DM Parikar dig at Armed forces

Parrikar takes dig at Armed forces for Repeatedly changing Staff requirements on Indigenous weapons systems | idrw.org



Parrikar takes dig at Armed forces for Repeatedly changing Staff requirements on Indigenous weapons systems



Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar talking on the sideline of India today conclave 2015 said that he was not happy with Armed forces repeatedly changing requirements in the weapons systems currently been developed by various Public sector units, he also said that he has ensured that no more last minutes changes will be entertained hence forth once staff requirement has been defined .



Parrikar also said sometimes General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) laid down by Armed forces in the weapons systems to be developed in India seems like right out of ” Marvel comic Movies “, clearly hinting that Technologies requested in Indigenous weapons systems sometimes purely is absurd and not realistic in nature . with Former Army chief Bikram Singh sitting next to him hints were clearly pointed towards Indian army .



Repeated changes in GSQR and unrealistic technology requested in the short time frame has been criticised by DRDO in past and many key projects like Arjun main battle tanks and LCA Tejas have seen delays due to repeated changes asked almost every time at last minute when weapons system is all set for production or enter user trials.



Indian Defense analytics for long have criticized Indian military planners of drafting unrealistic General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) for local weapons systems, some have even had gone on to say that sometimes GSQR framed was heavily influenced by different military brochures of International defence manufacturers .

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DM dig at forces for Repeatedly changing requirements of Indian weapon

Parrikar takes dig at Armed forces for Repeatedly changing Staff requirements on Indigenous weapons systems | idrw.org



Parrikar takes dig at Armed forces for Repeatedly changing Staff requirements on Indigenous weapons systems



Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar talking on the sideline of India today conclave 2015 said that he was not happy with Armed forces repeatedly changing requirements in the weapons systems currently been developed by various Public sector units, he also said that he has ensured that no more last minutes changes will be entertained hence forth once staff requirement has been defined .



Parrikar also said sometimes General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) laid down by Armed forces in the weapons systems to be developed in India seems like right out of ” Marvel comic Movies “, clearly hinting that Technologies requested in Indigenous weapons systems sometimes purely is absurd and not realistic in nature . with Former Army chief Bikram Singh sitting next to him hints were clearly pointed towards Indian army .



Repeated changes in GSQR and unrealistic technology requested in the short time frame has been criticised by DRDO in past and many key projects like Arjun main battle tanks and LCA Tejas have seen delays due to repeated changes asked almost every time at last minute when weapons system is all set for production or enter user trials.



Indian Defense analytics for long have criticized Indian military planners of drafting unrealistic General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) for local weapons systems, some have even had gone on to say that sometimes GSQR framed was heavily influenced by different military brochures of International defence manufacturers .

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DM dig at forces for Repeatedly changing requirements for Indian weapo

Parrikar takes dig at Armed forces for Repeatedly changing Staff requirements on Indigenous weapons systems | idrw.org



Parrikar takes dig at Armed forces for Repeatedly changing Staff requirements on Indigenous weapons systems



Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar talking on the sideline of India today conclave 2015 said that he was not happy with Armed forces repeatedly changing requirements in the weapons systems currently been developed by various Public sector units, he also said that he has ensured that no more last minutes changes will be entertained hence forth once staff requirement has been defined .



Parrikar also said sometimes General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) laid down by Armed forces in the weapons systems to be developed in India seems like right out of ” Marvel comic Movies “, clearly hinting that Technologies requested in Indigenous weapons systems sometimes purely is absurd and not realistic in nature . with Former Army chief Bikram Singh sitting next to him hints were clearly pointed towards Indian army .



Repeated changes in GSQR and unrealistic technology requested in the short time frame has been criticised by DRDO in past and many key projects like Arjun main battle tanks and LCA Tejas have seen delays due to repeated changes asked almost every time at last minute when weapons system is all set for production or enter user trials.



Indian Defense analytics for long have criticized Indian military planners of drafting unrealistic General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) for local weapons systems, some have even had gone on to say that sometimes GSQR framed was heavily influenced by different military brochures of International defence manufacturers .

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Russian and Indian hypersonic missiles as early as 2020 and oxygen fre

Russian and Indian hypersonic missiles as early as 2020 and oxygen free fighter jet engines



Recently, journalists reported on the creation of special fuel for hypersonic vehicles and missiles, as well as the creation of an oxygen-free engine for the PAK FA fighter jet. At an airshow in India, it was revealed that a Russia-India joint venture was entering the final stages of work on a hypersonic missile. These interrelated events suggest that Russia is fully involved in the creation of hypersonic weapons.








Maxim Kuzyuk, CEO of the Aviation Equipment Holding (part of the state corporation Rostec), believes that the PAK FA engine can start without oxygen. “When creating the PAK FA, we were set the task of developing an oxygen-free starting system. Plasma ignition systems are installed in the main combustion chamber and the afterburner. This innovation is integrated into the nozzle with the plasma system – inside it, simultaneously with the admission of kerosene, a plasma arc is created,” said Kuzyuk. He underlined that this is a “unique” system, with no analogues anywhere in the word.

Kuzyuk also noted that this would lead to significant savings in monetary terms and, which may be even more important – reduced weight, because there is no need to install special oxygen equipment on the plane itself, thus making unnecessary the deployment of corresponding terrestrial infrastructure.

However, an oxygen-free engine starter is not only about money savings. This is also one more step in the creation of hypersonic vehicles, for whose engines this technology is critical.

The whole world is following the testing of the American X-51 hypersonic missile, which in recent test flights achieved a stable cruise speed of Mach 5.1. Similar work is being done in Russia as well, but all of this is strictly classified. No one even knows the proposed name or code identifier of the future product. A model of such a missile was shown at some exhibitions in the early 2000s – the Kh-90, but three years ago, its creator, the MKB Raduga, has repudiated any further connection with this project, saying that the work had stopped a long time ago and that the company is unaware of any other work in this direction. Furthermore, back in 2013, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that “tests are being performed”, but these are “strictly classified, and Russia is not lagging behind the USA in this sphere”. The news media reports about the oxygen-free motor for the PAK FA seem to be the “reverberations” of these tests.

In addition to this, last week Deputy Defense Minister General Dmitry Bulgakov stated that Russian scientists had developed a recipe for a new fuel, which will provide hypersonic vehicles with speeds surpassing Mach 5. The press reported this piece of news, as if in passing, among other successes achieved by Russian chemists, like a more economical fuel for cruise missiles, or work on the replacement of oil in the production of a number of fuel components. Meanwhile, Russia faces the task of developing new fuels for one of the fastest fighter jets – the MiG-25 (MiG-31). A special jet fuel was developed in order that these types of aircraft can attain speeds close to Mach 3.

Reality Check

The clearest news about the progress Russia has made on hypersonic weapons was reported, oddly enough, in India. During the Aero India-2015, Sudhir Mishra, Head of BrahMos Aerospace Ltd, announced that the development of a hypersonic missile would take from eight to ten years. “This will be the first hypersonic missile in the world,” he added.

BrahMos is a joint Russia-India project. Starting in 1998, the BrahMos was based on the Yakhont missile (export version of the P-800 Oniks missile), and has been developing missile weapons for the needs of the Indian Army.

Taking part in this development from the Russian side is the Moscow Aviation Institute. It is logical to assume that the Russian side would hardly “share the latest developments” with Indi. Mishra is perhaps exaggerating in saying that the BrahMos will become the world’s first hypersonic missile. The US is close to creating a prototype and Russia is also moving in this direction.



Russia ups stakes in hypersonic race | Russia & India Report

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India's Ocean

I have written this piece on DFI main page



India's Ocean

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MBDA Pitches Co-Development of 5th Gen ATGM

March 7, 2015: European missile firm MBDA has pitched the Missile Moyenne Portée (Medium Range Missile) fifth generation anti-tank missile system for co- development and co-production in India. The company has opened preliminary discussions with the Indian Army and DRDO to pursue the pitch. The MMP is described by MBDA as a lightweight weapon system, easily man-portable high level of day and night, all-weather reconnaissance and identification capability, with a confined space firing capability, rapid reaction operation, firing sequence reversibility, lethality against a wide target set: hot and cold targets, including the latest MBTs, with collateral damage risk minimization qualities. The Indian Army recently selected the Israeli Spike ATGM to meet its immediate requirement. The PARS 3 air-launched anti-armour missile for the ALH Rudra armed helicopter is currently under progress, with no decision made yet. The MMP, MBDA believes, will allow India to be involved in the crucial testing and advanced development phase of the weapon system to meet future needs just of the Indian armed forces but foreign armies as well. In December 2011, the French defence procurement agency DGA had awarded MBDA a risk reduction contract for the MMP programme that will now replace the MILAN weapon system which has been in service with the French armed forces since 1974, and with the Indian Army as well.

MBDA Pitches Co Development of 5th Gen ATGM - SP�s Exculsive

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India loses title of top weapons importer.

Saudi Arabia overtakes India to become top defence importer: IHS - The Economic Times



DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has dislodged India to become the world's top defence importer in 2014, while China inched closer to its Asian neighbour at third position, research company IHS said today in a report.



US continues to be the top defence exporter followed by Russia, France and UK, the ranking unchanged from 2013, the information agency said in its annual defence report.



"In 2014, Saudi Arabia replaced India as the largest importer of defence equipment worldwide and took th ..



Read more at:

Saudi Arabia overtakes India to become top defence importer: IHS - The Economic Times

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Is India winning or losing the Kashmir propaganda war?

Both in Kashmir and internationally?



What do you think?



In Kashmir, we have lost big time in the valley...due to pandering parties and years of militant disinfo



Internationally, UN now takes our stance (bilateral issue) but avg. people I see abroad sometimes see India in same light as Israel (vis-a-vis Palestine). Others don't care.



What do you think?

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India should offer to build Dutch-style sea walls around Maldives...

In exchange for legal annexation.



If there is one thing bothering the island nation of the Maldives...it is that they will cease to exist for longer than a few decades, due to rising sea levels thanks to global climate change.



India should play on this fear, and offer to build massive dykes around the archipelago to keep the water out (as the netherlands have been doing for centuries) under the condition of autonomy under the Indian Union, like J&K, Sikkim etc. If need be, we can eventually start slowly pulling the rug of autonomy from out under their feet (like we have been doing in J&K since accession).



Do you think the Maldivians value their sovereignty more, or their very homeland's existence?

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Reliance Infra to pick up 25% stake in Pipavav Defence

Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence Systems along with Reliance Infrastructure is all set to make a big bang entry into the defence business by acquiring up to 25% stake in Pipavav Defence – one of India’s private sector shipyards based in Gujarat. The Anil Ambani company will make an open offer costing around Rs 1,266 crore as the transaction will breach the 25% trigger for an open offer. Reliance Infrastructure will first invest Rs 819 crore to pick up 17.66% stake in the company at a price of Rs 63 from the promoters and then launch an open offer at the price of Rs 66 a share.

The Anil Ambani group has pipped a number of suitors including the Munjals of the Hero group and M&M to buy the company. The Ambani company will spend an additional Rs 345 crore to buy an additional 7.44% stake in the company, if there is no response in the open offer. Post transaction, the Gandhi family will own 24.6% stake in the company. The promoters own 44.5% stake in the company. Pipavav Defence stock closed at Rs 76.50 on Wednesday. With the acquisition, Reliance Infrastructure joins a growing list of Indian companies which are getting into the defence sector with the Modi Government planning to give more orders to the Indian companies under the Make-in-India policy. The Modi government has also allowed 49% foreign direct investment in defence companies.



Reliance Infra to pick up 25% stake in Pipavav Defence | Business Standard News

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CAPEX breakup of defence out!!!!!!!!

The NDA government has increased the allocation for the armed forces marginally to Rs 2,46,727 crore in FY16, compared with Rs 2,22,370 crore this fiscal, but the capital outlay remains unchanged at Rs 94,588 crore.

The capital allocation is used for buying new weapons and equipment for the forces and, according to experts, this is not sufficient to fund the forces’ planned modernisation and technology acquisition plans for the year.

The armed forces had raised a demand for Rs 3,10,080 crore for the 2015-16 fiscal. They wanted Rs 97,776 crore for non-Plan capital expenditure and Rs 400 crore for Plan capital expenditure. The non-Plan revenue expenditure the forces proposed was Rs 211,853 crore, apart from Rs 50 crore under the Plan revenue expenditure.

However, the forces got Rs 64,357 crore less than what was sought in the overall Budget. The allocation for buying new weapons is Rs 3,288 crore less than what was asked for.

Considering that the defence budget hike is just Rs 17,727 crore more than the previous fiscal’s budgetary estimate of Rs 229,000 crore, it is just a 7.74 % hike. However, in percentage terms, it goes up to 10.95 when compared against the revised estimates of 2014-15 that stood at Rs 222,370 crore. The defence budget for 2015 is just 1.75 % of GDP. This is less than 1.78% allocated in the last Budget in July 2014.

The air force has got a capital allocation of Rs 33,108 crore, which is a decrease from 2014-15 when it got Rs 33,310 crore. However, the allocation for aircraft and aero-engine purchases has gone up by Rs 2,595 crore to Rs 18,866 crore. The allocation was Rs 16,271 crore in 2014-15. The army’s capital allocation has gone up to Rs 26,225.32 crore from the previous year’s Rs 24,979.86 crore. The navy’s funds for capital acquisition have been slashed to Rs 6,736 crore, compared to last year’s Rs 8,615 crore. The ordnance factories have got a budgetary allocation of Rs 2,884 crore, while DRDO has been given Rs 6,570 crore. According to an industry observer: “This hike for aircraft and aeroengine purchases may not be sufficient to fund the estimated $20 bn Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). Besides this, almost 75% of the new budget will go in making payments for old deals. This hardly leaves funds for buying anything new.”

However, the defence ministry had told the parliamentary standing committee in late 2014 that when the MMRCA is contracted, additional funds would be made available. As soon as the contract gets signed, India has to make a down payment of 15 % of the contract amount to the original equipment manufacturer.

Besides the MMRCA, payments need to be made for 145 Ultra-light Howitzers, 15 Apache attack helicopters and 22 CH-47F Chinook medium lift helicopters. The navy needs submarines and stealth ships to counter the Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.

Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at global consultancy KPMG, says, “The finance minister has increased the budget allocation by 11% to about $ 41 bn, which is positive. The industry expected major reforms in the defence sector in order. It expected ‘infrastructure status’ for the sector in order to attract tax incentives and to meet capital requirements. That has been a disappointment. We hope policy and procedural support for defence will enhance throughout the year and not be limited to just the budget exercise.”



FM gives armed forces less than asked for | The Financial Express



Any hopes for MMRCA? :rolleyes:

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Islamabad is a planned capital city...why is it so close to India?

I just checked this out...







45KM from India proper, and 80KM from the LoC...



what were they thinking? Why hasn't India ever taken an offensive in this region, in either 65 or 71?



How vulnerable is Islamabad today?

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India raises defense budget modestly

BY SANJEEV MIGLANI

NEW DELHI Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:20pm IST





CREDIT: REUTERS/ADNAN ABIDI





Pictures that caught our eyes or made news during the past week in India. Slideshow





(Reuters) - India announced on Saturday a modest 7.9 percent increase in defence spending for the fiscal year starting April 1, suggesting that it will move only gradually with the military's long wish list for fighter jets, ships and artillery.



After years of neglect, India is trying to narrow the military gap with China, which has been building up its fleet of ships and submarines making forays in the Indian Ocean.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, unveiling the federal budget for 2015/16, said defence spending will rise to 2.47 trillion Indian rupees ($40.07 billion). For the current fiscal year, the allocation was 2.29 trillion rupees, a jump of 12 percent over the previous year.



"Defence of every inch of our land is above everything else," Jaitley said.



But the limited rise in the military budget - three-quarters of which is spent on maintaining the world's third largest standing force - means only some new weapons will be ordered this year.



Gurmeet Kanwal, a retired brigadier and fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation, a New Delhi think tank with ties to the government, said the state has to make initial downpayments for a range of pending orders.



He listed them as 126 fighter aircraft from Dassault, 197 light helicopters, 145 Ultra-light Howitzers, 15 Apache attack helicopters and 22 CH-47F Chinook medium lift helicopters.



The navy needs new submarines and stealth ships to counter the Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean, which New Delhi has long seen as its sphere of influence.



China is expected to authorise robust 2015 defence spending this coming week despite its slowing economy, largely to beef up the navy with anti-submarine ships and develop more aircraft carriers beyond the sole vessel in operation.



Last year, the two giant neighbours were locked in a stand-off on their disputed Himalayan border that cast a shadow on President Xi Jinping's first summit meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



But economic ties have rapidly expanded between the two countries and Modi is expected to visit China later in 2015.



(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

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Major terror attack against India could trigger nuclear war: Experts

WASHINGTON: Pakistan may use nuclear weapons against India if the latter goes for a large scale military assault against it in retaliation for a major terror attack emanating from across the border, two top American experts have warned US lawmakers.



Given the presence of a strong government in New Delhi and the pressure on it from Indian citizens in the event of a repeat of 26/11 type terror attack, the ties between the two neighbours have greater danger of escalating towards a devastating nuclear warfare, in particular from Pakistan.



Such a dangerous scenario can only be avoided by the US working with Islamabad to ensure that there is no further large scale terror attack on India emanating from Pakistan, two top American experts - George Perkovich and Ashley Tellis - told members of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Strategic Forces during a hearing yesterday.



"South Asia is the most likely place nuclear weapons could be detonated in the foreseeable future. This risk derives from the unusual dynamic of the India-Pakistan competition," said Perkovich, vice president for Studies Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.



"The next major terrorist attack in India, emanating from Pakistan, may trigger an Indian conventional military riposte that could in turn prompt Pakistan to use battlefield nuclear weapons to repel an Indian incursion. India, for its part, has declared that it would inflict massive retaliation in response to any nuclear use against its territory or troops," he said.



"Obviously, this threatening dynamic - whereby terrorism may prompt conventional conflict which may prompt nuclear war - challenges Indian and Pakistan policy-makers. India and Pakistan both tend to downplay or dismiss the potential for escalation, but our own history of close nuclear calls should make US officials more alert to these dangers. The US is the only outside power that could intervene diplomatically and forcefully to de-escalate a crisis," Perkovich said.



Tellis said the most useful US contribution towards preventing a Pakistani use of nuclear weapons in such a scenario -- and the Indian nuclear retribution that would result thereafter -- would be to press Pakistan to exit the terrorism business or risk being left alone (or, even worse, the object of sanctions) if a major Indian military response ensues in the aftermath of any pernicious terrorist attack.



"Other than this, there is little that the United States can do to preserve deterrence stability between two asymmetrically-sized states where the gap in power promises to become even wider tomorrow than it is today," he said.



Both the experts, who are from the Carnegie, told members of the Senate sub-committee that Pakistan today has more nuclear weapons than that of India.



Major terror attack against India could trigger nuclear war: Experts - The Economic Times on Mobile

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Maldives crisis: Did China chreograph ex-president's arrest?

http://ift.tt/1D8xdcQ





Is the unusual harsh treatment meted out to Maldives’ former President Mohamed Nasheed part of a script written by China?



The ruthlessness and brashness exhibited by the Maldivian government in the Nasheed arrest episode is typical of the Chinese style of governance. For years the Chinese have been muzzling dissent and literally beating the opposition to pulp. The severe high handedness with which the Maldives government has dealt with the country’s former President seems to be a leaf straight from the Chinese book. Possibly the Chinese are rattled after the diplomatic reversal experienced by them in Sri Lanka last month during the presidential elections when pro-China Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated by Maithripala Sirisena who contested the elections openly on an anti-China plank.



Is Maldives a low hung fruit for Indian strategic establishment to cap, if not reverse, China’s influence after the recent Sri Lanka development? This may sound ambitious but is not an invalid question given pro-India remarks made by leaders of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) at China’s expense. MDP leader and former Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed told this writer in a telephonic interview on 20 February, two days before his arrest, that Chinese companies were being favoured by the Abdulla Yameen government and said that it was a worrying trend. On that very day, former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem had told this writer in New Delhi that “Indian Ocean must remain India’s ocean.” This is a big statement and China must be well aware of the pro-India and anti-China slant of Nasheed and his MDP.



Sample the on-record quotes of Nassem, the former foreign minister: An important worrying trend we have seen during the Waheed and Yameen presidencies is the increasing influence of external powers in the Indian Ocean. The position of former President Nasheed and the MDP has always been crystal clear: the Indian Ocean must remain India’s ocean. We have never wavered in our position on this. For these reasons, MDP is concerned that President Yameen has rushed, with unseemly haste, to embrace China and Chinese plans for a maritime silk route.MDP notes the influx of Chinese cash into Maldives since Yameen was elected, and is very worried that China’s real ambition is not economic but military. We suspect that they (China) want to build a Chinese military facility. Although Beijing denies this, we believe that China is interested in establishing a military base in Maldives, Naseem had said. Under President Nasheed’s administration, Maldives and Indian bilateral relations were the closest they have been in living memory. President Nasheed allowed India to establish radar facilities across the country. And Maldives and India collaborated closely on a range of issues to bring peace and security to the region. MDP leaders have been making anti-China statements before Nasheed’s arrest on 22 February and not because of his arrest. Also, Maldives’ major opposition party has been making significant pro-India remarks at the expense of China.



China’s strategic forays in the Indian neighbourhood are not without repercussions. Myanmar has resented it and is no longer in such a close grip of the dragon as it used to be. But Myanmar’s anger against China remained controlled. In Sri Lanka’s case the unthinkable happened much too quickly and unexpectedly for China to react and indulge in fire fighting. As China increasingly becomes the elephant in the room inSouth Asia, Sri Lanka has been a God-send reversal of fortunes for India in this context with the change in government there. Nasheed was all set to take on the Yameen government at a mega rally scheduled in Male for 27 February but he was arrested. The question is not whether the Narendra Modi government is aware of all this. The question is how the Modi government is going to deal with Maldives in the wake of Nasheed’s arrest. Needless to say, whatever overt or covert steps the Indian government decides to take, China should be at the centre of all such forthcoming strategies of New Delhi.

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National Security Lands in Trinamool Trouble

National Security Lands in Trinamool Trouble



By Arup Chanda

Published: 22nd Feb 2015 06:05:05 AM

The New Indian Express | Sunday Standard

Quote:

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KOLKATA:India’s defence preparedness has hit a roadblock, thanks to the Trinamool Congress government of West Bengal. To thwart China’s military plans near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and incursions violating it, the Indian Army and Indian Air Force have been planning to expand their operations in north Bengal and set up new bases. But such plans have run into trouble because of the land acquisition policy of the Mamata Banerjee regime.



The Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) proposals to expand the army cantonment at Kalimpong and set up an armoured corps division and a “composite aviation base” in north Bengal hang in the balance as the state government has remained silent over land acquisition since the last two years. To break the deadlock, senior officers of the Eastern Command held a “civil-military liaison” meeting with senior officials of the state government last month.



A MoD official said: “Not acquiring land from farmers for industry might be the CM’s policy for vote bank politics but this is a case of national security which can never be compromised because of populism. We need the land as soon as possible to expand our base as we have been receiving disturbing reports about Chinese activities across the border in this region.”



Defence officers pointed out that unlike West Bengal, neighbouring Assam had fully cooperated. IAF stations in Tezpur and Chhabua in Dibrugarh had been upgraded and bases for Sukhoi T-50 aircraft have been made. The existing IAF stations in Jorhat and Mohanbari in Assam and Bagdogra and Hashimara in West Bengal are being modernised. At Panagarh’s mountain strike corps headquarters, an IAF station for C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft which can fly troops and weapons very fast to the Sino-Indian border has been built.

A state government official, who was present at the “civil-military liaison meeting” pleaded helplessness and said, “We fully realise the immediate need of the forces. We have informed them that the present government treats the issue of land acquisition in a different manner compared to the earlier ones. The decision has to be taken by the state cabinet headed by the CM.”



Following intelligence reports and Chinese activity along the LAC, the Indian Army has marked parts of north Bengal and northeast region of the country, particularly Arunachal Pradesh which China claims as its own territory, as a “sensitive zone”. In 2013, then defence minister A K Antony had approved a budget of Rs 65,000 crore to form a “mountain strike corps” in the eastern and north-eastern regions. Accordingly two mountain divisions were “fully raised” with 30,000 troops in the northeast as a counter-measure and to shore up mountain warfare capabilities.



The new mountain divisions came up at a time when India’s security brass was warily watching the massive upgrade of Chinese military infrastructure along the 4,057-km LAC—the ceasefire line as there is no demarcated border—in all the three sectors like western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh).



West Bengal is closely connected with the MoD’s plans to counter China’s growing military presence in southern Tibet but Banerjee’s vote bank politics is a stumbling block in the region.



Two years ago a senior army official had met the CM at Siliguri and sought 750 acres of land next to the Binaguri army cantonment to establish an armoured corps division. He stressed the need saying that China was actively increasing its influence in bordering Bhutan and Nepal, according to military intelligence (MI) reports.



MI reports stated that China was carrying out charitable activities and imparting free education through some voluntary organisations next to the LAC, and using them to carry out espionage activities in the region. The neighbouring country was also spending huge sums of money in setting up Buddhist monasteries in the region, it pointed out.



The army, which has a strong presence in Binaguri cantonment, plans not only to increase its personnel but also have an armoured corps division with MBT Arjun tanks and armoured vehicles. It currently has 63 armoured corps regiments, and has also raised the Ladakh Scouts and two battalions of Arunachal.



According to the proposals, an armoured corps division is planned at Jalpaiguri’s Dumdim, a “composite aviation base” of the IAF at Shougaon, and expansion of army base at Kalimpong in Darjeeling district.



During the meeting with senior state government officials, the defence officers said that for posting the new mountain division, the armoured corps base equipped with latest weapons, including missiles, 750 acres of land was needed at Dumdim. The army had also identified the land needed for railway link to Dumdim and the MoD had given the green signal to acquire the land in 2013.



For the IAF’s base at Shougaon, 361 acres are needed and 1,250 acres for expansion of the army cantonment at Kalimpong. According to sources at Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command, “Expansion of the Kalimpong base is an immediate need as it is one of the pillars to guard our borders with China in Sikkim as 15,000 troops are deployed in that base spread over 415 acres. We need to expand it three times and that is why an additional 1,250 acres is needed.”



The state government, however, has not yet given the ‘no objection certificate’ to acquire the land. During the meeting with civilian officials the defence officers stressed the need for the aviation base in the “Siliguri corridor” at Shougan with latest aircraft which would be supported by the army in view of a Chinese invasion.



Of the 361 acres identified by the defence officers at Shougaon, 228 acres are within a tea garden of which 97 acres belong to the army. The army’s repeated letters seeking acquisition of the remaining 166 acres have gone in vain.



The government of “Ma, Mati, Manush” (mother, soil and masses)—besieged with multi-crore chit fund scam charges, growing atrocities against women and with the BJP knocking on its doors—seems to be more engrossed in playing to the gallery of voters than the nation’s security.

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[SOURCE]

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Why Asia is ready for a US-India-Japan alliance

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Democracy has not featured as a theme of U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy. He took office promising to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, not to remake those countries in America's image. The Arab Spring turned into a nightmare, leading Obama to back strongmen in Cairo and Riyadh. Outreach to autocrats in Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and Havana has sometimes taken precedence over ties with U.S. allies. But in a landmark visit to India in January, Obama changed tack, recognizing that a convergence of interests and values makes the world's largest democracy pivotal to U.S. strategic objectives.

In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who predicted as early as 2006 that Japan's relations with India could surpass those with America to become "the most important bilateral relationship in the world" on the basis of shared interests and values. For his part, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is treating Washington and Tokyo as India's most valuable external partners.

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Coming from very different backgrounds, Obama, Abe and Modi are converging around the idea of an Indo-Pacific alliance to manage China's rise and sustain the peace of Asia. This is a strong challenge to Beijing's belief in its pre-eminence in Asia -- and its attempts to forge a "new type of major power relations" with the U.S. over the heads of its allies.

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In 2014, India became the world's third-largest economy measured by purchasing power parity. Recent figures reveal its economy to be growing faster than China's. India's recent progress, and China's economic slowdown in the context of a political crackdown, challenge the assumption that Beijing owns the future. Countries across Asia and in the West welcome India's rise even as they fear China's growing power. India's democracy leads other nations to view its emergence as an opportunity, even as they hedge against China's resurgence. To Washington, Tokyo and Brussels, India looks like a partner, whereas China looks like a strategic competitor.

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For both American and Japanese officials, India is the only Asian country with the weight and scale to offset China's power and influence. Its navy patrols the sea lanes that are the world's energy superhighway, connecting the oil and gas resources of the Persian Gulf to the big economies of East Asia. India is a historic victim of terrorism and shares a compelling interest with the U.S. and Japan in containing violent extremism. As its economy grows, India increasingly will have the resources to act as a provider of security from East Africa to the Western Pacific -- and in the Middle East, where seven million Indians are resident. But to rise, India needs all the capital, technology and defense hardware it can get; the U.S. and Japan are among the most likely external providers of these resources, and have the most compelling stake in India's success.

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A rather long article , have posted some relevant parts. Daniel Twining: Why Asia is ready for a US-India-Japan alliance- Nikkei Asian Review



The question that arises is how does India manage the tango with US-Japan on one side and China on the other hand.

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How to end the threat of a two front war from China and Pakistan...

...We turn them against each other.



Right now, China's unending support of Pakistan comes from two primary concerns: keeping India engaged to prevent it from being a meaningful rival, and securing an energy corridor which doesn't rely on our IN's mercy in Molucca straits.



It is a coincidence, that Sinkiang, the most troubled region of China borders Pakistani Kashmir. It is also not a coincidence, that many of the Uighur troublemakers seek refuge in Gilgit-Baltistan.



China is probably aware of this.



However, China is right now doing a cost analysis of Internal insurgency vs. external strategic requirements, and have figured out that the cost of pak-origin insurgency in Sinkiang is worth the Gwadar corridor and India distraction that Pak provides China.



What we have to do is make that cost too high for China to sustain.



Any ideas?

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The seven firms fighting over India’s $620 billion defence market

The seven homegrown firms fighting over India’s $620 billion defence market – Quartz

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Russia Ready To Jointly Make Futuristic Products With India!

Russia Ready To Jointly Make Futuristic Products With India



Keen to continue its dominant position in the Indian defence market, Russia says it is willing to partner with India to jointly make products that will "find the markets of the future".



Promising a whole array of technological transfer and joint production under 'Make in India' initiative, the Russian manufacturers said they are eager to partner with Indian private firms too, especially in the booming aerospace sector, reports NDTV.


Terming 2015 a "very important year", state-owned United Aircraft Corporation's (UAC) President Yuri Slyusar said he is hopeful that the much delayed plans for the joint production of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) with India will take off with full steam this year.





He also hoped that the joint production of the Multi-role Transport Aircraft will firm up. "2015 is a very important year when we would go from preliminary design to a detailed design. I would like to stress the point that the depth of cooperation that we have with India, we don't have it with any other country," he said speaking on the sidelines of the Aero India air show here.



United Aircraft Cooperation is an umbrella organisation of Russian aerospace industry. Slyusar said that Russia and India together will "design and manufacture the products that will find the markets of the future". "This is the evidence of confidence of both sides. It is evidence of our good future prospects," he said, pointing out that Russians have been in Indian defence sector for nearly 50 years.



Russia has been a dominant player in Indian defence market for years but it's now facing tough competition from other countries like US, France, and Israel. About 60 per cent of Indian defence equipment continues to be Russian or those made by countries of the former Soviet bloc. Outlining the plans, Slyusar said Russia and India could jointly manufacture the engine for the SU30 MKI, the frontline fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. He appreciated Indian engineers for having mastered the art of overhauling of SU30MKI engines. State-run HAL had in January this year handed over to IAF the first overhauled Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter plane making India the only nation to re-do the Russian-made aircraft.



Slyusar also said he is interested in spreading Russian ties with Indian industry and their cooperation to commercial aviation sector. He said that Russia is keen to introduce the Sukhoi Superjet 100, a modern fly-by-wire twin-engine regional jet with 8 to 108 passenger seats, in the Indian market.



Talking about the FGFA, Sukhoi CEO Igor Ozar said the negotiations are in the final stages and "at least the Russian side hopes it would be signed in 2015".



The preliminary design agreement on FGFA had been signed in 2010 between HAL and Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau to build the jet for use by both countries. But the final R&D contract, which was to be signed by 2012, is still to be finalised.



The contract would pave the way for prototype development and flight testing. Though India is investing 50 per cent of the cost of the multi-billion dollar programme, its work share in the research and development and other aspects of the programme has come down to only around 13 per cent, something which Indian officials are not happy about.



They say this will impact India's indigenous capabilities to develop such an advanced fighter aircraft. Refusing to elaborate on the work share, Ozar said everything has been "worked out".



Sources also said that there are issues related to other aspects of the plane too. The FGFA project is based on the Russian Air Force's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA platform. The Indian version will be tweaked to add some more advanced features.

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