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Journalism of Courage
After a 10-month-long eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Pakistan during Operation Parakram, the Army has discovered a major chink in its operational offensive posture — its mine-laying policy. An internal assessment carried out by Army Headquarters recently found that mine field plans by pivot formations were unrealistic and excessive without adequate gaps for launching a major offensive in Western sector.
It is learnt that in a bid to rectify the situation, the Army has now called for a complete overhaul of its mine warfare capabilities to chalk out realistic plans that will enable it to maintain a pro-active posture against Pakistan.
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Fernandes to discard his kurta for flying suit
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| NEW DELHI: Defence Minister George Fernandes, who has refused to don formal suits even at his meeting with foreign heads of state, will have to shed his favourite kurta pyjama and wear the mandatory flying suit to undertake his historic fighter sortie on Sunday. Fernandes, IAF officials said, would also have to undergo mandatory medical tests before undertaking a 30 to 45 minute flying sortie on board the IAF frontline SU-30MKI from the Pune airbase. (PTI) |
According to South Block sources, all Army commands have been asked to review their mine field plans to ensure that there are enough gaps which will allow the mechanised and infantry columns to launch an attack on vulnerable Pakistani positions in the event of a war.
The recommendation is crucial to the Army’s overall strategy as it depends on its three Strike Corps, based in the Indian plains, to punch holes into Pakistani defences and encircle enemy armour which can attack the vulnerable Indian defensive positions in the Shakargarh bulge west of Jammu.
It is learnt that a study has also been ordered by the Army Headquarters to review its present mine warfare capabilities. The study, to be conducted by the Engineer-in-Chief’s branch, will go into the nitty-gritties of mine-laying, de-mining policies as well as re-examine the conditions under which mines are stored.
During Operation Parakram, the Army laid more than a million mines, both anti-personnel and anti-tank, to deter Pakistani offensives along the western borders and the Line of Control.
As the Army Headquarters advocates a pro-active stance against Pakistan, it has recommended three Army commands — Pune-based Southern Command, Chandimandir-based Western Command and Udhampur-based Northern Command — which will play a key role during an offensive against Pakistan to individually reassess their mine warfare plans and update them.
While the emphasis in the Northern Command is to deter Pakistani infantry-led offensives in the mountains, the Western and Southern Armies have operational command over the Indian offensive capabilities, its Strike Corps — the Mathura-based I Corps, Ambala-based II Corps and Bhopal-based XXI Corps. These are the pivotal formations around which offensive plans are chalked out.
According to South Block sources, the Army Headquarters has also recommended to its Commands that the decision to lay mines and the timing also need to be reviewed. With nearly 40 per cent of mines laid during Operation Parakram being of vintage value, the Army has also called for a revamp of the inventory of mines and fuses. The Headquarters has also recommended that the respective Army Commands create facilities for testing and chemical analysis of mines to ensure that the inventory is up-to-date.
