Rudra, Bhairav commandos, Shaktiman to drone platoons—how Army is transforming for future wars

The Print

5 days ago

While I welcome the changes announced by the COAS, my grouse is the slow pace of progress. It has taken seven years for the Army to begin executing the transformation of its World War II-era structures and organisations, first conceived in 2018. Most modern armies have already switched to combined arms brigades as the basic fighting formation. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) commenced its reforms in 2015, and by 2020, it had completed the restructuring of divisions into combined arms brigades operating directly under the group army—China's equivalent of a corps.
He also announced the raising of Bhairav Light Commando Battalions— reminiscent of the German Stormtroopers of World War I; Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV)/ counter UAV (C-UAV) based Shaktiman artillery regiments; a composite UAC/C-UAV battery for each standard artillery regiment; and drone platoons for each infantry battalion. These changes are part of the overall restructuring and reorganisation of the Army that began in 2018 .
Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, announced the transformative restructuring of the Indian Army on 26 July, during Kargil Vijay Diwas commemoration. Rudra brigades will replace the ' division ', which has been the default combined arms fighting formation for over two centuries .
Rudra brigades
Emphasising the Indian Army's transformation as a modern, future-ready force, the COAS said, 'New all-arms brigades named 'Rudra' are being formed, and I approved it yesterday. This will have fighting components like infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured units, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial systems, supported by tailored logistics and combat support.'
Rudra is the new 'fearsome' name for the all-arms Integrated Battle Group (IBG), which has been a work in progress since 2018. However, as per media reports, so far, only two experimental IBGs have been raised. The COAS had highlighted in January that the proposal was pending government approval due to financial implications. Now that he has publicly announced it, albeit with a new name, one can presume that the restructuring has finally been approved by the government.
Details of the new structures and organisations, and progress of implementation, are not yet in the public domain. There seems to be some ambiguity with respect to the reconnaissance and air defence components, which are normally part of combined arms brigades. It is not clear whether the UAS component to support the brigade will be under a separate unit or under the reorganised artillery units.
Since the IBGs will be tailor-made based on terrain and operational role, the organisations need to be kept flexible to absorb or shed resources. There is also a strong case for composite units of armour, mechanised infantry, and regular infantry, a system already in practice with the PLA. There is also a long-pending need to provide protected mobility to regular infantry in the plains—particularly in offensive formations—in the form of a basic wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC).
Bhairav Light Commando Battalions
To enhance rapid response along the borders, 30 Bhairav Light Commando Battalions of 250 personnel each are being raised. These units will be the first movers in both offensive and defensive tactical operations. In the offensive role, they will infiltrate behind enemy lines to capture or secure key terrain or even launch surprise attacks on defended localities along the Line of Control or Line of Actual Control. In defensive operations, they can preempt incursions or force their recoil by infiltrating and attacking from the rear.
These super or specially-trained and equipped infantry units will be kept free of traditional infantry tasks of defending or capturing ground as part of deliberate operations and will be used as a force multiplier. Historically, this concept was adopted when deliberate operations became too predictable or both armies got entrenched in strong defences. Their necessity arises due to the limited availability of Special Forces, which will now focus only on strategic/operational level tasks.
'Dronisation' of the Army
The most heartening feature of the transformative reforms announced by the COAS is the organisational adoption of drone warfare. Until now, at the tactical level, UAVs have been exploited in an ad hoc manner by dual-tasking personnel within existing units. This approach works well with low-end drones used as an additional weapon by frontline small subunits for combat. However, high-technology drones require specialised training and dedicated organisations.
To this end, Shaktiman artillery units are being created, equipped with UAS, C-UAS, and loitering ammunition. This implies that employment of tactical drones at the Corps level and below will now fall under the artillery. Additionally, each standard artillery unit will also have a Divyastra composite UAS/C-UAS battery to provide close UAV support at the IBG level.
The COAS also announced the creation of drone platoons for each infantry battalion. This will be in addition to the combat drones used at the section or platoon level as an add-on weapon. The main difference between the two lies in the range and capability of the drones and the skills of the operators.
Five months ago, I had written my wish list for drone organisations in the Army: 'There is no other option for the Indian Army, but to create a similar combat support arm at the tactical and operational level as part of Integrated Battle Groups and Corps. This would require a subunit at IBG and a unit at the corps level. These subunits/units will be responsible for the coordination and control of all drone and anti-drone operations.
In addition, the fighting arms—arms and infantry—and combat support arms will require their own subunits for drone and anti-drone operations. Close combat drones will have to be handled by frontline soldiers as add-on weapons. Composite counter-drone systems will have to be authorised for all logistics units and headquarters for point protection. Area protection will be ensured by IBG and corps subunits/units.'
There are still some voids between my wish list based on the Ukraine-Russia war and what the COAS has announced. I have no doubts that the Army will pragmatically fill the void in the near future.
Also read: China is world leader in drones, Pakistan a peer. India must prioritise UAS to keep up
Need for a holistic approach
I sincerely hope the ongoing restructuring or reorganisations are part of a holistic plan. Apart from restructuring the divisions into IBGs, there is a need to re-examine the organisations of units across all arms and services— most of which have remained unchanged since World War II. Our units are 25-30 per cent larger than their counterparts in modern armies.
Indian Army's 40 divisions will have to be reorganised into 80-90 IBGs. Mountains will require infantry-predominant IBGs. High-altitude valleys and plateaus will require a balanced mix of mechanised forces and infantry equipped with protected high mobility vehicles or APCs. In the plains, IBGs will need to be either mechanised forces predominant or APC-borne infantry predominant, depending on the role. Similarly, amphibious and air-transportable IBGs will be tailor-made for their roles. Additional resources in terms of mechanised forces and manpower for this restructuring will have to be found in-house through optimisation and reorganisation.
There is a strong case for reducing the Infantry Battalion from four companies to three, at least in the plains – a practice followed by most armies. This will result in saving 120 soldiers from each of approximately 250 infantry battalions operating in the plains.
An armoured regiment can be downsized to 31 tanks, with each squadron having three troops of three tanks each and one each for the squadron commander and the commanding officer. This adjustment will free up 980 tanks or make up an additional 31-tank regiments from the current 70 regiments available for the IBGs. Similarly, the 50 Mechanised Infantry Battalions can shed 9 Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICV) each by operating with three ICVs per platoon instead of four, sparing 450 ICVs—sufficient to raise 10 more Mechanised Infantry Battalions.
This lean and agile organisational pattern is followed by many armies. A similar bold exercise across other arms and services would help generate the necessary resources for IBGs and also lead to an overall saving in manpower.
Infusion of technology
Infusing state-of-the-art technology is an even bigger challenge than the restructuring or reorganisation. One of the biggest lessons from 21st-century conflicts is the conspicuous absence of close combat—attacking and defending forces are now being neutralised from standoff ranges using UAVs and Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) delivered in various modes. Without cutting-edge technology, the IBG will be toothless.
More than fearsome names like Rudra, Bhairav, Shaktiman, and Divyastra, it is advanced technology and superior training that will instil fear in the enemy. Transformation through restructuring, optimising, reorganising, and infusion of state-of-the-art technology should be the mantra for the Army.
Lt Gen H S Panag PVSM, AVSM (R) served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. Post retirement, he was Member of Armed Forces Tribunal. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)