Operation Brasstacks – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

Operation Brasstacks

• Operation Brasstacks was a war-game exercise by Indian armed forces to prepare for deep strike offensive capabilities.
• Took place – in Rajasthan’s Thar desert
• Time period – November 1986  to  March 1987

The idea

• The Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, General Krishnaswamy Sundarji
• According to him, the core objective of Operation Brasstacks was to test new concepts of mechanization, mobility, and air support devised by Indian army.

Scale

• As part of a series of exercises to simulate the operational capabilities of the Indian armed forces, it was the major and largest troop mobilizations of Indian forces in the Indian subcontinent
• 4-6 lakh soldiers (at least half of Indian army)
• Largest military exercise after World war 2

• The exercises included bulk of Indian Army, and was comprised of
• nine infantry divisions
• three mechanised divisions
• three armoured divisions
• one air assault divisions
• three armoured brigades

Objectives

• Operation Brasstacks was tasked with two objectives:

1. The initial goal was the deployment of ground troops.
2. The other objective was to conduct a series of amphibious assault exercisesIndian Navy near to the Pakistan naval base.

• Another important aim of these war alert simulations was to determine tactical nuclear strategy
• Sundarji believed in mechanisation on a massive scale with multiple core offensives supported by armour, artillery and airpower.
• This was part of a strategy to capture large swathes of territory as a means of deterrence, punishment and holding a strong negotiating position post conflict.

Impact on Pakistan

• The magnitude and large scale direction of the exercise led to Pakistani fears that India was planning to invade Pakistan.
• The military strategists of the Pakistan Military regarded this war game as a threatening exhibition of overwhelming conventional force.
• Pakistan expected integrated deep offensive strategy to infiltrate in dense areas of Pakistan.

Reaction from Pakistan

• Pakistan started amassing troops at Punjab border.
• By mid – January 1987, the two armies stood within firing range along an extended border area.
• Put Nuclear installations and assets on ‘high alert’.
• Nuclear war ?
• Diplomatic Efforts

Increased  Tensions in the sub continent

• As tensions increased the hot line between the two states was activated and officials from both sides tried to ease fears.
• Eventually, in February 1987, Pakistan’s President General Zia-ul- Haq travelled to India, under the pretence of watching a cricket match, where he held talks with the Indian leadership to diffuse the crisis.

The ‘Withdrawal’

• These talks were followed up by additional talk in Islamabad between Feb 27 and March 2
• Both sides agreed to a phased troop withdrawal to peacetime positions.
• 1,50,000 troops in Kashmir and next in Rajasthan (exercise area)
• The tensions diminished by end of March 1987

Confidence Building Measures

• Non-nuclear aggression agreement
• signed on December 31, 1988, in Islamabad.
• Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against each other’s Nuclear Installations and Facilities

Media and Diplomats brought in

• At the height of the build-up, the Indian army leadership decided to provide full-scale briefings to the Indian media about the Brass-Tacks exercises in which General Sundarji declared that they were non-provocative.
• There had been no public discussion of the huge troop movements until then, and the crisis abated.

Was Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi  unaware of Brasstacks?

• Lt Gen P N Hoon – Commander of the Western Command  said in his book + intervews –
• ‘’It appears that Sundarji and Arun Singh did not inform the PM.’’
• ‘’I think it was a war, and the PM was not informed.’’

Strategic Benefit for India ?

• The big takeaway from Operation Brasstacks was the capability of Indian forces to launch a swift offensive campaign.
• The exercise took place during a “particularly sensitive period” when tensions between India and Pakistan were high, and tested Indian’s readiness to meet any eventuality on the western front.
• Military analysts said this week that Operation Brasstacks demonstrated India’s superiority in conventional warfare
• Pakistan found itself on edge. It feared an Indian invasion.
• Some analysts said that this exercise might be reason Pakistan accelerated its nuclear weapon programme (successful in 1998*)

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