Border Guards

Tashkurgan , Xinjiang

"So, Major Chen, how long would the Number Two Battery be out of commission? Will it be up and running for the inspection coming next month," Col. Sidharth Somnath, Commanding Officer of the 17th Border Guards Brigade asked his Strategic Command Liaison. The 17th Border Guards Brigade is tasked within defending the Tashkurgan sector in Xinjiang Province on the borders with Kriegsland. With a doctrine to defend 200 km of terrestrial borders, the Brigade's commanders are now conferring in the Brigade HQ at Tashkurgan town.

"Sir, the magnetizing coils of the Number One Gun has to be replaced. We are awaiting the supplies to be sent from Quarter Master Command, which is expected to reach this week. Once it arrives, we need two weeks for replacement and recalibration, so we may not be able to make the inspection." Maj. Chen replied.

"Hmm, well I guess there is nothing we can do about that. Now Capt. Ashfaq, why is there the delay in completion of BADS maintenance? What is the status now?"

"Sir, 89 Bali ADS in the entire Sector have to be replaced. The Company discovered the faulty ones through the remote diagnosis we conducted last week. Due to some terrain difficulties, we have been unable to access all of them soon enough," Capt. Ashfaq, the acting Commander of the Engineers Company answered.

"Terrain? You are a sapper aren't you? Captain, this is my last warning, I give you 10 days, to get the BADS system working. Didn't you receive the consignment from QMC? Then why the delay. No more excuses about terrain. If you want get some Mountain trained soldiers from the Assault Brigade and just complete the damn work. Now what is next? Yes, Artillery. So Peter, when are you leaving for the Fire Ex?" Col. Somnath asked.

"Day after tomorrow. By that time the II Battalion would return. It is really been a long time since I got the grime into my tunic, Sir," Lt. Col. Peter Samuel, Commander of the III Artillery Battalion answered.

"Grime, dont make stupid jokes like that , Peter. You Arti guys never get any grime on your neat and tidy uniforms. That is for assault grunts like us. Anyway best of luck. Now, Admin. Yes." The Colonel said wearily wiping a mock perspeiration off his brow.

"Colonel Sir, you can't escape it, part of your job description to take care of Admin matters." Maj. Raman Naik, the Personnel and Admin Officer said.

"Dont remind me, Naik. So let us get to it."

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The swift breeze of the Pamirs ruffled the Tundra Uniforms of Capt. KK Menon as he surveyed his horizons with a high powered binoculars. The 2/3/1/17 Platoon of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is deployed at this particular border check post as per routine deployments. Capt. Menon's platoon arrived at this sector 2 days earlier for a 7 day force patrol in this particular section, where the Engineers Company were maintaining the Bali ADS systems deployed. A buffer of 300 meters is maintained from the International borders, with every inch of the area levelled and sighted for delivering massive firepower. Now that in this area the electronic and automated defenses are temporarily blinded the platoon has been deployed to assume the job normally undertaken by units much insensitive to the weather.

"Sergeant, how are the men doing?" Capt. Menon asked.
"Sir, they are cold but alert. I had brought extra caffeine candies and Toblerone bars for the men from Pantry." Sgt. Biswas Sinha answered. 
"Excellent, Biswas. Do you have a spare with you now?"
"Always Sir," the Sergeant grinned and reached inside his BDU pockets to retrieve a bar of Dark Chocolate Toblerone bar.
"Ummm. Thank you, Sergeant," the Captain said enjoying the chocolate and viewing the wide vistas abundant before him. One never knew if these mountains would some day teem with enemy soldiers intent upon invading his Motherland, but if they ever came, he would be the first line of defense. It was his and his comrades' jobs to gain the valuable slowing time so that the more stronger Army forces can be assembled to beat back the enemy. Well trained in Mountain Warfare at Tok's Mountain Warfare School, Capt. KK. Menon is looking to be soon promoted to he ranks of Major. 

The Border Guards is no job for the faint hearted or the weak. Posted in the most bleakst outposts of the Kingdom, Border Guards had to brave all elements and guard the nation 24x7x365. The 1st Assault Infantry Battalion of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is composed of 1000 combat soldiers who are often separated into various platoons and companies spread all over their sector. They come together only for the rare Bada Khaanas and during times of war. The motto of Border Guards is "You have to fight, you dont have to return alive."

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"Hand me that 13/14" spanner," the Private yelled, from the front of the truck.
"Here, Chou. And stop yelling, I am the Sergeant here, not you," the Sergeant replied handing over the spanner after ferreting through the toolbox kep open beside the road.
Straightening up momentarily, the Private said, "Yo Sarge, if you want you can pull rank with me, but unless you noticed I am the only one here who knows how to fix a truck. So either help me out here, or we can all have a jolly time waiting for a tow truck. He he he, now get me a smoke, Sarge," the Private said grinning before bending over the truck engine.
"That kid, I am going to kill him, as soon as this bloody truck gets going," the Sergeant muttered softly while searching his pockets for his pack of Kings.
"Give him a break, Sarge. Loud mouth he is, but a damn fine soldier too. Though I wonder where he learned to fix vehicles so well," a Corporal chimed in.
"Knowing him, he may have studied it by stealing trucks, the cheeky fellow," the Sergeant laughed.
"Hoy, Sarge, come here for a second. Just check if the pin is fixed right?"

The Tatra 4x4 truck is stranded on a road in the Tashkurgan Sector. Part of the I Artillery Battalion, the Royal Cochin Army truck is towing a 155mm Field Gun to its new deployment position. Having just returned after the half yearly Live Fire Exercise at the National Training Center at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, the Battalion is now proceeding to its fresh three week deployment position. However on the way, one of the trucks, towing one of the 40 155mm Field Guns broke down and now is being repaired. This time was also taken by the gunnery crew to replace the firing on their cannon. Comprising of 40 155mm Field Guns, 15 155mm Self Propelled Guns and 5 MRLS, the three Artillery Battalions are the main power of the Border Guards Brigade which are essentially Field Artillery Brigades with beefed up infantry and engineering battalions.

Now with the truck almost fixed this gunnery crew can rejoin their Battalion in their preplanned launch position where there are hardened shelters and sizable ammunition stores waiting for them. There are scores of such preplanned artillery centers between which the Battalions would cycle at the time of war.

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"Movement in Sector 15789/17."
"Yeah, that is Lt. Shilpa Stanley and her team, repairing those Balis."
"No, this is something different. This is at the forward edge of the minefield. I sense multiple seismic anomalies, looks like human plus animal transients."
"Oh? Okay, let us call them up. Corporal, raise Lt. Stanley." "Lt. Stanley, this is Sgt. Sisupal. Sir, we need you to activate the cameras of the leading edge of Sector 15789/17. We sense foot movements over there. Over."
"Read you loud and clear, Over."

"Looks like another of those shepherds have crossed over onto the minefields. Isn't that the last Bali pod?"
"Yes,Sir."
"Then let us contact that shepherd and tell him to get to the Border Check post. No reason why he or his sheeps should ge blown off for no reason."

The last of the Bali ADS pods, mines, automated weapon mounts and sensory devices in the Sector had been repaired by this detachment. The sensors are all monitored by the Engineer Battalion technicians in locations in the rear. Now that the Sector has been serviced the detachment is moving to another sector.

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"Wheeeeeeeeeee"
Capt. Rasul Sheikh could not help himself from screaming in delight even though he had done it many times earlier. Speeding up at several feet per second, Capt. Sheikh could feel the awesome pull of the electric motor upon his waist as he was pulled up the tethered cable ladder.
After seemingly a long time Capt. Rasul Sheikh felt an arm grabbing hold of his shoulder.
"So Lieutenant, how is the radar coming along?"
"Working rather well now, Captain. Now come on up, I could hear you screaming all the way up."
"Well these aerostats bring out the child in me," Capt. Sheikh said laughingly as he followed Lt. Naresh Singhal into the gondola. 
"Here is a cup of coffee for you, fresh ground from original Courg beans," the Lieutenant said grinning.
"You definitely know how to entertain, any chance for something stronger?" The Captain asked in the same spirit.
"Captain, isn't that Haraam for you? Well some days when the Aerostat is automated I bring out a bottle of the finest and most aged. It is awesome sitting on top of the the balloon or on the Gondola cage and enjoying a drink. Too bad we dont have time for that now."
"True, so how are the radar systems and optical systems coming along?"
"The passive receivers are proving themselves to be very effective. The entire body of the aerostat is configured as a massive antenna so we are receiving a wide spectrum of intercepted transmissions including Short Wave, Medium Wave and milli meter wave signals. The telescopes and the optical targeting system is also working perfectly, though the occasioanal cloud cover makes optics useless and I have to depend on the TerraScan radar to get vision."
"So how often do you have to come up here, Naresh?"
"Hardly sir, most of my time is spent sitting either at the Recon station or in the ground support vehicle. The Aerostat is pretty much a standalone automated system. It can even navigate itself through ground controls if the tethers break. Besides you know how easy it is to get up and down. The electric winch makes things very easy. It too is controlled from the support vehicle. So Capt. Sheikh do you judge the systems as ready?"
"Yes, Lt. Singhal, now let me try and get that drink from you."

Equipped with Aerostats and S-RECOs the 6th Aerial Surveillance Company is the long range eyes and ears of the Brigade.

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"Target coordinates?"
"Acquired."
"Battery elevation?"
"Set."
"Battery Azimuth?"
"Set."
"Power throughput?"
"Set on Guns 1,2 and 3."
"Magnetisation status?"
"89%."
"Very well, load projectile."
"Projectile readied, Sir."
"Fire."

At this last command the tungsten-graphite projectile would be injected in between the magnetizing coils of Gun 1, followed by Gun 2 and then followed by Gun 3. As soon as the first projectile cleared the final vacuum lock of the barrel of Gun 1, the second projectile is being fed to it. Within a minute, the Battery would have fired 9 warheads.

"Okay, so the battery is now fully functional. Inform Col. Somnath that the Number One Battery has been verified as fully functional."

Located fully 100 kilometers from the borders, the Number Two Battery of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is located ideally to strike along a large sector of the border providing redundacy to myultiple Sectors.

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"Now that is what I call a nasty weather to fly."
"Nasty? I thoroughly loved it, the winds were simply superb."
"Yeah, right. And you are the one who enjoys those rides of death at the Cochin Disney Land so much. Speak for yourself I am only glad that I did not puke inside my seat."
"Mate, this is why you are the gunner and I am the pilot. Come on, learn to enjoy the flight of the Daredevil."
"Say Devil and I will accept, silly berk."
The aviators are part of the 8th Helicopter Company, part of the 17th Border Guards Brigade. With a TOE of 10 Blackhwks, 5 MH53, 5 Bell 212, and 10 Piranha attack helicopters , the Company provides air mobility to the Brigade. An RCAF Metac AAP is also usually attached with the company, though that unit is currently undergoing routine maintenance.

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"PEDAL ON THE METAL, YOU FOOL. THINK YOU ARE DRIVING IN A FUNERAL? DRIVE FASTER OR THIS IS GONNA BE YOUR FUNERAL, CORP," the swears of the Sergeant ringing in his ears caused the sergeant to floor his BRDM as plumes of fire, dust and shrapnel are rising all around them from the massive artillery barrage. Finally after painstakingly long time of dodging and erratic driving, the BRDM screached to a halt near a bunker from which a platoon of soldiers ran out. Barely had they strapped in that the BRDM raced off to the next pick up point. They could see some smoking BRDMs littered around them and thanked heavens that they are still running. 

After 15 more minutes of driving through barrage, the BRDM finally stopped at a flag.

"Well done Sergeant Palak, excellent timing. Also congrats Corp. Thangavelu, excellent driving. Now go on, there s chow waiting for you at the camp."

At the Regimental Training Grounds of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment outside Cochin City, elements from the 9th Armored Scouts Company of the 17th Border Guards Brigade is training for Combat evacuation of Infantry and Artillery personnel. With a TOE of 25 BMP3s and 30 BRDMs the Company's principal role is in evacuating the beleaguered soldiers of the Brigade in case of a determined assault on their positions by an enemy. Hence the hours of high intensity training these Scouts do.

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With an area of 6,355,201.85 sq.km and a total border perimeter of 14,303.93 km, fully 9,500 km of it are terrestrial borders bordering nations, friendly, neutral and occasionally hostile. Defending them during times of peace and war is the job of Border Guards Directorate, which is comprised of 48 Brigades, with each brigade responsible for secuding 200 km of the border. With a combined assault infantry strength of just 48000 soldiers, Border Guards is a principally Heavy Artillery Brigade with additional Infantry and Engineer Battalions. The job of these Brigades is not to prevent a determined enemy attack, but to gain valuable time for the Royal Cochin Defense Forces to organize a truly weighted and measured counter attack.