text: Army's massive war game to raise a 'desert storm' in Rajasthan
  The army is gearing up to hold one of its biggest ever war games - Shoorveer - in Rajasthan between March and June.
  The exercise, involving the army's elite 1 Strike Corps and 10 Corps under the Jaipur-based South Western Command, will see the deployment of more than 200 tanks and over 20,000 troops in the border state.
  'All formations and units under South Western Command will participate to validate doctrines in a joint service environment,' army spokesperson Col Jagdeep Dahiya said.
  The Sudarshan Shakti drill involved around 50,000 troops
  The war game comes soon after the army's exercise Sudarshan Shakti in Pokharan to validate its new battle-fighting concepts developed after the transformation studies carried out under army chief General V.K. Singh.
  The exercise, one of the biggest manoeuvres ever based on the Integrated Theatre Battle Concept, will be held in the deserts of Bikaner and Shri Ganganagar.
  PREVIOUS SHOWS OF STRENGTH
  SUDARSHAN SHAKTI (2011):
  This exercise in Rajasthan’s
  Barmer-Jaisalmer sector involved around 50,000 troops and 100 tanks and artillery guns. Fighter aircraft also took part
  (2001-02): This operation was a 11-month-long border stand-off with Pakistan. It took place after the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001
  OPERATION VIJAY (1999): The army codenamed the Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan — to push back the infiltrators from across the border — as Operation Vijay
  (1986-87): It was one of the largest mobilisations of armed forces in the subcontinent. It was held in Rajasthan during November 1986 and March 1987
  'It will enable the army to validate its war fighting concepts while working towards a 'capability- based approach', relying on a series of transformational initiatives, concepts, organisational structures and absorption of newage technology,' Dahiya said.
  The Western and South Western Commands of the air force are also likely to deploy their frontline aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguars and AWACs, for the war game.
  'The joint synergy will be enhanced by the active participation of the IAF with the air assets of the army and the air force being employed in an integrated manner,' Dahiya said.
  The South Western Command is being commanded by Lt. Gen. Gyan Bhushan.
  Battlefield transparency and operational plans based on realtime situational awareness will be enhanced using intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) inputs from unmanned aerial vehicles, radars and satellites.
  The troop and equipment mobilisation for the exercise has already begun. This will be followed by training at unit and formation levels and culminate into large scale manoeuvres.