Army to station specialised ‘Rudra’ brigades in eastern Ladakh, Sikkim
The Army has decided to deploy two new specialised brigades, equipped with enhanced firepower and manpower, along the northern borders with China.
According to sources, one brigade each will be positioned in eastern Ladakh and Sikkim along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These brigades will be armed with advanced weaponry, including specialised armed drones, missiles, loitering munitions and dedicated commando units.
Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi had announced the concept of these integrated brigades — named ‘Rudra’ — on July 26 during Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Sources said the target is to operationalise both Rudra brigades within the next few months. The move is part of a broader effort to reorganise the Army’s warfighting capabilities in these strategically sensitive sectors along the LAC, the de facto boundary between India and China.
Unlike traditional brigades, which usually consist of 3,000 to 3,500 personnel and focus on specific domains like infantry or armour, each Rudra brigade will integrate multiple combat components. These include infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured units, artillery, special forces and unmanned aerial systems, along with dedicated logistics and combat support structures.
Lethal special forces units, known as ‘Bhairav’, are being raised as light commando battalions to support operations of the Rudra brigades. These will augment existing ‘Ghatak’ platoons currently deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) and in counter-insurgency roles.
Additional firepower will come from the ‘Shaktibaan’ artillery regiments, which will focus on drone warfare and loitering munitions — systems capable of hovering in the air and striking designated targets with precision.
A further component, known as ‘Divyastra’ batteries, will consist of infantry battalions equipped with drones and indigenous air defence systems. These units form part of the Army’s layered air defence strategy, which demonstrated its prowess during Operation Sindoor.
Importantly, the Rudra brigades will not involve raising new units. Instead, they will integrate and re-task existing elements, tailored to meet specific operational needs in defined areas.
In 2023, Army commanders had initiated a phased restructuring plan aimed at transforming the force into a leaner, more agile and modernised entity. Key operational reforms, including integrated battle-ready brigades, have already been tested in military exercises held in Punjab.
These changes stem from a 2022 study on “Re-organisation and Rightsizing of the Indian Army”, which assessed existing structures to improve efficiency and operational readiness in light of evolving challenges on both western and northern borders.
India