What is Operation Brasstacks?
Why was it organized?
As part of a series of exercises to simulate the operation and all other capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. It was the largest Military exercise on the Indian Subcontinent involving around 600,000–700,000 troops mobilized and stationed on Rajasthan state's western border, less than 100 miles away from Pakistan. It was around Half of the Indian Army at that time. There were two tasks of the Exercises the initial task was to deploy ground troops and another one was to conduct a series of amphibious assault exercises by the Indian Navy near the Pakistan Naval station. India maintained that the core objective of Operation Brasstacks was to test new concepts of mechanization, mobility, and air support devised by the Indian army.
Troops in Operation Brasstacks.
All about Operation Brasstacks.
The exercise included the bulk of the Indian Army and was comprised of 9 Infantry divisions, 3 Mechanized divisions, 3 Armoured divisions, 1 Air assault division and 3 Armoured brigades. Another amphibious assault group was formed by the Indian Navy to deploy near Karachi. The security information website Global Security.org characterized Operation Brasstacks as "bigger than any NATO exercise – and the biggest since World War II". It was a most critical moment in Indo - Pak relations. Pakistani military strategists even viewed this war game as a reprisal of nuclear war.
The commander of the Indian Army's Western Command, Lieutenant General Prem Nath Hoon, maintained that "Operation Brasstacks was a mobilization of the entire Army of India. Even that time prime minister Rajiv Gandhi didn't know about that Exercise. The COAS General. K Sundarji didn't inform Rajiv Gandhi about it and the scale of the operation and other details were hidden from him. Commander of western command of Indian Army Lt. Gen. Hoon also wrote in his memoir: "Brasstacks was no military exercise. It was a plan to build up the situation for a fourth war with Pakistan."
Read about NSG: The Black Cats
At the height of the build-up, leadership decided to provide full-scale briefings to Indian media about the Brasstacks Exercises in which General Sundarji declared that they were non-provocative.
During this Pakistan had put up And Pakistan deployed its Army Pakistan Southern Air Command was on alert, near the Indian State of Punjab. Within weeks, the Pakistan Navy's combat ships and submarines were deployed for the purpose of intelligence management, in the northern Arabian Sea.
As tension increased the hotline between the two states was activated and officials from both sides tried to ease fears. Eventually, In Feb 1987, Pakistan's President General Zia - ul - Hq travelled to India, under the pretence of Watching a cricket match, where he held talks with the Indian leadership to diffuse the crisis. These talks were followed up by Islamabad between Feb 26 and March 2. Both sides agreed to a phased troops withdrawal to peacetime positions. 150,000 troops from Kashmir and next in Rajsthan ( Exercise Area ). The tension diminished by end of March
The commander of the Indian Army's Western Command, Lieutenant General Prem Nath Hoon, maintained that "Operation Brasstacks was a mobilization of the entire Army of India. Even that time prime minister Rajiv Gandhi didn't know about that Exercise. The COAS General. K Sundarji didn't inform Rajiv Gandhi about it and the scale of the operation and other details were hidden from him. Commander of western command of Indian Army Lt. Gen. Hoon also wrote in his memoir: "Brasstacks was no military exercise. It was a plan to build up the situation for a fourth war with Pakistan."
Read about NSG: The Black Cats
At the height of the build-up, leadership decided to provide full-scale briefings to Indian media about the Brasstacks Exercises in which General Sundarji declared that they were non-provocative.
During this Pakistan had put up And Pakistan deployed its Army Pakistan Southern Air Command was on alert, near the Indian State of Punjab. Within weeks, the Pakistan Navy's combat ships and submarines were deployed for the purpose of intelligence management, in the northern Arabian Sea.
As tension increased the hotline between the two states was activated and officials from both sides tried to ease fears. Eventually, In Feb 1987, Pakistan's President General Zia - ul - Hq travelled to India, under the pretence of Watching a cricket match, where he held talks with the Indian leadership to diffuse the crisis. These talks were followed up by Islamabad between Feb 26 and March 2. Both sides agreed to a phased troops withdrawal to peacetime positions. 150,000 troops from Kashmir and next in Rajsthan ( Exercise Area ). The tension diminished by end of March
Pakistan's President in India.
India and Pakistan Signed Non - A nuclear aggression agreement on 31 Dec 1988. Every year on 1 January India and Pakistan exchange a list of their Nuclear Installations with each other under the Non - Nuclear aggression agreement. And any country will not tell a third party to attack their enemy's Nuclear Installations. It was a confidence and trust-building agreement between India and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan Signed Non - A nuclear aggression agreement on 31 Dec 1988. Every year on 1 January India and Pakistan exchange a list of their Nuclear Installations with each other under the Non - Nuclear aggression agreement. And any country will not tell a third party to attack their enemy's Nuclear Installations. It was a confidence and trust-building agreement between India and Pakistan.
Author - Prasad N. Kumbhar
Jai Hind 🇮🇳
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