Indian Army Brings Mechanised Infantry Back Under Armoured Corps In Major Rejig

In an important development, the Indian Army has decided to integrate its mechanised infantry battalions with the armoured corps, bringing both under the same directorate from June 1. They were once together, but were separated some years ago. Now, the Army feels that bringing both together in a single directorate will improve efficiency levels. The first mech-inf regiment was constituted in 1969, and in the early days, existing battalions of premier infantry regiments (often, the first battalion of the regiment) like Madras, Sikh, Kumaon, Dogra and Jat as well as the Gorkha and Garhwal Rifles became mechanised. In fact, the first 14 battalions were all existing infantry battalions that were converted. Currently, the Army has over 25 mechanised infantry battalions and most

of them have Russia/Soviet designed BMP-II infantry combat vehicles as do the Guards units. Each battalion has roughly 750-800 officers and men and 45 BMP-IIs. They perform two major tasks. First, they allow the infantry to move with the tanks, ensuring much-needed mobility in the battlefield. When tanks are supported by infantry, they are often more effective as enemy infantry attacks from close using hand-held anti-tank weapons can be foiled. In the early stages of the war in Ukraine, the Russians used tanks without infantry and paid a heavy price. That they were moving down a road, one behind another, made them easier targets. Secondly, the BMP-IIs armour, though comparatively thin, allows protection to the infantry from enemy small-arms fire. A BMP-- the Indian Army infantry combat vehicles made in Avadi, carries 6-7 soldiers apart from the crew and is often equipped with anti-tank weapons . The amalgamation, highly placed sources said, was part of an "organisational rejig for better efficiency," and in the past, they were part of the armoured corps.

Parliamentary Defence Standing Committee meeting

The Parliamentary Defence Standing Committee-- members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were briefed in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, about preparedness and the security situation by top-level armed forces officers. It is a 31-member committee, including 21 from the lower house. One of the members is the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, but he wasn't present at the Srinagar meeting.