What is Indian Army's 'Rudra' brigade, announced by General Upendra Dwivedi on Kargil Vijay Diwas

Indian army chief General Upendra Dwivedi announced the formation of a new brigade on Saturday.

 

Speaking at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass of Kashmir on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Gen Dwivedi said, "Rudra, all of brigade, is being established for which I gave an approval yesterday. Under this, we will have infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured units, artillery, special forces and unmanned aerial units at one place to provide logistics and combat support." 

 

The army has formed a special strike force, 'Bhairav Light Commando Unit', which, according to him, is "always ready to surprise the enemy at the border."

 

Gen Dwivedi said, "Every infantry battalion now has a drone platoon. In the artillery, the Shaktiban regiment has been set up, which will be equipped with a drone, counter-drone, and loiter munition. Every regiment will have a composite battery equipped with these things." 

 

The army chief said our capability will increase manifold in the coming days as the force is being equipped with air defence systems with indigenous missiles.

 

On Operation Sindoor 

 

He observed that the surgical strikes carried out as part of Operation Sindoor were a clear message to Pakistan that supporters of terrorism will not be tolerated and added that this swift response is the “new normal”.

 

"Operation Sindoor was a message to Pakistan as well as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which was a deep wound for the entire nation. This time India did not only mourn but showed that the response will be decisive," Gen Dwivedi said at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass of Kashmir on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas.

 

He asserted that while India gave peace a chance, Pakistan resorted to cowardice.

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"The faith shown by the countrymen and the free hand given by the government, the Indian Army gave a befitting surgical response. Any power that tries to challenge the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India or harm the people will be given a befitting reply. This is the new normal of India," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

 

Gen Dwivedi said India secured a decisive victory by effectively targeting terror outfits in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and foiling the other nefarious designs of Pakistan. "The Pakistani action on May 8 and 9 was responded to effectively. Our army air defence stood like an impregnable wall which could not be breached by any missile or drones," he said.

 

Hailing the Indian Army, he said it is on its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world.

Defence