Indian Army to revise Cold Start to give Pakistan the jitters

According to senior serving and retired Army officers, the armoured, mechanized infantry and artillery arms have been trained for rapid mobility across the border.

Faced with two nuclear-armed adversaries in Pakistan and China, Indian Army is planning to re-examine the Cold Start doctrine under which its forces have been trained to launch short, intense and quick strikes especially against its western neighbour before the international community intervenes.

According to senior serving and retired Army officers, the armoured, mechanized infantry and artillery arms have been trained for rapid mobility across the border and annihilate the adversary and complete the mission before the nuclear threshold is reached.

While the government is yet to officially declare the Cold Start doctrine as part of the war doctrine, senior retired Army officers have confirmed that the strategy exists and different names were given to the same at different times. They point out that the three strike corps will move forward from their garrisons and not wait for the opportune moment to strike against Pakistan.

Several defence officials and analysts point to the 1999 Kargil war while claiming that there exists an opportunity for a limited conventional offensive against Pakistan without crossing the nuclear threshold. They also assert that Pakistani bluster of using nuclear weapons first in case of an Indian Army offensive threatening its territorial integrity will lead to its total obliteration.

While the government may not yet acknowledge the Cold Start doctrine, it may give the Army go ahead to strategise keeping the policy in mind.

The doctrine seeks to launch combined operations by the Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy and cripple Pakistan with a series of sledgehammer blows. Army’s strike corps have been trained to launch a full-fledged offensive against the western adversary within 48 hours or less.

The I Corps is based in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh and consists of 4 Infantry Division (Allahabad), 6 Mountain Division (Bareilly) and 33 Armoured Division (Hisar). The II Corps (Kharga Corps) is based in Ambala, Haryana and comprises of 1 Armored Division (Patiala), 14 Infantry Division RAPID (Dehradun) and 22 Infantry Division (Meerut).

The XXI Corps (1 Strike Corps/ Sudarshan Chakra Corps) is based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. It consists of 31 Armoured Division (Jhansi), 36 Infantry Division RAPID (Sagar) and 54 Infantry Division (Sikandrabad).

But the Cold Start doctrine also requires a galaxy of specialized weaponry and equipment apart from a massive upgrade in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities along the Pakistan and China borders.