is unlikely that the IA will deploy assets of the strike corps in the NE where terrain and infrastructure is not in their favour. Plus the region is too difficult for quick resupply and manuevre warfare the strike corps will want.You would not want to deploy the Strike Corps in an are where you are at a disadvantage.

The best place for the deployment and operation of the Strike corps will be the finger area( the trijunction area between Bhutan,India and China) where the terrain and conditions are in our favour. The area under our control is perfect for launching quick thrusts and maintaining qatch over Chinese lines. Our Artillery can effectively hit and cut off their supply routes, denying them the advantage of superior infrastructure.

It is also a relatively flat region, enabling armored assaults and heavu CAS missions, including use of the Helis.

 

[Bhadra]

panagarh is way too away from tar.how come they go on offensive if they are placed too away

Panagarh is ideally suited for military operations in Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh as also entire NE..

This Corps would also be ideally located at Panagarh to take on Naxals and Red Bengalies in future if required

 

[Bhadra]

You mean 'should' or 'would?'

I think 20 divisions (200,000 troops) is not enough. Considering LoC with Pakistan, along with Tibet, India needs another 35 divisions (350,000 troops) in addition to what it already has.

Ha ? "would " is "would"...

A guess

 

[pmaitra]

It is unlikely that the IA will deploy assets of the strike corps in the NE where terrain and infrastructure is not in their favour. Plus the region is too difficult for quick resupply and manuevre warfare the strike corps will want.You would not want to deploy the Strike Corps in an are where you are at a disadvantage.

The best place for the deployment and operation of the Strike corps will be the finger area( the trijunction area between Bhutan,India and China) where the terrain and conditions are in our favour. The area under our control is perfect for launching quick thrusts and maintaining qatch over Chinese lines. Our Artillery can effectively hit and cut off their supply routes, denying them the advantage of superior infrastructure.

It is also a relatively flat region, enabling armored assaults and heavu CAS missions, including use of the Helis.

I am thinking in quite the opposite way.

Firstly, if we move 40,000 troops to the India-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction, it will increase border tensions. On the other hand, we cannot keep the troops down in the plains. We must keep the troops in the high altitude regions, infrastructure or not infrastructure, and that will not only keep the soldiers acclimatized, but also give them practice to keep supply lines open when there is no infrastructure. This practice will prove invaluable in case of war.

Moreover, what you are saying is a 'flat region' is quite the opposite. You should look at Google Earth and see it for yourself. Armoured assault in Arunachal Area is a no no. CAS has its difficulties, but is not impossible to master with practice. In case of another war, it will have to be fought with troops that are used to living in the woods for weeks without supply or quick access to infrastructure.

You should see the concept behind training the CRPF Cobra units - they train by doing extreme hard work. They are trained to work as autonomous units, without being detected, and without getting supplies for up to 10-11 days. See the video here: http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/internal-security/51237-make-naxals-our-own-assets.html (Opening Post)

 

[JBH22]

You mean 'should' or 'would?'

I think 20 divisions (200,000 troops) is not enough. Considering LoC with Pakistan, along with Tibet, India needs another 35 divisions (350,000 troops) in addition to what it already has.

afaik 1 Division consist of 23,000 troops and INDIAN ARMY has presently 37 Divisions

 

[pmaitra]

afaik 1 Division consist of 23,000 troops and INDIAN ARMY has presently 37 Divisions

Well, you might as well be right, only that the size of a division can vary widely from country to country.

I was using the most common measure of 10,000 soldiers per division, but maybe @Ray Sir can give a better idea.

 

[Bhadra]

It is unlikely that the IA will deploy assets of the strike corps in the NE where terrain and infrastructure is not in their favour. Plus the region is too difficult for quick resupply and manuevre warfare the strike corps will want.You would not want to deploy the Strike Corps in an are where you are at a disadvantage.

The best place for the deployment and operation of the Strike corps will be the finger area( the trijunction area between Bhutan,India and China) where the terrain and conditions are in our favour. The area under our control is perfect for launching quick thrusts and maintaining qatch over Chinese lines. Our Artillery can effectively hit and cut off their supply routes, denying them the advantage of superior infrastructure.

It is also a relatively flat region, enabling armored assaults and heavu CAS missions, including use of the Helis.

Can you please specify which area in Arunachal is not fit for operations of a mountain strike corps ?

 

[DivineHeretic]

Ha....

Why only four divisions ??

There would be more than 20 divisions in India dedicated to mountain warfare.....
East to West and North to South....

These 4 are the new Mountain divions, in addition to the existing ones. It does not imply that the IA has only 4 mountain divisions, or for that matter has 4 mountain divisioms dedicated to NE theatre.

The following are the mountain divisions currently in service (excluding the recently formed 2 divisions)

North East theatre
III Corps, headquartered at-Dimapur, Nagaland

2nd Mountain Division-headquartered at-Dibrugarh
57th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Leimakhong
56th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Zakhama

IV Corps, headquartered at-Tezpur, Assam

71st Mountain Division-headquartered at-Missamari
5th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Bomdila
21st Mountain Division-headquartered at-Rangia

XXXIII Corps, headquartered at-Siliguri, West Bengal

17th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Gangtok
20th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Binnaguri
27th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Kalimpong

The Western/Northern Theatre

XIV Corps, headquartered at-Leh, Jammu and Kashmir
8th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Dras

XV Corps, headquartered at-Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
28th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Gurez

South Western Command, headquartered at-Jaipur, Rajasthan
6th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Bareilly

Thus, as of now, there are 12+2 mountain divisions in the IA, with 9+2 in NE facing China exclusively and 3 facing Pak. With the induction of the new strike corps, the number of mountain division will climb to 12+2+2( or 3, not sure), with 13/14 of them exclusively for China.

Of course, though, the other mountain divisions are not earmarked as exclusively for thrusts.

 

[pmaitra]

@Bhadra, I cannot see the image you posted.

Edit: Never mind, I fixed it.

 

[Ray]

Well, you might as well be right, only that the size of a division can vary widely from country to country.

I was using the most common measure of 10,000 soldiers per division, but maybe @Ray Sir can give a better idea.

A strength of a Division is dependent on whether it is a Standard Division, Mountain Division, Armoured Division.

Then there are the attachments and detachments.

 

[pmaitra]

A strength of a Division is dependent on whether it is a Standard Division, Mountain Division, Armoured Division.

Then there are the attachments and detachments.

What is the strength of a mountain division of IA. Also, is it same for all the mountain divisions?

 

[Bhadra]

@Bhadra, I cannot see the image you posted.

Edit: Never mind, I fixed it.

No, I fixed it !

 

[Bhadra]

These 4 are the new Mountain divions, in addition to the existing ones. It does not imply that the IA has only 4 mountain divisions, or for that matter has 4 mountain divisioms dedicated to NE theatre.

The following are the mountain divisions currently in service (excluding the recently formed 2 divisions)

North East theatre
III Corps, headquartered at-Dimapur, Nagaland

2nd Mountain Division-headquartered at-Dibrugarh
57th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Leimakhong
56th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Zakhama

IV Corps, headquartered at-Tezpur, Assam

71st Mountain Division-headquartered at-Missamari
5th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Bomdila
21st Mountain Division-headquartered at-Rangia

XXXIII Corps, headquartered at-Siliguri, West Bengal

17th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Gangtok
20th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Binnaguri
27th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Kalimpong

The Western/Northern Theatre

XIV Corps, headquartered at-Leh, Jammu and Kashmir
8th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Dras

XV Corps, headquartered at-Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
28th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Gurez

South Western Command, headquartered at-Jaipur, Rajasthan
6th Mountain Division-headquartered at-Bareilly

Thus, as of now, there are 12+2 mountain divisions in the IA, with 9+2 in NE facing China exclusively and 3 facing Pak. With the induction of the new strike corps, the number of mountain division will climb to 12+2+2( or 3, not sure), with 13/14 of them exclusively for China.

Of course, though, the other mountain divisions are not earmarked as exclusively for thrusts.

Link Please :

You might have missed some !!

 

[Bhadra]

What is the strength of a mountain division of IA. Also, is it same for all the mountain divisions?

Division all over the world is supposed to be a flexible organization with two to five Brigades under command so the strength will vary from 10 000 to 20, 000.