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Readying For Nukes For the first time after India became a nuclear power, the Army stages a nuclear war game to check preparedness.

DEFENCE: WAR GAMES

A Tough Task Ahead

It is no surprise then that in the first exercise since Padmanabhan took over, codenamed Poorna Vijay (Total Victory), a nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) attack became the central part of the exercise. It was first conceived in January under the code name of "Mayhem" (because it was being held in the month of May). But the name was changed to avoid rattling Pakistan and also to make the Indian troops feel good. Lt-General (retd) Satish Nambiar, a former deputy chief of army staff, points out, "The college of combat has been working on NBC training packages since the early 1990s but they have never been validated on the ground." So this time they decided to make up for lost time. The premise is that instead of striking at India's cities Pakistan may choose tactical targets to launch a nuclear attack. These could vary from warhead storage sites to nuclear aircraft carriers or even the airfields. Battle-area targets are hit to cripple the command and control of the advancing forces and so could areas where troops are concentrated or even food, fuel and ammunition depots.

WHEN A BRIDGEHEAD IS NUKED
YIELD: 20 Kilotonne
CASUALTIES: 3,000

In order to simulate such conditions and conduct conventional offensive manoeuvres, 40,000 combat soldiers drawn from the Mathura-based 1 Corps fanned out into the desert plains for a war exercise, like they do every three years. Mechanised troops planned manoeuvres in enemy territory while engineers were busy laying tracks in the desert and doctors looking at how to deal with battle "injuries" caused by bullets and shell splinters but also for quick decontamination that follows a NBC strike. Teams were divided into Blue Land (India) and Red Land (Pakistan). With umpires looking at the manoeuvres of both sides, Poorna Vijay involved Blue Land defending itself against nuclear and chemical strikes on force targets and not value targets like population and industrial centres.

Various scenarios were worked out. One involved a tactical strike on a bridgehead or a bridge constructed over a water obstacle, to use army parlance for a canal or a river. Casualties vary according to the number of troops present at the time of a strike. In one scenario involving two brigades (approximately 5,000 combat troops), at least 1,800 soldiers would be killed immediately. In other words, with nearly half the troops out of operation, the unit is fairly unfit for battle the corps struggles to recover. It would take several hours for reserves to be pushed in before the area is safe from contamination.

"These are the minimum casualties in any strike and the bridgehead model depicts the effect of a yield 20 kilotonne," says a senior officer. "We rehearse reserves being sent in but a lot depends on whether there is a second strike. We can only practise defensive strikes." Similarly, other scenarios have been worked out on charts and these include tactical attacks on mechanised columns where apart from troops, tanks are also destroyed.

Poorna Vijay also rehearsed a chemical strike where Red Land used a chemical weapon to prevent Indian troops from trying to gain depth into Pakistani territory. A Blue Land company (100 troops) was hit, 10 per cent was declared dead on strike and about 20 per cent declared injured and the rest put through decontamination procedures. Declared "out of battle" for 24 hours, the challenge was for reserves to be rushed in and hold ground. "Blue Land performed very effectively," says Lt-General J.J. Singh, corps commander, 1 Corps. "There are no silver medals in a war. You either lose or win."

It is the kind of scenario that no one wants to see played out. But as Padmanabhan said, the army has to be trained for a nuclear war. The fact is, after the nuclear blackmail that accompanied the sharp war in Kargil, being prepared is like winning half the battle.

MetroScape

Delhi Cinema:
"Flicks Down Under"

Mumbai Restaurant:
Karma

Kolkata Restaurant:
Teej

The Madhya Pradesh governor orders a CBI inquiry into a land allotment by the chief minister to the Nai Duniya group, kicking off a constitutional crisis. INDIA TODAY Special Correspondent Neeraj Mishra reports in
Conflict Of Interest.