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The Indian Army’s newly formed Rudra Integrated All Arms Brigade has completed full operational validation during Exercise Akhand Prahaar, the Southern Command said on Thursday, demonstrating the brigade’s readiness for multi-domain, high-tempo operations.
Akhand Prahaar, conducted across the desert sector as part of the tri-services Exercise Trishul, tested integrated employment of all arms and services, from mechanised and infantry manoeuvres to special heliborne operations and coordinated attack-helicopter missions by Army Aviation. The exercise also included fighter-ground-attack missions flown in close support of land forces, underscoring jointness between the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, reviewed the operational readiness of the Konark Corps during the exercise and praised the performance of the participating formations. “The Rudra Brigade has proven its readiness and operational effectiveness, showing that it is fully capable of handling multi-domain tasks in future operations,” he said.
Structured to integrate infantry, armour, mechanised infantry, artillery, air defence artillery, and engineers under a single formation, the Rudra Brigade is designed to deliver rapid, coordinated effects on the battlefield. Southern Command said the brigade’s validation demonstrated its ability “to hit hard and fast” and to execute joint operations with a high degree of coordination and effectiveness.
The exercise also served as a real-time testbed for next-generation indigenous technologies. The employment of indigenously developed drones and unmanned systems, counter-drone systems and an electronic-warfare grid was highlighted by the command as evidence of India’s growing technological edge and alignment with the national aim of Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence.
𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐫 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, PVSM, AVSM,
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief #SouthernCommand, reviewed the operational preparedness of #KonarkCorps during #ExerciseAkhandPrahar, conducted in the… pic.twitter.com/MvijBtsGM7— Southern Command INDIAN ARMY (@IaSouthern) November 13, 2025
Lt Gen Seth argued that the formation’s capabilities mark a doctrinal shift. “There used to be a doctrine called the Cold Start Doctrine… but now the time has come to transform the Cold Start Doctrine into the Cold Strike Doctrine with the Rudra Brigade,” he said, adding that the unit will remain ready to carry out assigned tasks with full capability and decisive effect.
Defence analysts and senior officers quoted by the army describe the Cold Strike concept as a multi-domain deterrence posture that emphasises real-time intelligence, information dominance, and targeted disruption rather than large-scale invasion. Lt Gen A.B. Shivane described Cold Strike as “India’s preemptive, multi-domain deterrence philosophy… war as deterrence, not destruction; assertion, not adventurism.”
The Southern Command stated that Exercise Akhand Prahaar reaffirmed the Konark Corps’ transformation into a modern, agile, and networked force ready for future conflicts, and commended the participating units for their professionalism, innovation, and joint operational excellence.
The army characterised the exercise as a demonstration of its commitment to operational excellence, joint force integration and precision warfare.
Team BharatShakti
