MOUT in our context is vastly different than US Forces MOUT.
Though the terrain may be urban but our aims, objectives, forces, their equipment and end state will be different. India unlike USA is unlikely to militarily intervene anywhere for its resources, regime change or occupation even if it is Pakistan. While attacking Pakistan I dot not visualise any one allowing Indian Forces doing Racca in Sukkur or bombing entire Bahawalpur to raise it to ground.
Unlike USA, our MOUT will be full fledged conventional military operations if against Pakistan, opposed by conventional Army rather than organised terrorists or militia like ISIS. Arms and equipment to be used will also continue to remain conventional rather than customised for MOUT like strykers of USA.
Entire Kashmir valley is urban. Even the outlying Gujjar villages are like urban terrain. However, we do not apply the kind of resources and force matrix in the valley which a US task force commander will be free to do in Fallujah. It is unimaginable.
We may never attack Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticaloa or Colombo but we were made to deal with those once upon a time. Indian Army neither had guns not tanks, BMPs, Attack Heptrs or Air assets supporting their operations. Do you feel if the requirement arose again, Indian Army will be allowed to use those resources like USA.
We will not be allowed to destroy even one building in Male, Thimpu, Rakhine, Viratnagar in Nepal or Sylhet in Bangladesh if Indian Forces are employed to fulfil requirements of Indian national interests there.
So it is the PBI which has taken the burnt and shall continue to do that.
Therefore, Indian Forces need a separate doctrine for their MOUT. It needs considerable discussion, thoughts and evolution process. It would be interesting to watch what French would be doing to save French buildings in Paris.
It is going to be a headache.
I would like to disagree. My Premise is the following:
The whole world has watched the battle space and battle tactics evolve in Iraq and Afghanistan, Syria, yemen. How a smaller , less technologically advanced force can hold off a larger opposition by negating a large chunk of technological advantage with House to House Fighting, Superior Small Unit skills and fighting within a Civilian population as cover.
it then becomes a battle of attrition - can the defending force hold off the Invading force till a) international community comes to their aid (diplomacy) b) bleed the enemy dry, in Human and Money costs
In 1971 Conventional Armies went to war with Conventional Mindsets - The Pak Army left their citiies to meet a rapidly advancing Indian Army. The Indian Army's objective was also not to hold territory but to do a quick regime change, dismantle military infrastructure and leave. This allowed them to leapfrog to take control of key nodal centers (logistics, Communications, Transportation) and ignore population centers
Senario 1: India initiates war with pakistan to find a permanent solution to current conflict - (within umbrella of tactical nukes in the mix)
Senario 2: Pakistan starts to fragment and out of self preservation we are forced to create a buffer between them and us to keep the chaos from spilling over and finding the quickest way of containing broken arrows.
in 20++ the Objectives the IA will have in the West will be different. While they will definitly take control of key nodal points they may also be forced to hold Population Centers. in pursuit of
1) NEST operations
2) HVT interdictions - Capture / Kills
The Pakistani Military Setup today INCLUDES Jihadi outfits in their official ORBAT and these militias are easily interchangeable with their other paramil units in terms of of their operational structure
The Pakistan's have a great deal of experience in asymetrical warefare and that is one area they can negate the technological Superiorty of the Indian Armed Forces. Confining The fight to urban centers negates the superiority in AirForce, Artillery and Tank Forces. They bring us down to their level for a bare knuckle brawl where nonuniformed forces , mingled with Uniformed Forces will be our OPFOR.
Leaving such units on our flanks unmolested will not be an option and the Army will be forced to prosecute such missions.
It will be tough brutal fighting and we could well see us evolve into such fighting.
Both Cases will require a sustained offensive MOUT capability with high degrees of fire superiority.
Given the nuclear threshold always hanging over the fight has to be brutal but SHORT.
