On Kargil Vijay Diwas, Army chief reveals ‘Rudra’: New ‘all-arms brigades’ to build a future-oriented force

During his remarks, the Army chief also invoked Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack

On the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas on Saturday, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi announced the formation of new “all-arms brigades” named “Rudra”.

As part of the Indian Army’s drive towards modernisation and transformation, he said that all-arms brigades and lethal special forces units were being developed to build a “future-oriented force.”

“Today’s Indian Army is not only successfully addressing current challenges but is also rapidly advancing as a transformative, modern, and future-oriented force. Under this, new all-arms brigades named ‘Rudra’ are being formed, and I approved it yesterday. This will have fighting components like infantry, mechanised infantry, armored units, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial systems, supported by tailored logistics and combat support,” he said.

His remarks came during the Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations at the Dras town in Ladakh.

“Similarly, agile and lethal special forces units, ‘Bhairav’ Light Commando Battalions, have been established to shock the enemy on the border. Every infantry battalion now includes Drone Platoons, while artillery has enhanced its firepower manifold through ‘Divyastra Batteries’ and Loiter Munition Batteries. Army Air Defence is being equipped with indigenous missile systems. This will increase our force multifold,” Dwivedi was quoted as saying by CNN-News18.

Sources told CNN-News18 that two infantry brigades have already been converted into Rudra Brigades. Till now, the Army used to have only arm-specific brigades, but Rudra will be a mix of arms.

#WATCH | Dras, Kargil | Addressing the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations, Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi says, "The forces that are conspiring to harm India's sovereignty, integrity and people, will be given a befitting reply in the future too, this is the new normal… pic.twitter.com/EeETvgBVAM

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2025

While addressing the event, the Army chief also invoked Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives.

Keeping up with the tradition of unbreakable Indian unity, the Army carried out precision strikes on the terror infrastructure under Operation Sindoor and attained a decisive victory, effectively retaliating and knocking down Pakistan's violent attacks, and attained victory, he said, adding that the message sent was clear – those who harbour terrorism will no longer escape.