Layered deference or no, if some one had precious MBTs in his charge, he had better be more worried about their safety. The border was already "live" for many weeks before this attack.RajitO wrote:Whoa! Slow down there...you might want to qualify your remarks that such SOP is applicable only to certain units. Unless your contention is that ASC, AMC, EME units all maintain a QRT.Ajay Sharma wrote:{quote="Pratyush"}^^^
Reading the different accounts of the IA's response to the attack. I am perplexed by the various accounts and reaction to it. By all accounts an army unit in its barracks, during peace time, is not equipped to fight on a moments notice. That too within its own barracks. For a simple reason, that its weapons are in stores. {/quote}
On the contrary, every unit is expected to have a Quick Reaction Team that are expected to be able to respond on a moment's notice. This is to face eventualities similar to Sambha... Now why didn't they respond is anyone's guess. Going by the way the Armd unit went about it shows that either there was a chain of command issue apart from being caught with their pants down.
As per reports, it took troops of other unit to finally sanitize the area. This by itself shows that the Armd unit was in disarray, especially after the CO and 2IC getting shot
In the case of 16 Cav being under a different Corps despite being in a high threat level area, is the explanation for not having a QRT--and explains many of the other questions about other units, time taken etc.
Incidentally, if there is a larger frustration with how jehadis are being handled then QRTs are no silver bullet because QRTs by definition arrive later on the scene (else it would be called a Preemptive Reaction Team).
The CI grid is based on a layered defence. Once the outer layers fail, there will be always be hell to pay for the target.
Again, these press reports are based on hearsay, none of these Delhi-based journalists will fight MoD to get access on the ground to do a forensic blow by blow account of how things happened.
If there is trouble on the border then even military units down south routinely go into a higher state of alertness. Live ammo is issued to all sentries. This has been going on for years. No one tells them to do so. In larger bases, individual units also step up their own security.
Why were these guys sleeping??
. But as far the 2 Sikh QRT reaching the spot is concerned, that any co located formation will help out (after assessing its own threat) and should not be taken as a weakness on the part of 16 Cav. Personally I think a couple of more HE rounds would have done the trick.....but then I am thinking like the boy on the scene who lost his temper when he saw his unit being overrun by a gang of SOBs...
lets hold our gun triggers a wee bit more and look for the 'real' enemy!