# XVII Corps (India)

Indian Army Corps (1915 - Present) :
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XVII Corps is the first mountain strike corps of India which has been built as a quick reaction force and as well as counter offensive force against China along LAC. Its headquarters are located at Panagarh in West Bengal under Eastern Command. It is also known as Brahmastra Corps.

## History

Republic of India shares a boundary (LAC) of length 4,057 km with Tibet autonomous region. The two countries still have not resolved their disagreement about where exactly the border lies; specially over two regions – Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. Intrusion of troops of PLA into Indian territory, construction of watch tower close to the mutually-accepted "border patrolling line" near Burtse, "standardization" of the names of six towns in Arunachal Pradesh (China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is integral part of China) enhanced the tension.
In addition, China has developed a rail network and five fully operational airbases in Tibet Autonomous Region. Key airfields include those at Hoping, Pangta and Kong Ka. In Tibet and Yunan, roads are extended over 58,000 km (in 2010) up to the border, at an approximate cost of about $325 billion. As a result of all these buildout of infrastructures, China can mobilize 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) aside heading to the LAC within 48 hours. Moreover, about 300,011 PLA troops and six Rapid Reaction Forces are placed at Chengdu.
To reinforce defensive power across the border in Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian Army raised two new infantry divisions (1,260 officers and 35,000 soldiers) at Likapani and Missamari (Assam) in 2009-2010. However PLA outnumbered Indian army near border by three to one.
To overcome the gap, in July 2013, the cabinet committee, under the UPA government, sanctioned the proposal, which had been already approved by Chiefs of Staff Committee or CoSC, a committee composed of the chiefs of Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, to build the new mountain strike corps over a time span of seven years (12th plan period (2012–17), with a little spillover into the 13th plan if necessary). The corps was planned to be raised with around 90 thousand soldiers and thus Rs 64,678 crore had been sanctioned. Out of this budget, around Rs 39,000 crore had been earmarked for capital expenditure. An additional Rs 19,000 crore was also demanded for further development.
From October 2013, the army started posting key officers in Ranchi, Jharkhand. On January 1, 2014, Major General Raymond Joseph Noronha, the first commander of 17 Corps, raised the flag of this corps for the first time in Ranchi. The corps was relocated from Ranchi to Panagarh in 2019.

## Order of Battle (ORBAT)

The initial plan at the time of raising was to have the corps with two infantry divisions, two independent armoured brigades and artillery, engineer, air defence and aviation brigades. Because of budgetary constraints, the raising was halted in 2018, leaving a truncated force comprising the Corps HQ, one infantry division and specific other combat and combat support elements. The 17 Corps was also expected to have 30 infantry brigades and 2 Para SF brigades.
The Corps consists of -
* 23 Infantry Division - The division has been moved from I Corps to XVII Corps. As I Corps moved to South Western Command, the division is situated at Ranchi.
* 59 Infantry Division - Established at Panagarh. It consists of six Brigades, of which three are Infantry and one each of Engineers, Air Defence and Artillery.
* 72 Infantry Division was initially planned to be established at Darjeeling. As of 2024, according to sources, there were plans to raise this division after being shelved but to operate it under Northern Command in Pathankot or Ladakh.
The Corps also deploy 5 Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) as of 2024.

### Integrated Battle Groups

The concept of Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) was introduced in 2018 by the then Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat.
The Integrated Battle Groups are Brigade-sized, self-sufficient combined arms formations commanded by an officer of the rank Major General. The IBGs are meant to transform the overall field formation of the Indian Army. As of July 2019, the new concept of formations has been test-bedded with the IX Corps and were being reorganised based on the basis of feedbacks. The formation of a specific IBG shall depend on three T's – Threat, Terrain and Task. The resources will be allocated based on the same conditions. The formations will be organised so that they can be mobilised within 12-48 hours of notice. The traditional field formation of the Indian Army includes Commands (largest static formation spread across a defined geography) which consists of Corps (largest mobile formation). A Corps typically consists of 3 Divisions which in turn is composed of 3 or more Brigades. This structure is to be replaced by IBG structure. Each IBG, as of 2019, deploys 5,000 troops and includes infantry, armoured, artillery and air defence units. The composition of IBG also depends on its nature – offensive or defensive. While Offensive IBG will be designed to be mobilised instantly and thrust into enemy territory for strike operations, the Defensive IBG will be tasked to hold ground at vulnerable points where enemy action is expected.
In October 2019, the XVII Corps conducted the first edition of Exercise Him Vijay which included three Integrated Battle Groups from the 59 Infantry Division each including 5,000 troops along with a combination of tanks, artillery and other assets. This was the first field implementation of such a formation. The new restructuring will further reduce the 72-hours response time determined in the Cold Start Doctrine to under 24 hours.
As of May 2022, the IBGs were test-bedded by IX Corps and further validated by the XVII Corps. The Army identified these Holding Coprs in the Western Front and the Strike Corps in the Northern/Eastern Front for total 'IBG-isation'. The 'IBG-isation' is being done parallel to the formation of Integrated Theatre Commands to integrate the Armed Forces into larger theatres. The IBGs will replace the traditional Brigades (3,000-3,500 troops) and Divisions (10,000 to 12,000 troops) existing in the Army.
As of June 2024, 2 IBGs under 9 Corps and 5 IBGs under 17 Corps has been raised under Phase-1 and 2, respectively. These formations were war-gamed and validated in multiple exercises. The Army HQ had earlier submitted the report on Phase-1 of 'IBG-isation' to the Defence Ministry while the same for Phase 2 is to be submitted before issuing the official Government Sanction Letter (GSL). The original plan was to first carve out 8-10 IBGs (5,000 to 6,000 troops each) initially and then create more over the years. As of now, the Army has 14 Corps (40,000 to 70,000 troops each), with four of them being strike formations.
By November 2024, the Army submitted a draft Government Sanction Letter seeking official approval for the establishment of these IBGs. The issuing of the GSL will imply the approval for the implementation of IBGs. Post approval, the Army aims to have the IBGs operational by 2025.
During the annual press conference on 15 January 2025, on the occasion of the Army Day, the Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said that the Integrated Battle Groups will be either implemented if approval is granted in 2025 else the project will be totally abandoned. The proposals are in the final stages of approval and has financial as well as equipment and human resources implications. "It is the first Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as far as the restructuring is concerned. If it goes through, others will also follow suit," as per the COAS stated by a report. Some top-of-the-rack changes in the Northern Theatre Command has been identified to implement the IBGs and will incorporate lessons learnt from Exercise Himvijay 2019. The IBGs will be equipped to lead surgical strike-like operations in case of a war unlike the current structure of the Army where the same role is carried out by Strike Coprs.

## Mascot

The corps mascot is the Snow leopard, signifying strength, resolve and bravery - traits associated with the predator, with which it shares its geographical habitat.

## Exercise

| Name | Date | Location | Notes, References |
| HimVijay | October 2019 | High Altitude Areas of Arunachal Pradesh along LAC | Debut Exercise of XVII Corps. Debut IBG exercise in Eastern Command IV Corps & IAF participated. |

## List of General Officers Commanding

| Rank | Name | Appointment Date | Left Office | Unit of Commission | Reference |
| Lieutenant General | Raymond Joseph Noronha | 1 January 2014 | April 2015 | Rajput Regiment | [30] [nb 1] |
| Lieutenant General | Lalit Kumar Pandey | April 2015 | 2016 | The Grenadiers | |
| Lieutenant General | Rajeev Chopra | 2016 | 2017 | Madras Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | Sudarshan Shrikant Hasabnis | 2017 | June 2018 | Bombay Sappers | |
| Lieutenant General | Pandala Nagesh Rao | June 2018 | 15 June 2019 | Parachute Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | Shashank Shekhar Mishra | 15 June 2019 | June 2020 | Kumaon Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | Savneet Singh | June 2020 | June 2021 | Garhwal Rifles | |
| Lieutenant General | Rajinder Dewan | 19 June 2021 | 24 June 2022 | Sikh Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | VM Bhuvana Krishnan | 24 June 2022 | 30 September 2023 | Dogra Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | Rajeev Puri | 1 October 2023 | 19 November 2024 | Rajput Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | Yash Singh Ahlawat | 20 November 2024 | Incumbent | Madras Regiment | |