Indian Army: News and Discussion

[Gessler]

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[Bhadra]

Defence agenda for the new government
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/defence-agenda-for-the-new-government/775553.html

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd)
Urgently required is the lateral placement of service officers in the MoD at the decision-making level — joint secretary and above. Unfortunately, in the novel lateral inductions undertaken in various ministries of the Central Government, the MoD has been omitted.


Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd)
Addl Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi

If there was a day most looked forward to at present, it would be May 23, when India would know who would govern it. This five-yearly ritual of democracy heralds a new ‘thought’ in the shape of the fresh government that we choose. In our young democracy, issues of economic uplift of the vast populace have (and rightly so) found prominence in the electoral discourse. Missing from the conversation, however, are any concrete discussions on matters of national security (as against the cacophony of what can only be called ‘rhetoric’ of military actions).

So, here goes a list of five macro issues that need the urgent attention of the new government. If these strategic-level concerns are addressed, they would ease the resolution of lesser issues.

First, at the apex level, a true integration of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Service Headquarters is necessary. This point has been hanging fire for decades and had been highlighted by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) that went into the re-structuring of the higher defence organisation. It recommended that, “..the entire gamut of national security management and apex decision-making and the structure and interface between the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Headquarters be comprehensively studied and reorganised.”
All that has happened is the renaming of service headquarters as ‘Integrated Headquarters of MoD’, a cosmetic and perfunctory step without any effect on the integration that the KRC had envisioned.

Thus, the civilian MoD works on the principle of 'following processes' that flows from a bureaucrat's training of going by the book. What suffers is the urgency in decision-making born of ‘operational’ necessity of the war fighter. Make no mistake — both are important, and right, in their own way, but in matters military, a disconnect between the two adversely affects the war-waging capability of the services.
Urgently required is the lateral placement of service officers in the MoD at the decision-making level — joint secretary and above. Unfortunately, in the novel lateral inductions undertaken in various ministries of the Central Government, the MoD has been omitted, an omission that needs immediate redress.

Second, and awkward as it may sound, an acceptance of the fact that India's shameful tag as the world’s largest arms importer will take considerable time to be cast aside, since one basic underpinning of defence indigenisation has not been understood. Modernisation and indigenisation processes are oxymoronic in real terms. The services need modern state-of-the-art equipment to fight and win, a requirement that is immediate, while indigenisation takes decades.

So, the new government must take a holistic review of the acquisition processes and plans so that the modernisation drive, while proceeding in a time sensitive manner, furthers the indigenisation aims. This is easier said than done, but an imperative that requires focussed and diligent efforts by trained personnel.

Third, the training of acquisition personnel, both civil and military, has to be taken up on a war footing to bridge the time gap between modernisation and indigenisation, and to ensure that the nation gets value for the enormous amount of monies being spent on armament (31 per cent of the nation's capital spending). It is no secret that the only ones laughing to the bank are foreign arms suppliers due to the sub-par expertise of our acquisition staff who have no professional training. As a reference, the US has a Defence Acquisition University that offers doctoral courses on subjects of military procurements and each of the 1,50,000 persons in the acquisition chain is a trained professional.

While it is right to lionise the war fighter, it is equally important to acknowledge the critical role of the acquisition professional and strengthen his hand by enabling him professionally.

The professional Indian soldier, sailor and airman are driven by the credo to do well by their unit and paltan, and from here flows the fourth macro issue: the fauji is willing to lay down his life for the standing that the nation’s polity accords him in its social hierarchy. This, unlike in earlier times of a halo of reverence that a soldier was accorded, has got linked to the inter se comparison of emoluments that one draws from the government. There are glaring anomalies of pay and allowances between the uniformed and civilian cadres. The stepmotherly handling of this emotive issue by successive dispensations has adversely affected civil-military equivalence and status of the uniformed fraternity. The effects can only be described as deleterious; it is a sore that needs immediate excision as it affects the services’ morale.

Lastly, the morale of a serving soldier is greatly dependent on how he perceives the status accorded to a veteran, a tag that would one day be attached to his name. Do the veterans have a spring in their gait that represents the joy of having once donned the uniform? Do their ageing memories reminisce the thought that all those years spent in operational areas, away from families while the children grew up and wives managed the humdrum of daily life single-handedly, are being acknowledged by society and the government?

If the thought brings a smile on their faces, then the nation’s defence is in safe hands. Veterans have many critical issues that are begging resolution, medi-care being a major one.

Come May 23, the new government has no choice but to hit the ground running — and such vital issues need the appointment of a full-time Raksha Mantri for five years. The MoD is too important a ministry to have revolving heads.



Views are personal

 

[Bhadra]

So the Air Vice Marshall (Retd) has listed four priority areas for the new Govt, Namly -

1. Integration of MoD as is long pending

2. Removal of dichotomy between Modernisation and indianisation. (both are different issues - Modernisation may not necessarily mean indianisation and Indianisation may not necessarily result into Modernisation, Cases in point may be Arjun tanks or INSAS etc).

3. Training and fine tuning of Acquisition Process (where Services and civilian both are involved).

4. Restoration of pre-existing parity between Service personnel and Civilian Services.

These are his views. What are yours??
Members kindly list their four priority areas which the new govt must address on priority.

Thank you.

 

[12arya]

godz.....again

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/t...sified-defence-info-for-rs-15000-3995661.html

Honey-trapped by Pakistani woman, Army clerk allegedly shares classified defence info for Rs 15,000

The Army clerk was lured into explicit chats by the ISI agent on both Facebook and WhatsApp.



An Indian Army clerk was recently arrested on charges of spying on behalf of the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence. Upon grilling him later it was learnt that the Indian Army clerk was, in fact, honey-trapped by a well-trained woman of the Pakistani agency.

Madhya Pradesh Police had arrested the 26-year-old Army clerk after charging him with involvement in leaking vital and classified defence information to the ISI. Security agencies had been keeping an eye out for him for several months. Both the Centre and military intelligence were monitoring his activities obscurely for a while now.

Following his interrogation, cops have come to believe that the clerk was contacted by an ISI agent via social media platform Facebook. He was probably honey-trapped thereafter, making him divulge classified defence information, according to a report by Oneindia.com.


Investigating agencies revealed that the accused hails from Bihar and was posted at Indian Army’s Mhow unit in Madhya Pradesh.

Police further said that he was lured into explicit chats by the ISI agent on both Facebook and WhatsApp. Later, when her Facebook account was deactivated, he kept in touch with her via WhatsApp.

Once trapped by the Pakistani woman, who claimed to be an international journalist, he was allegedly paid Rs 15,000 for each piece of information he shelled out on the location and movement of the Indian Army.

Gradually, both the Intelligence Bureau and the military intelligence grew suspicious of his activities and began keeping a tab on him. Six months of careful observation later, they finally arrested him on charges of compromising classified Indian defence service information

 

[Haldiram]

Good. These trade union fuckers should be jailed and OFB must be privatised ASAP !

I'm no fan of trade unions but if possible, we should outlaw trade unions instead of simply throwing away the entire company because of unions.

Privatization means the nation surrendering its industrial capacity to Tata, Ambani. There are certain sectors like telecom, transport and defense where the government must continue to hold a controlling stake as a representative of the people.

Once you surrender your sarkari manufacturing capacity, the private players will gang up with foreign defense firms and overcharge the taxpayer for the weapons they produce. No denying that they may be more efficient in their manufacturing, but it's a question of autonomy. Tomorrow if the private wolves, under influence from their foreign partners, refuse to co-operate during a war, it will be one big problem.

 

[Bhadra]

India’s Defence Policy Decisions Will Bear Fruit Over Next Decade – Army Veteran ​

http://idrw.org/indias-defence-policy-decisions-will-bear-fruit-over-next-decade-army-veteran/ .

The sloth and inertia, which were a hallmark of India’s Ministry of Defence between 2004 and 2014, has given way to a decision-making process that is far quicker, more responsible and robust. There is greater movement in the Make in India effort, opines a former Indian Army Officer and Director of a Delhi-based security think-tank.

The Indian Armed Forces will continue to hope that its expectations are met by the government of the day, notwithstanding the fact that previous dispensations of the last two decades have failed to consider most of their requirements, says an Indian defence expert.

Though defence reforms do take a long time to materialise, Retired Major General Dhruv Katoch, Director of the India Foundation is optimistic that many of the policy decisions in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government “will fructify over the next decade”.

Though it is difficult to put a value on the effectiveness of the Modi government in the defence realm it is important to highlight and acknowledge some of its achievements, Dhruv Katoch explained.

Sputnik: There is a view that there has been too much rhetoric but too little substance with regard to India’s defence sector. Would you agree?

Dhruv Katoch: I do not agree with the statement that there has been too much rhetoric and too little substance. Some of the achievements are as follows:

# The sloth and inertia which was the hallmark of the Ministry of Defence during 2004-2014 is no longer there. Decision-making has been quick, responsible and robust. I would count that as a major policy achievement.

# The war reserves which were in a precarious state in 2014 are now in the process of being made healthier.

# There is greater movement in the government’s “Make in India” programme effort.

# The establishment of two defence industrial corridors in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh will be major game changers in the years to come.

# Defence agreements are now more transparent and less susceptible to corruption.

Sputnik: It is felt that the defence budget has not been aligned with modernisation requirements?

Dhruv Katoch: The defence budget is in accordance with the threats faced. As of now, India does not see Pakistan as a viable conventional military threat, though it does continue to be a major threat in its ability to support terrorist activity against India. With respect to China, India has to ensure its territorial integrity along the border area. The criticality is the air space over the Tibetan Plateau. As of now, India feels itself capable of defending itself. We would of course need to ensure a measure of air dominance over the Tibetan Plateau, which would require a strong and capable Air Force. We would also need parity as far as cyber and space capabilities are concerned.

As the Indian economy strengthens, we could see more funds flowing into the defence sector. But he added that as of now, the challenge remains to make the best use of the limited resources to strengthen defence capability.

Sputnik: What should be the focus areas of the new incoming government insofar as the defence sector and armed forces are concerned?

Dhruv Katoch: The most important reform, that is required, is in the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) functioning. There is total bureaucratic and financial control over military affairs, where even the service chiefs have a limited say. This needs to change. The second area of focus must be on creating a strong defence industrial base. This must have a huge component of the private sector. Third, the public sector needs massive reforms. Inefficient units must be closed down or made to perform to the desired standards and fourth, defence acquisitions must be speeded up considerably. The focus must be “Make in India”.

Sputnik: What do you have to say about reports of the Islamic State moving in the direction of South Asia, particularly towards India?

Dhruv Katoch: This remains a matter of concern. However, India’s intelligence agencies are aware of the problem and many potential threats have been neutralised.

Sputnik: Do you think our policy on Kashmir is confused?

Dhruv Katoch: I think we are finally getting on to a more coherent policy on Kashmir. There was a tendency earlier to go soft on political parties which supported secessionist tendencies and also Pakistan was handled with kid gloves. There is a shift now. In my view, it is a matter of a few years at the most, until the Kashmir issue is resolved. There must, however, be no change in the methodology now being adapted to combat terrorism, which is four-pronged, namely

(1) Eliminate the gun culture,

(2) Deal with the separatists and their supporters with a strong hand, including prosecuting them in courts of law,

(3) Choke their money supplies and

(4) Address Pakistan firmly so that it ceases support to terrorist groups.

http://idrw.org/indias-defence-policy-decisions-will-bear-fruit-over-next-decade-army-veteran/ .

​

 

[Bhadra]

Defence agenda for the new government
​

http://idrw.org/defence-agenda-for-the-new-government/ .

If there was a day most looked forward to at present, it would be May 23, when India would know who would govern it. This five-yearly ritual of democracy heralds a new ‘thought’ in the shape of the fresh government that we choose. In our young democracy, issues of economic uplift of the vast populace have (and rightly so) found prominence in the electoral discourse. Missing from the conversation, however, are any concrete discussions on matters of national security (as against the cacophony of what can only be called ‘rhetoric’ of military actions).
,
So here goes a list of five macro issues that need the urgent attention of the new government. If these strategic-level concerns are addressed, they would ease the resolution of lesser issues.

First, at the apex level, a true integration of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Service Headquarters is necessary. This point has been hanging fire for decades and had been highlighted by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) that went into the re-structuring of the higher defence organisation. It recommended that, “..the entire gamut of national security management and apex decision-making and the structure and interface between the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Headquarters be comprehensively studied and reorganised.”

All that has happened is the renaming of service headquarters as ‘Integrated Headquarters of MoD’, a cosmetic and perfunctory step without any effect on the integration that the KRC had envisioned.

Thus, the civilian MoD works on the principle of ‘following processes’ that flows from a bureaucrat’s training of going by the book. What suffers is the urgency in decision-making born of ‘operational’ necessity of the war fighter. Make no mistake — both are important, and right, in their own way, but in matters military, a disconnect between the two adversely affects the war-waging capability of the services.

Urgently required is the lateral placement of service officers in the MoD at the decision-making level — joint secretary and above. Unfortunately, in the novel lateral inductions undertaken in various ministries of the Central Government, the MoD has been omitted, an omission that needs immediate redress.

Second, and awkward as it may sound, an acceptance of the fact that India’s shameful tag as the world’s largest arms importer will take considerable time to be cast aside, since one basic underpinning of defence indigenisation has not been understood. Modernisation and indigenisation processes are oxymoronic in real terms. The services need modern state-of-the-art equipment to fight and win, a requirement that is immediate, while indigenisation takes decades.

So, the new government must take a holistic review of the acquisition processes and plans so that the modernisation drive, while proceeding in a time sensitive manner, furthers the indigenisation aims. This is easier said than done, but an imperative that requires focussed and diligent efforts by trained personnel.

Third, the training of acquisition personnel, both civil and military, has to be taken up on a war footing to bridge the time gap between modernisation and indigenisation, and to ensure that the nation gets value for the enormous amount of monies being spent on armament (31 per cent of the nation’s capital spending). It is no secret that the only ones laughing to the bank are foreign arms suppliers due to the sub-par expertise of our acquisition staff who have no professional training. As a reference, the US has a Defence Acquisition University that offers doctoral courses on subjects of military procurements and each of the 1,50,000 persons in the acquisition chain is a trained professional.

While it is right to lionise the war fighter, it is equally important to acknowledge the critical role of the acquisition professional and strengthen his hand by enabling him professionally.

The professional Indian soldier, sailor and airman are driven by the credo to do well by their unit and paltan, and from here flows the fourth macro issue: the fauji is willing to lay down his life for the standing that the nation’s polity accords him in its social hierarchy. This, unlike in earlier times of a halo of reverence that a soldier was accorded, has got linked to the inter se comparison of emoluments that one draws from the government. There are glaring anomalies of pay and allowances between the uniformed and civilian cadres. The stepmotherly handling of this emotive issue by successive dispensations has adversely affected civil-military equivalence and status of the uniformed fraternity. The effects can only be described as deleterious; it is a sore that needs immediate excision as it affects the services’ morale.

Lastly, the morale of a serving soldier is greatly dependent on how he perceives the status accorded to a veteran, a tag that would one day be attached to his name. Do the veterans have a spring in their gait that represents the joy of having once donned the uniform? Do their ageing memories reminisce the thought that all those years spent in operational areas, away from families while the children grew up and wives managed the humdrum of daily life single-handedly, are being acknowledged by society and the government?

If the thought brings a smile on their faces, then the nation’s defence is in safe hands. Veterans have many critical issues that are begging resolution, medi-care being a major one.

Come May 23, the new government has no choice but to hit the ground running — and such vital issues need the appointment of a full-time Raksha Mantri for five years. The MoD is too important a ministry to have revolving heads.

http://idrw.org/defence-agenda-for-the-new-government/ .

 

[bhramos]

A Billion #Dollar Picture of #Pakistani Terrorist #ZakirMusa's dead body and Indian Army Jawan's showing a victory sign

 

[samsaptaka]

I'm no fan of trade unions but if possible, we should outlaw trade unions instead of simply throwing away the entire company because of unions.

Privatization means the nation surrendering its industrial capacity to Tata, Ambani. There are certain sectors like telecom, transport and defense where the government must continue to hold a controlling stake as a representative of the people.

Once you surrender your sarkari manufacturing capacity, the private players will gang up with foreign defense firms and overcharge the taxpayer for the weapons they produce. No denying that they may be more efficient in their manufacturing, but it's a question of autonomy. Tomorrow if the private wolves, under influence from their foreign partners, refuse to co-operate during a war, it will be one big problem.

Nope. You can allow private but prevent foreign participation using something similar to what US does via ITAR. Where there is a will there is a way. Govt can always cite national security and prevent foriegn participants.

 

[nongaddarliberal]

A Billion #Dollar Picture of #Pakistani Terrorist #ZakirMusa's dead body and Indian Army Jawan's showing a victory sign

No, this pic was taken a while back, and is being recirculated as Musa's encounter. Avoid spreading this

 

[bhramos]

On the left is al-Qaeda's Zakir Musa. On the right is Burhan Wani, Musa's ex colleague from Hizb. There is a film coming out on Burhan Wani in Pakistan where a member of Pakistan's National Assembly is playing his role. Try explaining that to FATF and int'l community.

 

[Prashant12]

Elbit wins $127m Indian army tactical radios deal


The vehicular tactical radio systems will be delivered over a three year period.

Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) announced today that it has been awarded a $127 million contract to supply vehicular tactical radio systems to the Army of a country in South Asia. The contract will be performed over a three-year period.

Elbit did not mention to which country the tactical radios will be sold but market sources say that it is to India.

The radios to be supplied will include several configurations for integration onboard a range of armored fighting vehicles and tanks at the battalion and company levels.

Elbit Systems president and CEO Bezhalel Machlis said, "We are pleased with this contract award which shows that customers recognize the advantages of our radio systems. We believe that there is a significant growth potential for our communications and command and control solutions as armed forces increasingly seek to build up their networked warfare capabilities."

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-elbit-wins-127m-indian-army-radios-deal-1001287208

 

[cyclops]

A comprehensive twitter thread about how an IPKF contingent resolutely neutralized a militia force and saved the collective asses of PLA.
THE PLA, who showed such cowardice I didn't think was possible for any modern military to ever show.

Now we know why the PLA never had the balls to back up its threats during Doklam.:bounce:

 

[indiandefencefan]

This is my reward for serving country: Kargil war veteran declared foreigner, detained in Assam

A former army officer and Kargil war veteran in Assam Mohammed Sana Ullah, who had won a President's medal was apprehended on Wednesday and sent to a detention camp in after a foreigners' tribunal declared him a 'foreigner',

Police in Assam detained a Kargil war veteran and serving police officer on Wednesday after a court declared him a foreigner, in one of the most controversial outcomes of India’s effort to clamp down on illegal immigration from neighbouring Bangladesh.

Millions of people in Assam are scrambling to prove their citizenship after the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, mandated residents of Assam to produce documents proving that they or their families lived in the country before March 24, 1971.


Police said they sent Mohammed Sana Ullah, 52, to a detention centre in Assam based on the order of a Foreigners’ Tribunal.

He served the Indian army for 30 years but was declared as a foreigner ... and as per prescribed norms we have sent him to the detention camp, Mousumi Kalita, a senior police official in Assam, told journalists.

We only abide by the tribunal’s order and not aware on what grounds or why he was declared a foreigner.

Mohammed Sana Ullah’s lawyer said it was a case of mistaken identity as the order cited his client as a labourer who came to India after 1971 without legal documents. Ullah’s family said they had Assam land records going back to 1935.

Lawyer Aman Wadud, who has handled dozens of cases of illegal immigration in Assam, said he would challenge the order in a higher court on Thursday.

Speaking to Reuters as he was shoved inside a police vehicle on the way to the detention centre in the border town of Goalpara, Ullah said he was heartbroken.

This is the reward I got after serving for 30 years in the Indian army, said Mohammed Sana Ullah, currently a deputy inspector in the border wing of the Assam Police. I am an Indian, very much an Indian and will forever remain an Indian.

Much of the over 2,500-mile-long (4,000-km) border between Hindu-majority India and mainly Muslim Bangladesh is porous. Hundreds of thousands of people have moved to India from Bangladesh since its New Delhi-backed war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The BJP, which increased its parliamentary majority this month after a general election, has promised to identify all migrants living in the country illegally, give citizenship to all non-Muslims from neighbouring Muslim majority countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, and expel the rest.

Bharatiya Janata Party made electoral gains in Assam and neighbouring West Bengal state by pledging to act against immigrants, accused by some locals of taking jobs and resources.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...detention-centre-assam-nrc-1538097-2019-05-30

 

[Bhadra]

A comprehensive twitter thread about how an IPKF contingent resolutely neutralized a militia force and saved the collective asses of PLA.
THE PLA, who showed such cowardice I didn't think was possible for any modern military to ever show.

Now we know why the PLA never had the balls to back up its threats during Doklam.:bounce:

Force Commander is generally from that country which has sizable troop contribution to that mission.
Gen Tinaikar is a good choice.

 

[bhramos]

#kashmir - pictures of #terrorists killed by #indian security forces during encounter in tral reigion. Hizb commander "Sajju Tiger" was included.how's the Josh ?????

 

[bhramos]

#IndianArmy unit in an Op apprehended two ZUF cadres along with arms and ammunition from Lungkai Village, Bishnupur, Manipur on 31 May. The apprehended cadres along with the recovered items have been handed over to police for further investigation.

 

[cyclops]

#kashmir - pictures of #terrorists killed by #indian security forces during encounter in tral reigion. Hizb commander "Sajju Tiger" was included.how's the Josh ?????

Why the f**k are we returning these jihadis' bodies?
These brainwashed fools will just rally together to mourn their low IQ jihadis, hence more recruitment.

 

[Kchontha]

Why the f**k are we returning these jihadis' bodies?
These brainwashed fools will just rally together to mourn their low IQ jihadis, hence more recruitment.

Because our is democracy and at the same time this also gives them a warning not to be a jihadi again. If they became a jihadi then the same fate as these will be befallen to them also. Message is loud n clear.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

[bhramos]

Sweets exchanged between @BSF_India & #Pakistan Rangers on the occassion of #EidUlFitr on Indo-Pak border at Attari, Hussainewala sctrs