Soon, an Integrated Battle Groups along Western Border
New Delhi, June 20: The Indian Army is planning to raise Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) along the borders with Pakistan that will help it carry out swift strikes in case of war, sources said.
The IBG, which aims to integrate different components of the Army into the new formation, will include artillery guns, tanks, air defence and logistical elements. This is expected to make it a complete battle-ready unit.
The
move
comes
amid
efforts
to
bring
better
synergy
among
the
three
armed
forces.
The
Army
also
tested
the
new
fighting
concept
of
IGBs,
whose
role
is
expected
to
be
offensive
in
nature.
Following
positive
results,
the
Army
gave
green
signal
to
form
the
specialised
units.
At
least
three
such
units
are
likely
to
come
up
by
the
end
of
this
year.
The
IBGs
are
likely
to
be
headed
by
Major
General-rank
officers
and
could
have
troops
numbering
5,000.
Gradually,
the
number
of
IGBs
can
be
increased
along
the
western
front.
The issue of IBGs came up for discussion during the Army Commanders' Conference in October last year. It is also believed to have been discussed lest week when top Army commanders met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
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IBGs, officials said, have better integration and self-sufficiency as compared to the existing formations.
At present, in an event of an exigency, a brigade has to wait to be aided by different types of units - such as artillery and logistics.
This also takes time for mobilising resources and be battle-ready.
However, this is not likely to be the issue with IBGs, which will be an inherent part of such units, sources added.