Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is in advanced stages of putting together Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) by reconfiguring its combat formations. The IBGs add punch to the ground forces by combining the strengths of each formation.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Manoj Pande said on Monday that IBGs were getting “collated.”
“Consultations with all stakeholders are more or less formalized and are now in the process of final compilation. Once this happens, we will see how we can take this forward and apply to perhaps other formations of the Army,” the Army Chief told TNIE.
The process has been put to test along two most active borders such as with Pakistan and China.
“We have identified a holding formation on the western front and a strike formation in the eastern or northern borders for the IBGisation to commence,” said Gen Pande.
This whole exercise is associated with theaterization — integrating all the forces into theatres.
Once IBGs are rolled out, these will be comparatively smaller formations but will be able to execute their operations swiftly. They will add to the options of the theatre commanders.
The IBGs will be bigger than a brigade (3,000-3,500) but smaller than a division (10,000-12,000).
In the first go, of the two IBGs planned, one is coming up under the 9 Corps mandated to operate on the western borders with Pakistan.
The other one is being raised under the 17 Corps raised as the sole strike corps to operate along the northern borders with China.
“The purpose of restructuring our existing formations was to have forces which are lean, agile and tailor-made that would afford the commanders the flexibility and more options for their deployment,” The Chief of Army Staff said.
General Pande conferred with PVSM
NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind conferred 13 Shaurya Chakras, which included six posthumous medals, to the armed forces personnel on Tuesday for their conspicuous courage displayed during operations.
Army chief General Manoj Pande was conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for his distinguished service of exceptional order at a defence investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
A Ministry of Defence statement said the gallantry awards were given to the personnel “for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty”.
