In the face of rising tension with China and Pakistan, Indian Army is realigning its numbers in eastern Ladakh, while a new division, which was sanctioned earlier, has now been given the final shape.
The war-fighting elements of the new division have been finalised. Raising the new division — the 72 Infantry Division — will not entail adding any manpower. It will only be about re-tasking existing Brigades in eastern Ladakh.
Following the military stand-off with China in April 2020, the Indian Army had moved around several of its units to Ladakh. This included the 6 Mountain Brigade from Bareilly and some resources of the Mathura-based 1 Strike Corps. These resources include armoured formations and infantry combat vehicles, besides troops.
The 72 Infantry Division is expected to subsume some of these elements to consolidate troop numbers.
A division of Army has about 15,000 men, besides equipment. It is headed by a Major General-rank officer and has three or four brigades, each headed by a Brigadier.
The 72 Infantry Division will be part of the Leh-based 14 Corps, deployed on both fronts — China and Pakistan.
Its area of responsibility is the 832 km of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China; the Line of Control with Pakistan in the Drass-Kargil-Batalik sector; and the Siachen Glacier. The 14 Corps has two divisions — the 8th Mountain Division, tasked to the LoC, and the 3rd Infantry Division, tasked to the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
