Indian Army officials said the test-bedding for IBGs will continue for some time before the programme is implemented in phases. (AP)

The Indian Army has begun trials of new combat units known as Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs).

A senior Indian Army official told
Janes
on 20 September that the service is test-bedding the IBG concept, and will implement it in a phased manner.

“The concept of IBG has already been test-bedded with the army’s 9 Corps on the western border with Pakistan and the 17 Mountain Strike Corps on India’s northern border with China. The test-bedding will go on for some time, and then the IBGs will be rolled out in a phased manner,” the official said.

The IBG concept seeks to convert existing forces into more flexible and agile units, the official said. “The strength of one unit of IBG will be around 8,000−10,000 [personnel]. The IBGs will integrate all the units such as infantry, artillery, armoured, and logistics. So, the forces can be positioned quickly on the borders in a war situation,” the official added.