NEW DELHI: The Army has conducted a major firepower exercise of its 33 Corps, which defends the frontier with China in Sikkim and the strategically-vulnerable Siliguri Corridor in the eastern sector.
“The Trishakti (33) Corps successfully conducted the live fire exercise validating its battle readiness, rapid deployment, and precision strike capabilities,” an Army officer said on Tuesday.
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The units under the 33 Corps, which has its headquarters at Sukna in West Bengal, have been specifically preparing for battle in the high-altitude mountains of Sikkim, showcasing their adaptability and readiness for diverse operational environments.
Through the coordinated firepower and precision engagement exercise, which was held in training areas where a wide array of weapons can be fired to their full strike range, the units demonstrated their preparedness for a variety of challenges, including those posed by high-altitude warfare, the officer said.
“The exercise underscores the Army’s commitment to maintaining high standards of efficiency, agility, and mission readiness, regardless of the terrain,” he added. The weapons used in the exercise ranged from the indigenous Pinaka multi-launch artillery rocket systems to the Israeli-origin medium range surface-to-air missile systems.
Since the military confrontation with China erupted in April 2020, after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh, the Army has also been shoring up defences in the Siliguri Corridor or `Chicken’s Neck’, the narrow strip of land in north Bengal that connects the northeast with the rest of India, in the eastern sector.
A major concern for India in the region is the way the PLA has stepped-up its activities and infrastructure development in the Bhutanese territory of Doklam near the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction, which witnessed a 73-day face-off between the rival troops in 2017.