Rudra Brigade - Military Force Of The Future Is Becoming A Reality | Jagran Opinion

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi announced the formation of new “all-arms Brigades” named “Rudra” on July 26 during the Kargil Diwas celebrations at Dras. This is part of the Indian Army’s drive towards modernisation and transformation. He said that all-arms Brigades and lethal Special Forces units were being developed to build a “future-oriented force”.

He said: “Today’s Indian Army is not only successfully addressing current challenges but is also rapidly advancing as a transformative, modern, and future-oriented force. Under this, new all-arms Brigades named ‘Rudra’ are being formed. This will have fighting components like Infantry, Mechanised Infantry, Armored units, Artillery, Special Forces, and Unmanned Aerial Systems, supported by tailored logistics and combat support.”

He also stated that “agile and lethal Special Forces units, ‘Bhairav’ Light Commando Battalions, have been established to shock the enemy on the border. Every Infantry Battalion now includes Drone Platoons, while artillery has enhanced its firepower manifold through ‘Divyastra Batteries’ and Loiter Munition Batteries. Army Air Defence is being equipped with indigenous missile systems”.

As per reports, two Infantry Brigades have already been converted into Rudra Brigades. The concept of Rudra Brigades is built on the Indian Army’s previous proposal of Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs). On the other hand, the ‘Bhairav’ Commando Unit is a lethal Special Forces unit. It is intended for quick strikes and rapid border deployment.

The plan involves converting existing units and formations without fresh troop accretions, and presently it does not appear to have been accorded government sanction; hence, the manpower and equipment would have to be offset from existing organisations and would create voids there, which of course will have its impact. But it is a seismically important shift in the integration of various combat, combat support and logistic elements to fight in a multi-domain environment together.

Existing System

As per reports, Rudra Brigades will comprise a mix of Battalions or Regiments from different arms. The composition will vary depending on the operational requirements and tasks at hand. These would also be adequately equipped with force multipliers like drones, surveillance equipment and area saturation weapons.

For example, in the mountains, it may have two Infantry Battalions and an Artillery Regiment or in the plains, it may have two Armoured Regiments, a Mechanised Infantry Battalion, a Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment and an Air Defence Regiment more suited for offensive operations. The latter being on the lines of an existing Independent Armoured Brigade. Along the Line of Control (LoC), it could be Infantry Battalions alongwith Special Forces Elements.

Typically, a Brigade is made up of three Infantry Battalions or their equivalent Regiments of Armour, Mechanised Infantry, Artillery, Army Air Defence or Engineers. Commanded by a Brigadier, it comprises about 3,000 troops, with the core combatant units being from the same, with attached support elements from other arms and services. An Armoured Brigade has a mix of Armoured Regiments and Mechanised Infantry Battalions along with its support elements.

Three Brigades with supporting troops form a Division, which so far is also arm-specific, like an Armoured Infantry Division or an Artillery Division. However, there are also Independent Brigades, namely Armoured, Mechanised Infantry, Para and Infantry, with a mix of various arms and services which come directly under a Corps Headquarters. The question, therefore, being asked in some quarters is whether the Rudra is just an upgraded form of these Independent Brigades with certain additional elements such as drones and ISR capabilities.

The US Army has Brigade Combat Teams (BCT), which are the basic deployable unit of manoeuvre. It consists of combat arms and its assigned support and fire unit. It was designed to be self-contained, able to fight independently and have all the combat, support, and logistics capabilities required to conduct sustained military operations. This necessitated that capabilities at the Division, such as artillery, engineers, and intelligence, be shifted to the Brigade.

This was intended to provide greater flexibility, decrease the logistical footprint, improve its ability to leverage command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and precision fires to increase lethality, and meet contemporary threats.

China’s Combined Arms Brigades are a key component of the PLA Ground Force, representing a shift towards a more mechanised and integrated force structure. These Brigades are designed to be highly mobile and capable of conducting combined arms operations, incorporating various combat arms like armour, infantry, artillery, and air defence, all within a single, integrated unit.

In the Russian case, what has been witnessed recently, especially in Bakhmunt, is that while such a formation may be balanced in mechanised forces and supporting elements initially, it ran short of infantry, artillery and air support. As a result, the Russians became more flexible and adaptive, and their battalions and brigades were provided tailored solutions based on their battle requirements by the higher formations, which is somewhat similar to our existing concept of Combat Commands and Combat Groups, which are flexible and tailor-made organisations for mechanised operations.

The Advantages

However, there are advantages of going in for such a grouping and mix initially as an all-arms Integration of Armour, Infantry, Mechanised Infantry Battalions, Infantry, Artillery, Air Defence Artillery, Special Forces, and UAVs operating under one Brigade results in seamless coordination as a result of their training and affiliation.

These formations will also provide rapid deployment and flexibility. Being tailored to certain terrain and missions will enable swift offensive or defensive actions.

In the present environment of technology-enabled warfare, the use of drone surveillance, area saturation weapons, and precision-guided munitions increases battlefield effectiveness. Dedicated combat support to include artillery, air defence, engineer and communications, as well as inbuilt logistics, will allow operational independence and sustainment. Building on the proposed Integrated Battle Groups and Cold Start Doctrine enables the generation of tempo and generates more options for employment.

Analysis

The Army has been working on the restructuring of formations as part of its transformation studies for the past few years, though most may see the timing of the announcement to be a fallout of Operation Sindoor. Restructuring is based not only on the threat perceptions and changes manifesting in the character of war, but also drawing lessons from the ongoing conflicts and experiences following both Doklam and Galwan, as well as along the LoC. The concept of Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) was initially mooted by General Bipin Rawat, and the formation of Rudras seems to be an outcome of this exercise.

Structural transformations succeed changes in doctrines and are based on the thought process of the concept of employment in a given terrain and environment, keeping a particular response mechanism and end state in mind. Hence, these changes would have been well thought out.

There is no doubt that the Indian Army's Rudra Brigades represent a transformative step in modernising its operational capabilities along the borders with China and Pakistan. The all-arms integrated formations combining various combat elements and unmanned aerial systems into a single cohesive unit supported by dedicated logistics and combat support will be a force multiplier in contemporary and future conflicts.

This integration allows the Rudra Brigades to deliver swift, flexible, and technology-enabled responses to diverse border scenarios. It is also part of India's larger strategy to build a modern, self-reliant military, integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional combat strategies to ensure national security in an increasingly complex geopolitical and multi-domain environment.

Conclusion

Rudra gives tempo, better ISR, and a sharper combined arms edge potency. It is more modern, more flexible, but it needs to transform into a multi-domain task force with the ability to coordinate air strikes, cyber and electronic warfare and jam enemy radars. There needs to be extensive cooperation between different weapons systems on land with assets operating from the sky, as well as in the domains of space and cyber. But on the contrary, the formation will become more complex with each new capability that needs to be integrated.

Further, EW, communication, Air Defence Control & Reporting linkages, Army Aviation, integration of sensors and any other capabilities available at the Corps HQ should also be integrated into the operational concept.

Undoubtedly, Rudra Brigades are a step in the right direction. This is a thoughtful initiative designed with lessons from past experiences, adapting to future threats. Though the changes in organisation, equipment and tasking will need to be refined following validation of these formations and based on the feedback received, which will enable these formations to mature and evolve.

However, the key lies in training and developing its unique skill sets as well as defining the command and control and balancing both centralistaion and decentralisation in a manner that the Commander of the Rudra Brigade is able to have adequate operational freedom to identify the decisive point of an operation, synchronize assets in time and space and mass combat power against a capable and dynamic enemy to achieve the desired results.

(Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh, VSM (Retd) is a Distinguished Fellow, United Service Institution of India. Views are personal.)