New Delhi: The ITBP has raised drone platoons in all its border units, prepared a new 'Strike' course to better handle Galwan-like battles and is creating underground infrastructure along the front "in a big way" as part of the new warfare to counter India's "biggest adversary" China, the force's chief said on Thursday.
ITBP Director General (DG) Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor told his troops at a force base in Rajasthan's Alwar that countering China through "traditional" means of warfare was a thing of the past and hence they were investing in modernizing the force, its weapons, vehicles and border posts.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), raised in 1962, guards the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The DG noted that the recent Ukraine-Russia and Iran-US wars have shown the importance of drone and anti-drone technology through which a small country can overwhelm a bigger nation during conflict.
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Kapoor, who is set to retire from service on October 31, addressed his troops during an investiture ceremony held leading up to the force's 65th Raising Day on October 24.
He said the China front was our "most difficult" border, and China was a "powerful" neighbour and India's "biggest adversary," requiring enhanced capabilities to "counter" it.
"Drones have become a major challenge and an opportunity also. It will be difficult to compete with China using traditional methods... They have modernised and invested heavily in their PLA but drones are such that a small country can give a befitting contest to a bigger nation," he said.
He noted that almost 10,000-15,000 Russian troops are killed in the war with Ukraine every month.
"This is despite the fact that it (Russia) is a big country and a superpower. They (Russia) thought that they would capture (Ukraine) in 1-2 months but it is the fourth year counting, and every month they (Russians) have 10-15 thousand bodies reaching them," the DG said.
He added that this caused such "big damage" and that Russia was suffering because of that one decision.
Kapoor then cited the Iran-US war as an example, noting that Iran, without an Air Force, Navy, or Army, engaged in combat with the global superpower.
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"The role of traditional armies has changed since the drones arrived, and we must embrace drone and anti-drone systems in a big way," he said.
Kapoor said the approximately 95,000-personnel-strong, mountain-warfare-trained ITBP has received government funds worth Rs 400 crore and 70 per cent of these funds have been earmarked for enhancing the force's drone warfare capabilities.
"Each border guarding battalion now has a drone platoon, and we are training drone pilots and building drones too."
"The Ministry of Home Affairs has also granted in-principle approval to a bigger modernisation scheme of Rs 4,000 crore, of which we will earmark Rs 1,000 crore for drone and anti-drone systems," the DG said.
He informed the troops that a new course named 'Strike' has been developed to train ITBP personnel, which will enhance their capabilities to face Galwan-like situations. The entire force will undergo this training by the end of 2027.
Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs while carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers along the LAC at Galwan (Ladakh) in June, 2020 resulting in 20 casualties on the Indian side while China belatedly claimed only 4 of its troops were killed. Multiple reports suggested that the Chinese fatalities were much higher.
The ITBP chief added that a new combat team, the Shaurya commandos, has been raised. This team displayed its skills during the "ongoing" faceoff with the Chinese PLA troops at multiple places in Arunachal Pradesh.
These commandos will be in every border battalion and will give the force a distinct identity, he said.
The DG said the force was constructing underground shelters (bunkers) at border locations "in a big way," learning from the lessons of the new warfare, as above-ground buildings can become a target in 'hot war' situations, indicating the post-Operation Sindoor conflict with Pakistan.
He said a pilot project is underway in this context and they plan to have these under-ground shelters in the coming years, equipped with the same comfort available in above-ground buildings.
Kapoor said the force also worked on the ensuring the comfort and operational prepardeness of the troops by insulating 342 out of 383 barracks present in areas which face "sub-zero" temperatures, has procured 141 generator sets to ensure electricity at remote troop locations and got solar water heaters installed at a number of such facilities.
"This will help enhance the morale and confidence of the troops and improve the ITBP's operational preparedness," he said.
The DG added that a 'cold start kit' was provided to border units which helps vehicles get immediate ignition in icy weather.
"Many years ago when we were in Kosovo in sub zero temperatures the vehicles there used to start in one crank. We wondered why this wasn't happening here? We did some experiments and now we can do it," he said.
The DG also asked his troops to keep fit and healthy, saying a new diet plan has been introduced in the force and the "very high" content of sugar and oil has been lessened.
He expressed concern over the cases of Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS) in the ITBP which have doubled or tripled since 2020.
The DG also asked the troops to be cautious against ADS and 'honey trap' instances of being lured by someone into sharing sensitive information through the social media.
He added that the ITBP was also modernising its weapons, some of which are about 50 years old, and improving mobility through the procurement of new all-terrain Vehicles, ground vehicles and quick reaction vehicles,
We have prepared a plan to become a specialised high-altitude mountain fighting force through all these measures, Kapoor said.