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Manekshaw PaPer no. 34, 2012
KNOWLEDGE WORLD
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Revolution in Military Affairs
A Roadmap for the Indian Sapper of 2020
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KNOWLEDGE WORLD
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Contents
Itodctio 1
T spiit of egiig, sppig d soldiig 1
Chapter 1: Past, Present and Future of Military Engineering
1. T Mtt of Dicio 22. Fom T Oigi to t Pt: Pogio of Mility egiig 2
3. hitoy of sppig 3
4. Mility egiig i t Cotmpoy Idi amy 5
Chapter 2: The Emerging Nature of Warfare and
the Global Revolution in Military Affairs
1. Looig Yod 82. emgc of Mod Mility Cocpt 8
3. Combat Power Redened 9
4. Dtmitio of rlti stgt 9
5. Combid am Optio 10
6. T Cocpt of Itopbility 10
7. T nc of applictio of t Cocpt of ‘simltity’ 11
8. T M of t Pdomit am 11
9. scop of Mobility 11
10. rpid Dploymt d Gdtd rpo 12
11. T rol of Ifomtio wf 13
12. Lo Itity Optio 13
Chapter 3: A Mandate for the Indian Sappers of 2020
1. Mility egiig Oppotiti i t Idi Cotxt 14
2. Igdit of egiig sppot to t Idi amy i
t Comig e 14
3. Ft of sccfl egiig sppot i t Idi amy 18
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Chapter 4: Tactical Nuances of Terrain Engineering
1. Dictt of t Ti i appcitio of
Combt egiig sppot 24
2. Ti smplig: C stdy fo t Moti 24
3. Cctitic d effct of Ti 26
4. altitd, Climt d wt 26
5. sfc Commictio 26
6. ai Commictio 26
7. Obtcl 27
8. Tcticl Optio 27
9. Tcticl Momt 2710. ati-Ldig Obtcl 27
11. Defence Works and Field Fortications 28
12. Locl roc 28
13. Camouage, Concealment and Deception 28
14. Tim Fcto 29
15. Cmpigig so 29
16. apct of Ti egiig i t Comig e 30
Chapter 5: Organisation for
Effective Combat Engineering Support
1. Gi of roltio i Combt egiig 32
2. T Fdmtl Cocpt 34
3. Mtod of Foc Ogitio fo t Ft w d Pc 37
4. stdd Foc Compoitio 375. Mission Specic Force Organisation 40
6. sttgic Foc Ogitio 41
7. Ogitio fo Cot-Igcy 42
8. T Co ad 43
acoldgmt 42
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Ma ne k s ha w P a P e r n O
. 3 4 , 2 0 1 2
revOLuTIOn In MILITarY aFFaIrs: a rOaDMaP FOr The InDIan saPPer OF 2020
Revolution in Military Affairs:
A Roadmap for the Indian Sapper of
2020
To engineer is to arrange, contrive, manoeuvre, guide.
Introduction
The Spirit of Engineering, Sapping and Soldiering
Engineering is dened as the art and science of arranging, contriving, manoeuvring
d gidig, il ppig impli tcig to ptt ic pmit
ccfl mo tod t my it t ppo of dmiig
his position. Thus, by denition, the engineer is expected to be a motivator, an
iitito d pim mo of t mility foc ppot. I ti cotxt,
it i lt to coid t ol of gi. It i: “To pply giig
oldg d ill to t ftc of t commd’ pl”. all ot
arms have well demarcated and specically dened roles concisely spelt out
i copl tc; ot o i t c of t pp o i odid to
ccflly ccompli d ll tliti ll c t ic do ot fll
iti t mbit of poibiliti of y ot m o ic. I dditio,
t pp foc to pfom t ol of ifty o d. It i tll
od, d it b o ic t d of mility ogitio.
wit mdt o t d limitd, to dtd tmilitary engineering signies and what is entailed in making it an effective
gi foc. To do ti, to tt t t oot of o xitc,
tody d t i xpctd of i t comig dcd.
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‘D’. similly, b btig xcli giig xpti till
iftym bcm dpt t dlig impl cg, il ot log go, t
t-m lood t t pp to dploy fci to co mll ditc. T
gi dig o t t of mility igllig to t Cop of sigl
d pi d coy to t Cop of elcticl d Mcicl egi
(eMe) om ot xmpl. It old b, tfo, ppopit to if
tt ogitio li, dlop d ti tog ytm of dicdig t
old d dptig to mgig td. jt t ifty gdtd to
undertaking simple eld engineering tasks such as laying small foot bridges
d btig b fom tdoff ditc it tdm d oct,
d mod it gid xpti i coig mio obtcl bytml, gi mt mo o to cqi ig ll of xpti
i t lm of mobility, cot-mobility d ibility, tby opig
p id it d poibiliti fo t mgc of btt fom of
mility tctic d ttgy.
Ti i impti if , t gi, to ti o tt t
pmi ppotig m fo t t sic d colo of tcicl
iotio i t coty.
History of Sapping
I t cit tim d t Middl ag, t m of mtmtic
d cic o tid to b gi i t mploymt of t tt. Li
most ofcials of the court, they too, were involved in the pursuit of warfare,
ic, mog ot poibiliti, ptd tm it oppotiti i
the eld of engineering as well. When the state was not engaged in military
ctio, t gi bilt plc, fot, bidg d cl. To ti dy,
the term ‘engineers’ is specically dedicated to the military engineers, and
t tm ‘ciil gi’ mgd to f to to gi o ot
oldi. T ltt tm old bot 200 y go, t d fo
giig ill mgd i t ciil cto coqc of t Idtil
roltio. Lt, of co, ot dicipli of giig bcd off, to
b fd to ‘mcicl giig’, tc. i pig it t td of
tcologicl dcmt.
a t codd itoy of ami t old o l, t pp
compot of t mility coitd of cif gi, o lo
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GauTaM Banerjee
senior eld commander. He was assisted by a few formally trained engineer
staff ofcers and artisans who planned and executed military engineering
t it t lp of toop lbo, o, t tim, tog mt of ciili
o foc. a imil ytm i og dig t hid ll Mlim
l i Idi. ‘egi’ ditict cop of comptily ct
oigi – pobbly t mid-18t cty, t Idi gdlly lippig
d t Biti l. Ml sbti l Pt d vb of Fc,
o of t gt mility gi, dmittd kig’ egi i
1655, gtd litcy i t royl Gd i 1668 il cotiig
t Cif egi; commdd ifty diiio git t egli
from 1691 to 1697, before nally returning to his rst love, that is, fortressgiig, i 1703, i t of ‘Ml of Fc’. Mo Gl Lz
nicol Mgit Cot ot gt gi of i tim, o
oldd t dti of Cif egi i t ‘ami of t ri d t
not’, ll Dfc Miit i pot-roltio Fc, bfo fllig
ot it npolo i 1807. T tditio of gt mility gi tig
o t mtl of optiol ldip t t tiol ll d i tim
of cii – Fild Ml Lod kitc, Fild Ml robt npi dGl Godo of sd, to m oly f – i mc i idc i t
Biti amy too. Biti Idi d by oll of gt mility gi
o pctd d mmbd o by ll Idi to ti dy.
T ft of t cotctio of t Gg Cl by Colol Ctly, gt
iigtio o by Colol si at Cotto d Mo jo Pycic,
cotctio of gt od, ctomt d mtic bildig t Md
by Cpti willim Dixo d sy, t Clctt by Litt Fob
d t Bomby by Litt Fll, to m oly f, clbtd
tody, idd t cotibtio md by Colol sito
jcob i dlopig t Ido-scic tyl of citct. ho, t
olmig cotibtio of t mility gi i t amy, ll
i tio-bildig, i bt i t usa. wt Poit t pioig
itittio of giig dctio i amic d t oll of gt pp
who inuenced the shaping of the nation includes leaders such as Generals
McCl, L d Mcat. T pimcy of t ol of t us Cop of
egi i digig, xctig d cotollig ll mo ciil giig
d tpottio poct i t amic mild b t mot
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cclimd fodtio of tcologicl pioity o t t of t
old, d to ti dy, mi o of t gt tgt of tt tio.
e cotctio o of gt giig ft bod i t
follo of o hid dyti, my of ic – motly fot d tmpl –
i to ti dt, fottly, littl i o of it t gi o t
giig pctic of to tim. rcod pig b o fot’,
d t littl ctlly codd, mt b dtoyd t
t of lig d clt tocd by t id fom Ctl ai.
After the rst millennium, great feats of engineering were accomplished by the
military engineers of our Muslim dynasties, the rst lot of whom had mostly
migtd fom wt ai. T 240-m-log jm-hi Cl cotctddig Foz s Tgl’ l, cotctio of empo ao’ Gd
T rod by s s si d s j’ cotctio of Dli Cl,
t rd Fot t Dli, d t T Ml t ag, t dig of ig-tcology
t pply cm t io fot d ‘Ml’ – fo xmpl, t o t
Md i imply billit – d mo ot o of gd giig
poct td ttimoy to t po of t Idi mility gi of
to dy. Dig t lt lf of t Mgl piod, o, eopgi cm to b mployd mo d mo il idigo giig
practices were gradually forgotten. This unfortunate loss of scientic temper
d ibility to p p it t tcologicl pog pp t t
c of o poblm of tody. It too ot to dd odd y fo
t Idi gi to mg oc gi, tid d t Biti ttlg
d o od t it m’ dtdy. It t city dig
the World Wars, followed by independence, which nally paved the way for
t mgc of tly comptt d idpdt commity of idigo
gi – bot mility d ciil. Tody, Idi gi pogd
to c xtt tt t tcologicl fodtio of t old’ ol
ppo i tid by my of tm.
e t, log y to go bfo o gi blz
t til of idpdt d idigo giig dig ic
ctomid to t Idi coditio d locl qimt. Tt old
b t tim t tio ill cqi it igtfl tt i t mod
old.
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Military Engineering in the Contemporary Indian Army
a o pt old l, t i itimt coctio bt t tditio
of comptt giig d t tgt of tioood. It lo follo tt
d dcmt i mility giig i impti fo t pt tt
tod moditio of t Idi amy. ufottly, i t oltio of
t pot-idpdc Idi amy, pp i t bcdop of ixpic
i ttgic pcptio d ig dictio of , t Cop of egi
omo got coigd to pipl ol. excpt fo ot dtio
i t lt 1960 d 1970, t qtio bt mility giig
d combt po d com to b cogid d bttil tid i
combt giig md, t pctic of cooptig gi commd-di i tcticl dciio-mig igt fom t icptio tg i ldom,
if , llod to go byod t tiig pmplt. similly, t ytm of
organisational upgrading, resource allocation and scal provisioning seems to
have been conned to pro-rata distribution between the bigger arms rather
t big god by t coidtio of blcd foc-tctig. a
lt, t mantra for successful war-ghting in the contemporary era –
tt o lmt of combt i tid fom fll tcticl xploittio d toidqcy of ppot fom ot – do ot obti i o cotxt. Ti i
a serious deciency due to which the range of possibilities and options borne
out of the limitless capabilities and innite facets of military engineering
i ppot of optio ly lid i o amy. Coqtly,
mility iititi i o amy yt to i to t ll of billic
exemplied by the Napoleonic concept of campaigning astride strategic axes
and logistic exibility, the tradition of exploitation of waterways in the US
amy, t oigility of scliff’ ttgy of otmoig, o Gdi’
iq btog co t o-clld impbl ad fot.
T xcptio of t Bgld Cmpig i 1971 otittdig, o
military planners see the difculties of terrain and vagaries of the weather as
dibl idc t t oppotiti fo dtgo tcticl
mipltio by means of efcient combat engineering.
An unfortunate fallout of this self-inicted denial of military engineering
oppotiti i o amy, tt i, to b bl to miplt t ti
tod ccfl poctio of mility optio, i tt littl pog
b cid to di o o io of tcticl tology o docti.
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Thus, connement of our military options into conformist and stereo-type
pl, doid of dcity, , mo o l, bcom igid bit,
d dpdc o tigtfod bt bloody ttitio to gi fobl
lt t y cot of lif d oc i bcomig comfotig ot
fo mot of o mility commd d tff. I t cotxt of t cgig
pdigm of mility pogio i t cotmpoy , c cocptl
midt old t ot to b dito. It i tim, tfo, tt t pp
ftity loo t it o ol i t cotxt of t ogoig roltio i
Mility affi (rMa) – tilod to idigo coditio – d ticlt
t lc of mility giig optio i tclig tcticl ittio
with more efciency. Efforts to enhance the Army’s combat power, after all,cot b coidd to b t ol bd of ‘glit’, lo.
a poit to clify i tt ti pp i dotd to t mod
pct of combt giig, t cocpt of pogio i t it t
cotmpoy d mi qlly pplicbl to ll m d ic; it i
ot i to ti of pomotig mility giig i ioltio.
But, rst, let us have a look at the emerging trends in the art and science
of ildig mility po ic old dictt t cop of cocpt dpctic of mility giig i t comig y.
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Chapter 2: The Emerging Nature
of Warfare and the Global
Revolution in Military Affairs
I prefer to learn from the experience of others.
— Otto o Bim
Looking Yonder I t pcdig pt, tt ‘giig’ b t tl
pim mo of m ocity i bot d pc. w lo
o t pogio of mility giig , o t cti, opd
up new vistas in the elds of tactics and strategic opportunities. It is time now
to mo o to t xt tp, tt i, to t old b t cct
of ft f d o ti cct old coditio t cocpt of
giig ppot i t comig dcd.
Emergence of Modern Military Concepts
alog it ig pitio fo pog d city, t old tody i
xpicig ot cycl of pdigm cg i t politicl, coomic
d ttgic io. socil , coomic complio d t
dt of ig tcology of t cotmpoy cittd
f-cig gmt mog t io c of f,
which, in turn, would inuence the concepts and practices of planning
d xctio of mility optio i t ft. T, t t ttgic
levels, we see manifestation of localised conicts; involvement of non-state
militancy, regional conicts generated out of economic and environmental
comptitio, pplictio of diplomtic-militcy potig, coomic
m-titig, tcology dil d gdtd octtio of md
po, gig fom mll-it ittio t t lot d to cl
dtc t t top. T ttgic gol i t ft old b to poct
mility po to pt t t g , d to i it itot
mc f old t b ttlig fil. accodigly, ogitio of t
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mility tct, icldig po, qipmt d logitic, ic
dly dotild ito cl cpbility d itgtd tog xploittio
of ifomtio tcology i dy i mot mod ami. at t
optiol d tcticl ll, illc, dcptio, mobility, pciio
ggmt, imltity d ifomtio optio t copodig
fllot of c diptio.
In the context of the issue under discussion, the most signicant
cocptl cg, bogt bot by t mig of mility itllct it
t mgt p-tcology t old o, it pticl fc to
t pct of mility giig, my b dcibd follo.
Combat Power Redefined
The days of counting soldiers, tanks and guns to dene combat power is
pt. not oly t lmt cotittig t combt po poliftd
co id pctm, io foc lmt old cfot combi
differently under specic conditions to generate unique results. For example,
bttl gop itgtd it t qiit dg of giig ppot
o to b cpbl of moig co migly impbl ti oldproject combat power many times more than another which is conned to
t pdictbl co. a coolly, mility giig oc old
cotitt o of t impott foc-lmt tod cimt of
t mod io of combt pioity. eqippig, oitig d tiig
t md foc tim comig poc. Figtd tp tod
ogitio d moditio of t Cop of egi i cofomity
it it ftitic mdt, tfo, d to b iititd ll i tim, fo it
to b bl to td p to t mgig cllg.
Determination of Relative Strength
I imil i, t fcto of lti tgt old comp mc id
pctm to co t my’ tgt d lbiliti i-à-i tt of
o foc. T lt fcto old b i tm of t tt , t d
t til lmt of t foc, bid t qi-mility cpbiliti c
commictio, tpottio ytm d mility idty. Tfo, i
i of t fct tt t optiol gol old b dicttd by t cpbiliti
of mility forces, their equipment prole and logistic assets as available at the
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tim d plc of ctio, t Cop of egi too tdio mdt
d fo moditio. It mt poid fotli giig ppot i
t Tcticl Bttl a (TBa), it mt lo ti d to b bl to ct
t cy logitic iftct iti gi timfm ic old
generate tactical and strategic exibility in the time of need. Roads, rail,
ty, i-d, tog fo mility d, t mgmt d
mtil dlig om xmpl of c iftct ic ti
modern war efforts, and enhanced capability in these elds would count
tod bildig p t mod io of lti tgt.
Combined Arms OperationsI t mgig cotxt, ‘combid m’ old imply optimm gopig
of ppotig lmt it t bttl gop, t t t pt
pctic of lloctig t miimm icpbl ppotig m lmt to
compo t i llod to p off ‘ll m-foc’. ud t pt
gmt, typicl bttl gop i t bot cpbl of ggig i
intense dog-ght, applying brute force to impose an adverse ratio of attrition
po t my – m git m d t git t. T, t mci i did t oppotiti to dt dcio mo – i
tm of t toy of idict ppoc – o to dci d pi t
enemy and, thus, ensure his eventual defeat even before the rst attrition is
inicted. Therefore, the modern force-structure would need to be ‘balanced’
to tt t ifty d t mo t btt ppotd it tt
degree of repower, mobility, counter-mobility, communication, aviation and
logitic oc, ic old p t y fo cimt of tcticl
and strategic goals with greater efciency and minimal loss. Adequacy of
cotmpoy giig oc i impti fo cimt of ti
coditio.
The Concept of Interoperability
In the emerging dispensation in the eld of military organisation, an element
of ‘itopbility’ i miftig itlf, it t poibility of t big
ccomplid by mb of ltt m. T, pic of god my b
did it by dploymt of toop, o by m of y olm of pciio
re, or by means of deterrent obstacles, or even by hazardous contamination.
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T fcto of itopbility old, t, dictt t toop-to-t, d
t blcd foc tct. Fomtio old to b gopd it
yig combitio of m, dicttd – bid t cotiol fcto
of ti, my, miio d tctic – by dditiol fcto, tt i, t
mtod of xctio to b doptd. Lg commitmt of combt gi
to bl pg of foc tog xpctd ti o lily dictio
– a foit co of t Gt Cpti – to ccflly tcl pticl
tcticl ittio i xmpl of ti cocpt. Ft, dymic dlopmt
of favourable operational situations by a eld force through a system of exible
po to b fodd po t lmt of ig mobility – ic i t
tditiol bd of combt gi.
The Nuances of Application of the Concept of ‘Simultaneity’
simlto ggmt of mb of clo of my foc i ttc
o dfc old iol itio i tm of optiol timig d
p to oid diiptio of ffot. a t dpt of ggmt pocd
dp ito t my titoy, t dity of itc old l
d t tgt cotd old t oft, il t g t icggmt t plc old xpd. a coolly, t ‘fictio of ti’
(to imply itc impod to fod momt) d t ‘tio of
logitic’ (to imply tdig pll xtd fom lc b) old m
lg popotio optio pog ito dp . Fildig i
foc to tcl t d ct of t my foc d t ligt d ft
lmt to mo d gg t dpt clo, il pcil foc
ld dp iid to ct oc t t lbl ct of gity,
old b t tdd mility pctic i t mod . T cocpt of
imltity, t, cll fo ig dg of mobility, bot i t god
d i, d ti i ot fct of combt giig ic d to b
ppcitd i mtt of tcticl ll logitic plig.
The Measure of the Predominant Arm
In the emerging dispensation in the eld of military operations, predominance
of m o ot old b dicttd by, bid t ti d
t my oppoitio, t mtod of xctio. Fi lt, pg of
ppotdly impbl ti, lctoic ttc d xploittio of cl
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ti c i poit, t dg of pdomic my it
tmpoily ift to tilly, gi, igl o cl foc, o my
even remain indeterminate. The matter of predominance is further qualied
by t cocpt of ‘ymmtic po’. Ti cocpt cll fo pplictio of
c ‘tidot’ ic old xploit t my’ poit – i offc
ll i dfc. Fo xmpl, t tcticl ll, ti cocpt cold mift
i t fom of tig dtg of mo’ lbility to ligt ifty t
t by cotiolly foc, il t t optiol ll,
it cold b t xploittio of olmig lctoic pioity by
mod foc, d t t ttgic ll, it my b t impoitio of logitic
itdictio by t tog o co to gill f by t mog t di. T, t mod cocpt of pdomic of o
arm over the other will itself need to be redened in terms of the method
of xctio d t ymmty of po. I it c, li t ot
m, gi to b tctd ccodig to t optiol docti
adopted by the Army. The Viet-Cong strategy of inltrating whole engineer
bttlio ito sigo to dtt t amic mility tct d, t,
big bot ti igloio dofll i good xmpl of gi foc-tctig iti t oll mbit of amy’ ttgic docti.
Scope of Mobility
In the modern dispensation, the concept of mobility of the eld forces has
ldy bo f of it mooig o t god. ai mobility ll
mobility git t fictio of ti – m, t bodi, d, o
d bo god – tody i itiic to t amy’ optiol ll
logitic qimt, d ti fct d to b fomlly cogid. h
gi, gi to g p fo t ol of fcilitto of c mlti-
dimiol mobility by m of ig po cotctio cpbiliti.
Rapid Deployment and Graduated Response
no amy tody c miti itlf i tt of pptl di fo combt;
t cot too poibiti. T co doptd, tfo, by t
mot pofl tio, i to p o pt of t foc i di fo pid
dploymt o to tbili y tcticl ittio d p t y fo t
lg foc to pp d bild p. Optio , t, iititd t t
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revOLuTIOn In MILITarY aFFaIrs: a rOaDMaP FOr The InDIan saPPer OF 2020
appropriate time of own choosing while the time lag is lled up with politicking,
b ttlig d pycologicl f. Ogitio d cpbiliti of combt
ll t li of commictio gi of t ft, pt of t pid
dploymt d t mi foc, lo to ti t complx logitic ytm
of t mod , old b god by ti mgig td.
The Role of Information Warfare
This is a eld which is characterised by the vast extent of the role military
gi to ply i t codct of mod f. no mod
mility pl c b xctd d o mod po o mility d
can be effective without the benets of high grade digital mapping and theGo-sptil Ifomtio sytm (GIs). T ytm d t commitmt
of t bt ill i mility giig o log y to di, fct ot
mc lid iti t ftity.
Low Intensity Operations
A point to appreciate is that all the above listed elds of modernisation
lo pplicbl i fll m i t c of cot-igcy olo itity optio. T bic pmt of illc, itlligc,
communications, mobility, repower, etc. do not change after all, even if a
cti dg of itio i mpi i cy. T ibility to ctit
t impti my b t o tt ti fom of f
bcom mo o l t ol bd of t ifty d xci i
perpetuity. Better success rates can be achieved by exploiting the full benets
of focd itlligc, illc gid, obtcl cpbility d i mobility,
dly bcd p by ciic d politicl dlopmt. T gi ogitio
to b dptd to c of t tt ccodigly, to b bl to t
p it lgd ol i tclig lo itity .
hig, t, xmid t c of cotmpoy ll ftitic
concepts in the eld of war-ghting at the global level, we may now venture
to ly t t ft dmd of , t mility gi of t Idi
amy.
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Chapter 3: A Mandate for the
Indian Sappers of 2020
What is necessary to be accomplished in the heat of action should
constantly be practised in peace.
— Roman General Flavius Vegitus
Military Engineering Opportunities in the Indian Context
wit immly di ti d limitl mility cllg boout of political and social conicts, the conditions in India provide for
bttil cop d oppotiti fo t mility gi to cotibt.
Bid xctio of ti-iti mg-poct fo tio-bildig,
ic i byod t cop of ti pp, t pp c ply y ccil
role in securing the desired end-state of conict termination with the least
xpdit to t tt o dmg to t popl. Ti i to b cid by
ltig t xtt d qlity of giig ppot to t Idi mdfoc.
I 1847, dig t Mxic Cmpig, t amic foc d
the command of General Wineld Scott, found themselves insufciently
equipped to capture Mexico City, which was protected rst by extensive
marshlands, and then a lava eld which was reputed to be impassable by man
o bt. Bid, t cpitl dfdd by Mxic amy t tim
lg. T gi, ld by Cpti L (lt Gl L of t Ciil w
fm), t dlopd ligmt tog t m d tft ct
a passage across the ‘impassable’ lava eld, in seven days at. Through this
ot, t amic mod i to ct off t Mxic, d ti tm o
t id. T dfd bo d i mit.
Lt xplo o ti my b o it .
Ingredients of Engineering Support to the Indian Army in the
Coming Era
I t cotxt of t Idi amy, t cocpt of gi ppot i i
sanctied by the role of the military engineer, which is worthy of a repeat, that
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i, “to pply giig oldg, ill d oc to t ftc
of the commanders’ plan”. This all-encompassing denition takes military
giig – li t ll dlitd ol of ot m d ic
– beyond the bounds of routine connes, and involves undertaking of any
range of unspecied and unique variety of tasks to support a war effort. This
i fdmtl diffc bt t gi d t ot m d
impli tt y ffot , which is not specically covered within the roles
of ot m o ic, i to b t pp’ bd . a t Idi amy
g p fo it impdig ol i t himly moti, t pli, t
dt d ild titoi igd i t y 2020 d byod, t
coidtio old dictt t ft co of gi ogitio dcpbiliti.
a ll o, t til igdit of giig ppot iol
t to fcilitt o mobility, dil of mobility to my foc d to
enable own forces to survive the hostile environs of a battleeld. Activities
associated with these ingredients are: rstly, rendition of engineering advice
to c clo of commd; codly, fod plig, fom icptio
to t clmitig poit; d tidly, timly xctio of t p ticidc. w cid ot to pfctio, good giig ppot ld
to c mility dtg , t cmlti ffct of ic p t y
for achievement of operational and logistic exibility by a force of combined
m d ic, d, t, cotibt bttilly tod t ltimt
cc. Impott igdit of good giig ppot my t b
dcibd follo:
l Emergence of ‘Engineer Options’ to Tactical Problems: T tm,
‘egi Optio’ impli tt pt fom t io tcticl co
ilid by commd, t doo to dditiol d mo dtgo
co are opened to im by i gi di. I ffct, t gi
adviser applies engineering skill and knowledge to nd additional avenues of
ppoc o dictio of ttc i t c of offi ctio, o optiml
tilitio of ll mility oc il dtig dfi optio.
npolo’ xtictio of i amy fom t doomd ittio dig i
tt fom ri i Dcmb 1812 – i ic tppd bt
t ri ni d iftly dcig Coc amy – by cotctig
bidg o xpctd it, i xmpl of giig oltio to
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tcticl poblm. Motgomy’ totlly xpctd fotl ttc follod
by massive mineeld breaching operations which paved the way for the
mo to b ot d ct t Gm dfc ito to dig t
Bttl of al almi i ot xmpl. T p of o giig
igity i fll idc dig t Bgld w too; tt p
m to bcom domt d to my o ic ll
xmi littl il lt.
l Achievement of Operational and Strategic Surprise and
Deception: spig o modifyig t ti to o dtg i
the method by which this mandate is fullled. Surprise is achieved by
doptig lily co of ctio ic i dd poibl by mof giig t ti o to fcilitt o id mobility, t c
my b, il dcptio i t fllot of ‘giig’ fl pcptio
po t my’ ldip. T Popl’ Libtio amy’ (PLa’)
p-ft tc cotctio fom Tg to s L d byod i 1962
and the Indian Army’s ooding of the Valtoha Gap on 8 September 1965
to cot t dc of Pit’ 4 d 5 amod Bigd i t
km scto om good xmpl of ti cocpt. Ptly,o, t itl ilbl to t Cop of egi i tm of
t moig, dmolitio d bidgig cpbility i--i t impti
of the modern battleeld are so outdated as to be matter of concern and
citicl i fo immdit dl.
l Ability to Articulate the Tempo of Operations to Upset the
Enemy’s Design of Battle: T mtod to ci ti i by big
o ccltig t momt of o ll t my’ bttl
fomtio i t it t optiol pl. I ot od, it impli
miplti cotol o mobility d cot-mobility it t lp
of i-bilt bility to gotit tog obtcl o itpo
obtcl. romml’ - mo, it t lp of mi f
d dmolitio dig t not afic Cmpig i 1941-42, i ttc
ll itdl, pcilly t ltt, poid my xmpl of
pplictio of combt giig mtod to cotol t tmpo of bttl
to dtg. T ogitiol tct of o combt gi it,
i tm of bot mpo d qipmt, d to b bld fo c
capabilities in tune with the battleelds of the modern era.
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l Capability of Sustaining Forces in the Battleeld for Periods
Longer than Anticipated by the Enemy: I mot t Idi
amy i obligd to opt, tibility of tog foc-cpbiliti old
b t dcidig fcto tod ccfl tcticl otcom. Coctig
fod pot to t b by m of tc, lipd, i-ldig god
or ropeways, erecting shelters and eld fortications for the troops to live
in, and ght the rough hostile weather or enemy re, and overcoming lack
of t om of t giig cllg to ci ti d. T
Idi amy’ cltd dploymt i Ld i 1986 to fotll Ci
dtim d it pmpti occptio of t sic Glci om
xmpl of ibility dicttig t tcticl otcom. O t ot d,t mot pomit c of t Biti midt i Cim i t
1850 – bid bd glip – cllo idiffc of t Gl
stff tod ctio of dqt fciliti fo t toop to li i, d
ght. Even as we have easy access to the requisite engineering skills, stores
d idigo qipmt to mt ti d, t i d to b f
of our xed ties to the system of ground-based transportation and proceed
to explore the air dimension for efcient execution of engineering tasks inppot of combt toop. I ot od, t i tpottio ytm
d to b pomotd to gi pi d miti optiol ll
logitic pp d. Ctio of xti i tpottio to,
bid t cotiol tibility t i b ll mot
old, t, b ddd poibility po t pp i t comig
y.
l Pivotal Role of Military Mapping and Geo-Spatial Information
System: a igligtd li, ig gd digitl io of mility-
specic terrain mapping and development of an all pervasive Geo-Spatial
Ifomtio sytm (GIs) dly ctomid fo mility , t bic
qimt of ffcti optiol plig d xctio of mility
t i t cotmpoy . Mo ccilly, o mod po o
qipmt c b optd to it fll pottil, icldig t cop fo
pciio tgtig, l t fdmtl dtb i digitl fom
itgtd ito t po o qipmt optig ytm. T gim
of Ifomtio wf (Iw), tfo, mi compltly bit to
t ilbility of g of cct digitl mility mp d dtb. Ti
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i ddd poibility po o mility gi. Oly ti m t
qiit tiig d co comptc – dicio mix of tcticl cm
and technological expertise – to nd pragmatic methods of adjustments
bt t tcticl commd’ dm d t tcologicl poibiliti.
egi, tfo, t bt itd to bild p, it d cccy
and regular updating, the military-specic cartographic databank through
optiml xploittio of blig tcologi. e tog, tditiolly,
the Indian engineers have been pioneers in the eld of military mapping and
c bot of xpti ic i ibl by t tdd of t mot
dcd ami, t Idi amy i yt to idict dg of lcity i
xploitig ti pottil to co t idig gp bt t modpo d qipmt it to cqi – umd ail vicl
(UAV), electronic warfare and signal intelligence gadgetry, re control
ytm fo tt-of-t-t g d t, pciio mitio, d,
miil gidc, tc. to m oly f – d t digitl ctogpic
dtbig to opt t ffctily. It old t y to bild p ti
fdmtl ipt fo t g of ctiiti ic clbbd d t
mbll of Iw ytm; it too t us amy 15 y to gt ti bicGIs goig. I t mtim, my pdo d lf-ifomd mility ll
as civilian agencies are trying their hand at this military engineer-specic
xpti, it lf-dpdtig lt. T bc of y gcy o
by mility icy, dctd ty b tog t ‘ o-
cic’ tm i o cdmi, to dd ti pct d to b lodly
ticltd by t Cop of egi. el, it ill b too lt d too cotly
to big bot t moditio i t Idi amy.
Features of Successful Engineering Support in the Indian Army
egi odid to lt t ti to it t codct of o mility
optio, mdt dd xtmly complx d to t idly
varied conguration of the Indian landmass. Thus, even as the basic features
of giig ppot mi t fo ll typ of ti, t cotxtl
cctitic of god d t, t ffct t optiol pl,
dictt t dg of mpi to b lid o io pct d mtod of
xctio of mility giig t. T mi ft of t qiit
dg of giig ppot i ti cotxt mtd blo:
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l Engineer Intelligence: Mod m of itlligc-gtig pmit
to ocom t limittio of t pt. Moo, ic optiol
d logitic iftct ic of itt to t mility gi
t y to bild p, cotio igil o t of itt old
pay good dividends. There is, therefore, no justication for not having
compi d cct giig ifomtio o of o
coc, o to b bl to coctly pdict t my’ offi
ll dfi cpbiliti. Ti, o, i pptly o of o
t li i giig plig tody, ic d to b ddd
by icopotig ddictd giig tff i t ytm of cqiitio
of mility itlligc. a gi cci i t Mility Itlligct-p dimiid o t y, mo d mo ig odig
politico-mility dico by t ‘glit’ big cd ot i
t m of itlligc ipt, of ic littl i of lc it to t
eld commander to help him conceive tactical options, or to enable the
gi commd to d migfl dic to im. Bid, t
i tog c fo pgdig t itlligc ctio i gi it
to t cotmpoy ll of tcology, icldig l-tim coctiityto t itlligc d illc to i t cto o tt of
optio. Ti i pp o pct o ic t Cop of egi
tml yt to b dqtly itid.
l Engineering Advice: T dictm of dotilig giig dic ito
t cmpig pl fom t y icptio i mo ccil i t
cotmpoy cio. Ti i o bc t qtio mog ti,
availability of axes for progressing operations, battleeld transparency,
ffct of pciio tgtig d t tim-iti of combt
giig t mo big o mobility, cot-mobility d
survivability of forces during the conduct of operations. As exemplied
o mo occio i t pt, icldig t Itli d not afic
Cmpig of wold w II, t Ci ggio of 1962 d
t ct Glf w, igtd optiol tmpo itpd it
cflly cotolld tcticl p d pig of t cmpig old
b obligtoy fo y foc to ci t did d tt ply o
ccot of mility giig coidtio lo. sic optiol
c cot b llod to ottip t pog of tc cotctio,
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t pply, fod pply of fl, tc, itio i tmpo d pig
to b pld i ltio to t icidc of giig t. T
itio to b dotild ito t tcticl ll t oll
ttgic pl o tt t iititi i ot lot il t logitic clo
ctc p. Ti id of tcticl pctic mply dmottd by t
Ci i 1962 d t amic i Iq i 2003. Mo cocd d
flly occpid it t dy-to-dy d ttic, ttitio di optio
t t it o fomtio ll, t mility icy i Idi tody
m to bcom obliio of t dtg of good giig
dic. Ti ditio d to b mod if t to b mod
mility foc.l Organisation of Engineer Force: Mility cmpig ldom
tid by tdig combt gi ogitio; dploymt of
qi-mility o dftd ciili oc ly b mtt
of l. I o cotxt, t BrO, Mes, PwD d oc of t pblic
ll t pit cto dtig ill to b icopotd
to ply bttil ol i t tc of mility optio i t
fod optiol b ll i t commictio zo.Dpdc o ciil lbo old lo b cy, d it ttdt
logitic implictio mt b ctd fo. T, old mg t
optimm combt giig foc-tct digd to tcl clo
ll gl ppot giig t i t bttl zo. at t m
tim, t qi-mility giig gci old to b dftd
ito t ttgic pl to dt t - giig t,
tog ioctio of t poiio of t uio w Boo. Ti id
b i cottio t t px ll fo om tim, lbit ifomlly.
l Modernisation of Engineering Equipment: O dc to
dfi ttgy i t pt d cotid dploymt i lo itity
optiol iomt ttd t dlopmt of combt
giig qipmt, pcilly tt of iti ic digd
to pfom i t Idi bcotitl ti. T t-moig
plt, bltig tool, cotctio plt, pmpig t, tc it
too cmbom o tig i otpt cpcity to it mod bttl
conditions. Therefore, on the one hand, execution of eld engineering
o d to b dd qipmt – t t pol –
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intensive to achieve higher efciency without accretion i mpo,
il, o t ot, t g d xtt of giig o
to b pgdd i t it t dmd of mod o -li
optio. I ot od, mo ffcti combt gi ppot i
t t amy of tomoo of . Fo xmpl, tc cotctio
task forces would have to be based on eld platoons duly integrated
it lg complmt of t moig d cotctio plt d
equipment rather than deploying the entire eld companies with just one
doz o to d i c m tt t oll otpt d pd
of cotctio i icd. similly, t t pply tm mt b
dd cpbl of mtig t ig qimt of t pt-dy amy iti t ccptbl timfm, t t t cotiig
it t oflly otdtd gmt of tbliig t o-clld
‘bigd t poit’. aot pct of qipmt mgmt til
o cogitio of t fct tt difft id of ti qi difft
dig of giig qipmt. Fo xmpl, it i impcticl to xpct
t mi bcig tl to pfom i ll id of ti; it i impti
to hold a mix of trawls, ails and explosive hoses to be able to breachmi d ll coditio. T dpttio of t ltt qipmt to
perform in the environs of the modern battleeld, therefore, calls for
gt di tod pgdig t combt giig cpbiliti i
t Idi amy, ti big pqiit to t amy’ di tod
oll moditio d impti tod coctd ppoc
to solve the emerging challenges of the battleeld. A point to note is
tt mot of t commitmt tod c moditio di cibl idigoly d t y mll cot, i compio it t
ot m.
l Time Required for Execution of Engineering Tasks: exctio
tim , f t mility gi i cocd , i t cmlti
dtio of to-idctio, dploymt, cotctio o dtctio d
maintenance. Depending upon the conguration of terrain, secondary
coidtio c ilbility of x, loctio of tf poit,
ilbility of tpot, lbo d qipmt fo lod dlig, t
d tmpt, tc mift i t fom of dditiol fcto to ft
ffct t tim pl fo xctio i bttil m. Mticlo
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d litic pl to icld tim fo plig, bild-p of to d
t foc d xctio d -li coditio, it i-bilt
cio t c li, tfo, old b mdtoy poibility
to tt t pog of optio, logitic bild-p d xctio
of giig t mtlly comptibl. T tmpo of optio
big dpdt po logitic ppot, old, t, lt to t
incidence of execution of engineering tasks and the nal outcome of the
optio old b coditiod ccodig to c tim-pl. Of lt,
ttitd of xpdicy pp to mgd mog t combt
gi i impcticl xctio timig big qotd it
enthusiasm and the well conceived planning gures questioned withoutd coidtio of t fcto dicd bo o pcticl dpttio to
war-like situations. Claims of impractical levels of efciency in execution
of giig t dcd, t, t combt giig
oc mi it ot o obolct. It i tim tod o
mility giig pgmtim.
l Mobility of Engineering Resources: Mobility of t egi T
Foc i yoymo it t logitic mobility of t ti foc. w ldy tt t logitic of foc-dploymt old b t
y fcto i ticltig t mility pot i t comig y.
a t Idi amy gdt fom mly big cti foc to
pocti iitito of politico-mility m to pomot tiol
itt iti d otid t gio – idiidlly o pt
i mltitiol iititi – it i tim to ti of t itiic mobility
of t egi T Foc. Tody, t poid of tcticl d
ttgic mobility i itlf l mobil compd to t ppotd
m, imply bc t foc i it o o ld foti o t
f ilomt i dpt co t bttl li. I t comig y,
this xation would have to change; successful battles would have to
b fogt o lg dpt d fotg d co c ti
ic my g fom moti to c d dt to ild.
To c d t ti foc co c complx ldm
old citt clig of ig mobility icl to t giig
it, dly pplmtd it i mobil tpottio – d i
om cto, i-cio icl – o to tt t
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igly mobil mility optio of t comig ccodd t
copodig dg of giig ppot.
Fom t fogo lyi, it i cl tt ti mi t mot
impott obct of mility giig, il cmt o cotimt
of t fictio of ti to o dtg i t pimy ol of ti m.
It old, tfo, b ppopit to dl ito t c of ‘ti
giig’.
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Chapter 4: Tactical Nuances of
Terrain Engineering
God made terrain and permitted only the engineers to alter it.
Dictates of the Terrain in Appreciation of Combat Engineering
Support
w dicd i pig t id t of ti tt t mility
gi to cotd it i i mdt to ‘docto’ t i tit t qimt of codctig ccfl mility optio.
ho, compi ltio of t dictt of ti, i o f
t commitmt of t gi cocd, mi oly mgilly
xplod mogt d to t o ldy igligtd. Tody, t
pim foc i o mio tctic d it ll ctio. I t Idi amy,
ti ittio i ldy o t md fo t btt, d, tfo, t -
dicoy of t pp’ t fom obcity old b cy to tclft cllg.
T i of ti impti i t cotxt of mod f i
t d old qi lg fo fo dicio. ho, it old b
otil to igligt cti co i i od to mpl od-
mp ic cold b t bi fo tig p dtild optiol d ti
specic analyses. The best method of identifying the imperatives of terrain
it ffct t mility gi, i to cy ot ‘c tdy’ to i t
‘mpl ddctio’ t pply to pticl ti, ic my t t
t t fo ll t ot id of ti itio. Tod ti d, lt
dic t moti tt gi dtid to opt i. Ot
typ of ti – pli, dt, ii, gl d ild – cold lo b
bct to ctiy i imil tmplt.
Terrain Sampling: Case Study for the Mountains
Even within the classication of mountains, we have the mid-altitude,
ig-ltitd d glcitd gio; t ig-ltitd gio ft
difftitd ito nott kmi, et Ld, d Ctl d
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nott scto. ec of t iq cctitic, d,
tfo, qi ctomid giig ppot. Fo xmpl:
l T codci to m ibittio, t t d climt
big iti t limit of m tolc. T glly ll popltd
d t to of od d tc i copodigly ll dlopd.
Mility optio i t ill to b dlopd tid t
valleys, with dominating features on anks and shoulders targeted as the
tcticl obcti fo ttc o dfc, il commictio ct d
toip t t b of coomic ctiity my b t t tmil
obcti. spd of dc, dlopmt of ltt d
ttimt of pi tog xpctd xctio timig old b tmi obct of giig ppot i t .
l T t to ic cctid by ply popltd,
mm cltitd d olly g i lly ittd t ltitd
bt 2,500 to 3,000 m d odd by dl xtt of ggd
p 4,000-5,000 m ig, ic b d o-cld fo good
pt of t y. no, dp lly d ggd idg li td to
dgd t pottil of tilly d i ppot, d t poc of ttc o dfc old b xtmly lo, xtig d cotly i tm of
clti. O t ot d, occptio of ft i t dpt to ct
off t my fom i logitic lif-li cold idc im to bdo i
poitio o d. Poiio of logitic iftct fo t
toop xctig c mo i dfc o ttc old b t
mi giig cllg i ti id of ti.
l I 1984, t Ido-P cofottio pilld o to t ot of Poit
nj 9842, t, ldig iq fom of f. T sic Glci
i combitio of y ig-ltitd, xtm cold d dp o –
ti ic d b coidd fo ggmt i f.
ntiol coc d oig pid, o, citt tcticl
occptio of ti glci d, coqtly, pmtly cofottiol
ittio pil. Dploymt ll codct of dfi d offi
optio i c coditio o t y, old ito bc
of mility t d cic. Dploymt o t actl God Poitio Li
(aGPL) i i t fom of lg mb of fod pot, t goig
fcto big t cop fo tcticl domitio d logitic cpbility to
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ti t toop tgt. Optio i ti old biclly iol
tlty ppoc of mll bodi of igly cclimtid toop to dtoy
lctd my pot i clo qt bttl, follod by occptio of
t o to lt t aGPL i o fo. It i tll od, qiig t
xtm i tm of m ffot ll logitic tc, t ltt
big ply dicttd by t mility giig cpbiliti.
Characteristics and Effects of Terrain
Tig tp ft, lt o t cctitic of t motio
gio old dictt t c of giig ppot i t comig
y; t cctitic of ot typ of ti cold lo b ticltdlog imil li.
Altitude, Climate and Weather
T ttibt dictt t logitic of toop dploymt d xctio
time of eld engineering tasks in support of tactical operations. Inter alia,
t ttibt old dictt t pc d tmpo of optio.
Surface Communications
T mot ccil giig t i ti cotxt old b t dlopmt
d cotctio of ll t od tid t lly d fi t
tc p to t domitig ft. Mitc of ily d x,
cotctio of dditiol by-p loop, pig plc, ltt ot,
bidg, d y dty t o to pp dploymt , lod
tf poit d coy god old m ig pioity i od to
ti optio.
Air Communications
T limittio of fc commictio, o t o d, d t d
fo imltity i optio, o t ot, m it impti to xploit
i-dimiol cpbiliti i ft . T old b i t fom of
i-dop, i-ldig o libo optio, d old iol cotctio
of lg mb of doppig zo, ldig god, lipd, d fll-
edged ‘air-heads’ at the terminals of ‘air-bridges’ for conduct of sustained
optio ll co t bttl li.
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Obstacles
T ffct mility optio i io y, follo.
Tactical OperationsFast owing mountain streams, deep ravines and steep slopes would have
to be exploited in defence or attack to achieve surprise. Similarly, articial
obtcl lid i coctio it tl o old it to b ctd
o gotitd, t c my b, by ddictd gopig of gi
do to t b-it ll.
Tactical MovementArticial obstacles in axial form would be devised in the form of road
dil by m of ctig, dmolitio of bidg d tiggig of ld
lid. Mi old dy cc to bottlc, coig plc, bidg
it d lily dploymt . Ddictd giig ffot i tm
of mpo d qipmt old, tfo, d to b dployd i
clo ppot to tt t bttl pl, dfi o offi,
tid.
Anti-Landing Obstacles
Suitable landing areas being limited and well dened, obstacles to prevent air
o li-ldig of foc d i pply old bcom lt. Coly,
intended sites of airelds and helipads would have to be cleared before these
c b ctitd fo .
Defence Works and Field Fortifications
The mountainous terrain affords additional strength to eld defences due
to the combined effects of robust construction, deladed protection, and
limitations on approaches and reduced effects of artillery re. In attack,
tfo, dtctio of dfc old qi dploymt of lt
teams as well as employment of suitable direct ring weapons, such as tandem
d miil d ai Dfc (aD) po i t god ol. wil
gi old b qid to b gopd it lt clo fo t
rst requirement, construction of temporary tracks or helipads would have
to b otd to i t ltt c. I dfc, near-real time cotctio
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of modern eld defences in tune with the tempo of operations and denial of
ppoc to tm old b mo giig t. B coitig
of mmitio dmp d ot ic ic itd tid od
d tc old b oft tgt fo tilly d i bombdmt. Ti
fct ill dictt pptio of cd dploymt fo t follo-p
clo d cotctio of potcti o fo logitic itlltio.
Local Resources
ailbility o oti of t locl oc old to b imiltd
into modern eld engineering designs so to exert higher inuence upon siting
d cotctio of dfi o d logitic itlltio of t mod .wt pply tm old to gdt byod t obolct cocpt of
t ‘bigd t poit’ d lo-tcology pmpig t to mod mltipl-
tg t pply cm to ppot toop o t ig c, d,
thus, provide tactical exibility to the force commander. Similarly, the scope of
electricity supply in the eld would need to modernised either through higher
cpti gtio o xctio of dy-to-itll mico poct.
Camouflage, Concealment and Deception
Battleeld transparency and precision targeting of modern wars, on the one
d, d t d to potct ig cot mility d fom iiltio,
o t ot, cd t impotc of t m. Mod
technology provides for ample opportunities in these elds by way of
suppressing or misleading the target signatures and, thus, inuences the
otcom i mot fobl m. T Cop of egi mt tp
t mgig oppotiti bfo mi t b; it old b complx
mdt i y c: gi t limitd ppcitio of t dtg d t
additional scal commitment that the military leadership has to contend with,
ti old b oly ot-tm bd.
C3I: T ti dictt t cop of xploittio of illc,
lctoic f, commictio d tgt cqiitio dic. effct of
screening due to ground conguration and foliage will be more pronounced on
t ttc o ill b obligd to tbli tmpoy ‘Commd, Cotol,
Commictio, Ifomtio (C3I) nod’ d lp-fog t i tp it
t pog of optio. T ttc’ poblm c b ocom to
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coidbl xtt tog coct itig of t od, fo ic it
pptio d tc cotctio my b cy. I dfc, c od
would be good demolition targets while electronically deladed positions
would have to be devised through a combination of construction, camouage
and articial screens. Ti i cocpt ic d to b dlopd by
t mility gi to cop it t mgig qimt.
Time Factor
Ti impo tim plti o giig o i tm of
momt tim, tf of lod d dmpig of to t it. Tdio
li of commictio fo t pply of giig to i o cotxtcitt mticlo plig d tict dc to tim cdl.
Timig dig iclmt t my yt go compltly off t m,
ldig to t dibl ittio of lt clo big ptd
fom ppotig lmt. Tlcopig io timig d ggmt i
imlto ctiiti to oid c ptio my to b otd
to. Fo xmpl, tc cotctio do ot d to it compltio of
pticl p of t optio, d mlti-poit cotctio my tob doptd tog i idctio.
Campaigning Season
T cocpt of codctig optio t ll tim of t y d t
t coditio it t lp of mod it fo il old to
b togt of i od to ci pi. Coqtly, bttl fomtio
old to b committd fo log piod d mi o dployd
ft t obcti b cd. Fild giig o mt,
tfo, ct fo t cpbility to ti toop o log cmpigig
piod. Coditio ic coidd to b ‘ibitbl’ tofo,
old to b dd omt ‘opitbl’ by m of mod
m of mility giig. sic i xmpl.
Low Intensity Operations: It ill b i clo ctiy tt it
d dpttio fo t pcliiti of ti fom of f, t fdmtl
cocpt d pctic dicd bo mi t i t c of lo
itity d id-to-ciil toity, it i fo cotiol – o
ncl, Biologicl, Cmicl (nBC) – f i t cotmpoy .
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Aspects of Terrain Engineering in the Coming Era
T fogoig dicio o ti optiol itfc i t
‘motio tmplt’ ld to t folloig ifc ltd to
plig d xctio of giig t i ft optio :
l effcti giig ppot fo codct of mility optio old
b poibl most times of the year . Cpbility to poid ll t logitic
bc-p, icldig tog fciliti, pcil clotig, dcd mdicl
fciliti, libl fc d i commictio, dig lt,
ocig fo t, tc old m t igt impotc.
l a qtm ic i t cotctio of ml tc d cl 3, 5, d
9 fi t tracks will be the most important commitment fo t pp,to b dt o t l of t ltig clo. a bttil
to of cilly tc-o old lo b qid fo tmpoy
siting of direct and indirect ring support weapons, surveillance and
tgt cqiitio dic, lctoic f ct, d commd d
commictio od, d t bqt lp-foggig of t i t
it t pog of optio.
l
Speedy development of axes old iol xtdig t od-d dctio of t ocitd to of byp, ltt ot, tf
poit, cooy , tc by t gi. sbqtly, t cl 9 x
would have to be improved to all weather specications. Except in certain
, t old b o locl oc to dpd po. T t
old, tfo, b tim-citicl fom t logitic gl.
l Construction of air-heads i t fom of dcd ldig god d
lg mb of lipd old b pioity t fo t gi
to lp t foc ti t momtm of simultaneous deep strike
operations.
l Lighter engineer elements ill to gopd it io bttl gop
to ensure efcient conduct of obstacle warfare – mine elds, anti-heli-
landing devices, exploitation of natural streams and areas of difcult going,
to name a few – as well as creation or destruction of eld fortications.
similly, follo-p clo mt b gopd it heavier engineering
resources to tcl t ocitd it dlopmt o dil of x
c bidg, od, tc d dploymt iti t ccptbl
tcticl timfm.
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l The scope for camouage and concealment from the air or from vantage
points would vary according to the terrain. Apart from what is deladed
due to the conguration of broken ground, judicious siting, use of multi-
texture camouage qipmt d cotctio of potcti c
old b cy to ct fo t cd ffct of t dy’
precision re.
l hig cl of to o dploymt , g d
dmiitti fo mod amy old b cy to
tt foc blcd i dipoitio. Siting and construction of defence
works c potctd po mplcmt, mmitio poit,
eld hospitals and execution of survivability tasks for living, water supplyd po bc-p, to ct fo log cmpig piod, old iol
mploymt of dditiol giig toop, tt-of-t-t lt
ll y cotctio plt d mciy i t tid clo.
l Potbl d ig cpcity t pply equipment to ct fo gity
fd ll pmpd t poit ill b qid to ppot io
echelons of the force which would be deployed at difcult and isolated
loctio i dfc o ttc.l T giig ppot pl mt lo ct fo t tedious lines of pply
of to d lo t of xctio of t o ccot of dcd
efciency in man and machine. It should also cater for long periods of the
cmpig.
hig, t, xmid t io pct of t mility giig
itfc i ltio to t codct of optio i tmplt of motio
ti, c imilly if t qimt ic my cofot t
mility gi i t ft i io ot id of ti. It i tim,
tfo, to mo o to t cocldig pt of ti dicio, tt i, to
xmi to t old b t pmt fo ogiig gi
foc tt old ot oly poid ffcti ppot to t Idi amy of t
ft, bt lo ply piotl ol i opig p it fo dlopmt
of idigo tcticl, ttgic d logitic cocpt d pctic.
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Chapter 5: Organisation
for Effective Combat
Engineering Support
Organisations created to fght the last war better
are not going to win the next.
— Gl jm M Gi
Genesis of Revolution in Combat Engineering
ami tody mitid to pt t t g , d old
till b iitbl, to i it it lt pi d ffig. T, t
cocpt of ‘Peace Dividend’ – tt i, t fllot of big militily ppd.
I t pcdig pt of t pp, o t mility icy
i idpdt Idi b dfi i otloo – lgcy of ni
idlim – d complily committd to t ‘ttitio toy’, ttitd odobt impod po d to limitd cc to mility tcology, politicl
restraints and scal connes. We had let the world know that we were
ppy t gdig o bod d tt o o d f o tibtio.
Our Army too, therefore, reected a similar outlook – in organisation as
ll i cocpt – d d to tcticl dtg i micl tm
oly ft mtt d ly go ot of d. Obioly, t Idi Cop
of Engineers was but a reection of the Army it is meant to support. And
o o igbo d t fo gtd; o of tm d b
mboldd og to igo o mility pioity d impo poxy
po it immity.
a Idi b ito t globl big lg, ll ti old to cg;
ktily’ d Mcilli’ cocpt old b dicod by it polity.
a t midt of cotig t mb of pol, t d g i
ocom, t mility pl old popgt tt iti t cilig
limit of t tibl mb of t, g d ot i-tc mility
d – ic cot-iti d impot-dpdt, d, c,
coditiol – id optio of tcticl, optiol d ttgic m
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poibl, if t tgt of o idigo giig llod
to bloom. wit igly comptt d lg b fo cotctio
giig mtil, giig plt, qipmt, giig ill, t
lbo foc d pottil fo logitic itl dy to b tppd, it
old b pfbl to dploy d dploy c foc-lmt fom o
bttl to ot i qic ccio o to mo t oppot
ito opl ittio d, t, ci t ttgic im t lo cot i
terms of death, destruction or scal burden. To illustrate, we can sustain only
xed numbers of tanks, guns or even infantry units within our technological,
industrial and scal capacity, and so derive only a specied level of tactical
pyoff. sold it b poibl fo t amy to xploit t bdc of oit cpbiliti i fc, o i tpottio d idigo bitt
giig idty d ‘gi’ dual-use logistic infrastructure t io
optiol , t m foc ll c b bilt p xpctdly, mod
co ‘ímpbl’ ti, tid t ibitbl loctio, dployd d
dployd i tibly qic tim, d poid to ti it t t
my mot – ptdly d i qic ccio. I ot od, lbot
logitic iftct d li of commictio ctd by mig of t dy idigo giig cpbility i pc-tim d by pgdig
t cop of combt giig ppot dig optio old by itlf
mg ot foc mltipli. aot pct of foc mltiplictio
tog ‘giig’ i by m of bildig p ffcti cpbiliti i tm
of camouage, coclmt d dcptio ; y l body of toop d
pic of l qipmt potctd o flly poctd to cot pciio
ti old dd to t foc ll. a dditiol igligt of c pctic itt it old pomot ti idty d ifoc t locl coomy. Ti
i lo t clicl cocpt of xploitig o’ idigo tgt to po
a situation of asymmetry upon the adversary, thereby, forcing him to ght
o o tm. Ti i t t pocti ami ttmptd to ci
tog t g – t Cpti, G, Fc, Gm, amic,
vitm, t l – d o do t mod ami pl to ci
cy, it t mility gi plyig ppopitly xpi ol
i pc d . O c oly imgi t coc dy old
dlop o tt t pofl bttl-gop of t Idi amy
c b bilt p i qic tim t y loctio of tcticl coic, mi ll
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potctd git cot-ctio, dpict fl bild-p l, xci
tcticl mobility d cot-mobility of ig od iti t bttl
and be sustained in that manner across even very difcult terrain for long
piod.
T Idi amy’ Cop of egi mt, tfo, ot oly pp
fo xtdd mdt i t ft, bt to b t to t pofio, it
mt lo m t mtl of ctlyt, o motito d fcilitto,
i bigig bot t d cg tod cocptl moditio of t
amy i it o y, t t ot m d ic too old. T
dtg of xploitig giig oltio to mility poblm d to
b ticltd by togt d pctic – t t jC-Co-typ potig of “gi t” old ot do ymo.
Pogio d moditio of t Idi amy qi c m o
ic to do ti bit commt to ti ol i t oll cm. Lt
t to t old b o dtitio m of t mod
Idi amy. T ppo i ot to lit ot t old – tt
c b od ot ll if t dtitio i o – bt to idtify ic
dictio old d fo.
The Fundamental Concept
The most important condition for war-ghting in the contemporary era –
that no element of combat is tid d to lc of ppot fom ot
– d d loo i o cotxt. T ogitiol tct tt i
required to enable preparation of the battleeld and application of force in
t coct m d to b t ot of, i od tt t fo pill
of mod f – iz illc, commictio, mobility d logitic
(note that two of these four are engineer-specic) – are adequate to sustain
optimum deployment of our entire ghting force. There is no use having
p ‘tt’ if t ‘’ i d t ‘til’ i too ot to blc t body
poid i ctio. ul t foc tct i ‘blcd i compoitio’,
t ‘tt’ lmt of amy – ifty d mcid foc – old
ff y lg ‘unusability factor’ , i t fll igt of t ‘bit’
cot b bogt to b d to idqt tgt of t ‘’ – t
ppotig m. similly, l t ‘til’ lmt – t logitic cpbility – i
dqtly bilt p, it i ‘blc i dipoitio’ cibl, o c t
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momtm of optio b tid i od to optimlly mploy ll t
deployable ghting echelons as well as the controlling headquarters. As a
coolly, t commd old littl optio of mo d old
o coic bt to b po bt foc to dft t my tog
attrition alone, sacricing infantrymen and tanks to ‘ buy’ pyrrhic victory –
o ic cold t ot to b cotly dft. I fct, i t pt
cotxt, y lo old ot b ccptbl to t tio. a t d
old ppcit, t to b mo cot-ffcti m of bildig
p amy. T moditio old, tfo, lo imply blcig p
the support and logistic capabilities – re support, engineering capability,
Commd, Cotol, Commictio, Compt, Ifomtio, Itlligc(C4I2), tpot it, b fciliti, d o o – iti t oll tct
of t modid amy.
T cod mot impott coidtio i ogitiol tctig
i t d fo gdtio to ig xpti. a t tdd of m
understanding expand and expertise ows downwards, organisations must
dicd t oti d t md, d gdt to ig ll of ill
d complxity of pfomc. If ti i ot d, ogitio oldb doomd to obliio. Fo xmpl, o t y, t tt of xpti
qid fo t pt pctic of mi lyig, bidgig, cotctio
of tc d m-ift lt, optio of gto d pmp fo
rudimentary electrication and water supply – most of the traditional eld
giig t, i fct – o log xcli to t gi lo;
just as with a better level of training and awareness, patrolling, driving, eld
commictio o bic mdictio d t optio o logt xcli p of t tditiol mot m d ic. T toy
of pogio of lty ogitio, tfo, idict tt t mt
b gdl ift to ig ll of xpti, d, t t m tim, opig
up of new vistas for expansion and diversication. The signalmen and the
g li to ti d, o i t BrO d, to om xtt, t Mes.
A similar thrust must be made and pursued vigourously in the eld of combat
giig too. Fo xmpl, t cop old b tiig of tctig
t t dibdig t iq fcility of t egi sto Dpot d
nd new roles for this strategic asset. In the coming years, if the corps keeps
o t igt tc of moditio, mgmt of lg g d olm
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of theatre specic stores and equipment of engineering, operational works,
d impot d td oigi old po io cllg. T bd of
mgig d mitiig t old b byod t ol d pioiti of
t Cop of eMe o t Odc, d t egi sto Dpot
old com i to ply itl ol. T dg of c commitmt old
mltiply Idi gdt to t giol po-qtio d t o
to t globl d t bcdop of mgig politico-ttgic
diptio, i lg it ply di t amic, t Ci,
t un, t eop uio, to m oly f.
Ttig t gim d ic t Cop of egi i t Idi
amy i to fctio, it old b ld tt t omio ig icidict lod ig. To of t fo mod pill of mod f
– mobility d logitic – big gi-ctic, t i littl optio bt
to modi t mility giig ogitio. It i, tfo,
impti fo t cop to ticlt t mgig pict, d fo t
Gl stff to cogi t itig o t ll. O t ot d, t
full burden of nding the means to seek modernisation, and progression
to ig xpti i combt giig t po gi; it i ‘in-house’ issue. As most eld engineering tasks of dated technology and
limitd cop t o by t ppotd m, gdtio to ig
ll of mility giig ill bcom tl coolly fo t
cop, if to ti o tt iti t amy ll i tio-
bildig. By implictio, ti coditio dictt tt qip ol
with more efcient means of executing traditional as well as newly acquired
giig t, b it mi lyig, bidgig, tc cotctio, lcticityand water supply, habitat and survivability tasks, camouage and deception
o digitl mppig of t qid cccy d ctio of ti
dtb of t cy g d dpt. at t tiol ll, t cop
to m t ol of poid of digitl ti dtb, gcy
fo cooditig ttgic poct i t p of ty, cl od,
dit mgmt cm, cotctio i mot , -t
coio, d o o. w ldy t xmpl of t Cop of sigl
that has donned the mantle in the eld of Information Technology (IT) and
the Army Medical Corps which is emerging in the eld of state sponsored
mdicl pogmm.
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Cocptlitio d implmttio of moditio pogmm
qi tim. w d to tt o; l ill bcom oc pdd
fom t c of t Idi amy. a bd of iftym, tm
and gunners would emerge while we would be hard put to nd compatible
bidg, od d GIs to mt ti qimt. Big tppd i c
to ctc p – it t i qid of d t ctlly cpbl of
delivering – is not a desirable situation for an engineer who, by denition, is
dtid to b ly i cotol.
Methods of Force Organisation for the Future War and Peace
T picipl of mility ogitio dd do o t ctidictate that for the optimum efciency in management of war, military
fomtio o it old b lf-cotid fo oti mploymt
(stdd Compoitio) , il dditiol oc ‘gopd’ fo
specic tasks (Task Specic Composition) o qid bi. O
t pt ix dcd, ft wold w II, d to tcicl d tcticl
dlopmt, t b om diltio i obc of ti picipl.
Tody, giig it o log o blcd i compoitio to b cpbl of flly tiig t ppotd fomtio i ll ti
oti optiol o logitic commitmt, l coomicl d
inefcient recourse to ad hoc arrangements are adopted, be it in terms of
repower, mobility, reconnaissance or transportation. On the other hand,
it i it cot-ffcti o cy to bild p c gi it to
ct fo ll tliti gi t dcd tt of commictio d
tpottio tt c b xploitd to ttc o dtc oc i qic
tim, d, t, ci foc-mltiplictio ffct. T i, tfo,
c fo i of t xitig ogitio t tcticl (it, bigd
d diiiol fomtio), optiol (cop) d ttgic (tt
amy) ll to i t t igt mix of itgl ll ctlid
giig oc ic old llo to mt o optiol
commitments more efciently and, at the same time, contribute to the
giig d t t tiol ll dig t log y of pc tt
my pil. accodigly, i-dpt i my to b dt
log t li ticltd blo.
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Standard Force Composition
As stated, while a standard engineer force composition for various eld
fomtio i ldy i plc i o amy, ti d to b d
d cotctd bd o o o cotmpoy ll ftitic
optiol qimt. Ti tp ill to b did ft tig
ito ccot t fcto of ‘imltity’ d ‘itopbility’ lt
i o cotxt, bc t old dictt t blcd compoitio d
equipment proling in the manner discussed above. Articulation of policies
i pct of plcig ddd lic o mcitio t t pol
tgt, co to ffcti t pply, dmolitio, booby tppig,
lm dic d obtcl cm to poid lif to pmtlydployd toop d optimm tilitio of oc by m of btt
tcticl mobility, ttgic tpottio d igl commictio
few examples which would guide us in proling the War Establishment of
t gi it of t ft. T impti, tfo, i to modi
o combt gi it i tp it t oll cm of t amy’
moditio. wt i mo impott i tt t iititi mt mg
fom iti t cop, t t big di by co of icpbldmd fom t ppotd m. a mod t, g, lctoic f
qipmt d ifty po cqid, t copodig giig
bc-p – bidg, od, digitl topogpicl dt, GIs, obtcl ytm,
lm ytm, bitt to d qipmt d gi itlligc –
to b ab initio ticltd by t gi t t plig tg itlf. Ti
would help the Army in two ways: rst, engineering input to overall decision-
mig old b ilbl, t, impoig t qlity of plig, d cod,full tactical exploitation of new acquisitions by the eld formations would not
have to wait till the engineering deciencies are lled up by trial and error
o log piod. acqiitio of mod tilly ytm, motly pilotd
icl, lctoic f cpbiliti, illc ytm, tt-of-t-
t mo, tc. c i poit i t copodig giig
iftct fo fll xploittio of t to com p – bfo t
idctd. T impti, tfo, :
l Compi ffot to modi t w etblimt, w
etblimt Tbl d t ltd scdl d Lit, i tm of
ctgoi, dig ft d modl, d to b md i mo
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itittiolid m. egiig to d qipmt cld to
gi it tody coidd fo pgdtio to t cotmpoy
ll oly t bcom o obolt tt t idty i o log
bl to mfct tm, o t toop gt y of ig tm. O
pmpig t, compo, mci loi d cpt tool
c i poit i ic t cop mi tity y bid t
lo cot, ig-tc d idigoly ilbl plcmt. effot to
mo c omli old b milto tod moditio of
giig ppot.
l Itodctio of mod ft i combt giig ppot by y
of cqiitio of mod giig tool, plt d qipmt i o complio. hig tc cotctio, bidgig, obtcl, t pply,
material handling, camouage, deception, habitat and transportation
cpbility i tm of t extent of ppot ll t timfm i
ic t my b xctd d optiol coditio old ply
ctlytic ol i t dlopmt of t amy’ ftitic docti fo
d pc.
l
Filly, t cmt i combt giig cpbiliti mtcofom to t ct cilig o mpo. Inter alia, it impli tt
t tt of xctio of combt giig t mt ift fom
tgt of pol i it to xctio by mcid m.
Ti old ffct ig i mpo ic cold t b tilid
fo iig git t oid i t gi foc tct.
Fo xmpl, t bic t foc fo optiol tc cotctio
should be revised to a eld platoon with higher mechanised capability
rather than the eld company.
T poit to ot i tt fo ti ffot to ccd, i mot
cases, the engineers have to nd their own answers to the problems of
giig ppot t big tily dpdt po qipmt ic
t ppotd m c ffod to l o dicd – mod icl
c fo bidg ytm, fo itc – o dig t Dfc rc
d Dlopmt Ogitio (DrDO) my tmbl po. My c
, idd, fod, d impoid qipmt dlopd by t
it commd dig t ct Optio Pm; t id d to
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Ma ne k s ha w P a P e r n O
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b ft td. T my b c fo tbliig cll to
ogi i-o combt giig dlopmt pogmm, y, t t
Collg of Mility egiig. w ti ffot ccd, oltio i
giig ppot old lt. Tt old b o im.
Mission Specific Force Organisation
sic c optiol d tcticl ittio old iibly b iq, t
would be a need to regroup the forces for each specic operation, so as to
ci blc i compoitio ll i dipoitio. rqimt of
engineer units for execution of specic tasks – over and above their integral
resources – would have to be attached for specic periods and then quicklydployd t t xt poit of citiclity. Ti old b cy fo
cimt of foc-mltiplictio ffct d ‘pi mo’ iti
t fmo of bttl tim d pc. I om c, t qimt
i pdicbl, t cold b fomlid i t fom of foml optiol
orders to foster afliation and cohesion. In other cases, operational balance in
compoitio old citt ttcmt of toop o qipmt o l
of to fom ctlid oc o c-to-c bi. T giigoc ic old fll d ti ctgoy old g fom y t
moig, t pply, bidgig d cotctio plt d qipmt, to p-
fbictd lt d olmio cotctio mtil, ic old b
mitid cto o tt toc. To ci t qiit dg of
exibility in this context, it would be imperative that an integrated system
of coic, commictio d it ll it-tt mobility
i lo pt i plc. Dcidig bot t citct of c ytm old
po mo cllg to t gi ldip; bt it old b ot t
ffot, o t t poibiliti. It i, tfo, mo commitmt o
t pt of t gi to coid t folloig:
l expio of t cop of tt of to, plt d giig
qipmt i t it t ftitic qimt, d bd o t
impti of ti d tcticl ltti.
l eltio of t giig cpbiliti iti t tt to tt ll
ic old cog t mgc of tcticl optio fo t
eld commanders to xploit. hig od cotctio d t pply
cpbiliti om lt xmpl of c iititi; bility to
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Ma ne k s ha w P a P e r n O
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dt ciic ctio pogmm i igcy i ot
ppopit xmpl. Tt t iititi lo i cot d ilbl
i bdc idigoly, dd to t dibility.
l Itittio of ig ll of mcitio old lo til gt
dpdcy o i-o o itgl ogitio fo mgmt of
‘gi to d qipmt of gi oigi’, t pctic
dig t w y; it old b impcticl to xpct eMe o Odc
to do o biddig. It i tt t lc of t egi sto
Dpot, itbly ogid, com to t fo.
Strategic Force OrganisationI poidig giig ppot to mod amy o titoil, giol
o globl dploymt, t mgig diptio cll fo itgtd
ytm of giig coic d lbot logitic pltfom
to icld tpottio of mtil, ci of pply d oig of
ig tog of mtil. Ti i o bc giig oc,
itgtd co t ti tt of optio, old bl
o commd d tff to opt fo otodox dploymt, d,t, gg otil foc it lmt of ttgic pi. T
impti to tlt c oppotiti ito mti ctio o
the ground would be the capabilities of mass transportation and efcient
pply of to. w ldy dicd tt i t cotmpoy
ittio, it old b mot dtgo to bod logitic optio
to dploy, ti d dploy t foc lmt. I ot od,
t logitic of tpottio d pply ll plcd, itcig
d tiig of foc i dd fibl d, t, t optiol
cpbiliti of mll foc mltiplid. T Ci dc to t
footill i t ott dig 1962, o ticl lopmt to t
t fll of D i 1971 d fotllig Pit i sic i 1984
bt f xmpl of ti mility dictm, i ic mll foc,
bcd p it lbot logitic ppot, cid xtodiy lt.
I o cotxt, poitd ot li, ctio of lbot logitic
iftct i ll iti t idigo cpbiliti, il m
mfct of i-tc mility qipmt i yt f y. It, tfo,
m to xploit o it giig tgt d bild p
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Ma ne k s ha w P a P e r n O
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o ttgic logitic cpbiliti d o b bl to dploy o limitd
‘tt’ foc – mo, tilly, illc d coic (.g.
umd ail vicl—uav), lctoic, d, to om xtt,
t ifty lmt – d to ift t fom o tt li to
ot to ffctily tcl cci tgt i qic tim. I to b
cod it i ti cotxt cold b follo:
l riig of ‘amy egi rgimt’, itbly qippd it y
cotctio plt d mciy to dt lg cl cotctio
of logitic b d tpottio ci i t commictio zo
cold b coidd. Ti cold it b ogid by cotig
d ogiig t Bod rod T Foc o by m of iigTitoil amy it. T it my t b itbly mployd i
pc-tim o gigtic tiol pogmm c t i liig
d igy cotctio poct, lo to lp Mes cl t y
bclog of dfc cotctio cm.
l Icopotio of t moig, tpottio d cotctio t
ld by t pblic ll t pit cto ito t dfc pl.
Ptly, ti pct i dpdt po locl gmt d mtldtdig, d d to b itittiolid t t px ll.
l Itittio of ll ogid gi lmt compot of
t cl foc, to icld cpbiliti i tm of cl-dd
shelters, camouage and deception schemes, nuclear demolitions and
dit mgmt.
l e itlligc i coidd to b pt of Gl stff fctio,
o t y, t occd md oid i t qlity of
gi itlligc. I mod ll ftitic combt, t ygy
of ccfl optio old dpd po comptt gi
itlligc, icldig xti topogpic dt d GIs. Ogitio
of ffcti ytm of itlligc collctio, colltio, ifcig d
dimitio i - tim old, tfo, b o of t mo
cllg fo t Cop of egi i t comig y. nxt, t
poc of gltig t olm of itlligc ipt i t it t
city d dibility t io ll of t foc, ll t
bility of imiltio d ctio t t ll, old lo d to b
od ot i gt dtil. Ftmo, t ltt ytm old
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to b dotild ito t tomtd dt pocig d commictio
gid. T pct mt, tfo, fom itiic pt of t ttgic
foc tct of t mility gi i t comig y.
Organisation for Counter-Insurgency
I t comig y, ‘lo itity ’ – cot-igcy d cot-
toim – old cytlli ito itgl compot of tiol city.
It is time, therefore, that this kind of operation is recognised as a bona de
mdt fo t amy, d ti commitmt i dditio to t
fmily of o tditiol ‘optio of ’. To tt xtt, t fogoig
ly mt co t giig commitmt i ltio to t loitity optio, o tt t gi foc tct mi ‘blcd’
even under the conditions of these deployments, and the benets of good
engineer support transcends beyond the connes of external and overt
conicts. For these conditions to be met, it is an imperative that the process
of gi foc tctig t ti ol ito ccot. Coty to
t ppio gdig t ibility of co-ltig t ‘cotiol’ d
t ‘littl ’, it i icigly ppt t old o tody tt c coctiity i fibl, idd, oidbl. a mgil xpio i t
scope of engineering support – conned to additional or customised design
ft i mility giig d d bod obcti i tiig
– would sufce to take care of this additional role. The basic features of
combt giig – iz ldip d igo ill i t bcdop of
t id of ‘st’ – old, d mt, mi ffcti i y c. T,
t cop old b bl to pfom i cofomity to t xpcttio of t
amy.
The Course Ahead
D to t coidtio igligtd i t pp, it old b mot
ppopit to ly ot itittiolid li of tiig tod dlopmt
of blcd foc tct i t Idi amy, cofomig to it ttgic
ll tcticl mdt, i ic t it ddci, o
cotit. T gi compot of c blcd foc cold b
ticltd i t fom of t of gidli o cocptl fmo
ic ill bl t policy-m d pl to ogi giig
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Ma ne k s ha w P a P e r n O
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units, update the equipment prole, assimilate new technical capabilities and
digt t giig t i mtl coct. wit moditio
ldy o t amy’ gd, fomlitio of c gidli my ldy
b t d; dditiol mpi o ti ccot old b mot lt.
Ft, i od to d t gidli migfl, ty cold b bd
o lily optiol ittio i o cotxt d lidtd tog -
gaming at corps and eld Army levels. Following such in-depth examination,
t bod pmt fo tig d compoitio of gi foc t
standard, mission specic and strategic levels would get crystallised. These
ifc my t fom t bi fo moditio of mility giig
ogitio ll dlopmt of poibiliti d optio, tcticlas well as strategic, for a modern version of efcient all-arms operations in
t Idi amy.
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uiity P, 1997).
2. v Gol (d), Introduction to International Relations and India’s Foreign Policy (1996).3. adlpi Pp, no 299.
4. jt sig, National Security (n Dli: Lc Pblictio, 1997).5. Indian Defence Review , Fby 1995.
6. Parameters, spig 1998.7. s kodplli, China’s Military: PLA In Transition (n Dli: IDsa, 1999).
8. Asian Military Review , 2001.9. Coli s Gy, Exploitations in Strategy (wtpot: Good P, 1996).
10. Tom Clcy d Gl Fd F j, Into the Storm: A Study in Command (n Yo: GP Ptm d so, 1997).
11. “Fdmtl, Docti d Cocpt – Idi amy”, hQ arTraC, 1998.
12. “Pptio fo w i t 21t Cty”, Parameters, atm, 1997.13. robt r Lod, The Art of Manoeuvre: Manoeuvre Warfare Theory (Dd: T
egli Boo Dpot, 1998).
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