A plan to raise a new Army division for possible deployment in eastern Ladakh is expected to be implemented this year.
New Army Division: The Central Government likely to implement a long-pending plan to raise a new Army division for possible deployment in eastern Ladakh this year. The decision could be a part of series of changes Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the Ladakh region, The Indian Express reported.
The Indian Army can raise the 72 Division for the potential deployment in eastern Ladakh under the Northern Command. Currently, the division functions under the 17 Mountain Strike Corps (MSC) based in West Bengal’s Panagarh, Indian Express reported citing sources.
Notably, there are 15,000 troops in the division and could reorganise existing personnel for the possible deployment in the new division rather than recruiting new soldiers.
The Indian Army has four strike corps – that are responsible for offensive transborder action – the Mathura-based 1 Corps, 17 MSC in Panagarh, Ambala-based 2 Corps, and Bhopal-based 21 Corps. Out of these four corps only the 17 MSC was focused on China till 2021, while the other strikes corps were focused on Pakistan.
However, after the 2020 standoff with China, the Amry restructured the corps in 2021 to keep two strike corps mountains facing China. The 1 Corps and 17 Corps were deployed to guard the northern and eastern borders to tackle Chinese threats.
Attention was redirected towards the northern border with China by the 1 Corps, which now contains two infantry divisions. An additional division was reassigned from another corps to the 17 Corps in order to focus more on the eastern theatre. Some portions of the 17 Corps are currently positioned in eastern Ladakh currently, due to persistent military conflict with China.
As per sources, the decision to move the Rashtriya Rifles force from the area to eastern Ladakh created new demands. This shift necessitated the use of reserve units and strike corps to cover the void. This move consequently influenced the troops’ training and their typical peaceful state.
“If implemented, the exercise will aim at keeping a stable and balanced deployment in the entire command theatre and also keep the strike corps ready as per their roles,” Indian Express quoted the official. The official added that the reserve formations will continue to train and be available in situ for any emergent deployment within a short timeframe.
Following the violent clashes in Galwan Valley back in June 2020, India and China increased their military presence along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), each positioning around 50,000 to 60,000 troops. While tensions remain high across certain areas like Galwan Valley, northern and southern Pangong Tso shores, and the Gogra-Hot Springs region, these areas have still seen some progress in the last three years, thanks to the setup of buffer zones. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for all points of contention – there’s been no troops withdrawal from long-disputed areas like the Depsang Plains and Demchok.
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