How war games like 'Haldi Ghati' and 'Tropex' enabled swift deployment of armed forces for Operation Sindoor

The Indian Navy had all its frontline warships in the forward locations and was ready to get into action.

Indian armed forces were carrying out a tri-service war game Exercise 'Haldi Ghati' between April 18-21 in order to ensure seamless communications between the three services of the forces and enable them to talk to each other without any obstacles.

The integrated communications enabled force commanders of the Indian armed forces at the headquarters to have a clear, real-time view of the situation developing during Opeartion Sindoor. The success in having common seamless communication systems and air defence network was helpful in dealing with the attacks by drones by the Pakistan Army on May 7,8 and 9.

Defence sources told ANI that the Department of Military Affairs led by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan right after the Pahalgam attack that took place on April 22 went ahead with the implementation of the lessons learnt during the communications exercise.

The officials concerned carried out the trials successfully to enable a seamless communication between all three forces, the sources added as reported by ANI.The time period in the run up to the real attack on May 7 was used fully to ensure jointness in communication.

Meanwhile, the Joint Air Defence Centres of the three forces were also formed in forward areas of the India-Pakistan border where the air defence weapon systems and command and control systems of the defence forces were brought together, sources said.

The Indian Navy was carrying out a major theatre level readiness Exercise Tropex in the Arabian Sea where almost all the major warships of the force were taking part, around the same time.

The Tropex in the Arabian Sea also helped the Indian Navy to immediately carry out deployment in every corner of the Arabian Sea forcing the Pakistan Navy to keep its assets close to the Makran coast, the sources said.

The Indian Navy had all its frontline warships in the forward locations and was ready to get into action.

The exercise construct included an Amphibious Exercise - AMPHEX, a Joint Work Up Phase focused on precise delivery of ordnance on target, Cyber and Electronic Warfare, and a Tactical Phase.

The Exercise provided a valuable evaluation of the Navy’s ability to respond to multifarious challenges in a synchronised and integrated manner to defend national maritime security interests.

Set in the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, the theatre of operations for the exercise extended approximately 4300 nm from North to South upto 35 deg South Latitude and 5000 nm from the Strait of Hormuz in the West to the Sunda and Lombok Straits in the East. TROPEX 25 witnessed participation of 65-70 Indian Naval ships, 9-10 submarines and over 80 aircraft of different types. The exercise achieved a very high level of operational synergy in planning and execution of theatre level scenarios with the other Services. It witnessed extensive participation by the units of Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard comprising Sukhoi-30, Jaguar, C-130, Flight Refueller and AWACS aircraft, over 600 Infantry troops, and more than 10 ICG ships.

*With Agency Inputs