DEHRADUN: The Indian Army is gradually replacing the mules it deploys with motorised vehicles and most recently, introduced robotic mules called Multi-Utility Legged Equipment (MULE) as part of modernisation efforts. However, the animals remain the backbone of logistics, especially in remote areas with difficult terrain along the western and eastern borders.
First introduced by the British Indian Army, mules remain vital to the Army even a century later. They are classified into two categories depending on their use: General Service (GS) and Mounted Artillery (MA), both managed by the Army Service Corps (ASC), which is responsible for the logistics support of the armed forces.
An ASC officer requesting anonymity told TOI, “GS mules carry rations including fuel for the forces, while MA mules transport heavy mortar guns.” He added, “While MA mules are being replaced with towing trucks and other relevant vehicles as border infrastructure develops, GS mules are largely still in service, especially in areas where even helicopters can’t reach. In Uttarakhand, the Army has about 1,000 GS mules deployed near the LAC. In total, over 4,000 mules are being used by the Army in the country.”
The mules are trained at the Remount Training School and Depot in Hempur from the age of 6 months to around 3 years, before being deployed for service for around 15 years. “They undergo battle inoculation to ensure that they don’t get scared by the sound of firing and run haywire. They are trained to carry 40-80 kg at a time, ensuring an even load distribution on both sides. One can imagine their importance considering that in some high-altitude areas, choppers can’t carry this weight due to operational limitations. Even China turned to mules after failing to transport loads by helicopter along some LAC areas,” the officer added.
On the breeding of the mules for the armed forces, the officer said, “MA mules are bred from mares of Austria’s Noric breed or France’s Breton and Australian male donkeys, resulting in larger mules that can carry loads weighing around 100 kg. GS mules are bred from local mares in Punjab and local male donkeys, resulting in smaller mules as compared to the MA mules.” Each battalion has a veterinary doctor and muleteers to care for the mules.
Lt Gen Mohan Bhandari (retd), who served in the Army for 40 years recalled, “At one point of time, especially in the 70s and 80s, mules were the only mode of transport in remote areas. In Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Ladakh, it was the mules which carried the load till the place of deployment. They were the lifeline of the supply lines for forces in those difficult areas, though they had some drawbacks, such as having to carry their own fodder, which in Army lingo is called ‘dead weight.’ We all had immense respect for them and treated them like one of our own.”
Lt Col Manish Shrivastava, public relations officer, defence (Dehradun), said, “With improved border infrastructure, the Army is shifting to modern modes of transport, but mules still remain vital for us.”
