To carry out swift attacks in the situation of war, the Indian Army has planned to introduce Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) along the borders with China and Pakistan, army chief General MM Narvane has informed. He also said that a 'test-bedding' for it has been completed but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the rollout has been delayed.
"The roll out of the IBGs has been delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic and the need to divert critical resources towards containment efforts," General Narvane was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
"However, I can assure you that we will roll out the IBGs in the requisite time frame as the conceptual groundwork has already been laid out and extensive test-bedding had already been carried out prior to the outbreak," he added.
An IBG is a mix of artillery, infantry, air defence, tanks and logistics units. It will have at least 5,000 personnel and a Major General will be heading it. Every IBG will be modelled on a specific operational requirement taking into consideration the topography of the land as well as the threat perceptions.
Gen Narvane also said that the COVID-19 crisis has brought some disruptions in defence production and procurement, however, he added that it is a temporary phase.
The army had tested the effectiveness of IBGs during the 'Him Vijay' exercise in Arunachal Pradesh in October 2019, prior to the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping's visit to India.
