THE MECHANISED FORCE IN OPERATION PAWAN

Veteran Col RS Sidhu

 

“1984 - 89 is a most unique and heady period in India's post-independence military history. For the first and only time, from independence till date, India flexed its military muscle in the Indian sub-continent all along its land and maritime borders in a near simultaneous time frame!”

“Headquarters IPKF, a Corps size tri-Service organisation, with nearly 100,000 troops from the three services under its command…is, in fact, the de facto forerunner to the joint Theatre Commands now being proposed for the Indian armed forces.”

“Families lost their bread winners, women were widowed, children orphaned, limbs amputated, and the seriously wounded medically boarded out of military service. There were happy endings as well, lives saved, moments of unforgettable humour when bullets were flying around, human bonding, and lifelong camaraderie.”

“To achieve its economic targets India needs a harmonious domestic environment conducive to enterprise, a peaceful geopolitical milieu in its near abroad that is favourable to trade and infrastructure security, and an augmented military potential to protect its enhanced trade and economic infrastructure in the emerging markets.”

“One of the lesser noticed trend, but with far reaching geopolitical implications for the future, is the early stage of the emergence of supranational corporations leading the way in  cutting edge technologies. It is a matter of time for a marriage of convenience to take place between the supranational corporations and the Private Military Contractors.”

 

This book carves a niche for itself by covering the three relatively unexplored facets of the IPKF operations, which exercised an overpowering influence on its turn of events. The impact of the politico-military nature of the mission, the forward contingency planning or lack of it, and the very interesting presence of the brigade strength of mechanised force deployed alongside the four field formations under the IPKF. The author has drawn heavily from his extensive 32 months hands on experience in all the four sectors of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) mandate, and the informal notes maintained by him and other participants in composing this manuscript.

The book starts with a review of the India Sri Lanka Agreement of 29th of July 1987, the basic document for deployment of the IPKF in Sri Lanka, before going on to present an overview of the IPKF military operations in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa sectors which fell in the mandate of the IPKF. An interesting comparative study of the relative combat power of Sri Lanka Army, the dominant Tamil militant group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the IPKF component of the Indian military is also discussed.

It describes the key mechanised force operations which had a decisive impact in shaping the overall battlefield environment, and goes on to list objective answers to questions that should have been asked and yet not asked. Why did the Indian state, known for its averseness to employ mechanised force in counter-insurgency operations, ab initio augment an infantry division with a mechanised infantry battalion for peace keeping role? One of the biggest dichotomies in IPKF military thought lay in viewing SLA both as a ‘resource’ against the LTTE and as a contingency ‘adversary.’ Could this ‘resource’ have been better managed?

The planning involved in successful conduct of deinduction of the IPKF from Sri Lanka under the most volatile military conditions, is quite informative. It is something which neither the US nor the Russians could achieve while withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan!

The book also provides very interesting insights into the battlefield dynamics normally brushed under the carpet, the intangible ‘human factor’, the indefinable elements of ‘sixth sense’ and ‘fear’, and the human cost of war on the families of the combatants, through powerful narratives by those directly impacted. These are powerful factors with inherent potential to convert defeat into victory or vice versa.

The book culminates with learnings from the IPKF chapter of the Indian military and their continued relevance to the ongoing geopolitical milieu, the current trends in military interventions, and the most pragmatic path for India. A unique philatelic tribute to the IPKF, ninety odd coloured and black and white action pictures, maps, and illustrations help to make the book an interesting read.

Blurbs

“The book succinctly describes the military incompetency of looking at the mechanised force from the prism of ‘mere numbers of tanks and ICVs’ was akin to ‘missing the woods for the trees.” – Nitin A Gokhale, StratNews Global and Bharat Shakti

A comprehensive and gripping chronicle of the untold facets of the IPKF in Sri Lanka, the contribution of the mechanised forces, the military incompetencies involved as well as the successes, the human cost of war, as also the future of military interventions and way forward for India in the emerging geopolitical uncertainties. – Maj Gen HK Singh, Military Literature Festival Lucknow

The mechanised forces and the infantry worked in synergy, causing a multiplier effect as they fought through the LTTE resistance in Operation ‘Pawan’. This is the central theme of ‘Mechanised Force in Operation Pawan’ around which he weaves the varied threads of this byzantine geopolitical and military operation into an eminently readable manuscript. – Lt Gen JS Sandhu (Retd), Chief Editor, Medals & Ribbons    

‘Mechanised Force in Operation Pawan’ is much more than a mere recording of a military operation. The aftermath of IPKF and its lessons is a milestone in South Asian history. It is linked to a more than three decades old military saga to the volatile geopolitical environment likely to be encountered by India in the future. – Capt Prasoon Srivastava, (Veteran), Editor & Publisher, FAUJI INDIA Magazine

“To the men of letters, the more interesting part of the book is the portrayal of the ‘human cost’ of war. The narration of the impact of the ‘sixth sense’ on the battlefield makes for fascinating reading and should be a must read for thought leaders in all walks of life.” – Ram Maheshwari, Ex Director: The Times of India Group, Ex Director: SP Jain Institute/NMIMS

 “The mechanised forces were primarily inducted as a countervailing force. Their prolonged deployment in squads, by breaking up their subunit cohesiveness, would have affected their combat potential for the primary task that they were inducted to perform. It’s fortunate that the contingency never arose.” – Brig OPS Chauhan, Commanding Officer during Operation Pawan

The book is available in paperback and library editions


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@ e-mail to bookmart329@gmail.com  (Library edition is currently available at 27% discount from Bookmart. Recommended for armed forces formations/ units, academic and research institutes, and interested individuals)

 

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About The Author


 Col RS Sidhu, Sena Medal is a post graduate in History from Delhi University, and a veteran from the Army’s Mechanised Infantry Regiment with extensive operational service in varied terrain. He has hands-on experience of dealing with varied facets of IPKF operations from 1987 to 1990 in Sri Lanka, where he had the rare opportunity to serve in all the four sectors.

He is a strategic thinker and an author, and his write-ups on strategic affairs are published in magazines and journals, and can also be accessed at his blogspot www.valleysandvalour.blogspot.com .

He is also the author of three books, ‘Success from Being Mad’ on novel entrepreneurship ventures by Indian armed forces veterans, ‘Elephant on the High Himalayas’ a discourse on way forward for India against an aggressive and dominant China, and co-author of ‘Ladakh Through The Eyes of Whimsicals’ a picture book on a motorcycle odyssey by four military veterans to the remote peripheries of Western Himalayas and the Great Karakoram in Ladakh.

He is an avid practitioner of yoga and deep meditation, and adventure activities.

 

 

 

 

 

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