INDIAN ARMED FORCES CHIEFS ON OUR RELENTLESS AND FOCUSED PUBLISHING EFFORTS

Experts Speak

• Caution time China
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  China needs to re-examine her policy of silent demographic invasion since it offers too many soft targets and may result in creation of outfits like Junood ul-Hifsa in other regions of the world to deal...

• Stonewalling military modernisation
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The question that MoD officials need to ask themselves is can they provide the Indian military with the operational capabilities that they need or will the Service Chief have to repeat what the Army Chief said during the Kargil conflict, “We will fight with what we have”?

• Stealthy seeding
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  There has been sharp increase in publicly disclosed vulnerabilities across security products during 2012 and future prediction is of increased attacks on security products, companies or solutions and that majority of vulnerabilities discovered will not become public

• Light beyond the tunnel
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Government actually needs to take a call and bifurcate what should be developed by the private sector and what should be by DRDOPSUs in order to give the required impetus to focused defence production

• Ignoring ground reality
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The Home Ministry must take full control with a 24 x 7 operations room and coordinate the counter Maoist operations including implementation of a cohesive strategy encompassing the politicoeconomic-socio aspects of the problem

• China's deadly proxy
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  While more intrusions aimed at nibbling away more territory can be expected from the Chinese python, what we should not gloss over is the asymmetric war that China is waging in India’s heartland tying down our economy, development work and security forces...

• Arms Trade Treaty: Implications for India
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  On April 2, 2013, the 193-member United Nations approved the first-ever global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with an aim to regulate the $70 billion arms trade.

• Will Pakistan change?
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  If Sharif has the power and wants to truly have good relations with India, he should make the ISI answerable to the Pakistani Parliament, control his military and dismantle the anti-India terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan

• Nawaz Sharif Man of the moment
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  When Pakistan went to polls on May 11, 2013, to elect members of the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies, it was for the first time in its history a civilian government after completing its full five-year tenure would hand over to a democratically elected...

• China baring fangs
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  When the Chinese intrusion is so very deliberate in establishing 10 kilometres inside our territory, the least we could do is to establish a post north of their position, behind the Chinese intrusion...

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  The dragon dares
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  On the night of April 15, platoon strength (around 50 soldiers) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carrying small arms intruded nearly 19 km into the Indian territory near Burthe, very close to the strategic Karakoram Pass, in DBO (Daulat Beg Oldi) sector.

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  China's cyber attacks Time to take note
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  Espionage is an activity which nations have practised during war and peace since ancient times. It was documented in the Indian epic Mahabharata and is part of the still relevant Art of War, written by famous Chinese General and strategist Sun Tzu in 500 BC.

• Soft to pulp
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  In mocking its military, the pulp government should heed former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s famous words, “As the nation’s final safeguard, the army cannot afford a failure in either circumstance.

• Pakistani nuclear bomb
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is credited to be the founder of Pakistan’s atomic bomb. In 1956 he played a key role in setting up the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).

• Life Cycle Costing: Value for Money
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  For years, for capital procurements, the country had been following a ‘Single-Stage Two-Bid System’ wherein both the technical and commercial bids were submitted simultaneously.

• Serpentine manoeuvres
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  By getting China into Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan hopes to divert attention of the Shia rebellion in the area, where the hapless Shias are being systematically killed through institutionalised attacks

• China's 'String of Pearls'
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have taken their destined places in the new Chinese hierarchy. Among Xi’s opening foreign policy remarks, relationship with India has figured prominently.

• Focus on Agni-VI
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  While BMD shield can stop a multiple warhead/missile attack, focus obviously is required to keep upgrading the missile defence to minimise the effects by building more and more safeguards

• Women in armed forces: Fresh look
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  On the International Women’s Day on March 8, TV channels were back to the debate on combat role for women in the armed forces. As a father of two successful working girls...

• India's space programme: Makes us proud
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  India’s space programme took off in right earnest with the setting up of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969. It is one institution that all Indians are really proud of.

• Defence Budget 2013-14
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  A history of messed up defence deals since the Jeep scam of 1950s, the more recent Bofors field guns scandal, HDW submarines, Scorpene submarines, among others, and the delays there on...

• Which way China?
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  China on one hand has been arming and advising the Taliban in fighting the NATO-led ISAF in Afghanistan, concurrently it has been conspiring with Pakistan how to accelerate and integrate...

• North Korea's nuclear tests
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

  Considerable improvement in ABM capability by positioning more missiles in Alaska and Japan could put pressure on China to armtwist Pyongyang. The new leadership in Seoul and Tokyo need to quickly take stock with Washington in view of the new scenario.

• Retaining Stranglehold
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The Pakistani military is entrenched in the corporate sector and controls the country’s largest companies and large tracts of real estate then (2007) amounting to an astounding $20.7 billion

• Trans-border Pakistani raid
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Why can’t we understand that the Pakistani State is controlled by the Military-ISI and these two entities out to Balkanise India are doing everything possible to achieve this end in cahoots with a host of terrorist organisations?

• Mountain Strike Corps
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  China-Pakistan collusion to create the third front within India (already accounted as half front by Indian Army) will continue, plus border transgressions and doling money to villagers in the border belt to manipulate perceptions

• Water wars
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  India constitutes 16 per cent of world population but only four per cent of the world’s freshwater sources. By 2025 we will be a ‘water starved’ nation if we do not manage water on war footing.

• Wisdom Speak
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Questioned about India’s nuclear forces recently, a Chinese official replied, “Why mention nuclear forces, Indians don’t even know how to use their conventional forces”

• Fanning the fires
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Our enemies are hell bent on fanning our internal fires and contiguity to international borders is hardly a pre-requisite for pumping weapons, fake currency, drugs and infiltration into India

• Strategic suicide
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  India only believes in internalised perception management as in the instant case. Withdrawal from Siachen dilutes the 1994 Parliament resolution that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

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  End of a turf war?
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  Unfortunately, despite several organisational and doctrinal changes to promote jointmanship as also considerable rhetoric emanating from the highest echelons of the two services, the required degree of integration between the Indian Army and the IAF...

• Beyond 1962
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  China’s peace homilies are exposed with her training, arming and advising the Taliban how to fight in Afghanistan, supporting Pakistan’s anti-India jihadi policy, providing sanctuaries/training/arming ULFA...

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  Indo-China War 1962 Lessons and way forward
  By General V.P. Malik (Retd)

  India’s national security framework and its antiquated civil-military relationship have not grown in step with the needs of new security challenges.

• Melting Siachen
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  We should tell Pakistan that circumstances have killed the Siachen demilitarisation issue. The LC beyond NJ 9842 should run “thence north” to Wakhan Corridor on J&KChina border.

• Indo-China War What went wrong?
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Manmohan Singh and his successors need to remember we are in the 21st century and China has only refined her policy of ambiguity and deceit and PLA continues to follow surprise, deception and pre-emption

• Special Forces Command
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  While the Commando Forces should have an integrated tri-Services set up, the Special Forces should be delinked from the military and placed under the highest political authority – the Prime Minister...

• Uncalled for delays
  By Air Marshal (Retd) BK Pandey

  While the DPP may have been crafted with the noble objective of eliminating manipulation in the acquisition of defence hardware, there is an imperative need to balance its framework to obviate undue delay in the interest of national security

• Kargil War: Lessons and Future Security Challenges
  By General V.P. Malik (Retd), Former COAS

  A strategically conscious nation commemorates its historical national security events for three reasons: to remember and pay homage to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s future...

• Beyond Kargil
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Not only is the MoD-MEA construct disjointed, it appears that jointness in the military is deliberately not being encouraged as the divide and rule policy suits both the polity and the bureaucrats...

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  Need for Seamless Integrated Planning
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  Forever a victim of its die-hard habit of sensationalising any and every bit of news, the Indian media has once again tried to give an ominous twist to the inter-service relations within the armed forces.

• Rebooting insurgencies
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  No matter government admissions, Maoists have affected 180 districts in 16 states (35 per cent population in 40 per cent area) and are establishing urban bases.

• Cyber space hotting up
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  India must aim not only to match Chinese cyber threat but outpace it as adequate deterrence. Investments in terms of manpower, technology, money and strategic partnerships must be constantly reviewed.

• Swallowing national pride
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Where is the national pride – one hand you object to a foreign power ‘operating’ from your soil while another foreign power has actually ‘built’ an airbase on your soil?

• Hostage dilemma
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  More hostage taking, particularly of ground level politicians and government officials, are well on the cards – a weak buckling government will have rippling effect in other Maoist-infested states

• Pressure from Uncle Sam
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  US-Pakistan strategic partnership will likely continue to outweigh US-India equation because of US national interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia

• The clique, the media and the military
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  India is about to attain the distinction of sending an Army Chief home without any retirement orders and without responding to his statutory complaint. The biggest loser is the military with an ambivalent government and a gloating Clique.

• Back to the future
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  As the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, the President can ask for the Supreme Court verdict on General V.K. Singh’s writ petition, his statutory complaint, documents connected with the fabricated age row and ask for a Supreme Court bench to examine and fix this conspiracy against General V.K. Singh

• Double jeopardy for Pakistan
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The undeniable fact is that terror capability in Pakistan is being constantly energised through institutionalised radicalisation

• Butterflies in the dragon belly
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Chinese Foreign Minister had the audacity to tell his Indian counterpart that “mere presence” of populated areas would not affect Chinese claims on Arunachal Pradesh.

• NCTC or inflated MAC?
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Had the proposal of the Home Minister been accepted in totality, the national focus could have well shifted from investigation/postinvestigation of terrorist acts to prevention of terrorist acts, which is the need of the hour

• Return of the Machiavellian
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Pakistan’s political economy of exporting terrorism as a foreign policy tool, massive corruption at home and the resultant ever growing reservoir of economically deprived youngsters who will fill ranks of extremists and suicide bombers will continue

• Taming the military any which way
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  If Parliament symbolises democratic India, a Service Chief is the symbol of the Military. If Government doubted integrity of General V.K. Singh, why was he appointed Chief?

• Technology any which way
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  With continuing government ambivalence, the DRDO and PSUs want to start from scratch not because they do not realise values of technologyreconfigurationreverse engineering but simply because more money can be made in adopting the former.

• Firming west of Indian Ocean
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  China has already cemented its foothold in the Indian Ocean by gaining rights to explore polymetallic sulphide ore deposit in a 10,000-square-km international seabed in the Indian Ocean over next 15 years

• Tickling youth nationalism
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Core of lack of nationalism perhaps lies in our education curriculum that is focused solely on imparting ‘education’. There is little emphasis on morals, ethics and imbibing a sense of nationalism.

• Biang biang noodles
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Besides, no matter how economically and militarily strong you are, China needs to understand that antagonising the whole world less North Korea and Pakistan (whom China nuclearised) can backfire

• Raging Debate on Armed Forces Special Powers Act in J&K
  By General (Retd) VP Malik

  A lot has been written about the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

• The greater threat
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  If the media can time and again go and do filming in the Maoist heartland, why can the CAPF not infiltrate the Maoists rank and file, operate alongside and provide time intelligence?

• Facilitating Kargil II
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Lack of strategic thought and keeping the military deliberately out of strategic decisions, matters military and even national security has been the bane of independent India. That is why we now face a two-and-a-half front or rather a three-front war.

• Consorting terror
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  As the US prepares to hand over the lead role in Afghanistan to Pakistan, in exchange for an honourable exit and promise of no terror attacks on US soil, the inexorable mid and long-term consequences of Pakistan’s double game continue to be ignored.

• Critical technology focus needed
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  ‘Cyber’ and ‘electromagnetic’, the two new domains of warfare, require specific focus. Added to this is the need to provide wherewithal at the cuttingedge to fight sub conventional.

• Operational priority kaput!
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Infrastructure development across LAC should be of grave concern to India, provided the national hierarchy studies and analyses its vital implications

• BMS challenges the industry
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The private industry should take note that development of such an important Information Systems project has come into a level playing field without the DRDO hijacking it ab initio for the very first time

• Strategising sans CDS
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Every time we have arisen from hibernation to order a security review was only after a crisis. If we had the strategic culture, a Comprehensive Defence and Security Review should have been institutionalised every five years.

• Lokpal and defence of India
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  A strong Lokpal will bring every public servant under the Lokpal. Every Government office will have a Charter that will clearly state which officer will do what work and in how much time.

• Indo-Pak dialogue: Empty rhetoric
  By Air Marshal (Retd) BK Pandey

  There was no acceptance of responsibility, sign of remorse or commitment from the Pakistani Foreign Minister about her country’s approach to terrorism statesponsored or otherwise, originating from her soil against India

• The bug of bugging
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Telephone tapping and eavesdropping on conversations in any case are minor compared to the ever expanding networks, computers and Internet users in India that are bugged or have sleeper bots inside

• Thousand cuts and counting
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  After many years, the US has acknowledged Pakistan’s double game (not that they were not aware of actualities), China is capitalising on it, but we fail to learn

• Soft on sea piracy?
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Why are we playing this great game of ‘appeasing’ Al-Qaeda? Kowtowing to Somali pirates implies their growing infrastructure will be exploited by both Al-Qaeda and LeT

• Drifting with insurgencies
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  How many times does the hierarchy need to be reminded that the roots of the problem are politicosocio-economic and military solution is not the answer?

• Jaguar re-engining conundrum
  By Air Marshal (Retd) BK Pandey

  Honeywell claimes that the modular construction of the F125IN and its integral dual full authority digital engine control system would provide substantial savings to the operator in lifecycle costs

• Interview with God
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  An opinion poll conducted by the Royal Institute of International Affairs, UK, established that 98 per cent of people in J&K do not wish to be part of Pakistan and 50 per cent of people in POK do not wish to remain with Pakistan

• Op Geronimo: A reality check for India
  By General (Retd) VP Malik

  Intelligence is the key to Special Forces operations. Employment of Special Forces requires accurate intelligence and continuous surveillance of the target.

• The Humint factor
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Suitable application of HUMINT, duly integrated with modern surveillance technology and processing capacity, will greatly enhance situational awareness, assist in the decision support system and lead to better decision-making

• Nuclear safety versus energy security
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Since we hold more than 25 per cent of global thorium reserves, India should consider switching completely to thorium-based nuclear reactors as they are far safer than the uranium-based ones.

• Osama & Beyond
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The ISI has become a state within a state and international pressure must come to bring it under Parliamentary oversight with appropriate legal structures.

• Diplomatic impasse on 26/11
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Do you expect Pakistan to blame her own nationals and punish them concurrent to following a policy of proxy war and terrorism? Temporary lulls are mere tactical pauses, some under pressure, and this should not deceive us.

• Wikileaks and India’s Internal Security
  By Air Marshal (Retd) BK Pandey

  A cable of 2005 states “India’s over 150 million Muslim population is largely unattracted to extremism. Separatism and religious extremism have little appeal to Indian Muslims, and the overwhelming majority espouse moderate doctrines.”

• Setback to net-centricity
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  The Army must find a solution to obviate in-service bureaucracy and give precedence to overall capacity building over consolidation of individual turfs

• National cyber security policy imperative
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  We need a fundamental shift from individual entity to central overview, control and assessment of security measures

• Special Forces
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  We have no national doctrine or philosophy for employment of Special Forces, no institutionalised integration and no institutionalised synergised intelligence infrastructures

• Cloud Strategy
  By Lt. General PC Katoch (Retd)

  Cloud represents a fundamental shift in computing, providing a platform for agile and cost-effective business applications and IT infrastructure. Simply put, it is convergence of virtualisation and utility based billing.