Chief of the Army Staff General V.K. Singh on Wednesday reviewed the conduct of “Shoor Veer,” the war games and military training exercise under way in the border district of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan.
Gen. Singh, the main proponent of the ‘Integrated Theatre Battle Concept,' developed after the transformation studies carried out recently, witnessed the exercise that entails launch of theatre offensive by Sapta Shakti (South Western Command) spearheaded by 1 Corps and Chetak Corps.
Exercise “Shoor Veer,” termed the biggest-ever war games in the Thar Desert, is being conducted against the backdrop of studies on transformation of the Army. The exercise displayed synergy of the Army and the Air Force in launching air-land battle and the capability to orchestrate battle in a network-centric environment with integration of reconnaissance, surveillance and electronic warfare and communication assets to provide commanders real-time battle situational awareness.
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On his arrival, the Army Chief was received by Lieutenant-General Gyan Bhushan, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Army Commander, South Western Command) in the exercise area. The Chief of Army Staff was briefed on the training aspects, new concepts of warfare being tried and the conduct of the exercise, by Lieutenant-General Ashok Singh, General Officer Commanding 1 Corps, and Lt.-Gen. Sanjeev Anand, General Officer Commanding, Chetak Corps.
Defence sources said the scheduled visit of Defence Minister A.K. Antony to the “Shoor Veer” site might not take place due to his preoccupations in the national capital. The war games are to last till May 5.
Gen. Singh congratulated General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Sapta Shakti Command on the battle-readiness of the formation and validation of new concepts of warfare.
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The “Shoor Veer” exercise involves the Army's Mathura-based elite 1 Strike Corps and Bhatinda-based 10 Corps under the Jaipur-based South Western Command.” The IAF also is involved in ‘Shoor Veer' in a big way with Electronic Warfare Test (EWT) and elements from WAC providing full spectrum of air support, said Defence spokesperson S.D. Goswami.
The offensive Air Support involved all types of fighters, including SU-30. Mi-35 attack helicopters will also be providing the Offensive Air Support to the ground troops, he noted.
Counter Surface Force Operations are crucial to the overall success of the land operations. The Mi-17s, including elements from South Western Air Command, will be employed for the Special Heli-borne Operations (SHBO). The Combat Support role will also see the Airborne Assault Operations where a large contingent of paratroopers will be para-dropped.
Col. Goswami said the exercise would see the Surface Forces and the Air Force elements fighting together in close coordination with each other. This called for a high degree of control and coordination which is achieved by adhering to the laid-down operating procedures and supported by complex communication networks. Both the Army and Air Force would field their Remotely Piloted Aircrafts in support of their missions, he said.