Army converts one infantry division into RAMFOR

  (PTI) Sharpening its capabilities to carry out operations on enemy shores, the Indian Army has converted one of its infantry divisions with over 10,000 troops into a Reorganised Amphibious Formation (RAMFOR).The Hyderabad-based 54 Infantry Division has been converted into an amphibious formation to bolster capabilities to carry out amphibious operations, Army sources told PTI here.They said majority of the work in converting the Division into an amphibious formation was carried out under present Commandant of the Army War College Lt Gen Anil Chait.The Army has already raised three brigades to carry out the amphibious operations. Of the three, one is based in South India, another in West India and the third in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The Army has been looking to increase its amphibious brigades in the island territories of Andaman and Nicobar by increasing its presence there."These developments are significant in view of the increasing presence of the Chinese Navy in the vicinity," said defence analyst Commander (retd) Sunil Chauhan.The Army is looking to increase its amphibious war-fighting assets also with plans of acquiring light infantry combat vehicles for such operations.In this direction, the Navy has inducted the INS Jalashwa from the US for amphibious operations and is looking to acquire four more such ships from indigenous sources in near future.The Cabinet Committee on Security had also recently cleared a Navy proposal for procuring eight amphibious assault vessels from the Garden Reach Shipbuilders under a Rs 2,176 crore deal.

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