From Ladakh to Kartavya Path: The Army’s most unexpected frontline stars

On Kartavya Path, steel and spectacle will briefly give way to fur, feathers, and hooves. For the first time, the Indian Army is letting its animal warriors lead from the front—creatures bred not for applause, but for survival in places where oxygen thins and machines surrender.

Two Bactrian camels—built for cold deserts and endless deprivation—will step into the national spotlight. Capable of hauling 250 kg with barely water or fodder, their march hints at how logistics on the Line of Actual Control still depends on biology as much as technology.

Zanskar ponies, compact yet indomitable, carry stories of frostbite winds and knife-edge ridges. Recently inducted, they have already proven their worth in the unforgiving approaches to Siachen, where engines fail but muscle memory, balance, and instinct endure.

Four raptors slicing the winter sky will offer a glimpse into a quieter revolution—using predatory instinct for bird-strike control and surveillance. It’s an elegant reminder that innovation isn’t always silicon and sensors; sometimes it comes with wings and talons.

Ten colts from Indian dog breeds will trot past the saluting base, signalling a strategic shift. As global supply chains wobble, the Army’s bet on indigenous canine genetics reflects Atmanirbhar Bharat thinking—self-reliance, but with paws instead of patents.

Among the six seasoned military dogs are veterans of counter-terror ops, mine detection, and disaster rescue. Many carry gallantry citations, their heroism recorded not in memoirs, but in lives saved and attacks quietly prevented before they ever made headlines.

Behind this curated column stands the often-overlooked Remount & Veterinary Corps. From breeding to battlefield care, its expertise sustains a combat capability that textbooks rarely celebrate but commanders deeply trust.

From minus-40°C patrols to oxygen-starved heights above 15,000 feet, every animal in the contingent represents evolutionary solutions to military problems. In Ladakh and beyond, these adaptations have become force multipliers, not ceremonial relics.

This march is more than pageantry. It’s a living archive of how animals—camels, ponies, dogs, birds—have secured India’s borders for centuries, now re-introduced as partners in modern defence rather than footnotes of a bygone era.