Experts Speak
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March 19, 2021
First Quad Leaders Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The first ever Quad Leaders Summit did give a new signal to China. But the question is whether the Quad will force China to back off?
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March 19, 2021
Missile Tracking Ship
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 15,000 tonne INS Dhruv is one of the largest warships to be built at an Indian yard and was being built under a confidential programme directly under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
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March 19, 2021
Rohingyas in Jammu
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Nationality verification for them is being done and on this basis the procedure for deportation will be initiated. However, India has no extradition treaty with Myanmar. The problem of Rohingyas in Jammu is far more serious as it also endangers security.
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March 19, 2021
AIP and Nuclear Powered Submarines
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) allows a submarine to remain under water for prolonged periods while also making it quieter. This new technology will add to lethality of Indian submarines.
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March 19, 2021
Coming - Armed Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)For India, the SeaGuardian drones will be vital as they can be fitted with anti-missile and radar components, enabling their readiness for any military operation
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March 19, 2021
Beijing’s Venom in Myanmar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China’s economic investments, military exports and sub-conventional hold over Myanmar ensures that whatever happens in Myanmar is orchestrated from Beijing
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March 15, 2021
QUAD 3.0: Window of Opportunity for India
By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)In the First QUAD Summit, held on March 12, 2021 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japan PM Yoshihide Suga and Australian PM Scott Morrison met through virtual mode and shared their vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific
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March 8, 2021
The China-Pakistan Threat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In an article published in Pakistani Media, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi explained that China will continue to work with Pakistan to strengthen their iron friendship and that relations between the countries have become a strategic asset that both sides cherish
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March 8, 2021
Colombo offers WCT to India-Japan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Reports have emerged that Sri Lanka after reneging from the MOC signed with India and Japan on the East Container Terminal (ECT) has now offered the West Container Terminal (WCT) located on the other side of the jetty to India and Japan
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March 8, 2021
Beyond 10th India-China Military Talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Having achieved its aim of India vacating strategic heights south of Pangong Tso, according to reports, China is now reluctant to discuss further disengagement, leaving out Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang.
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March 8, 2021
The Lacuna in FATF Blacklisting
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Despite Pakistan being the epicenter of terror generation and its record of nuclear proliferation, it has continued to escape the FATF ‘Black List’
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March 8, 2021
Boosting India-Maldives Security Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Government of Maldives has signed a pact with India for enhancing the capability of the MNDF and Maldivian Coast Guard
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March 8, 2021
ISTARs in The Sky
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The IAF has expressed urgency for the ISTAR programme to get going early and has provided full backing to the indigenous ISTAR as a priority future asset to support precision strikes
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February 19, 2021
Pakistan’s SFJ and Canada Connect
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)SFJ’s websites being managed from Karachi with assistance from Pakistan’s ISI and Pakistani army veterans linked to the Khalistanis in Canada are proof of Pakistan's ongoing support to Sikh separatists
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February 19, 2021
The Race for IAF Fighters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It should be for the IAF to make the final selection, based on merit and free from all geopolitical pressures that they will likely face
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February 19, 2021
Pullback From Pangong Tso
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Agreeing to vacate positions that are dominating PLA’s Moldo Garrison in South Bank of Pangong Tso is a strategic blunder. It is a masterstroke for China in having us vacate these heights even before discussing any disengagement at Depsang.
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February 19, 2021
Midflight Missile Interception
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is no doubt that midflight missile interception technology is of great strategic significance and once fully developed, China’s midcourse anti-ballistic missile technology could change the balance of power
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February 19, 2021
Growing Defence Exports
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With an aim to increase the current defence exports to $5 billion by 2025, Indian government has drawn an export list covering 85 kinds of equipment encompassing 125 items and 47 sub-systems to boost the defence exports
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February 19, 2021
Unmanned Gaganyaan Mission in 2021
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)ISRO plans to launch at least one unmanned Gaganyaan mission this year in 2021 as at least two successful unmanned missions are needed before the manned missions
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February 11, 2021
Disengagement in Ladakh: A Welcome Development
By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)Chinese side agreeing to the unconditional disengagement may be attributed to the steadfast and unblinking approach of the Indian Armed Forces and the whole hearted support by Government of India to them
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February 9, 2021
COVID Speed Breaker of Defence Expectations
By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)Despite India being at No 3 spot globally with only USA and China ahead of it in defence spending, the gap is huge with China. Chinese expenditure was four times that of India. This is likely to convey an impression of weakness to our primary adversary China in the face of recent happenings in Ladakh.
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February 9, 2021
Defence Allocation 2021
By Major General Yash Mor (Retd)India spends one of the lowest on defence among the top six economies of the world as a percent of the GDP. At a time when the nation is faced with a war like situation with China in the northern borders, it was expected that the defence spending will get a boost.
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February 1, 2021
Defence Budget for FY 2021-2022
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The defence budget for 2021-22 is still less than 2 percent of the Union budget. There were expectations of larger funds to prepare the Armed Forces for a possible conflict with China and a two-front war.
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February 1, 2021
Chinese Village in Arunachal Pradesh
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chinese intentions of setting up border villages are quite obvious. Not only do these villages help substantiate China’s illegal territorial claims, these dwellings house PLA personnel and intelligence operatives mixed with local population.
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February 1, 2021
GPS Circle Spoofing and Electronic Attacks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Various events in the recent past have pointed towards GPS disruptions as the cause of the accident. Iran is the first nation to publicly announce it had the ability to spoof GPS signals and appears to have used it to great advantage.
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February 1, 2021
Ninth India-China Senior Military Commanders Talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China appears to be ‘humouring’ India by continuing these series of talks while going on consolidating their deployments in Eastern Ladakh and bringing forward more weapon systems
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February 1, 2021
Army Focuses on Tibetology
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India needs to seriously review its policy towards Tibet especially because China’s stand will harden more. Much benefit can accrue from understanding Tibetology as it will help understand how China is expanding cross-border influence.
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February 1, 2021
Blast next to Israel Embassy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In light of the importance of the 29th anniversary of India-Israel diplomatic relations, intelligence agencies had issued an alert about a possible terrorist attack on Jews and Israelis from elements linked to the Islamic State
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January 20, 2021
America’s Indo-Pacific Plan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Three documents released in Washington DC during January 2021 are notable. One is the fact sheet covering activity of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which leaves little doubt about China’s deceit and disinformation about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that has already resulted some two million killed globally and over 10 million infected.
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January 20, 2021
Defence Budget 2021-2022
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget for FY2021-2022 on February 1. There are varied suggestions and expectations.
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January 20, 2021
Drone Killing Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh last year has brought to fore how drones can be effectively uses to destroy enemy troops, tanks, artillery and air defence systems, transforming the battlefield in favour of which side is proficient in deploying drones effectively.
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January 20, 2021
Indigenous Tactical Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Chinese aggression in 2020 has spurred the government to equip the Army with tactical drones. News reports of July 22, 2020 had revealed that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was providing indigenously...
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January 20, 2021
Pakistani Subterfuge for FATF
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Ahead of the next plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scheduled from February 21-26, 2021 in Paris, which may be held virtually, Pakistan is engaged in playing the usual ruse by taking face saving measures against designated terrorist...
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January 20, 2021
First Indigenous Machine Pistol
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India has developed its first indigenous 9 mm Machine Pistol – ‘ASMI’. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a statement on January 14, 2021 stating, “Infantry School, Mhow and DRDO’s Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE)...
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January 7, 2021
America’s Tibet Policy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A new landmark was established in US-China relations when US President Donald Trump signed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) 2020 on December 28, 2020 making it a law. Earlier the TPSA was passed by the US Senate.
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January 7, 2021
Military Transport Aircraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media has quoted official sources intimating them on January 5, 2021 that government is likely to finalise the deal to procure 56 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of $2.5 billion.
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January 7, 2021
New Frontiers in Space Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the virtual meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on November 20, 2020, Modi announced, “I am happy to tell you that ISRO is planning to send a Bhutanese satellite to outer space next year and work is going on in full pace.
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January 7, 2021
Army Chief Visits South Korea
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Army Chief General M.M. Naravane made a four day visit to the Republic of Korea commencing December 28, 2020. He met South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook and other senior military officials and discussed ways to boost cooperation between the two sides.
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January 7, 2021
Indigenising Smerch / Tornado Would Be Good
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Among the numerous advances in artillery, rockets and missiles in India and abroad, the basic aim is to develop capacity to hit the enemy at the farthest distance.
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January 7, 2021
Growing Discontent in Pakistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The recent killing of 11 Hazara Shiite miners in Balochistan for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility is just one of the hundreds of incidents of ethnic strife in Pakistan.
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December 20, 2020
Army Chief Visits Gulf Countries
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The recent six-day visit of General M.M. Naravane to the UAE and Saudi Arabia beginning December 9, 2020, was a landmark in further boosting India’s relations with these two countries.
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December 20, 2020
Indigenous Carbines
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Army’s quest for a close quarter battle (CQB) carbine stretching over some 15 years may possibly fructify in another 3-4 years even though fast track procurement (FTP) to buy 93,895 such carbines from UAE-based firm Caracal...
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December 20, 2020
PLA’s Human Deficit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Don’t underestimate the enemy is an old saying which is synonymous to give the devil his due. But if the mask that President Xi Jinping hides his emotions, his shock at what has happened in Eastern Ladakh is apparent, notwithstanding the devil inside him and the ruthlessness he displays.
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December 20, 2020
SMASH 2000 Plus for Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh in his annual press briefing on the eve of Navy Day in December 2020 has said that the Navy is procuring SMASH 2000 Plus as anti-drone equipment to protect against attacking drones.
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December 20, 2020
More Eyes in the Sky for IAF
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports quoting government sources state that as per a recent discussions on the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Block 2 aircraft to be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under...
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December 20, 2020
Specter of CAATSA over S-400
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The ‘Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act’ (CAATSA) is a US federal law that was passed in the US Senate on July 27, 2017. Under CAATSA, the US imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia.
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December 17, 2020
Has China finally lost the plot with India
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)It has been eight months since the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Eastern Ladakh region was first reported. The escalation of violence by China resulting in 20 Indian soldiers being martyred enraged the entire nation asking for blood.
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December 10, 2020
China Sends Warplanes to Pakistan For Exercise: Should India be worried?
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The first such drill was held in Pakistan in March 2011. The Chinese Defence ministry did not reveal the number or type of the aircraft participating this time...
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December 7, 2020
India’s Message to SCO
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on November 30 chaired the 19th Session of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government held in virtual mode.
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December 7, 2020
BrahMos – Time to Go Global
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)BrahMos missile is one of its own kind supersonic missile having a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (around 3,450 kmph or 2,148 mph) which is difficult to intercept by surface-to-air missiles including because of its immense ability to evade various radars.
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December 7, 2020
Shukrayaan – Probing Venus
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is looking at 2024 for launch of its mission ‘Shukrayaan’ to probe Venus instead of earlier schedule in June 2023 on account of COVID-19.
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December 7, 2020
China-Pak Up Hybrid War
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China and Pakistan are making every possible effort to up their collusive hybrid war on India. Media reports of November 24 reveal that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has unearthed a 1,000 crore hawala ring run by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in India.
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December 7, 2020
Snubs and Hug for Wei Fenghe
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe received mixed responses during his recent visit to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan during November 2020.
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December 7, 2020
Indigenous QRSAM – Induction 2021
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is slated go for production in 2021 after completing user trials over the next six months.
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November 23, 2020
SPRUT SDM1: The Last Thing Indian Army Needs
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)No other country in any part of the world has evinced any interest in the same so far for numerous reasons including major shortcomings like limited armour protection, accuracy and subsequent maintenance and sustenance.
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November 20, 2020
The Depsang Tangle
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy created quite a flutter on Twitter with his tweet on November 15 that read: “I asked a national security officer how could the Chinese PLA build such an extensive infrastructure in such short period in Depsang.
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November 20, 2020
Iran’s Counter to Pakistani Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Akin to India and Afghanistan, Iran too has been victim of Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism. For Iran, the situation has been aggravated because of institutionalised killings of Shia Muslims in Pakistan, as also in Afghanistan through Pakistan-backed Taliban, Haqqanis and the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP).
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November 20, 2020
EOS-01 Military Satellite Orbiting
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On November 7, 2020, military satellite EOS-01 was launched into space from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota along with nine international customer satellites. These satellites were carried on board India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in its fifty first flight - PSLV-C49.
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November 20, 2020
Extended Range and Guided Pinakas
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)One positive consequence from the Chinese aggression in Ladakh is it has shaken up the governmental defence-industrial complex out of slumber, perhaps on receiving a jibe from the government.
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November 20, 2020
Beyond the ASAT Capability
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mission ‘Shakti’ executed on March 27, 2019, successfully shooting down a low-earth satellite, demonstrated India’s anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities. This enabled India to join the elite club of countries having similar capabilities; the US, Russia and China.
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November 20, 2020
China’s ULFA Gambit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The recent surrender by Drishti Rajkhowa alias Drishti Asom, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of banned insurgent organisation, ULFA (I) with his four bodyguards to the Army on November 12, 2020 at Rangiya in Assam made headlines.
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November 7, 2020
Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue – New Chapter?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The third India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held last month in New Delhi between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of India with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper...
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November 7, 2020
Defence against Swarm Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Islamic State used multiple drones on many occasions against the US and Iraqi forces engaged in retaking territory seized by them in Iraq. On January 5, 2018, 13 x GPS guided drones launched more than 50 km away attacked the Russian Air and Naval Bases at Khemmiem and Tartus in West Syria respectively.
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November 7, 2020
Army Chief’s Nepal Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, accompanied with his wife Veena Naravane, recently made a three-day visit to Nepal beginning November 04. Nepal had not cleared General Naravane’s visit on February 03, 2020 reason for which was later cited as COVID-19 but the pandemic had not struck India and Nepal then.
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November 7, 2020
China’s Pullback Googly
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)While talks with China are continuing to ease the standoff in Eastern Ladakh, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is consolidating along the entire length of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
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November 7, 2020
Advances in Exoskeleton Army Gear
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of September 2019 stated that the Defence Bioengineering and Electro-medical Laboratory (DEBEL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been collating data for Simulation and Analysis of Musco-skeletal parts, like lower limb simulation (while the soldier is standing), etc.
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November 7, 2020
Soft Tentacles of Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Propaganda and disinformation to destabilise a region/country form essential components of hybrid warfare. These generate public support, without which terrorists would not survive.
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October 20, 2020
Beijing’s Continued Logjam
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Seventh Corps Commander level India-China talks at Chushul on October 12 remained largely inconclusive as expected. The joint statement as reported in Chinese media had similar diplomatic scripts as earlier saying...
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October 20, 2020
Small Arms for Infantry
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Equipping Army’s infantry soldiers with modern small arms has always been a problem. The usual reference is to 70 years of neglect but it is conveniently forgotten that the common factor is the bureaucracy which continues to play its own games irrespective of which government is in power.
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October 20, 2020
Pakistan Stoking Khalistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The reason why China and Pakistan are bed fellows is because both share the DNA of Satan. China has incarcerated a million Uighur Muslims in Auschwitz-like concentration camps, demolished hundreds of mosques building toilets...
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October 20, 2020
US Focus on Tibet
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China’s biological bombing of the world, abrasive all round aggression in line with President Xi Jinping’s moves to dominate the world and growing US-China friction has led to America appointing an envoy for Tibet.
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October 20, 2020
The Missile Punch
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a signal to China, India conducted a slew of missile tests recently. These included the 400-km extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the Shaurya hypersonic missile, a low skimming subsonic Nirbhay cruise missile, SMART long range torpedoes, and RUDRAM anti-radiation missile.
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October 20, 2020
Certifying Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of October 03 have confirmed that Hyderabad-headquartered TQ Cert Services has become India’s first third-party certification body (CB) for drones.
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October 1, 2020
Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 on September 28, 2020 which is an improvement on the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016.
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October 1, 2020
Boosting Combat Drones Capability
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As China remains hostile with its state media saying China does not recognise the Union Territory of Ladakh, established “illegally” by India, India is going in for boosting its combat drones capabilities.
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October 1, 2020
Integrated Drone Swarm - Armoured Vehicle
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In June 2017, China reported several drones delivering food, medicines and water to PLA soldiers – calling them ‘care packages’ for front-line soldiers delivered automatically.
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October 1, 2020
Ageing Helicopters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Adverse affects of decades of neglect of defence and negative defence budgets in actual terms under various governments are coming to fore, faced with the Chinese aggression.
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October 1, 2020
ATAGS Mishap
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative and indigenisation, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed and developed the 155mm/52mm calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) project in conjunction with Kalyani Group, Tata Power and OFB to replace older guns.
