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| Army for tunnels to protect troops from nuclear attack | | | AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, Nov 1: The Army now wants tunnels to be dug in forward areas along the unresolved borders with Pakistan and China to provide protection to
its troops from NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) warfare as well as to store critical war-fighting equipment.
The scope of exploiting "tunnelling technology" for developing "hardened shelters" is one of the main agenda items for discussion during the ongoing Army commanders' conference, being chaired by General Deepak Kapoor and attended by chiefs of the seven commands and other top brass of the 1.13-million-strong force.
The proposal to construct tunnels in border areas has, incidentally, been mooted by the Udhampur-based Northern Command, the most crucial operational command, tasked as it is with guarding the Line of Control with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control with China in the western sector, as also undertaking counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir.
The use of tunnels would also help in fooling enemy satellites from gauging the exact troop positions and their strength in forward areas. "Instead of making visible bunkers on hilltops, it would be much better if tunnels were drilled into mountains. China has resorted to tunnelling on a large-scale along the LAC, especially in the Tibetan Autonomous Region," said a senior officer, participating in the conference.
Tunnels can also be used to establish "command and control centres" to direct operations during times of war. "Even helicopters can be positioned in tunnels to launch surprise attacks on enemy forces, or undertake reconnaissance missions," said the officer.
Subterranean measures to guard against NBC attacks, of course, are an important factor, especially since both Pakistan and China are nuclear-armed and do not have a no-first use nuclear weapon doctrine like India. Well-constructed tunnels can provide adequate protection to troops in case of a nuclear attack since overhead shielding by earth protects from the initial shock waves and dramatically reduces exposure to gamma and neutron radiation.
Both the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union had resorted to extensive tunnelling during the Cold War to build shelters immune to nuclear fallout. The trend has continued to the present day, with many advanced countries continuing to devise advanced subterranean measures to counter NBC threats. |
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