Indian Army: News and Discussion

[samsaptaka]

You could have given a few names and substantiated your allegations rather than rumblings of a dishonest rumour monger.... that is called hearsay - a bad form of argument.

Arrests, punishments etc of two three odd men out of sixty thousands hardly makes a rule except for lost cases.

Except when those one or two people hold the lives of many soldiers in their hand. Higher you get, harder you fall.

 

[Bhadra]

Except when those one or two people hold the lives of many soldiers in their hand. Higher you get, harder you fall.

But why talk in air ? Name them...... Let us know those who held lives of many ns in their hand and got them killed... why scratch the empty sky ???

 

[samsaptaka]

But why talk in air ? Name them...... Let us know those who held lives of many ns in their hand and got them killed... why scratch the empty sky ???

That question should be asked to the press reporter. @porky_kicker can only do so much, he is not an investigative journalist is he ? He is only bringing to notice what is happening via press reports. A problem does seem to exist and we should acknowledge it rather than simply deny it saying unless you name names the problem does not exist ! My 2 cents... out.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

Focus inward for military needs in post-pandemic world, say top Army officials


India must turn focus inward for its military needs in the post-Covid world and make every effort to cut dependence on imported military hardware that could not only become cost prohibitive but also hard to come by in the coming years, three senior military officers said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. The armed forces will have to get rid of their traditional appetite for imported weapons and equipment, and work in harness with the domestic industry to guarantee self-reliance in defence, said the officers with direct knowledge of the military’s modernisation goals. Despite pursuing the Make in India programme vigorously to reduce military imports, the country was the second-largest arms importer in the world over the last five years, according to data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute last month. “Indigenisation with Make in India as the dictum can no longer be a mere slogan. If the coronavirus crisis has energised us to produce ventilators, personal protective equipment and other gear for our healthcare workers in a matter of weeks, the focus in the coming times should be on fueling a new wave of innovation in the defence sector,” said the first officer cited above. Imports account for 60-65% of the country’s military requirements and it has signed contracts worth billions of dollars during the last decade for a raft of weapons and systems, including fighter jets, air defence missile systems, submarine hunter planes, attack helicopters, heavy-lift choppers and lightweight howitzers. “This is the time for us to look inward. The local industry is willing to support indigenisation, although it may not be able produce the best weapons and equipment. But if given the opportunity, it will reach global standards over time. It requires the full support of the armed forces. The temptation to import hardware will have to be resisted,” said the second officer cited above. From warships, fighter jets to air defence systems and helicopters, modern artillery gun systems to ammunition, the domestic industry has demonstrated that it has potential to contribute to building a stronger military, the second officer pointed out. One of the key responsibilities assigned by the government to the department of military affairs, headed by chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, is to promote the use of indigenous military equipment in the armed forces. “After the 2016 Uri strike, the armed forces scrambled to fill worrying gaps in their arsenal, including ammunition. We can’t allow this to happen. Encouraging the domestic industry will help us get more bang for the buck and ensure we are not in dire straits in times of conflict,” said the third officer cited above. He added a robust indigenous defence industry would allow the armed forces to cut costs by holding lesser stocks of weapons and ammunition because production and supplies could be ramped up when required. “Storage in itself is cost prohibitive because high-grade weapons and ammunition require special storage conditions, including air conditioning. Round-the-clock security of large ammunition and weapon storage depots also adds to the cost,” he stressed. The draft Defence Production Policy-2018 visualises India as one of the top five countries in the aerospace and defence sectors in the coming years, with defence goods and services accounting for a turnover of Rs 1.7 lakh crore by 2025. It also seeks to drastically reduce India’s dependence on imported military hardware over the next five years.

 

[Bhadra]

Focus inward for military needs in post-pandemic world, say top Army officials


India must turn focus inward for its military needs in the post-Covid world and make every effort to cut dependence on imported military hardware that could not only become cost prohibitive but also hard to come by in the coming years, three senior military officers said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. The armed forces will have to get rid of their traditional appetite for imported weapons and equipment, and work in harness with the domestic industry to guarantee self-reliance in defence, said the officers with direct knowledge of the military’s modernisation goals. Despite pursuing the Make in India programme vigorously to reduce military imports, the country was the second-largest arms importer in the world over the last five years, according to data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute last month. “Indigenisation with Make in India as the dictum can no longer be a mere slogan. If the coronavirus crisis has energised us to produce ventilators, personal protective equipment and other gear for our healthcare workers in a matter of weeks, the focus in the coming times should be on fueling a new wave of innovation in the defence sector,” said the first officer cited above. Imports account for 60-65% of the country’s military requirements and it has signed contracts worth billions of dollars during the last decade for a raft of weapons and systems, including fighter jets, air defence missile systems, submarine hunter planes, attack helicopters, heavy-lift choppers and lightweight howitzers. “This is the time for us to look inward. The local industry is willing to support indigenisation, although it may not be able produce the best weapons and equipment. But if given the opportunity, it will reach global standards over time. It requires the full support of the armed forces. The temptation to import hardware will have to be resisted,” said the second officer cited above. From warships, fighter jets to air defence systems and helicopters, modern artillery gun systems to ammunition, the domestic industry has demonstrated that it has potential to contribute to building a stronger military, the second officer pointed out. One of the key responsibilities assigned by the government to the department of military affairs, headed by chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, is to promote the use of indigenous military equipment in the armed forces. “After the 2016 Uri strike, the armed forces scrambled to fill worrying gaps in their arsenal, including ammunition. We can’t allow this to happen. Encouraging the domestic industry will help us get more bang for the buck and ensure we are not in dire straits in times of conflict,” said the third officer cited above. He added a robust indigenous defence industry would allow the armed forces to cut costs by holding lesser stocks of weapons and ammunition because production and supplies could be ramped up when required. “Storage in itself is cost prohibitive because high-grade weapons and ammunition require special storage conditions, including air conditioning. Round-the-clock security of large ammunition and weapon storage depots also adds to the cost,” he stressed. The draft Defence Production Policy-2018 visualises India as one of the top five countries in the aerospace and defence sectors in the coming years, with defence goods and services accounting for a turnover of Rs 1.7 lakh crore by 2025. It also seeks to drastically reduce India’s dependence on imported military hardware over the next five years.

Army must do it but without any interference from institutions such as DRDO and OFB and DPSU who try to scuttle things by "We will make it" claims. There should be a direct interface between the users (Services) and the suppliers (Private Industry). There is no scope for the controlling institution - that is MoD once they have accepted necessity and released funds for procurement.

Some day some military commission would definitely investigate as to how and why the DRDO, DPSUs and OFB had been scuttling procurements and keeping the services high and dry rendering them unfit to conduct operations and wage wars. OP PARAKRAM and stark deficiencies of ammunition are the known cases in point. CAG only highlighted the budgetary bungling.

The matters do not appear to be so simple as it looks. It is a big conspiracy.

 

[Karthi]

India develops unique model to hit enemy targets without positioning error.


Due to the unavailability of a reliable model to predict the electron density of the ionosphere, navigation errors remain, creating technological hurdles. A new model developed by Indian researchers has potential applications in calculating these Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning errors.


In a major development that could have a wider impact, ranging from accurate aiming on enemy targets to scientific research in space weather, scientists from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), have developed a global model to predict ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage. The ionosphere is a major source of error in GPS/GNSS-based positioning and navigation networks. “Better ionospheric modeling will yield better accuracy of positioning in satellite based navigation.


The current ionospheric model accuracy is significantly better compared to other ionospheric models used in single frequency GPS users,” said Dr. S. Tulasiram from IIG, one of the two primary researchers, to Sputnik. Named as an ‘Artificial Neural Networks-based global Ionospheric Model’ (ANNIM), the development uses long-term ionospheric observations to predict electron density and peak parameters of the ionised part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, between 46-621 miles above the surface.


The model successfully reproduced large-scale anomalies in the ionosphere caused by solar and cosmic radiation. “This model can be applied for all kinds of GNSS based positioning, aviation and navigation applications,” Tulasiram noted, when asked whether this model will be beneficial for armed forces in aiming at enemy targets. The development is crucial for armed forces as, over the past few years, Indian armed forces have, like all militaries, sought pinpoint accuracy to minimise collateral damage in targeting enemy positions.


Although several fighter jet and other missile systems have been fitted with highly-accurate navigation systems, few weapons in service can yet take advantage of this model. It was noted that the model can also be used for scientific investigations into space weather. Scientists have previously modeled the ionosphere using theoretical and empirical techniques, but an accurate prediction of electron density remains the holy grail for precise positioning. ANNIM replicates the processes the human brain uses to solve problems including pattern recognition, classification, clustering, generalization, linear and nonlinear data fitting, and time-series predictions. Very few attempts have been made to model global ionosphere variability using ANNIMs. “The model can minimize positioning errors in navigation. It may not be possible to eliminate the errors completely,” Tulasiram emphasised.

idrw.org .Read more at India No 1 Defence News Website http://idrw.org/india-develops-unique-model-to-hit-enemy-targets-without-positioning-error/ .

 

[Mikesingh]

IA - fighting a three pronged enemy - Pak, terrorism and now COVID-19

 

[Assassin 2.0]

India replaces Russia as third biggest military spender, says SIPRI



India's military expenditure rose 6.8 per cent year-on-year to $71.1 billion in 2019, driven by tensions and rivalry with Pakistan and China
Chitranjan Kumar | New Delhi, Tuesday, April 28, 2020 | 17:09 IST
India has now become the third largest military spender in the world, behind the United States and China, according to data released by global think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

India's military expenditure stood at $71.1 billion in 2019, a 6.8 per cent increase compared with 2018, as per SIPRI's annual report data released on Monday.

"India's tensions and rivalry with both Pakistan and China are among the major drivers for its increased military spending," says Siemon T. Wezeman, SIPRI Senior Researcher.

In the Union Budget 2020-21, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allotted Rs 4,71,378 crore ($ 66.9 billion) for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is equivalent to 15.49 per cent of the total central government expenditure.

Meanwhile, total global military expenditure rose by 3.6 per cent to $1.917 trillion in 2019, which was the largest annual growth in spending since 2010. The world's military spending in 2019 was equivalent to 2.2 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), which equates to approximately $249 per person. "Global military expenditure was 7.2 per cent higher in 2019 than it was in 2010, showing a trend that military spending growth has accelerated in recent years," says Dr Nan Tian, SIPRI Researcher.

The five largest spenders in 2019, which accounted for 62 per cent of expenditure, were the United States, China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia. This was the first time that two Asian states had featured among the top three military spenders, the report said.

In 2019, China was the second largest military spender in the world, with its expenditure reaching $261 billion in 2019, a 5.1 per cent increase compared with 2018.


In addition to China and India, Japan ($47.6 billion) and South Korea ($43.9 billion) were the largest military spenders in Asia and Oceania. Military expenditure in the region has risen every year since at least 1989, the report said.

Military spending by the United States grew by 5.3 per cent to $732 billion in 2019 and accounted for 38 per cent of global military spending. The increase in US spending in 2019 alone was equivalent to the entirety of Germany's military expenditure for that year. "The recent growth in US military spending is largely based on a perceived return to competition between the great powers," says Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher at SIPRI.

In 2019, Russia was the fourth-largest spender in the world. Russia increased its military expenditure by 4.5 per cent to $65.1 billion. "At 3.9 per cent of its GDP, Russia's military spending burden was among the highest in Europe in 2019,'" says Alexandra Kuimova, Researcher at SIPRI.

Germany led military expenditure increases in Europe, with 10 per cent growth to $49.3 billion in 2019. This was the largest increase in spending among the top 15 military spenders in 2019.

"The growth in German military spending can partly be explained by the perception of an increased threat from Russia, shared by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states," says Diego Lopes da Silva, Researcher at SIPRI.

At the same time, military spending by France and the United Kingdom remained relatively stable.

 

[Bhadra]

Army wants spouses to learn history, global affairs & ability to avail social schemes for troops​

Army wants spouses to learn history, global affairs & ability to avail social schemes for troops

Ajay BanerjeeTribune News ServiceNew Delhi, April 29

www.tribuneindia.com

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 29

In an attempt to give Army wives welfare association (AWWA) a wider role, the Indian Army has moved a concept note of having a deeper ‘spouse support system’.

This looks to train the spouses of young officers on reading up on the history of the Army and how to handle social media.

As the officer rises in ranks, the spouse is briefed on global issues.

Most importantly, the Army wants the AWWA to effectively link to Government of India (GoI) schemes for women like Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme, Mudra Loan, Awas Yojana, Ujwala scheme, which will help the wives and daughter of troops.

The note has not yet been approved for implementation.


The need has been felt that as the husband rises in service, the spouse is asked to shoulder wider responsibilities.

These may be associated with managing Army-run schools in remote areas, skilling centres, medical outfits, enabling vocational pursuits, hostels for children, shopping arcades within military stations, issues related to social maladjustment or marital discord among troops.

“These responsibilities which were once merely ‘ex - officio’, have to be dealt with in a far more engaged manner today, because they have become more complex and have acquired financial and legal overtones,” says the 37-page concept note which has been circulated.

Rising aspirations means there is a need to transit to a more modern framework of engagement.

The note observes that Army spouses are presently employing ‘empathy’ to redress myriad issues such as alcoholism, discord, stress, self-harm, anxiety or depression.



contd............

 

[Bhadra]

Army wants spouses to learn history, global affairs & ability to avail social schemes for troops

The spouse, unless being a trained professional in the field, does not have the competence to discern patterns of suicidal tendencies, anxiety or clinical depression, at any such voluntary counselling of the wives of troops.

In the Army, the wives of the troops can lodge a complaint to the AWWA in case of a marital discord.

The AWWA, headed by the wife of Army Chief is an NGO.

The Army prefers it that way to keep matters within and prevent any long-winded legal wrangling the troops may face.

Based on an internal analysis, the Army’s idea of ‘spouse training’ including upgrading the skills to manage change and ensure feedback on family matters.


The Army spouses will be trained to have basic working knowledge of law to be able to appreciate legal advice on litigations in family courts.

The spouses of senior generals should have developed a high level of security consciousness aligned to the prevailing geo-political situation in the country as also the security outlook of the Indian Army.

This is needed as spouses are present at major international functions.

“To know what not to say at these events is vital,” said an official adding that the concept is followed by the US forces.

 

[Assassin 2.0]

 

[bhramos]

TATA 2038 6×6 HMV in service with the #IndianArmy 1239 units ordered in 2015 & additional order of 619 units placed in 2016.

 

[Akula]

TATA 2038 6×6 HMV in service with the #IndianArmy 1239 units ordered in 2015 & additional order of 619 units placed in 2016.

Any update about Tata Merlin a.k.a LSV? Has army ordered it?

 

[Holy Triad]

#IndianArmy soldier aiming his #AK47 towards the residential house in which militants wre hiding including Hizb Ops Cdr #ReyazNaikoo in #Beighpora #Awantipura, yesterday Naiko was killed by joint team of forces
@crpf_srinagar

@ChinarcorpsIA
along with associate.
@SudarshanNewsTV



Look closely at the Charging handle,seems like the jawan took a 5.56 spent case and stuck it over the handle for smooth handling.



The age old 5.56 vs 7.62x39 argument got more interesting.

Unknowingly(or is he?) He took a hard jab on 556

 

[Alfalfa]

Right, the terrain is not friendly to any specific community or people from any area. Till that is understood very thing is OK.

There is a general trend to hide behind, oh Army is secular and represented by all sub-ethnicities, this is simply not true. Not you, just a general observation!

 

[Bhadra]

There is a general trend to hide behind, oh Army is secular and represented by all sub-ethnicities, this is simply not true. Not you, just a general observation!

Wait ..Wait... where the hell you intended to take me...

There is nothing to hide... that is a reality... Indian Army is truly Secular from Indian standards (not leftist standards) and it represents all India proportionately as per their young male recruitable population including Scheduled castes and OBCs who have their own Regiments besides being GD soldiers.. you can check that amongst the list of casualties of IA like many JNU stalwarts were doing it a few months back. That is the policy, and anyone is always welcome to put an RTI on MoD....
So far Muslims are concerned not even 2% of them are tenth class pass and possess very poor physical standards ... what can Army do?

Go do it .... you have some wrong ideas friend.
I hope the forum has checked your credentials ???????

 

[Bhadra]

Why are you always itching for an argument... I have no wrong Ideas, the issue I was trying to raise was of ethnic composure.... All 4 South Indian states, Gujarat and JnK are poorly represented in the army... its a fact, don't want to get into the caste or Muslim angle.

Im not going to do anything, you need to chill your vibe man... Its aggressive all the time, even when not talking to me

[-- Redacted --]

The south Indian States - none of them are Unrepresented less than their quota. They are represented in Madras Regiment which is one of the Largest Regiment, Madras Engineers - many battalions, Regiment of Artillery = many regiments, Armoured Corps and Mechanised Infantry...

Indian Army has very good soldiers from all over South.
J&K has one of the largest representation via Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Ladakh Scouts with about 50 per cent Muslims.

Gujarat people are not interested but there are Gujraties in Grenadiers.

When you do not much. you should not be cocksure and start bullshitting.

 

[Skyh3ck]

[-- Redacted --]

The south Indian States - none of them are Unrepresented less than their quota. They are represented in Madras Regiment which is one of the Largest Regiment, Madras Engineers - many battalions, Regiment of Artillery = many regiments, Armoured Corps and Mechanised Infantry...

Indian Army has very good soldiers from all over South.
J&K has one of the largest representation via Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Ladakh Scouts with about 50 per cent Muslims.

Gujarat people are not interested but there are Gujraties in Grenadiers.

When you do not much. you should not be cocksure and start bullshitting.

I have seen many kshatriya clans are into army.. not all but many of them

And indian army has soldiers from all over India.. majority soldeirs are from border or norhtherd state.. because for thousands of year this region seen many great kingdoms and wars.. hence over many centuries being in army is normal thing..

Some people question Gujarat.. man..check your fact.. I have seen many village in Gujarat who has at least one army man..

Gujarat was part of old rajpurana region and culturally it's same as rajsthan, up, haryana etc.. Gujarat has great history.. just read about its warrior.. after the islamic invasion it was terrible for Gujarat rajputs to keep fighting without a strong ledaer and due to its location on borde and sea route .. people developed business skill


But yes Gujarat has rajputs and they join army.. their number are less compare to other state

 

[Bhadra]

I have seen many kshatriya clans are into army.. not all but many of them

And indian army has soldiers from all over India.. majority soldeirs are from border or norhtherd state.. because for thousands of year this region seen many great kingdoms and wars.. hence over many centuries being in army is normal thing..

Some people question Gujarat.. man..check your fact.. I have seen many village in Gujarat who has at least one army man..

Gujarat was part of old rajpurana region and culturally it's same as rajsthan, up, haryana etc.. Gujarat has great history.. just read about its warrior.. after the islamic invasion it was terrible for Gujarat rajputs to keep fighting without a strong ledaer and due to its location on borde and sea route .. people developed business skill


But yes Gujarat has rajputs and they join army.. their number are less compare to other state

Indeed.
Gujarat has given IA some very good Generals like Randhir Sinhsa Ji and many other Sinhajis...many are in BSF and IN but very less in army as soldiers.

 

[Indrajit]

[-- Redacted --]

The south Indian States - none of them are Unrepresented less than their quota. They are represented in Madras Regiment which is one of the Largest Regiment, Madras Engineers - many battalions, Regiment of Artillery = many regiments, Armoured Corps and Mechanised Infantry...

Indian Army has very good soldiers from all over South.
J&K has one of the largest representation via Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Ladakh Scouts with about 50 per cent Muslims.

Gujarat people are not interested but there are Gujraties in Grenadiers.

When you do not much. you should not be cocksure and start bullshitting.

You left out the Maratha Light Infantry, headquartered in Belgaum, Karnataka which also draws some of its men from North Karnataka.

There is little point to suggest that S.Indians dont get equal opportunities, the factvremaibs that thet have many different opportunities which may be the cause for reduced interest on joining the forces. Karnataka has quiet a few joining up but most of the are from N.Karnataka and few from the more prosperous south including Coorg which was a big recruiting ground earlier.

This is how it is the world over and India is no different. Actually, this is even true of the civil services where states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu dont send many IAS officers for central deputation as compared to the NE, UP and Bihar. Officers simply have no great incentive leaving these states even though these state cadres are drawn from all over the country.