Army has two new mountain divisions

IANS, Feb 8, 2011, 02.17am IST

NEW DELHI: With an eye on China's growing military strength in Tibet, India has 'fully raised' two new mountain divisions with 30,000 troops in the northeast as a counter-measure and to shore up its mountain warfare capabilities.

'We have now fully raised the two new mountain divisions in the northeast. They are fully functional. Only some support elements may join them soon,' a senior officer at the Army headquarters said here.

The new mountain divisions have come up at a time when India's security top brass is warily watching the massive upgrade of Chinese military infrastructure along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) - the ceasefire line as there is no demarcated border - in all the three sectors - western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).

The two new mountain divisions, raised at a cost of Rs 700 crore, Rs 7 billion each, will be under the command of the Rangapahar-based 3 Corps in Nagaland and the Tezpur-based 4 Corps in Assam of the Army's Kolkata-based Eastern Command.

The two divisions with 15,000 personnel each will further enhance the tactical strength of the Indian Army in the strategically important areas along the borders facing its traditional rival China, which claims the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.

The other China-specific plans include the raising of the 'Arunachal Scouts' and 'Sikkim Scouts' that was given the nod last year.

India has also deployed a Sukhoi SU-30 air superiority fighter jet squadron in Tezpur as one of the aerial offensive measures apart from upgrading airfields and helipads in the northeast.


Read more: Army has two new mountain divisions - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Army-has-two-new-mountain-divisions/articleshow/7448646.cms#ixzz1DPvKf3ip