Experts Speak
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November 8, 2017
HAL shedding 10 per cent stakes – Token move?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The government has recently approved the sale of 10% stake in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU). Suvarna Raju, CMD of HAL has termed it a “major milestone”.
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November 8, 2017
Downing drones - Russian style
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a previous issue in these columns it was brought out how seriously the US is tackling the menace of drones, having contending with their onslaughts in the fight with the Islamic State.
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November 8, 2017
The tunnel threat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On September 30 this year, the BSF discovered a 14-foor secret tunnel (below the border fence) in Arnia Sector of Jammu. This was the second big tunnel detected by the BSF aside the international border over the last seven months, previous one being in the Ramgarh Sector in Samba region.
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November 8, 2017
Afghanistan via Chabahar — Strategic move
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran in May 2016, The trilateral engagement between India, Iran and Afghanistan was historic, expanding avenues of trade for India with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia through the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).
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November 8, 2017
Army’s image building
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has received considerable flak on social media for having told the media that he agreed to build three foot over bridges in Mumbai for building the image of the Army.
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November 2, 2017
Thumbs Up for the Rotary Wing – Indian Navy
By Rear Admiral Sushil Ramsay (Retd)The Indian Navy is facing acute shortage of the Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for replacing its aging fleet of Chetak helicopters for the frontline Frigates and Offshore Patrol Vessels with small-decks and aircraft carriers, as also for the shore based flights to extend support out at Sea for the smaller ships not designed to carry NUH.
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October 30, 2017
Air operations from expressways & highways: Combat potential & other spin-offs
By Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major (Retd)The recent Air Operations on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway by IAF Fighter & Transport...
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October 23, 2017
Defence Minister's Diwali in Andaman & Nicobar Command
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's two day visit to the Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC), and spending Diwali with the troops and families was a nice gesture.
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October 23, 2017
Sham hostage rescue gets Pakistan kicked
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is becoming quite apparent that the recent marathon nine-hour conference that Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistani army chief had with his corps commanders included plans how to continue befooling the US; aim being to convince the Americans that Pakistan was sincere in cooperating with them in fighting terrorism.
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October 23, 2017
Combating Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On 13 October 2017, the Taliban claimed downing a US drone in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan.
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October 23, 2017
Swati Weapon Locating Radar - Good development
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As Pakistan plunges more into the dungeons of terrorism and toss morals and ethics aside, its military is targeting more and more villages in cross-border...
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October 23, 2017
The AWACS Glut
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The news about the IAF facing grave shortage of airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) surveillance planes is not good, and should make authorities sit up.
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October 23, 2017
Modular bunkers - Define priorities first
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to media reports the Army is looking for Lego-like modular, portable, bullet and blast-proof bunkers to replace stone-mud-log and steel shelters as it secures the nation's frontiers against China and Pakistan.
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October 17, 2017
Visit of James Mattis — And Indo-US Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US Secretary of Defence James Mattis arrived on a two-day visit at New Delhi on September 25 to hold talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He is the first cabinet rank official under the Trump administration to visit India.
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October 17, 2017
The Rohingya Challenge
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The latest wave of Rohingya terrorist violence began on August 25, 2017, with multiple police and army posts targeted in Myanamr. According to one report in the early hours of August 25, 150 armed Rohingyas attacked 24 Police Stations and an Army Base in Mangdu district of Rakhine State of Myanmar that left 71 dead.
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October 17, 2017
The FICV Project — delayed inordinately
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Army’s quest for the indigenous future infantry combat vehicle (FICV) is in the news again with the US offering India development and production of armoured...
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October 17, 2017
China’s Airborne Brigades
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the recent 15-day competition of the International Army Games 2017 held in China during July-August this year, Chinese airborne troops won first place in 11 of the 12 events, winning the overall championship in the platoon level airborne competition.
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October 17, 2017
The Cyber Security Conundrum
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India has been ranked 23 out of 165 nations in the commitment of nations to cyber-security; Global Cyber-security Index (GCI) released in July 2017 by the UN agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
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October 17, 2017
Border Rejig, Infiltration and Terroristan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Recent media reports headlined ‘Army changes tack, puts tanks at Akhnoor’ describe deployment of tanks and armoured vehicles in Chammb-Jaurian sector of J&K that had witnessed pitched battles during 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.
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Issue No. 20 | October 16-31, 2017
I like the Raksha Mantri
By Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik (Retd)I first saw her as the Party spokesperson. She exhibited logic, patience and a good command over both Hindi and English. Her fighting spirit, toughness and bulldog tenacity were there for all to see.
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Issue No. 20 | October 16-31, 2017
Nirmala Sitharaman shows the way
By Lt General V.K. Katpoor (Retd)The visit of Nirmala Sitharaman to the operational sectors is a very appropriate step for it is not only good for the morale of the soldiery but is an indicative of a dynamic Defence Minister who wants to not only understand the operational dynamics...
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Issue No. 20 | October 16-31, 2017
Hands-on approach to national security
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)Nirmala Sitharaman has adopted a proactive approach and has begun her tenure by acquainting herself with the ground situation on the hostile frontiers on which the Armed Forces are deployed
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Issue No. 19 | October 1-15, 2017
Red zone over Kashmir Valley
By Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik (Retd)The thought that must prevail in our minds is that Kashmir is an integral part of India and it is our sacred duty to restore the Valley to pristine condition.
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September 20, 2017
Modi's Myanmar visit – And the Rohingya issue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Myanmar on September 5 for a two–day visit on his way back from the 9th BRICS Summit at Xiamen in China.
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September 20, 2017
Border infrastructure – Execution is the key
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Doklam standoff has brought into focus once again the poor infrastructure that India has. As on date, only 27 roads' (963-km) of the 73 strategic roads approved for construction (totaling (4,643-km) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over 15 years ago have been completed.
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September 20, 2017
Parrying ToT – US Defence firms spoof Make in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is well known that US firms Lockheed Martin and Boeing are bidding to enter the 'Make in India' initiative for supplying combat jets and military equipment to India.
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September 20, 2017
Indo-Japanese Strategic Partnership boosted
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indo-Japanese relations have always been special. Even during the recent Doklam standoff, it was Japan's envoy to India Kenji Hiramatsu who said there should be no attempt to change the status quo on the ground by force; categorizing the crisis...
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September 20, 2017
Wonder Gun ATAGS – And charge of importomania
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The DRDO-indigenous private industry Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) has arrived on the scene with a bang. The ATAGS is a 155mm, 52-calibre gun-howitzer being developed on two parallel tracks – one prototype in partnership with Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division) and another with Bharat Forge.
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September 20, 2017
Indo-Russian defence ties – Waning is misnomer
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Even as the armies of India and US are engaged in joint military two-week exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2017' to hone their skills in counter insurgency and counter terror operations under a joint brigade headquarters at a military base in Washington...
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September 13, 2017
No Nonsense Approach of the New Defence Minister
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)So while the enthusiasm of the Defence Minister to interact with the Service Chiefs is most welcome and is praiseworthy, we recommend that she should pay more attention to the Department of Defence Production, the Ordnance Factory Board...
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September 12, 2017
The challenges facing the new Defence Minister
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mrs Sitharaman holding independent charge of Ministry of Commerce & Industry did have an overview of the pathetic state of equipping of the military; the chapter on defence on official website of Ministry of Commerce & Industry in 2014...
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September 4, 2017
Lady at the Helm of Affairs
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The challenges before the new Minister of Defence are formidable. Given her track record, the Indian armed forces are full of hope for better days ahead!
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September 4, 2017
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman as Raksha Mantri
By Rear Admiral Sushil Ramsay (Retd.)Appointment of Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, September 03, 2017 as the Defence Minister of India was welcomed as a refreshing news.
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September 4, 2017
New Defence Minister
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman has been appointed as the next Defence Minister. She is not the first lady holding this appointment since Indira Gandhi also held this portfolio, same as Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh Today. But she certainly is the first 'full-time' lady Defence Minister of India.
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September 4, 2017
Airport Security – plug the gaps
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On 20 August, 2017, flight operations at Delhi airport were halted for around two hour with closure of the runways when an international airline pilot spotted a drone-like object in the area.
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September 4, 2017
President Trump's Af-Pak Policy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Pakistan's has been playing the double game successfully all these years despite US and NATO military commanders in Afghanistan pointing out what the ground situation was; implying terrorist sanctuaries inside Pakistan must be destroyed.
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September 4, 2017
Visit of Nepalese PM amidst Doklam standoff
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's four-day visit to India commencing August 23 was his first foreign visit since assuming office in June 2017.
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September 4, 2017
Selective Military Reforms – Why not holistic?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Based on recommendations of the government-appointed Lt Gen D B Shekatkar Committee "Enhancing Combat Capability and Rebalancing Defence Expenditure of the Armed Forces", government has approved 65 of the 188 Committee recommendations mainly pertain to Army that included redeploying 57,000 personnel.
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September 4, 2017
Ignoring the Foot Soldier – Chronic malady
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to media reports, the Army is slated to get the advanced medium-range-surface to air missile (MRSAM) capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, fighter jets...
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September 4, 2017
Doklam Pullback – Advantage Modi
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is no doubt that the simultaneous pullback from the Doklam standoff by the Indian Military and the PLA is advantage Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asia Times aptly summed up what India resolutely conveyed to China, "What's certainly clear is that India has no appetite for being pushed around by its increasingly hegemonic neighbor (China)".
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August 24, 2017
Additional Rafale jets for the IAF
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)Given the state the IAF is in today, there is urgent need to induct modern fourth-generation combat aircraft in the numbers required and as soon as possible.
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August 22, 2017
The Doklam Standoff
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd.)In all cases of boundary disputes between two countries, the sticking points evolve on the basis of historical records and differing perceptions of the boundary lines because of the inaccuracies of the old surveys and/or the mental conditionings of the people...
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August 21, 2017
Army to optimise robots
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As per media reports, MoD has approved a proposal put up by the Army to "build indigenous robots" that are designed to deliver ammunition at targeted locations.
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August 21, 2017
Army's BSS – Still hiccupping
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Battlefield surveillance relates to the ability to obtain real or near-real time all weather picture of battle space. This encompasses human intelligence (HUMINT), technology related imagery intelligence (IMINT) and signal or communication intelligence (SIGINT) together with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
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August 21, 2017
Apaches for Army Aviation – Long overdue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In September 2015, India had signed a deal for procuring 22 Apache helicopters from the US at the cost of Rs 13,952 crore for the IAF. Following this, the Army had sought government approval for acquiring 11 Apache helicopters as as "a follow-on contract".
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August 21, 2017
The Tank Biathlon fiasco – Need for introspection
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Naturally there was great euphoria when during the run up to the semifinal for the recent Tank Biathlon held at the 2017 International Army Games at the Alabino Range training ground outside Moscow, where the Indian team performed exceedingly...
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August 21, 2017
The Doklam spill
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Never had one heard of any military in the world stooping so low as to indulge in stone-pelting.
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August 21, 2017
Indo-US Defence Cooperation – Geostrategic elevation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US Departments of Defence (DoD) and State Department, in a recent joint report to their Congress, said, "We see a growing convergence with India on our strategic outlook for the region, and we view India as an increasingly important regional security partner within and beyond the Indo-Asia-Pacific region."
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August 11, 2017
Confronting the Dragon
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The need of the hour is for the Indian armed forces to be prepared to meet with the challenges of a two-front war in the worst case scenario.
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August 10, 2017
Enhancement of Defence Budget 2017-18
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd.)A few days ago there was a report in the media regarding non-availability of certain categories of ammunition which was causing great concern among the Services...
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August 10, 2017
Rejuvenation – A Crying Need for India's Submarine Fleet
By Rear Admiral Sushil Ramsay (Retd.)There is an emerging view that despite the approved programmes for rejuvenation, India is unlikely to have a credible submarine fleet by 2030 to match the emerging prowess of China in this segment of maritime power.
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August 10, 2017
Pakistan – in US terror spotlight
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US has listed Pakistan among the nations providing "safe havens" to terrorists, saying terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and JeM continued to operate, train, organize and fundraise inside the country.
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August 10, 2017
China conquers Hambantota
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Sri Lanka's Hambantota port has been officially transferred to China for 99 years by the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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August 10, 2017
Switching military uniforms to Khadi would be retrograde
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to a media reports, the Khadi Villages Industries Commission (KVIC) had requested the Armed Forces to consider using Khadi uniforms for security personnel, and the Ministry of Defence has sent specifications of military uniforms to the KVIC.
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August 10, 2017
Additional defence allocation of Rs 20,000 crore will only bridge partial criticalities
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As per media reports, the MoD has sought an "urgent" additional allotment of Rs 20,000 crore for combat readiness of Armed Forces.
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August 10, 2017
First indigenous unmanned tank
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In 2006, it was announced that India will be pursuing technologies for developing a robotic army.
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August 10, 2017
UAV swarming – Needs focus
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Coinciding with China's military parade to mark the 90th birthday of the Peoples Liberation Army, China's first batch of unmanned aerial vehicles conducted live fire drills.
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July 31, 2017
Beyond the 18th Vijay Diwas
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 18th Vjay Diwas will be celebrated with the usual aplomb on July 26; wreath laying, homage and tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in evicting the treacherous enemy.
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July 31, 2017
Terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims – What beyond?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The dastardly terrorist attack on the bus carrying 60 Amarnath pilgrims returning post visiting the cave on July 10 indicates more terror in the offing, requiring ramped up security and adherence to rules of movement.
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July 31, 2017
CPEC – China’s yokel of terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to Pakistani media, there was a major attack on Pakistan Navy at Jiwani in Gwadar on June 19 when four gunmen on two bikes ambushed a vehicle of navy officers when they were on a routine round.
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July 31, 2017
Malabar 2017 – Guilty conscience pricks China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During Malabar 2016 conducted in the Western Pacific, the Chinese media had gone ballistic alleging that the “Malabar naval exercise involving the Indian, US...
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July 31, 2017
Souring Iran-Pakistan relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The decline in Iran-Pakistan relations is continuing, the major reason being the same as in India-Pakistan and Afghanistan-Pakistan relations; Pakistan sponsored terrorism. In May this year, Iran warned Pakistan that it would hit terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan if the Pakistani Government does not confront militants...
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July 31, 2017
Special Operations Division
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)At the recent two day Unified Commanders’ Conference held on 10-11 July, Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra apprised the audience that the Defence Cyber & Space...
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July 13, 2017
Full Financial Powers to Vice-Chief of the Army Staff to Maintain Combat-Readiness
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)Considering the prevailing threats across the Line of Control (LoC) against Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) against China...
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July 7, 2017
PM Modi’s historic visit to Israel
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel from July 4 to July 6 was historic being the first Prime Minister of India to visit Israel.
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July 7, 2017
Defined Strategic Partnership boosting Make in India – but much work remains
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defining the ‘Strategic Partnership’ (SP) took some 18 months after the Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) 2016 was released.
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July 7, 2017
Why are Kashmiris killing Their Own?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It was in August 2016 that Asim Umar, chief of Al Qaeda’s South Asia branch (AQIS) gave the call for Indian Muslims to rise and carry out lone wolf attacks in India particularly targeting IPS and IAS officers.
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July 7, 2017
Another ISRO Milestone — more to follow
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket's XL variant lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 9.29 AM on June 23, carrying earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series weighing 712 kg and 30 co-passenger...
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July 7, 2017
India-China Standoff — deliberate Chinese move
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On June 20, Bhutan served a demarche to China against the Chinese arbitrary action of constructing a road the Doklam Plateau, which is property of the King of Bhutan.
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July 7, 2017
Chahabar — and US-Iran tensions
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The trilateral engagement between India, Iran and Afghanistan during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran in May 2016 was historic, expanding avenues of trade for India with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia through the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).
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June 30, 2017
A historic meeting
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The historic meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump is expected to propel the relationship between India and the US to greater heights.
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June 29, 2017
Modi-Trump meet — Amidst Modi’s three-nation tour
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump on June 26. Modi’s US trip starting June 25 was part of his three-nation tour commencing with Portugal.
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Guardians for the Indian Navy
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)There is considerable optimism in India that the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump will usher in a new dawn in the relationship between India and the US.
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A Landmark Agreement!
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The agreement between Lockheed Martin and TASL reflects the confidence of the US aerospace industry in the growing capability of the Indian aerospace industry in the private sector.
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June 23, 2017
New Indigenous Bullet Proof Jacket for Forces
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In an article titled ‘Bullet Resistant Vests’ in April this year, it was reported in these columns that Amrita University, Coimbatore is offering highly advanced technology bullet proof jackets (BPJs) and the proposal titled...
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June 23, 2017
Trial of another Assault Rifle – and the missing carbine
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media had reported in July 2016 that the Army had junked DRDO’s 5.56mm Excalibur assault rifle. Resultantly, Army’s quest for a state-of-the-art assault rifles was extended – fresh equipping taking minimum seven-eight years as per informed sources.
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June 23, 2017
QCG — Flogging the dead horse?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Pakistani media is upbeat with the news that Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to continue with the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) established for talks with the Taliban in order to bring them into the reconciliation process.
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F-16 production in India — New beginning
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Lockheed Martin signed an agreement with India’s Tata Advance Systems on June 19 to produce F-16 fighters in India, a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.
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AUSINDEX-17 — Why should China bellyache?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)AUSINDEX-17, the joint India-Australia naval exercise was conducted from 13 to 17 June in the Indian Ocean. Every time India conducts / participates in bilateral / multilateral naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, China goes bellyaching.
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June 8, 2017
Indian Army in Limelight
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)The Indian Army continues to be an institution that is loved and respected by the nation and its people.
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June 8, 2017
PM Modi’s 4-nation tour
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his four nation tour to Germany, Spain, Russia and France on May 29, it was reported that his main focus would be bilateral cooperation on economic (in backdrop of India having passed GST Bill...
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June 8, 2017
FGFA Coming ‘Soon’ – but how soon is soon?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Few weeks before Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia for the annual bilateral summit between the two nations, news appeared that the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) would be coming soon – implying the joint Indo-Russian joint...
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June 8, 2017
Army Division to Afghanistan – hoax or perception building?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Word by word Identical reports from Washington, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India are talking about India planning to send 15,000 troops to Afghanistan...
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June 8, 2017
Pakistan’s info war
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Why Pakistan’s information war succeeds in India is not only because of exploitation of communications and social media and is using the religious card in Kashmir Valley, but it also has a cross-section of pro-Pakistan lobby in India. After some Hurriyat leaders openly admitted to have taken money from Pakistan...
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June 8, 2017
DGQA – Knotted within and insensitive to troops
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As per media reports over 16,000 GPS units purchased for the Army are lying idle in the Central Ordnance Depot at Agra, reportedly on grounds of ‘quality concerns’. This has been the state for over one year despite Rs 28 crores spent on their purchase, since the Army cannot use them until a final quality assurance is given.
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June 8, 2017
Another giant leap with GSLV Mk III
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)When India fired the high thrust cryogenic engine CE-20 launching GSLV Mk-III in its first experimental flight from Sriharikota on june 5, it was a monumental leap drawing the curtain on what the US sanctions prevented ISRO from doing in 2003...
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May 30, 2017
Strategic Partnership Model – Game changer?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On May 20, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley finalized the broad contours of the Strategic Partnership (SP) policy.
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May 30, 2017
New Defence Procurement Organization
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to recent media reports, government is mulling setting up a new autonomous organization, ‘Defence Procurement Organization’ (DPO), to be created within the MoD to deal exclusively with procurement for the Armed Forces as recommended by a committee headed by Dr Pritam Singh...
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May 30, 2017
Ransomware – Beware!
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)WannaCry or WannaCry 2.0 the ransomware that struck globally some 150 countries last month affected some 200,000 PCs worldwide.
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May 30, 2017
Empowering DIPP – or weakening defence?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Considerable confusion prevails about whether the proposed Defence Procurement Organization (DPO), as a follow up to the Dr Pritam Singh Committee recommendations, is to be ‘all encompassing’ in matters of defence procurement, which it actually should be.
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May 30, 2017
3D Rocket in Space
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The first working 3D printer was developed in 1984 by Chuck Hall of 3D Systems Corporation; 3D printing being the process of making three dimensional...
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May 30, 2017
Next level Cyber War
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The news about IAF’s Sukhoi SU-30 gone missing near India-China border has been making headlines.
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Modernisation of the Armed Forces
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)Are the Indian armed forces adequately equipped to confront the challenge posed by Pakistan or more importantly, by Pakistan and China acting in collusion?
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Well begun...and miles to go – NDA@3
By Rear Admiral Sushil Ramsay (Retd)After what was termed as a lost decade as far as building up the strategic assets from the national security perspective, during May 2014, India witnessed the...
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May 25, 2017
Defence modernisation in three years of NDA rule
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The three services had suffered prolonged neglect in respect of modernisation in the period 2004 to 2014 owing to a number of factors.
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May 24, 2017
NDA’s achievements in defence sector in three years
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)The Modi government which completes three years on 26 May 2017 is planning to celebrate their achievements by putting out a report card giving out statistics...
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May 24, 2017
Defence in three years under NDA II
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On May 26, 2017 the NDA II government completed three years in office. Last three years have seen India rising in economic strength and making way...
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May 20, 2017
M777 howitzer finally debut in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In what is being described as “laying the Bofors ghost to rest”, the first two M777 howitzer guns manufactured by BAE System of USA arrived in India and...
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May 20, 2017
US nudges Pakistan – Wee bit only
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has blamed Pakistan for deteriorating India-Pak relations and warned that the ties might worsen further if another "high- profile" terrorist attack emanates from across the border this year.
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May 20, 2017
Beyond ICJ ruling on Kulbhushan Jadhav
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The unanimous verdict by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) staying the execution of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Yadav was on expected lines because Pakistan had violated India's right, provided under the Vienna...
