Rajasthan: Rudra Brigade completes operational validation during 'Akhand Prahar' exercise in Thar

Jaisalmer, Nov 12 (PTI) The newly formed Rudra Integrated All Arms Brigade of the Indian Army has successfully undergone full operational validation during the military exercise "Akhand Prahar" in the Thar desert.

The brigade, which integrates Infantry, Armoured, Mechanised Infantry, Artillery, Air Defence Artillery and Engineers, has been prepared to execute joint operations with a high degree of coordination and effectiveness, a senior official said.

Speaking about the successful validation, Southern Army Commander Lt Gen Diraj Seth said on Wednesday that he was satisfied with the brigade's performance.

"The Rudra Brigade has demonstrated its capabilities during the exercise. Its operational validation has been done in the Rudra Prahar exercise. It has proven its readiness and operational effectiveness, showing that it is fully capable of handling multi-domain tasks in future operations," he told reporters during the culmination of the exercise.

He said that with the formation of the Rudra Brigade, the time has come to shift the approach from the "Cold Start Doctrine" to the "Cold Strike Doctrine." "There used to be a doctrine called the Cold Start Doctrine, in which the Army would mobilise and then be ready in the operational area. But now the time has come to transform the Cold Start Doctrine into the Cold Strike Doctrine with the Rudra Brigade," he said.

"The Rudra Brigade will always be ready to carry out the given task with full capability and to have an effective impact on the enemy. I am satisfied with their performance. I am confident that with the land manoeuvres they have shown, they will be capable of handling all tasks successfully," he said. PTI SDA HIG HIG