Army Training Command may be moved from Shimla to Ambala

The Indian Army is exploring the possibility of moving the Army Training Command (Artrac) to Ambala as part of an overarching plan to restructure the force, two army officials said on condition of anonymity on Sunday.

Ambala is the base of Headquarters 2 Corps, a strike formation.

The names of other towns such as Meerut, Secunderabad, Bengaluru and Gaya have also been doing the rounds as the possible new location of Artrac, which is currently based in Shimla.

The army is yet to officially announce where Artrac will be moved. It needs to be moved out of Shimla to a new location that has better infrastructure, as the command’s role will increase after the restructuring.

The restructuring of the army headquarters will see the role of the Director General of Military Training being given to Artrac. This will require additional infrastructure that is not available in Shimla, said one of the officials cited above.

The headquarters of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh Sub Area could be moved from Ambala to Shimla, he added.

The biggest exercise in independent India’s history to restructure the army is based on four comprehensive studies led by the army’s topmost generals, and it seeks to change the direction of the 1.2 million-strong force and transform it into a deadlier fighting machine prepared for future wars.

Raised at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh in October 1991, the command was shifted to Shimla in March 1993.

“When Artrac was moved to Shimla, it was initially felt it should be moved to a better location where communications are better as officers had to travel to training establishments around the country,” said former army vice chief Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi (retd), who commanded Artrac during 1997-99.

“But now, Artrac is well established and I don’t think there’s a need to relocate it after nearly three decades in Shimla,” he added.

The command is responsible for drafting and disseminating concepts and doctrines related to strategy, operational art, tactics, logistics, training and human resource development.