AK Antony to watch desert war games

A week before the Strike Corps exercise of the Indian Army can begin, defence minister AK Antony will be visiting Rajasthan to review the operational preparedness of the Army along the Western borders.

The fortnight long exercise of the Ambala-based 2 Strike Corps, under Western Command, is scheduled from May 8 in western Rajasthan, in which more than 10,000 troops will participate in war games. Elements of artillery and armoured columns are to participate in the exercise in which mobilisation time of troops during operations is expected to be tested, along with other war strategies.

Antony will be briefed by the general officer commanding-in-chief lieutenant general AK Singh at the Jaisalmer military station, about the operational preparedness and issues relating to the formation command. The defence minister is also expected to interact with the troops. A forward location visit is also on the itinerary.

Every year the three strike corps of the Indian Army carry out war game exercises and each of the three, the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, Ambala-based 2 Corps and Mathura-based 1 Corps, get their chance in turn.

Last year the Bhopal-based 21 Corps had its first ever war game based on nuclear biological chemical (NBC) warfare. The two-week war game would have elements from the Patiala-based 1 Armoured Div, Meerut-based 22 Div and the Dehradun-based 14 Div also called the ‘Rapids’. Though routine, these exercises put into practice, doctrines and tactics that would be used on a real battlefield.