"A Decade After Surgical Strikes, Counter-Terrorism Focus Shifts to Jammu"
Surgical strike
A precise, limited military operation, here ground-based special forces action across the LoC
Rashtriya Rifles
Indian Army force raised specifically for counter-insurgency duties, mainly deployed in J&K
The 2016 surgical strikes were the first time the Indian Army publicly acknowledged a cross-border operation, even though such operations had occurred before without formal disclosure. Teams from the Para (Special Forces) crossed the Line of Control and destroyed seven militant launch pads on both sides of the Pir Panjal range, under artillery cover. This marked a shift in India's declared posture: from quiet retaliation to publicly owned punitive strikes, a doctrine later extended through the 2019 Balakot air strikes and the 2025 Operation Sindoor, which officials describe as a fully integrated operation combining air, ground and information domains.
The security architecture in Jammu and Kashmir changed structurally in 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 converted the state into two Union Territories. This was followed by a large infusion of troops into the Kashmir Valley. Under Northern Command, the Army's Corps-level deployment in the region is organised through the Chinar Corps (XV Corps, headquartered at Srinagar) covering the Kashmir Valley, the White Knight Corps (XVI Corps, headquartered at Nagrota) covering the Jammu region, and XIV Corps at Leh covering Ladakh. It is worth noting that 33 Corps, sometimes confused with a Kashmir-based formation, is actually an Eastern Command formation headquartered at Sukna in West Bengal. Troop deployment patterns across Northern Command, especially in Ladakh, were significantly reshaped after the 2020-21 India-China border standoff, pulling resources and attention toward the Line of Actual Control even as the Line of Control theatre kept evolving.
Counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir have shifted from large-troop cordon-and-search operations toward smaller, intelligence-specific missions. Earlier operations relied heavily on human intelligence and intercepting radio communication between terrorists. Today, the induction of UAVs for surveillance, greater access to satellite imagery, and stronger inter-agency information sharing have made detection faster and more precise, even as officials caution that human intelligence networks cannot be entirely replaced. …
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? (Indian Army Corps : Headquarters)
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.
With reference to formations of the Indian Army, match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below:
List-I (Corps)
A.XIV Corps
B.XV Corps
C.XVI Corps
D.33 Corps
List-II (Headquarters)
1.Nagrota
2.Sukna
3.Leh
4.Srinagar
Consider the following statements about the 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control:
1.They were conducted using fighter aircraft without any deployment of ground troops.
2.They targeted militant launch pads located both north and south of the Pir Panjal range.
3.This was the first time the Indian Army had ever carried out a cross-border operation against militant launch pads.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements:
1.The abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 was accompanied by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which created the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
2.Troop deployment patterns in the Ladakh sector were significantly altered following the 2020-21 India-China border standoff.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Operation : Year
1.Surgical Strikes : 2016
2.Balakot Air Strike : 2019
3.Operation Sindoor : 2025
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Which of the following statements about the Rashtriya Rifles is/are correct?
1.It is a specialised counter-insurgency force raised for operations such as those in Jammu and Kashmir.
2.It operates under the administrative and operational control of the Indian Army.
Select the correct answer using the code below:
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