Experts Speak
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March 9, 2020
Exporting SWATHI
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India has bagged a deal over Russia and Poland to supply 4 x Swathi Weapon Locating Radars to Armenia at a cost of $40 million. This is good news.
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March 9, 2020
China's Combat Robots
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The use of robots in warfare, which earlier was a topic for science fiction, is increasingly being researched to fight future wars.
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March 9, 2020
Beijing's Compulsive Proliferation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On February 3, 2020, a Chinese Ship 'Dai Cui Yun' was detained by Customs at Kandla Port on basis of an intelligence tip off.
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March 9, 2020
Structure of Department of Military Affairs (DMA)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Structure of the newly established Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) heading it as Secretary DMA, has come up with the news of its organisation released through the media in installments.
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February 26, 2020
Visit of President Donald Trump
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US President Donald Trump's maiden visit to India witnessed Indo-US Strategic Partnership transit into 'Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership'.
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February 26, 2020
LUH to replace Cheetahs/Chetaks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is good news in the offing on the indigenous helicopter front. On February 7, 2020 the Light Utility Helicopter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited obtained the initial clearance from the DRDO paving the way for its production.
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February 26, 2020
Indigenous Anti-Drone System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An indigenous Anti-Drone System developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully tested on February 21, 2020 in destroying a drone.
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February 26, 2020
Air Defence and Delhi's Missile Shield
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It was mentioned in these columns recently that India-Russia negotiations are underway for the supply of IGLA-S man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS), contract is likely to be concluded by end 2020...
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February 26, 2020
Pakistan Escapes FATF 'Black List'
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On February 20, 2020, last day of its five-day meeting to review Pakistan's progress towards the implementation of its 27-point action plan...
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February 26, 2020
Changing Dynamics of Indo-Pacific
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Close on the heels of India (in partnership with Australia and Indonesia) organising the fourth East Asia Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation at Chennai...
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February 10, 2020
Defence Budget 2020-2021
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Presenting the budget for FY 2020-2021 in Parliament on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention defence at all, which isn't surprising given her attitude towards the Armed Forces.
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February 10, 2020
Bodo Accord Bodes Peace
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Bodo Accord signed between the Government of India and Bodos on January 23, 2020 is a significant step that would contribute greatly towards ushering peace in the turbulent northeast.
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February 10, 2020
The Specter of PFI
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The ugly face of the Popular Front of India (PFI) causing arson and deaths in the recent riots in Uttar Pradesh has been established, as also for anti-CAA protests in Delhi.
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February 10, 2020
Indigenous K-4 and Pranash Missiles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On January 19, 2020 India successfully tested the indigenous K-4 missile of Vizag coast. K-4 is a nuclear capable Intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile developed by the DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines.
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February 10, 2020
Snubbed Pakistan Remains Impervious
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo while launching the 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance on February 5, 2020 commented...
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February 10, 2020
IGLA-S Man-portable AD System (MANPADS)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to an official representative of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), contracts are under negotiation to supply India with Russian-made IGLA-S man-portable air defence missiles and to organise their production on Indian soil.
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Defexpo 2020 Special
NEST, the Military and DefExpo
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)ccording to media reports, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has established a new ministerial division termed ‘NEST’ denoting New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies.
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Defexpo 2020 Special
Indian Defence Industry
By Major General Arun Kumar Varma (Retd)In order for India to possess a technologically advanced and self-sufficient defence industry, a lot will depend on maintaining a conducive eco-system for all stakeholders and a robust framework for effective implementation of reforms.
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January 20, 2020
Defence Budget – Now and Next
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's defence budget for 2019-20 stands at 3.18 lakh crore. This included a capital outlay of just 1,03,394 crore that is not enough to upgrade capabilities and more money is required to avoid a funding crisis.
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January 20, 2020
China Snubbed at UNSC
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China shamelessly made a third attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN this month on behalf of protégé Pakistan.
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Defexpo 2020 Special | January 4, 2020
India's First CDS – what should be the priorities
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Speaking to reporters India's first CDS General Bipin Rawat has said, "As per the task given to the CDS we have to enhance integration and do better resource management. We have to achieve more synergy and integration. This is the motive. All the three services will work as a team.
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Defexpo 2020 Special | January 4, 2020
Key Priorities for New Army Chief
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Soon after taking over as the new Chief of Army Staff, General M.M. Naravane warned Pakistan to desist from sponsoring terrorism, saying, "We have evolved a strategy of resolute punitive response against sponsored terrorism.
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January 4, 2020
Upgraded Pinaka Rocket System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On December 19-20, 2019, the upgraded version of Pinaka guided rocket system was successfully test-fired to a range of 90 km from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.
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January 4, 2020
Chabahar-Zahedan Rail Link
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Iran last month, December 2019, and met Iranian President on December 23.
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January 4, 2020
Indigenous QRSAM
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile System (QRSAM) developed by the DRDO was successfully flight tested on December 23, 2019 from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha's Chandipur.
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January 4, 2020
India-China Boundary Talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Special Representatives of India and China respectively met on December 21, 2019 at Agra for the 22nd round of talks aimed at a border settlement.
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December 23, 2019
Indo-US-2+2 Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)December 18, 2019 saw the Indo-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue at Washington DC; External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from India and the US side represented by Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper.
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December 23, 2019
Maritime Surveillance
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the centre of gravity of conflict veering towards the Indian Ocean, the requirement of maritime surveillance of the Indian Navy (IN) is in more limelight.
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December 23, 2019
Coming – High-Speed Internet and Mobile Launchpad
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is more good news in the offing from ISRO. By mid 2020 or rather June 2020, ISRO is planning to launch a mega satellite 'GSAT-20' which will provide the high speed internet of 100 Gbps (gigabits per second) or more to India's rural and remote areas.
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December 23, 2019
India-Australia 2+2 Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The third edition of India-Australia Foreign and Defence Secretaries' Dialogue (2+2) was held on December 9, 2019, in New Delhi.
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December 23, 2019
Akash Missile System – Dismal Saga
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 'Akash' missile indigenously produced by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in the news again for the wrong reasons.
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December 23, 2019
New Assault Rifles after 15 years
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of December 14 indicate that soldiers deployed on the borders with Pakistan and China have finally started receiving new assault rifles after a wait of almost 15 years.
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December 5, 2019
Visit of Sri Lankan President
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The two-day state visit of Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to India commencing November 29, his first foreign visit after assuming presidency, has signaled a new beginning, contours of which will unfold in coming months.
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December 5, 2019
CARTOSAT-3 launched, NavIC approved
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 successfully launched Earth observation satellite Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nano-satellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota on November 27.
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December 5, 2019
Chandrayaan 3 and Moon Landing
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On October 18, 2019, ISRO released the first illuminated images of the Moon’s lunar surface captures by the Imaging Infrared Spectrometer (IRSS) on board Chandrayaan-2.
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December 5, 2019
Indigenous Bullet Proof Jackets
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On October 18, 2019, Major General Anil Oberoi (Retd) of SMPP Pvt Ltd told media that 40,000 bullet proof jackets have been supplied to the Indian Army (IA) for its troops carrying out anti-terror operations in the Kashmir valley.
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December 5, 2019
M777 Howitzers under 'Make in India'
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of November 18 indicate that the first regiment of ultra-light howitzers in the Artillery will include three locally built howitzers in collaboration with Mahindra Defence, under the ‘Make in India’ initiative in addition to 15 x BAE M777 howitzers imported from the US in ready condition.
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December 5, 2019
Boost for Defence Startups
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Speaking at the ‘Defence Connect’ seminar on November 11, 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Looking at the talent India possesses, I am pretty confident that we can become a $10 trillion economy in the next 10-15 years”.
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November 15, 2019
Defence Minister’s Russia Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow on November 5 for a three day visit to Russia. This was his first visit to Moscow as Defence Minister.
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November 15, 2019
IA Cadre Restructuring
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Army (IA) is undergoing cadre restructuring. As per media, two officers per battalion are being reduced, totaling up to overall reduction of some 4,500 officers.
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November 15, 2019
Indigenous Stealth Fighter
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of October 29 state "with the IAF now backing the indigenous development of a fifth generation fighter aircraft" (FGFA), it is all systems go...
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November 15, 2019
‘Tiger Triumph’ and ‘Sindhu Sudarshan-VII’ kick off
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Two prominent military exercises kicked off back to back on November 13. ‘Tiger Triumph’, the Indo-US tri-services exercise under aegis of HQ Integrated commenced on India’s eastern seaboard, in the Bay of Bengal and will continue till November 21.
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November 15, 2019
Anti-Drone Urgency
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Despite the Kartarpur Corridor having become operational, Pakistan’s hate-India campaign shows no signs of abating. This is not surprising because this is the very basis for the Pakistan army to maintain complete control over the country...
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November 15, 2019
China to Mars, India to Venus
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China’s state-run media recently created a buzz in space exploration by announcing plans for a manned mission to Mars (the Red Planet), with a manned mission to the moon as the first step.
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November 4, 2019
Sri Lanka Elections – Beijing's Gain?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Next elections are scheduled in Sri Lanka on November 16. President Sirisena is not contesting. He had caused a constitutional crisis last year by sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe replacing him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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November 4, 2019
NSCN (K) Specter on Naga Talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As the government deadline of October 31, 2019 for final settlement to the Naga dispute approached, talks with the NSCN (IM) by the government side headed by Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi was undergoing a difficult inconclusive phase.
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November 4, 2019
Army Uses M982 Excalibur Ammunition
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On October 20, 2019, Indian Army (IA) for the first time used the 155mm M982 Excalibur artillery rounds against Pakistani positions and terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).
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November 4, 2019
Indigenous Hypersonic Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of October 2019 indicate that DRDO has commenced work on a next generation hypersonic weapon – a missile that can travel at five times the speed of sound, or a little over 1.6 km every second, and for testing and fine tuning...
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November 4, 2019
Siachen Tourism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The government has decided to open Siachen to the tourists. Inaugurating the Colonel Chewang Rinchen Bridge on Shyok River in Eastern Ladakh about 45 km from the China border on October 21, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that the Siachen area, the world's highest battlefield, is now open to tourists.
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November 4, 2019
Ninth DTTI Meet
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The ninth Indo-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) held at New Delhi on October 24, 2019 has reportedly focused on collaboration in drone swarms, counter-drone measures and other hi-tech military technologies.
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October 18, 2019
Modi-Xi Chennai Connect
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was held at Mamallapuram (UNESCO heritage) on October 11-12, which Modi termed "Chennai connect".
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October 18, 2019
73rd Infantry Day Celebrations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Infantry will celebrate its 73rd Infantry Day on October 27 to commemorate the selfless dedication to duty by Indian Army's gallant Infantrymen, a wreath laying ceremony will be held at 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' where General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, along with senior officers, will lay wreaths in a solemn ceremony.
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October 18, 2019
FATF, Pakistan and Bankruptcy of Counter Terrorism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In early September this year, a 15-member Pakistani delegation led by the Hammad Azhar, Minister for Economic Affairs Division met with the Asia Pacific Group (APG), regional body of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)...
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October 18, 2019
IMRH to Replace Mi-17 Helicopters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of August 2019 indicate that India is set to embark on a 10,000 crore Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) project; to develop an indigenous medium lift helicopter that will replace all imports in that class for the Armed Forces – namely Mi-17 helicopters.
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October 18, 2019
Seahawks are Coming
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Going by news reports, the Indian Navy is set to acquire 24 x MH60R Seahawk Anti-Submarine Helicopters at a probable cost of $109 million per helicopter – total cost about $2.616 billion.
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October 18, 2019
Transborder Intelligence Operations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to news reports of October 15, 2019, quoting un-named senior officials, Army's monitors along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan have fallen silent for over two months now, affecting intelligence operations.
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October 16, 2019
AN AIR MARSHAL'S TAKE
HAL unions on an indefinite strike
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)An indefinite strike by employees of HAL will not only undermine the Indian aerospace industry, but will also be injurious to national aspirations as well.
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October 7, 2019
Visit of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on October 3 on a four day visit. Her first engagement was as Chief Guest in the India Economic Summit by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on October 3-4.
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October 7, 2019
Modi-Trump Bilateral – little gain
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a bilateral meeting on September 24 on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly session.
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October 7, 2019
China's 70th Anniversary
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's 70th anniversary celebrations displayed its military and economic might with the biggest ever military parade on October 1, even as Hong Kong witnessed massive demonstration on the same day with hundreds of youth battling police and locals also out on the street.
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October 7, 2019
Howdy Modi, Howdy UNGA
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 'Howdy Modi' mega event at Houston's NRG stadium on September 22 with PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump holding centre stage, and the 74th session of UNGA, particularly the speeches by Modi and Pakistan's Imran Khan on September 27 were viewed globally.
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October 7, 2019
AR-ITBP Merger – will the 'deep state' succeed?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is important to understand the 'real' reason behind the call for merger of Assam Rifles (AR) and ITBP, which media doesn't mention. The 'deep state' has struck again through the MHA; merger to bring AR completely under MHA, whose operational control is presently under Army.
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October 7, 2019
New Road to Doklam
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has converted an erstwhile mule track from Bheem Base to Doka La in Sikkim held by India Army, that will make it easier to enter the Doklam Valley, which was the site of a 73-day military standoff between Indian Army and China's PLA; where the Chumbi valley of China occupied Tibet (COT), Bhutan and India converge.
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September 17, 2019
Next Modi-Xi Informal Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As time approached for the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2019, China took the despicable step of orchestrating a closed door meeting of the United National...
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September 17, 2019
Exoskeleton Suits for Army Soldiers
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)If news reports are to be believed, Defence Bioengineering and Electro-medical Laboratory (DEBEL) of the DRDO has been for some time collating data for Simulation and Analysis of Musco-skeletal parts...
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September 17, 2019
Beyond Chandrayaan 2
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Drone war attained a new landmark with Houthi some 19 armed drones hitting two oil processing facilities of Saudi Arabia - Aramco's Abqaiq refinery and the Khurais oil field.
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September 17, 2019
Miniature Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Drone war attained a new landmark with Houthi some 19 armed drones hitting two oil processing facilities of Saudi Arabia - Aramco's Abqaiq refinery and the Khurais oil field.
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September 17, 2019
Indigenous Sniper Rifles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In February 2018, MoD had approved procurement of 5,719 sniper rifles for the Army and Air Force at an estimated cost of 982 crore from the global market under the 'Buy Global' categorisation, the ammunition for which was to be initially procured and subsequently manufactured in India.
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September 17, 2019
Imran 'Taliban' Khan is in Pitiable State
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran 'Taliban' Khan is in pitiable state. His army chief General Q.J. Bajwa (QJB) has handed him the impossible task of organising international intervention or mediation on Kashmir.
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September 5, 2019
20th India-Russia Annual Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 20th Annual India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit in Vladivostok, Russia and the 5th Eastern Economic Forum as the Chief Guest on September 4-5.
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September 5, 2019
Corporatising OFB – how serious are we?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)National dailies reported on August 22, government's decision to turn the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) into a public sector corporate for increasing exports, self-reliance, add latest technologies and innovations.
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September 5, 2019
Exchanging Defence Land
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During NDA-1, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharanman's unilateral order to open all 62 military cantonments to public made headlines, with political victory parades led by MPs/MLAs marching through cantonments.
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September 5, 2019
Army's Uniform Uniformity
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Recent media reports indicate that the Army has decided to do away with differences in the attires of officers above the rank of Colonel.
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September 5, 2019
Robot Tank, Robot Warship
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In March 2018, a video from CCTV-7 Chinese military channel, posted by the Chinese streaming platform Sohu, showed a PLA soldier driving the Type 59 from an independent computer terminal with a steering wheel to control and drive...
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September 5, 2019
Kamikaze Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In July 2019, news emerged that the US Department of Defense (DoD) wants to purchase the Hero-120 loitering drone (termed "kamikaze" or "killer" drones) from Israel for operations by US Special Operations Forces (SOF).
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August 22, 2019
CDS Finally Coming
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In his characteristic style, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised the nation on August 15 by announcing India will have a CDS to head the Army, Navy and Air Force.
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August 22, 2019
India Wins Army Scout Masters 2019
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Concluding on August 14, 2019, India comprehensively won the Army Scout Masters Competition 2019 held from August 6 to August 14 at Jaisalmer.
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August 22, 2019
Mounting Air Crashes are Disconcerting
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mounting number of air crashes of military aircraft should be a matter of deep concern.
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August 22, 2019
Coming - Light Strike Vehicles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Recommendations of the Study on 'Modernisation of Special Forces' undertaken by Military Operations Directorate, Army Headquarters in 2002, included the provision of Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) to Army's Special Forces battalions.
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August 22, 2019
Pakistan Frustrated - Caution Warranted
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Frustration is writ large on the face of Imran Khan, Pakistan's Prime Minister; pleading, begging world over.
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August 22, 2019
INS 'Sindhuvir' for Myanmar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India is to transfer INS Sindhuvir, a Kilo-class submarine, to Myanmar later this year after being refitted indigenously.
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August 17, 2019
Abrogation of Special Status Under Article 370 – Security Implications
By General Deepak Kapoor (Retd), Former Army Chief'Special status' came as a handy tool along with religion for the Pakistan army to exploit the differentiation of Kashmiris from the rest of the country.
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August 14, 2019
Article 370 Abrogation - History Corrected
By Lt General A.B. Shivane (Retd)Article 370 acted as a hindrance to the holistic development of J&K.
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August 8, 2019
Kashmir Integrated
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a historic announcement in Parliament on August 4, Government announced the Presidential decree of abrogating Article 370 and reorganisation of J&K State into the Union Territories of J&K.
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August 8, 2019
PM Modi's Bhutan Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bhutan on August 17-18. After assuming the premiership second time, Modi's visit is in line with government's focus on 'Neighbours First' policy; which will further strengthen India's special relationship with Bhutan.
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August 8, 2019
The Chimera of Military Integration
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In 2004, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing the Combined Commanders Conference had said, "Reforms within the Armed Forces involve recognition of the fact that our Navy, Air Forces and Army can no longer function in compartments with exclusive chains of command and single service operational plans."
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August 8, 2019
Defence Exports
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of May 2019 indicated India had relaxed procedures to speed up arms sales to foreign countries.
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August 8, 2019
Space War Exercise
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Post India's successful test of an anti-satellite (ASAT) interceptor missile to destroy the 740kg Microsat-R satellite, at an altitude of 283km in the low earth orbit (LEO) on March 27 this year termed 'Mission Shakti', India conducted the first ever simulated space war exercise 'IndSpaceEx' on July 25-26.
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August 8, 2019
LRAD replacing Pellet Guns?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Going by news reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the use of 'sound cannon', devices that can emit pain-inducing sound waves, on rampaging mobs in the Valley.
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July 22, 2019
India: A Space Super Power
By Air Marshal SBP Sinha (Retd)India is running a vibrant space programme for its security, economic development and technological progress. So far, India has launched 115 satellites; three in 1970s, 11 in 1980s, 16 in 1990s, 24 in first decade of 21st century and 61 till date in current decade.
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July 19, 2019
Kartarpur Corridor – Pakistan's terror gambit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)When Navjot Singh Sidhu returned from Pakistan after hugging the Pakistani army chief Q.J.Bajwa at swearing in of PM Imran Khan on August 18, 2018, he announced Pakistan has agreed to open the Kartarpur Corridor.
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July 19, 2019
Sniper Rifles Delay – can we slash red tape?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On February 13, 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Ministerhad approved procurement of 5,719 sniper rifles for the Army and Air Force at an estimated cost of Rs 982 crore from the global market under...
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July 19, 2019
Indigenous CornerShot
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of June 2019 state that the Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune has developed 'Trikaal' CornerShot Weapon System (CSWS) which has in recent past undergone user trials by Rashtriya Rifles at the Pashan Range.
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July 19, 2019
Japan's US-2i – back on track?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slated to come to India in September-October this year for the annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussion has emerged in the media about India procuring...
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July 19, 2019
Army CEO for MIA AK-203 OFB Factory
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Headlines like "Army chief's new experiment - Major General is CEO of AK-203 rifle factory in Amethi" appeared in the media recently, highlighting that Major General Sanjeev Sengar has been appointed CEO for four years...
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July 19, 2019
Army's Social Media Diktat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Going by media reports, Army has issued a directive for serving personnel not to be part "large groups" on internet-based chat or email services, in order to control leak of sensitive information about the Armed Forces since enemy agencies could access such information.
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July 16, 2019
Temporary setback for mission to the Moon
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)ISRO plans to send three Indians into space on an Indian-built spacecraft achieving the first manned mission into space.
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July 11, 2019
Throwing Out The Baby With The Bath Water
By Lt. General Vijay Oberoi (Retd)What is most galling is the surreptitious manner in which the news was made public and the hesitancy of Army Headquarters to openly state that they were the initiators of the move.
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July 6, 2019
First Budget of Modi 2.0 - defence ignored
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Budget 2019 of the new NDA government lead by Narendra Modi in parliament on June 5, 2019, with what she described as a 10-year vision.
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July 6, 2019
20 years after Kargil Conflict
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas falls on July 26, 2019. Celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of Kargil victory are being spread over three days - July 25 to July 27 at Dras in J&K and at New Delhi.
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July 6, 2019
Puncturing Disability
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is considerable debate over a Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) circular dated June 24, 2019 saying that tax exemption for disability pension will be "available only to armed forces personnel who have been invalidated from service on account of bodily disability attributable...
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July 6, 2019
Chandrayaan-2 and NSIL
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chandrayaan-2 is slated to fly off to the moon on July 15. Chandrayaan-1 launched on October 22, 2008, not only made India become the fourth nation to join this elite lunar exploratory club after the US, Russia and China, India also discovered the presence of water on the moon for the first time, which was acknowledged by NASA.
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July 6, 2019
Pakistan's FATF Noose
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The last Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session was held in Orlando, US, on June 21. 2019. A stern statement at the end of its outcome document warned Pakistan that it could face a blacklisting in FATF's next session scheduled in coming October...
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July 6, 2019
Second JAI Trilateral at Osaka
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the first ever meeting of JAI (acronym for the Japan-America-India Trilateral coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi using first alphabet of each...
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June 15, 2019
100 Day Agenda of the new NDA government
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Concurrent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government assuming charge, the Niti Ayog has announced on May 29, 2019, that government will consider a slew of proposals over the next 100 days to complete unfinished goals of fine-tuning reforms like the bankruptcy code...
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June 15, 2019
When HAL Went Pauper
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of May 29, 2019 revealed that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had plummeted to a meager 140 crore by March 31, 2019; lowest since 2004.
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June 15, 2019
Modi's Maldives, Sri Lanka Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Close on the heels of oath taking of Modi-led NDA government on May 30, 2019 attended by heads of BIMSTEC nations, re-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first overseas visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka on June 8-9...
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June 15, 2019
Focus Space
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Post successful demonstration of anti-satellite test (ASAT) capability by India in March 2019, the government has cleared setting up of a new agency called the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRO).
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June 15, 2019
The Education-Radicalisation Connect
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The new NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced it will roll out a plan for modernising madrassa education next month.
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June 15, 2019
Maoists, Mining and Environment
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As per news reports of June 11, 2019, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has stopped all mining activities at Dantewada Iron Ore Deposit after tribal protest for days.
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May 31, 2019
BIMSTEC Heads at Modi 2.0 Inaugural
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a deft move of immense significance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited heads of the Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations to the swearing-in ceremony of his new...
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May 31, 2019
Of Drones and Bombs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Rapid advancements in technology is empowering militarires as well as terrorists. This includes armed drones and remote controlled bombs. In May 2019, Indonesian police raided a terrorist cell with ability to use Wi-Fi to detonate explosive devices.
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May 31, 2019
New Eye in the Sky
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On May 22 May 22, 2019, ISRO achieved another feather in its cap by successfully launching RISAT – 2B; microwave radar imaging earth observation satellite.
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May 31, 2019
Army Scout Masters Competition 2019
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India for the first time will be hosting 'Army Scout Masters Competition', which is part of 'International Army Games' steered by Russia annually since August 2015.
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May 31, 2019
Faulty Ammunition Kills
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Buried in pages of national dailies was recent news about the army raising an alarm over rising accidents with indigenous faulty ammunition.
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May 31, 2019
Relocating Military Cantonments
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is not known whether the scholar who recently wrote the article 'How new military bases could seed new cities and create jobs' recently is on the payroll of Pakistan's ISI or of Beijing or he aims to cash on the greed of politicians to gobble land...
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May 20, 2019
Agenda for Next Defence Minister
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India is to have a new government shortly. It is, therefore, prudent to list out what should be the agenda for the next Defence Minister.
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May 20, 2019
IAF Receives First Apache
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The first AH-64E (I) - Apache Guardian helicopter was formally handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) on May 10, 2019 at Mesa in a formal ceremony at the Boeing production facility in Arizona, USA.
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May 20, 2019
Naval Drills in South China Sea
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Navies of India, US, Japan and Philippines recently conducted a six-day long joint naval drill in the South China Sea (SCS) that concluded on May 6, 2019.
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May 20, 2019
Boosting Short-Service Commission?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to news reports of May 9, 2019, the Armed Forces are close to finalising the package to make short-service commission (SSC) more attractive for eligible youth.
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May 20, 2019
Technical Textiles for Armed Forces
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to news reports, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has adopted a policy that raises participation of indigenous firms in manufacturing 'technical textile' for Armed Forces.
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May 20, 2019
New Naval Super Carrier?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of May 5, 2019 indicate that UK is in talks with the Indian government on building a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier on the lines of Britain's HMS 'Queen Elizabeth' as part of ongoing 'Make in India' negotiations.
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May 6, 2019
PLAN's 70th Anniversary Celebrations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) celebrated its 70th founding anniversary on April 23, 2019 with a grand fleet review. More than 10 countries, including India, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam joined the naval parade.
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May 6, 2019
Vital Ladakh road completed – but many questions remain
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports that India has completed the 255-km Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) section of the road between Leh and Karakoram (KK) Pass.
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May 6, 2019
Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)April 21 saw the bloodiest Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. The multiple bombings that shook the island nation resulted in 359 killed and some 600 injured till the last count.
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May 6, 2019
Whaling Enemy Vessels
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Recent sighting of a Beluga whale in Norway sporting a harness with Russian markings has raised considerable alarm and speculation.
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May 6, 2019
Generals in Politics – anything wrong?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The electronic and print media prominently covered induction of seven army Generals into the BJP on April 27 amidst the beaming Raksha Mantri (RM) Nirmala Sitharaman.
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May 6, 2019
Voting by Soldiers
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An incident on April 28, 2019 during voting at Jabalpur, in which army personnel and families from Army's Grenadiers Regimental Centre located at Jabalpur exercised their franchise, should shame the nation.
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April 19, 2019
Masood Azhar, Jinping's Lebensraum and US-Pak Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)After China stalled the UNSC for branding Masood Azhar for the fourth time on March 14, 2019, US, France and UK gave an ultimatum to China to lift her so called 'technical hold' on Masood Azhar's ban by April 23.
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April 19, 2019
Convoy Move in J&K
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On April 3, 2019, the J&K State Government issued a notification that civilian traffic will not be allowed on the Jammu-Baramulla national highway on Sundays and Wednesdays (reserved for move of security forces) till May 31, 2019...
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April 19, 2019
Naxals Kill Another Politician
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On April 9, 2019, BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi and the four security personnel were killed as Naxals targeted his convoy of three vehicles, including the MLA's bullet-proof one, in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh.
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April 19, 2019
Russia's International Army Games - 'ARMY 2019'
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Russia's Defence Ministry is making vigorous preparations for the International Army Games 'ARMY-2019' which are scheduled to be held from August 3 to August 17, 2019.
