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Source: 91 Infantry BrigadeIn February 2009 the Indian Army re-raised 91 Infantry Brigade in amphibious role comprising of 3 infantry Bns and a strength of 3,000 personnel. The soldiers have been drawn from the Sikh, Gorkhas and Madras regiments. The amphibious brigade of the army had been undergoing training for over a year at Thiruvananthapuram and was formally launched by the defence minister A.K. Antony. The new amphibious brigade, is modelled on the lines of the Indian Navy's marine commandos and specialising in land and marine warfare. Experts see it as a necessary adjunct to meet India's security challenges.
While expeditionary forces can be airborne or seaborne this is the first time that the Indian Army has raised a sea-based force large enough to be considered as an expeditionary force. So far, an infantry battalion had been undertaking such amphibious responsibilities on transfer to the tri-services command at Andaman and Nicobar islands.
The first effort to create a dedicated force was mooted by the naval headquarters as it prepared to acquire the landing platform dock, the INS Jalashva, earlier the USS Trenton, in 2007. By exporting the Trenton to the Indian Navy, the Pentagon transferred not only a warship but also the whole idea of expeditionary warfare that the Indian military had so far been chary about.
Kerala is home to the country's first amphibious brigade. Initially, there were two battalions and one brigade stationed in the heart of the city in a campus of around 450 acres. One battalion, due to lack of space, was stationed in Bangalore. There were 3,000 personnel, and with the announcement to convert this into an amphibious brigade which took place early in 2009 in Delhi, the strength would go up to 5,000 personnel. Another 500 acres was promised to the brigade for the campus. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for a long time had been tempting officials by promising more than 3,000 acres of land for the amphibious brigade, but by 2008 it was certain that he brigade would be in Kerala.
In 2008 India unveiled the joint doctrine for its amphibious operations. The doctrine is meant to serve as a guideline on how the armed forces intend to plan and conduct amphibious operations and achieve full synergistic effect of joint combat power.
Amphibious warfare is the utilisation of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to send troops ashore. A well-planned and executed amphibious operation - basically a tri-service operation launched from the sea by carrying soldiers and their weaponry on a ship and affecting a landing on enemy shore - could change the course of a war. In the modern era, amphibious warfare persists in the form of commando insertion by fast patrol boats and mini submersibles. In modern warfare, an amphibious landing of infantry troops on a beach is the most complex of all military manouvers. The undertaking requires coordination of numerous military specialities, including air power, naval gunfire, naval transport, logistical planning, specialised equipment, land warfare, tactics and extensive training in the nuances of this manoeuvre for all personnel involved.
Dedicated ships and aircraft would be needed to make the amphibious brigade fully operational. Amphibious warfare is the utilisation of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to send troops ashore. In the modern era, amphibious warfare persists in the form of commando insertion by fast patrol boats and mini submersibles. In modern warfare, an amphibious landing of infantry troops on a beach is the most complex of all military manoevers. The undertaking requires coordination of numerous military specialities, including air power, naval gunfire, naval transport, logistical planning, specialised equipment, land warfare, tactics and extensive training in the nuances of this maneuver for all personnel involved. A well-planned and executed amphibious operation - basically a tri-service operation launched from the sea by carrying soldiers and their weaponry on a ship and affecting a landing on enemy shore - could change the course of a war.
In February 2009 the Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force jointly conducted the largest ever amphibious exercise codenamed "EXERCISE TROPEX-2009" at Madhavpur beach in Gujarat. The amphibious landing, the most complex of all military manoeuvres involving coordination and synergy from conceptualization to planning and final execution, was ably demonstrated on the shores of Madhavpur. The pre-assault operations of planning, mobilization and embarkation having been achieved at Karwar, the amphibious task force sailed from Karwar on 05 February 2009 and landed on the shores of Madhavpur 09 February 2009 using the newly inducted Landing Platform Dock (LPD) INS Jalashwa, several Landing Ship Tank Large {LST(L)}, fleet ships with their integral helicopters, shore-based aircraft and submarines from the Indian Navy and hovercraft of the Coast Guard. This is the first time the joint doctrine on amphibious warfare of the Indian Armed Forces which was formulated last year was put into practice with its full scope. Tanks, armored personnel carriers and Infantry troops of 91 Infantry Brigade of the Sudarshan Chakra Corps participated in both stand-off and hard beaching modes.
Three wings of defence come together for biggest-ever joint amphibious exercise
In the dead of night, two groups of Blue Nation�s marine commandos sailing on motorised rafts arrived at the Madhavpur beach of Green Nation, which had been taken over by terrorists of Islamic Red Nation. A madrasa nearby, which had been turned into a terrorist camp, was the target of Blue Nation�s armed forces. They responded to an SOS call by the hydrocarbon-rich Green Nation.
A fierce gun-battle ensued. The commandos, supported by fighter jets, captured the beach and sent a signal to the flotilla of Landing Platform Docks. Immediately, the vessels released tanks that reached the shore in no time and unleashed a three-pronged attack using armoured personnel carriers and infantry. Within an hour, terrorist camps were destroyed and Madhavpur was captured.
On Monday, Madhavpur beach in Porbandar district, which is located only a few miles from the International Maritime Border Line with Pakistan, became a war zone. The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force conducted the largest-ever joint amphibious exercise in the country. Code-named Exercise Tropex-2009, the war games involved over 4,000 personnel of 9 Infantry Brigade, with tanks and BMPs, guns and engineering equipment. A huge fleet of nine ships, aircrafts, fighter jets and a submarine were also part of the exercise.
The most complex military manoeuvres involving coordination and synergy from conceptualisation to planning and execution, were demonstrated on the shores of Madhavpur. The Coast Guard was also a part of it. Joint capabilities of the three services to strike the enemy were demonstrated amply in the programme. This is for the first time the Joint Doctrine on Amphibious Warfare of Indian Armed Forces, formulated in 2008, was put into practice in its full scope.
The military top brass were all praise for the participants. It was hailed as a display of a very high degree of jointmanship between the three services.
�This was the largest exercise ever conducted. We have done what is considered a very complex exercise that calls for high level co-ordination and synergy between all three military wings,� said Vice-Admiral J S Bedi, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.
Lieutenant General Pradeep Khanna, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, said, �So far, this had been only a part of the classroom. For the first time, it has become a reality and that too on a large scale.�
�Correct sequence and time displayed during the exercise indicates good coordination between all the three wings,� said Air Marshal K D Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command.
The exercise has come at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have been escalating. However, the officers denied any connection with the post 26/11 rhetoric between the two countries. Brigadier Cherish Mathose, commander of 91 Brigade, said terms like �militants from Islamic nations� and �Madrasa� were simply a part of the story and nothing else.
The pre-assault planning, and mobilisation having been achieved at Karwar in Goa on February 5, the troops landed on Madhavpur four days later using the newly inducted LPD INS Jalashwar, several landing ships, tanks, helicopters, shore-based aircraft, a submarine and hovercrafts. The SWAC deployed its Jaguars that fired rockets with pin point accuracy on the target from an altitude of 200 feet, while Mig-29s marshalled the skies.
Source:[url]http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/gujarat-coast-becomes-virtual-war-zone/421478/[/URL]