alert

Showing posts with label Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Act east was not myth but reality



-The Big Picture - India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement

Cabinet Clears Bill on Bangladesh Land Boundary Accord

NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet on Tuesday cleared a bill to operationalise the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh which entails exchange of enclaves by both countries.

The decision to approve the Constitution (119th Amendment Bill), 2013, on the land boundary agreement was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Press Information Bureau director general Frank Norhona said. The bill includes exchange of territories in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.

The constitutional amendment bill for ratification of the agreement is expected to be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs had also recommended a constitution amendment bill to enable the swapping of enclaves between India and Bangladesh.

Sources said the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership discussed the land boundary protocol and its ramifications for the assembly polls in Assam in the wake of suggestions from state BJP leaders that Assam should be delinked from the agreement. Assam will face assembly elections next year.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had on Saturday expressed surprise at the reported decision of the central government not to include clauses relating to Assam in the protocol without consulting the state government. He had requested Modi to include the state in the protocol signed between the governments of India and Bangladesh on September 6, 2011.

The land swap protocol envisages transfer of 111 enclaves with a total area of 17,160.63 acres to Bangladesh, while the neighbouring country is to transfer 51 enclaves with an area of 7,110.02 acres to India. A 6.1-km undefined border stretch will be demarcated with the bill being passed.

Cabinet Clears Bill on Bangladesh Land Boundary Accord - The New Indian Express


from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1dLjELg
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Sunday, 26 April 2015

Myanmar army intrudes into Manipur

Myanmar army intrudes into Manipur - The Times of India

Quote:

Barely 10 months after the Myanmar army encroached on a portion of Indian territory along the Moreh sector of Chandel district in Manipur, it has again occupied a 3-sq km area in Ukhrul district of the state, villagers of the area claimed.

Taking note of the latest 'incursion', chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh convened a meeting with top civil security officers, including the deputy commissioner of Ukhrul.

Manipur shares a 390-km porous border with Myanmar. Three of its districts — Chandel, Ukhrul and Churachandpur — share a border with Myanmar. Central forces, mostly Assam Rifles, guard the bordering areas.

Myanmar troops, including officers accompanied by police, last week intruded into Ukhrul's Choro Khunou village that lies between border pillar No 6 and 95, said the villagers. Choro Khunou, under Kamjong block, is located at a distance of 250 km from Imphal and 150 km from the Ukhrul district headquarters. Claiming that the area belongs to them, the Myanmar army seized a saw mill and some other structures there, the villagers added. The troops warned the villagers to refrain from building houses in the occupied area. The village authorities urged the state and the Centre to intervene immediately.

Reacting to the development, Ibobi Singh on Thursday evening convened a meeting of the chief secretary, DGP, senior Assam Rifles officials, Army, BSF and CRPF and the Ukhrul DC in Imphal.

The DC said a sub-divisional officer and an additional SP of the district have been sent to Choro Khunou village to gather information, sources said. The Army said it would raise the issue during the next bilateral meeting with its Myanmar counterparts, while the Assam Rifles said they have sent their men to the area to get a clear picture.


from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1KjWfLM
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Rajiv gandhi was swedish jet deal's middleman in 1970s: Wikileaks

[IMG]http://ift.tt/1aOBECo er=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*[/IMG]

Much before he joined politics, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi may have been 'the main Indian negotiator' for a massive aircraft deal for which his 'family' connections were seen as valuable for Swedish company Saab-Scania when it was trying to sell its Viggen fighter aircraft to India in the 1970s.

This revelation was made by The Hindu, in investigative collaboration with WikiLeaks, after accessing a new set of US diplomatic communications titled the 'Kissinger Cables'.

The October 21, 1975 cable from the New Delhi US Embassy (1975NEWDE14031_b, confidential) says:

"The Swedes hare are once again optimistic about their chances of selling the Viggen to the Indian Air Force. The SAAB-Scania sales manager and the chief technical officer, the former acting commander of the Swedish Air Force, returned to New Delhi 10 days ago for conferences with the Indians. The technical advisor is still here and will remain as long as necessary to handle questions from the new Indian defence minister and new IAF Chief of Staff, both of whom according to our Swedish colleague, require time to brief themselves on the competing fighters..."

"... The Swedes are braced for another Indian appeal for credit which our colleague says Sweden will not grant. But he did say the minister strongly supports the Viggen sale. Our colleague would not say what other concessions the Swedes may be considering. The Swedes here have also made it quite clear they understand the importance of family influences in the final decision in the fighter sweepstakes."
08ss2
Sweden's Saab-Scania Viggen Fighter Jet



"Our colleague describes Rajiv Gandhi in flattering terms and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand we may have thought a transport pilot not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification," the cable read.

The first cable said that Air Marshal O P Mehra's son-in-law was the chief negotiator for the competing Mirage, but it does not give his name, the paper said.

Contacted in New Delhi, Navin Behl, the former Air Chief's son-in-law, denied that he was ever involved in any such negotiations, it added.
08ss3
SEPECAT Jaguar Strike Jet


Despite hectic lobbying by the Swedes, however, India was forced to choose the SEPECAT Jaguar instead after the United States blocked the export of Viggens to the country in 1978 by not issuing an export license for the RM8/JT8D engine.

After the 1965 Indo-Pak war, US and Britain had placed embargoes on supply of military equipment to India. Since the Viggen's engine was essentially of US origin, it would have been instantly disqualified but for political influence. The possibility of denial of equipment or spares from Britain was also a major hitch.

After the imposition of National Emergency, Indira Gandhi had been ousted when elections took place.

The Janata Dal Government decided to pursue the DPSA acquisition vigorously. Meanwhile, British Aerospace was formed as a corporation in April 1977 by the merger of the BAC, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Scottish Aviation. In March 1978, an Indian team led by the Defence Secretary visited France, Sweden and England. After receiving its report, the Government decided to ignore the other two aircraft and to enter into a contract with BAe to acquire the Jaguar.

The IAF was clear in its stand of wanting only a two engine aircraft.

A formal announcement of the selection of the Jaguar to meet DPSA requirements was made by the Government on October 6, 1978.


from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1bfRiXW
via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Is Russia still our friend ? Poll

In light of the recent situation where Russia has been trying to sell jet engines to PAF, conducting military ops with Pakistan and then blackmailing us on prices of many products, is it time we stop being a friend of Russia and make this relationship transactional ?



Please give your views, comments and ofcourse vote.





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1D29Vov

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Saturday, 18 April 2015

Perform or perish is the new mantra in the Defence Ministry

What do you think needs to be done to keep a check on all the defense related organisations?



1) On each missed deadline why do not we sack the person responsible?

2)Why are we afraid of quitting projects which are unrealistic or impossible and keep pouring more and more money into that well?

3)Why don't we actually go ahead and close/shut down the units which do not give output?

4)why private sector is kept out of most of the projects?

5)why accountability not established?

6)IAF IA DRDO HAL ADA Should be made aware that who the boss is and there ping pong will no longer be establised.




Quote:




Cut your coat according to your cloth. That’s the loud and clear message Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has sent out to the three armed forces. In less than six months after taking over, Parrikar has studied various complex issues dogging the Defence Ministry and has come to his own conclusions on what needs to be done. By his own admission, Parrikar spent the first four months as defence minister taking inputs from a range of experts both within and outside the MoD before making up his mind.



The first thing he said he realised, was the mismatch that existed between various acquisition plans of the three armed forces and the availability of funds. “Many grand plans were made without taking the budget into consideration,” he told me.



During a couple of on-camera and off-camera (but on record) conversations, Parrikar talked to me about how the planning for the much-touted Mountain Strike Corps (MSC) was faulty. “The need for acquiring an offensive capability against the Chinese was projected (and sanctioned) but not the funds. I will not go into who is responsible for this faulty planning and projection but the fact is, they (the army) was using war reserves to equip the Mountain Strike Corps. Fortunately, we realised the mistake early and I can assure you that the reserves have not depleted to a level where it can be termed alarming. After a review, we have realised that the MSC will have to be frozen at a point where it is now..”



Later, in another interview to Hindustan Times, he confirmed the actual figures. “I have frozen the cost at Rs 38,000 crore over the next eight years. It will consist of 35,000 men,” the Defence Minister said. So from 70,000 men and Rs 88,000 crore, Parrikar has made the Army cut the size of the MSC down to almost 50 percent. And rightly so, since funds are not infinite.



Indeed, the biggest example of Parrikar’s dictum is the decision on the purchase of 36 Rafale combat jets from France. “The Air Force may want 126 Rafales and I may want to give them 500 but where are the funds? We have to be realistic. So why not go for LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas, Mark II made in India which will save us some money and give a boost to the indigenous aerospace industry? At the same time, we understood that the IAF needed the Rafale jets, so I went to the Prime Minister, who took a very bold political decision. This proves that important acquisitions have to be made at the government-to-government level,” he said.



Rafale and MSC are two big ticket items that have been cut down according to the availability of funds, but in his review, Parrikar also found that the bureaucracy in the ministry — both civil and military — was sitting on some 400-odd big and small projects that are critical to the three armed forces. Without getting into details, he said, “The first thing I did was to look at projects that are stuck at various stages of clearances since the most common complaint across the board was ‘nothing moves’ in the MoD.” A thorough review revealed that nearly one-third of the 400-odd projects were now irrelevant. So they were discarded. About 50 projects were accelerated since they were of critical importance.



The next step was to prioritise the projects. Over the past month, Parrikar and his closest aides have managed to identify critical schemes across the three services that needed immediate funding and implementation. The purchase of 50,000 bullet proof jackets, for instance, was sanctioned on a fast track basis once it was realised that troops involved in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency operations were facing a severe shortage. Similarly, a small bureaucratic standoff had held up supply of Extreme High Altitude Clothing (for soldiers posted in Siachen and similar terrain) for more than two years. Parrikar personally intervened and resolved the issue, he said.



But more than anything else, the former Goa Chief Minister seems to have brought in a sense of purpose in the notoriously risk-averse MoD. Without directly criticising India’s longest serving Defence Minister AK Antony, Parrikar said that the ministry was rudderless for a long period. “There was no control over the system. There were no reviews, no feedback and there was no fear of punishment for non-performance. An important ministry like Defence cannot run like this,” Parrikar remarked. Elsewhere too he has spoken on how ineffective supervision led to the mess that the three armed forces find themselves in. A case in point is the freedom and impunity with which the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) operated in recent times, not meeting deadlines, obfuscating performance and delaying critical projects for the IAF. Under Parrikar however, HAL and other leading defence Public Sector Undertakings are now subject to fortnightly reviews and so is the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Perform or perish is the new mantra in the defence ministry.



The bottom line, according to the minister, an IIT Powai graduate and a voracious reader, is that people elect politicians to take a firm decisions. “Out of let’s say 10 decisions I take, five may be good, two may be average and three may turn out to be big mistakes but as long as the decisions are taken in good faith, I am willing to take them,” Parrikar told me. It’s an attitude that is not only refreshing but also reassuring. But his job has only begun. As I wrote earlier, the defence minister has a steep mountain to climb. He has only taken the first few steps towards ascending the summit.








from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1EdvTft

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Friday, 17 April 2015

Bangladesh comes window-shopping for ships to Kolkata

Bangladesh comes window-shopping for ships to Kolkata - The Times of India







KOLKATA: After the successful commissioning of the offshore patrol vessel Barracuda into the Mauritian Coast Guard, Bangladesh is considering the possibility of ordering warships from India. The Barracuda was designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd in Kolkata. A few days ago, when Bangladesh Coast Guard director general Rear Admiral Mohammad Makbul Hossain visited Kolkata, he visited GRSE and interacted with chairman-cum-managing director Rear Admiral (retd) A K Verma.



"Ever since the Barracuda was delivered and commissioned in March this year, we have been receiving delegations from several countries. With the Bangladesh Coast Guard DG, we discussed the shipbuilding facilities available in Kolkata and our capabilities. We informed the delegation from Bangladesh how several advanced ships of the Indian Navy are being built at GRSE," Verma said later. Presently, GRSE is building Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvettes for the Navy.

Orders have also been placed for three stealth frigates under Project 17A. The shipyard is also among the five in the country shortlisted to build six conventional submarines under Project 75 (India). The Kolkata shipyard is also likely to build four patrol vessels for Vietnam as part of a $100 million credit line extended by India. The defence PSU is also competing with six companies to bag an order for two light frigates for the Philippines.



Defence experts believe that it will be a major event if Bangladesh places orders for ships from GRSE. This will reduce Bangladesh's reliance on China and Pakistan for military hardware. "Countries like Bangladesh don't have shipbuilding facilities of their own. They rely on other countries for ships and other military hardware. China has already made it clear that it is keen to extend support to countries in the Indian sub-continent. This is a matter of grave concern. Many of these countries would not have turned to China had India not behaved in such a ham-handed manner in the past. Countries like Myanmar had sought a credit line from India in the past in the form of military vessels. It turned towards China after India turned down the offer. Today, we are learning that it pays to make friends in the neighbourhood," one of them said.



In fact, Bangladesh has already used a ship built by GRSE. The first warship built in India was the INS Ajay. This was delivered to the Navy by GRSE in 1961. In 1974, the ship was gifted to Bangladesh after a major refit. There it was renamed BNS Surma.





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1He40D2

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Tuesday, 14 April 2015

Rafale versus Sukhoi 30--which is your favourite?

Now that it seems certain that Rafale is going to be inducted by IAF , it's time to discuss which is your favourite among the two---Rafale and Sukhoi 30 MKI .



To me it seems that the Rafale is more loaded with high tech than the Sukhoi . Possibly it will repeat the Mirage 2000 experience for our air force and become a pilots' favourite .



What's your opinion ??





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1DZP640

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Yusuf's new article: India Asserts Its Role in the Indian Ocean

Another wonderful article by Yusuf on Indian Ocean:



India Asserts Its Role in the Indian Ocean



India Asserts Its Role in the Indian Ocean



I like the article's realpolitik tone !!!





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1H3wLlM

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Saturday, 11 April 2015

Indian Railways to build station near Chinese border, defence minister

Indian Railways to build station near Chinese border, defence minister says



PANAJI: Indian Railways will soon set up a station in Arunachal Pradesh near the India-China border, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday.



"A draft of the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) is ready and will be signed soon," Parrikar said, adding he has spoken in detail about the project to railway minister Suresh Prabhu.



The defence minister said that the "gravity" of the border issue between China and India has come down as far as Arunachal Pradesh is concerned.





State run China Daily had reported on Thursday that China was planning to build a tunnel under Mount Everest, called Qomolangma in Tibetan, as part of its plan to extend its rail link to Nepal, a move that could send alarm bills ringing in India.





This is the first time a tunnel plan has been revealed to reach Nepal. China had earlier discussed extending the Qinghai-Lhasa line to the Nepalese border without digging a tunnel.



Sources said the idea was to find a short route to Nepal for accessing the vast Indian market. Besides, China might be trying to involve Nepal for its Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) project because New Delhi has shown little enthusiasm for this corridor, sources said.





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1NquuGH

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Thursday, 9 April 2015

India stranded as region readies for Iran’s surge

The Wall Street Journal report today with Islamabad dateline quoting local officials that China is willing to build the Iran-Pakistan [IP] gas pipeline doesn’t come as surprise. But the apparent finality about what has been up until now in the realm of intelligent speculation signifies a tectonic shift in the politics of the region. The expected dismantling of the sanctions regime against Iran is triggering reverberations in regional politics and the IP gas pipeline project is evidence of it. Tehran, Islamabad and Beijing are positioning themselves to tap into the new vistas opened by Iran’s integration into the international community. The IP pipeline eminently qualifies to become part of China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, with the underpinning provided by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and China’s Silk Road Fund. There is a strong likelihood that the pipeline will get extended to China along the so-called Economic Corridor that is being planned via the Karakorum. Conceivably, Iran will welcome an extension of the IP pipeline into China, which, in political terms, would make Beijing a ‘stakeholder’ in the Iran-Pakistan relationship and in turn help stabilize that troubled relationship. A China-Pakistan-Iran strategic axis built on shared concerns of regional stability has far-reaching implications for an entire arc of countries stretching from the Persian Gulf through Afghanistan and Central Asia to China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Needless to say, the realization of the IP pipeline, overcoming the pressure from Saudi Arabia on Pakistan to desist from going ahead with the project, constitutes a major policy statement by Islamabad. Simply put, Islamabad is probing a way out of the stranglehold of the Saudi orbit, finally. The Saudi embrace has been a blessing and a curse for Pakistan and Iran will be the net beneficiary if Pakistan asserts its independence from Saudi Arabia. China’s involvement in the IP pipeline will mean that the Chinese presence in Gwadar is being stepped up dramatically. Pakistan, in turn, is poised to become a major transit route for China to the markets in the Persian Gulf, West Asia and Africa. In sum, Sino-Pakistani strategic partnership is about to touch a qualitatively new level. On the other hand, the focus on the IP pipeline dampens the prospects of the alternate Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India [TAPI] gas pipeline, which the US has been promoting. China wouldn’t want the Turkmen gas reserves to be diverted to South Asia, while Iran too has been averse to competition from the TAPI. In short, India’s hopes of having the TAPI may turn out to be a mere ‘pipe dream’. From the Indian viewpoint, this is of course a sad moment. Isolation in one’s own region is never a good thing to happen, but Indian diplomacy seems to be failing to build partnerships riveted on regional cooperation. The blame lies entirely with the Narendra Modi government. The Modi brand of foreign policy is largely built on hot air and grandstanding and lacks substance. Very little conceptual thinking seems to be going into Modi’s foreign-policy peregrinations. It is all turning out to be sound and fury signifying nothing. The Modi government doesn’t know how to respond to China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiatives; it has one foot inside the US’ ‘pivot strategy in Asia’ and another foot outside; it plays the ‘Tibet card’ against China but also expects Chinese investments to pour in; and, it regards China as an intruder into its sphere of influence in South Asian and Indian Ocean region. As for Pakistan, the less said the better. No one knows what is on Modi’s mind. His government keeps blowing hot and cold. The Pakistani side seems to have understood that Modi is in no real hurry to resolve the disputes and differences between the two countries, and is marking time. Accordingly, it has decided not to unduly press India further for a constructive engagement with India. When it comes to Iran, that country also probably senses that in the scheme of things of the Hindu nationalist government in India, Islamophobia is the leitmotif for the Hindutva ideologues. The Modi government has neglected to mend India-Iran ties, which have been in a state of disrepair. The Modi government never really understood the dynamics and alchemy of the US-Iranian engagement through the past year. The stunning fact is that there has not been a single high-level visit from India to Iran during Modi’s stewardship through the past 10-month period. It must be a world record of sorts. Thus, the plain truth is that India today lacks a coherent, consistent approach toward China, Pakistan or Iran. And no wonder, India is being visibly left behind at the station while the China-Pakistan-Iran train is pulling out.



India stranded as region readies for Iran’s surge | Asia Times





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1ceHTkj

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Kailash-Mansarovar for Tawang - A good deal?

XtOrtpv



If China agreed to cede Kailash Mansarovar in exchange for us ceding Tawang, would it be wise for India to take it?



Modi and Xi are going to be working hard for a final settlement on the border question next month.





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1yd11sU

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Monday, 6 April 2015

Us aircraft carriers vs indian aircraft carriers

US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS VS INDIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS





The US Navy’s Aircraft Carriers come under a category known as Super-carriers. They weigh in excess of 90,000 long tons. The current breed of aircraft carriers, known as the Nimitz class aircraft carriers are capable of launching upto 90 fixed wing aircraft from their decks. For this, they cannot use the ski jump based take off. This is because of the limited operational capabilities of a ski-jump type launch mechanism. Hence, these nuclear powered Aircraft Carriers use Steam Catapult based launch systems.



This usage of catapult has led to the terming of their configuration as CATOBAR i.e Catapult Assisted Takeoff Barrier Assisted Recovery. The launch is using a catapult while the recovery is by means of an arrestor wire which uses enormous forces to bring the 14-odd ton hornet fighter to a stop within 100 feet. In combat conditions, the Aircrafty Carrier Nimitz can launch its full complement of 90 fighters in under 30 minutes. That is close to 3 per minute. This is enable by the 3 steam catapults on the deck.



When you compare this capability to the Indian Navy’s newest Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya, the differences in the capacities become well pronounced. The Vikramaditya is STOBAR configuration aircraft carrier. STOBAR stands for Short Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery. It uses a arrestor wire similar to the Nimitz class to recover its fighters. The Vikramaditya which weighs only 45,000 tons can carry 30 fighters onboard. However, it can launch a MiG 29 every 3 minutes. The launch is made by a Short take off run by the MiG 29 on the Ski-jump. It effectively converts the momentum of 18-odd ton MiG-29K into altitude. This is achieved by applying the afterburners of the fighter, which in turns consumes quite some fuel.



This is a significant lack of capability when compared to the Nimitz. Although, the Vikramaditya is a potent platform (One can even consider it the king of the Indian ocean) it’s complement of launch capabilities pales in comparison to the CATOBAR nimitz. Another effective drawback is the lack of flexibility in the operation of different fixed wing aircraft. The nimitz can operate heavier aircraft such as Grumman E-2C&D Hawkeye AEWCs.



It has also operated Electronic Warfare aircraft and Tactical Bomber such as EA- 6B Prowler and A-6 Intruder. Such impressive flexibility is lacking on the STOBAR Vikramadithya which operates only the Multi-role MiGs. It operates the Ka-31 and Ka-28 as AEWC and ASW platforms respectively. While these are good platforms, by virtues of being Helicopters, their operational range simply does not stand up to that of the E-2C and E-2D Hawkeyes.



Hence, US Navy’s operation of CATOBAR and not STOBAR Aircraft Carriers gives it an operational and strategic advantage over navies operating STOBAR carriers such as China (and India).



http://ift.tt/1EAWt1y





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1CN0Pzp

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Friday, 3 April 2015

Chinese military strategy

I believe in order to understand our opponent we need to understand its military strategy . China has been a constant threat to our great nation since 1950s and we should understand how the Chinese have historically fought , for that we Indians need to know , understand and manipulate Chinese hostile maneuvers .



The 36 Stratagems



Chapter 1 - Winning Strategies



Strategy 1 "瞒天过海" - Deceive the sky to cross the ocean.

Moving about in the darkness and shadows, occupying isolated places, or hiding behind screens will only attract suspicious attention. To lower an enemy's guard you must act in the open hiding your true intentions under the guise of common every day activities.



Strategy 2 "围魏救赵" - Surround Wei to rescue Zhao.

When the enemy is too strong to attack directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that in all things he cannot be superior. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead.

In other words, you may try to attack the relatives or dear ones of the enemy to weaken him psychologically.



Strategy 3 "借刀杀人" - Borrow one's hand to kill. (Kill with a borrowed knife.)

Attack using the strength of another (because of lack of strength or do not want to use own strength). Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him.



Strategy 4 "以逸待劳" - Make your enemy tire himself out while conserving energy.

It is an advantage to choose the time and place for battle. In this way you know when and where the battle will take place, while your enemy does not. Encourage your enemy to expend his energy in futile quests while you conserve your strength. When he is exhausted and confused, you attack with energy and purpose.



Strategy 5 "趁火打劫" - Use the opportunity of fire to rob others. (Loot a burning house.)

When a country is beset by internal conflicts, when disease and famine ravage the population, when corruption and crime are rampant, then it will be unable to deal with an outside threat. This is the time to attack.



Strategy 6 "声东击西" - Feign an attack in the east and attack in the west.

In any battle the element of surprise can provide an overwhelming advantage. Even when face to face with an enemy, surprise can still be employed by attacking where he least expects it. To do this you must create an expectation in the enemy's mind through the use of a feint.



Chapter 2 - Enemy Dealing Strategies



Strategy 7 "无中生有" - Create something from nothing.

You use the same feint twice. Having reacted to the first and often the second feint as well, the enemy will be hesitant to react to a third feint. Therefore the third feint is the actual attack catching your enemy with his guard down.



Strategy 8 "暗渡陈仓" - Secretly utilize the Chen Chang passage. (Repair the highway to take the crude path.) e.g., the Allied invasion of Normandy and the Pas de Calais deception.

Attack the enemy with two convergent forces. The first is the direct attack, one that is obvious and for which the enemy prepares his defense. The second is the indirect, the attack sinister, that the enemy does not expect and which causes him to divide his forces at the last minute leading to confusion and disaster.



Strategy 9 "隔岸观火" - Watch the fires burning across the river.

Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in full strength and pick up the pieces.



Strategy 10 "笑里藏刀" - Knife sheathed in a smile.

Charm and ingratiate yourself to your enemy. When you have gained his trust, you move against him in secret



Strategy 11 "李代桃僵" - Plum tree sacrifices for the peach tree. (Sacrifice the silver to keep the gold.)

There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the long-term goal. This is the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.



Strategy 12 "顺手牵羊" - Stealing a goat along the way (Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat.)

While carrying out your plans be flexible enough to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself, however small, and avail yourself of any profit, however slight.



Chapter 3 - Attacking Strategies



Strategy 13 "打草惊蛇" - Startle the snake by hitting the grass around it.

When you cannot detect the opponent's plans launch a direct, but brief, attack and observe your opponent reactions. His behavior will reveal his strategy.



Strategy 14 "借尸还魂" - Borrow another's corpse to resurrect the soul. (Raise a corpse from the dead.)

Take an institution, a technology, or a method that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or to reinterpret and bring to life old ideas, customs, and traditions.



Strategy 15 "调虎离山" - Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair.

Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.



Strategy 16 "欲擒姑纵" - In order to capture, one must let loose.

Cornered prey will often mount a final desperate attack. To prevent this you let the enemy believe he still has a chance for freedom. His will to fight is thus dampened by his desire to escape. When in the end the freedom is proven a falsehood the enemy's morale will be defeated and he will surrender without a fight.



Strategy 17 "抛砖引玉" - Tossing out a brick to get a jade

Prepare a trap then lure your enemy into the trap by using bait. In war the bait is the illusion of an opportunity for gain. In life the bait is the illusion of wealth, power, and sex.



Strategy 18 "擒贼擒王" - Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief.

If the enemy's army is strong but is allied to the commander only by money or threats then, take aim at the leader. If the commander falls the rest of the army will disperse or come over to your side. If, however, they are allied to the leader through loyalty then beware, the army can continue to fight on after his death out of vengeance.



Chapter 4 - Chaos Strategies



Strategy 19 "釜底抽薪" - Remove the firewood under the cooking pot. (Remove the stick from the axe.)

When faced with an enemy too powerful to engage directly you must first weaken him by undermining his foundation and attacking his source of power.



Strategy 20 "混水摸鱼" - Fish in disturbed waters.

Before engaging your enemy's forces create confusion to weaken his perception and judgment. Do something unusual, strange, and unexpected as this will arouse the enemy's suspicion and disrupt his thinking. A distracted enemy is thus more vulnerable.



Strategy 21 "金蝉脱壳" - Slough off the cicada's shell. (False appearances mislead the enemy.)

When you are in danger of being defeated, and your only chance is to escape and regroup, then create an illusion. While the enemy's attention is focused on this artifice, secretly remove your men leaving behind only the facade of your presence.



Strategy 22 "关门捉贼" - Shut the door to catch the thief.

If you have the chance to completely capture the enemy then you should do so thereby bringing the battle or war to a quick and lasting conclusion. To allow your enemy to escape plants the seeds for future conflict. But if they succeed in escaping, be wary of giving chase.



Strategy 23 "远交近攻" - Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbor.

It is known that nations that border each other become enemies while nations separated by distance and obstacles make better allies. When you are the strongest in one field, your greatest threat is from the second strongest in your field, not the strongest from another field.



Strategy 24 "假道伐虢" - Obtain safe passage to conquer the Kingdom of Guo.

Borrow the resources of an ally to attack a common enemy. Once the enemy is defeated, use those resources to turn on the ally that lent you them in the first place.



Chapter 5 - Proximate Strategies



Strategy 25 "偷梁换柱" - Replace the beams with rotten timbers.

Disrupt the enemy's formations, interfere with their methods of operations, change the rules in which they are used to following, go contrary to their standard training. In this way you remove the supporting pillar, the common link that makes a group of men an effective fighting force.



Strategy 26 "指桑骂槐" - Point at the mulberry and curse the locust.

To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.



Strategy 27 "假痴不癫" - Pretend to be a pig in order to eat the tiger. (Play dumb.)

Hide behind the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations. Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then you may attack.



Strategy 28 "上屋抽梯" - Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof (Cross the river and destroy the bridge.)

With baits and deceptions lure your enemy into treacherous terrain. Then cut off his lines of communication and avenue of escape. To save himself he must fight both your own forces and the elements of nature.



Strategy 29 "树上开花" - Deck the tree with false blossoms.

Tying silk blossoms on a dead tree gives the illusion that the tree is healthy. Through the use of artifice and disguise make something of no value appear valuable; of no threat appear dangerous; of no use appear useful.



Strategy 30 "反客为主" - Make the host and the guest exchange places.

Defeat the enemy from within by infiltrating the enemy's camp under the guise of cooperation, surrender, or peace treaties. In this way you can discover his weakness and then, when the enemy's guard is relaxed, strike directly at the source of his strength.



Chapter 6 - Defeat Strategies



Strategy 31 "美人计" - The beauty trap. (The tender trap, use a woman to ensnare a man.)

Send your enemy beautiful women to cause discord within his camp. This strategy can work on three levels. First, the ruler becomes so enamored with the beauty that he neglects his duties and allows his vigilance to wane. Second, other males at court will begin to display aggressive behavior that inflames minor differences hindering co-operation and destroying morale. Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot intrigues further exacberating the situation.



Strategy 32 "空城计" - Empty fort. (Mental trap, empty a fort to make enemy think it is filled with traps.)

When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretence of military preparedness and act casually. Unless the enemy has an accurate description of your situation this unusual behavior will arouse suspicions. With luck he will be dissuaded from attacking.



Strategy 33 "反间计" - Let the enemy's spy sow discord in the enemy camp. (Use enemy's own spy to spread false information.)

Undermine your enemy's ability to fight by allowing enemy's spy to remain within your ranks,while you feed false information causing enemy discord with his friends, allies, advisors, family, commanders, soldiers, and population. Preoccupied settling internal disputes, your enemy's ability to attack or defend is compromised and your control of him is increased.



Strategy 34 "苦肉计" - Inflict injury on one's self to win the enemy's trust. (Fall into a trap; become baited.)

Pretending to be injured has two possible applications. In the first, the enemy is lulled into relaxing his guard since he no longer considers you to be an immediate threat. The second is a way of ingratiating yourself to your enemy by pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy.



Strategy 35 "连环计" - Chain together the enemy's ships. (Never rely on but a single strategy.)

In important matters one should use several strategies applied simultaneously. Keep different plans operating in an overall scheme; in this manner if any one strategy fails you would still have several others to fall back on.



The 36th strategy "走为上" - Run away to fight another day.

If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat then retreat and regroup. When your side is losing there are only three choices remaining: surrender, compromise, or escape. Surrender is complete defeat, compromise is half defeat, but escape is not defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you still have a chance.





I definitely know that they are using the 3rd strategy [ Borrow one's hand to kill. (Kill with a borrowed knife ) ] by arming Pakistan , strategy 24 too [ When two of your enemies are in conflict with one another, intervene on behalf of one of them] here again Pakistan comes to mind using Pakistan to keep India engaged [ This will give you influence over both as the one who you help will be grateful while the other will be fearful of your alliance].

I also believe they are using some form of 14 th strategy [ Raise a Corpse From the Dead] by strategic encirclement through string of pearls.



I believe their are other Chinese strategic literature like the famous "The Art of War" etc understanding your enemy is the most important job it is imperative we understand China and discuss what Chinese strategy will be in future towards India.

For more readings please refer

The 36 Stratagems, in Detail.





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1D0Qb9A

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Thursday, 2 April 2015

Indian Ocean : New playground for global confrontation

PM Modi’s France visit: India to discuss sharing of coastal surveillance radars in the Indian Ocean



pm modis france visit india to discuss sharing of radar in the indian ocea



India and France are expected to firm up discussions on sharing of radars in the Indian Ocean as part of the strategic talks during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris next week.



While India is setting up a grid of coastal surveillance radars in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) that will enable it to monitor, among other things, the increasing Chinese presence in the area, France has expressed interest in sharing data from surveillance systems on its Indian Ocean territories, it is learnt.



As part of bilateral discussions during the PM’s visit, the modalities of sharing maritimedomain awareness data from at least three French monitoring sites in the Indian Ocean is set to be on the agenda. French territories in the region include the Reunion Islands and Mayotte, besides military bases in UAE and Djibouti.



It is learnt that the Indian Navy is keen on the French proposal and has recommended that it be added to an ambitious plan to set up a 24-nation radar grid in IOR to monitor all traffic – civilian and military. The 24 nation plan – which is currently pending a formal clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security – looks at integrating radars from most littorals of the region with the Indian coastal radar chain.



As part of the plan, India could also lend financial aid to littoral nations for setting up radars. In the future, surveillance data from other military sites, including the American base at Diego Garcia, could be integrated.



As reported by ET, a Rs 600-crore project to set up a Coastal Surveillance Radar Systemin the Indian Ocean is underway as part of New Delhi’s plans to increase maritime domain awareness in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attack.



While coastal surveillance radars have been set up in Sri Lanka (6), Mauritius (8) andSeychelles (1), ten radars that have to come up in Maldives have hit a block due to political uncertainty that led to the cancellation of Modi’s visit to Male last month.



The moves come even as China has turned more active in IOR and has been attempting to expand its footprints in India’s extended neighbourhood as part of the grand Maritime Silk Route launched last year, according to experts. Besides Beijing wants to safeguard the sea lanes of communication through which its trade passes amid growing incidents of piracy along Africa’s eastern coast. Seychelles has been viewed by China as a possible replenishment port for navy ships taking part in anti-piracy operations in the region.



PM Modi’s France visit: India to discuss sharing of coastal surveillance radars in the Indian Ocean | idrw.org





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1CAbAoB

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Yusuf's article on Pakistan

Congratulations to @Yusuf on his article...well written...





India's Pakistan Problem



Tweeted by C Christine Fair of Pakistan-Afghanistan fame --



http://ift.tt/1MtROmo





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1NzrgLD

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Sunday, 29 March 2015

MARITIME SILK ROAD, PROJECT MAUSAM and ASIAN INFRA INVESTMENT BANK...

I would like to draw attention of DFI members to the rapidly evolving major financial and strategic scenario around India. Seems India is joining BCIM (Bangla Desh -China-India-Myanmar) business corridor and the MARITME silk road with Kolkata included as a port.

China is cooperating with India on including India's "project Mausam" in the scheme of Maritime silk road ,thus, treating India as an equal partner. Soon the border dispute may be solved as both nations are working harmoniously to come to an agreement.

The rush to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is indicative of a rising competing model to World bank. India, Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan and other many Asian nations have already joined the Bank and now, England, France, Germany are falling over each other to join the Bank.

Folks, this is a very significant change in global financial order and likely to have a huge impact on world trade. China has already signed with Russia World's largest ever oil deal worth $400 billion with rumors that this pipeline can potential be extended to India in the future.

These changes are happening rapidly and may have serious implications for the hegemonistic current powers and challenge their monopoly over global trade and Geo-politics. P.M. Mr. Modi is going to China for a state visit in May to finalize some major plans.

Would you like to comment on the repercussions of this rapidly evolving scenario and its effect on India's trade and security situation ?





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1EmXsSO

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Thursday, 19 March 2015

Government explores joint production venture in defence with Thailand

Government explores joint production venture in defence with Thailand



India is exploring a joint production and development venture in defence with Thailand. A high-level defence delegation from Thailand led by its Permanent Secretary for Defence will visit New Delhi next week to explore joint production and development, besides sourcing of arms, diplomatic sources told ET.



The Indian side is keen to assist Thailand in setting up a defence industry and had proposed a visit to Indian facilities for the Thai side. While major platforms and systems will not be discussed now, a start can be made on systems that the ordnance factories manufacture – from explosives to small arms and defensive equipment, sources said.



“Thailand is offering India an upgraded defence relationship. It is a strategically-placed neighbour with whom we share common cultural linkages,” an official pointed out. India’s joint defence production has so far been confined to Russia, France, the US and Israel. An upgraded Indo-Thai defence cooperation is also significant amid China’s growing ambitions and defence manures in the region, say experts.



The Defence Ministry has been keen on engaging with Thailand. The first initiative was made in 2013 during a visit by then Defence Minister AK Antony in which he raised the matter of joint production with his Thai counterpart, Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat.



This initiative is now getting the push, sources pointed out. Officials said that while detailed discussions to narrow down areas of cooperation will now take place, there has been a keen interest by the Thai side to engage with Indian scientists as well as learning from the experience of setting up defence production facilities.



Till now, the bilateral defence relation has been limited to joint exercises and training between the armed forces. Last year, General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Royal Thai Armed Forces visited India



Government explores joint production venture in defence with Thailand | idrw.org





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1BVqW6P

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Tuesday, 17 March 2015

Middleman Michel spent crores on air travel of senior IAF officials

AgustaWestland chopper scam: Middleman Michel spent crores on air travel of senior IAF officials - IBNLive




Quote:




New Delhi: Two former Indian Air Force officers received favours from middleman Christain Michel in the multi-crore AgustaWestalnd VVIP chopper deal scam case. The two officers, who have already retired from the IAF, have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.



Michel had allegedly spent Rs 4 crore on air travels of top Indian officials, amongst them retired Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar. Michel had spent Rs 56 lakh on retired Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar and his family between 2010-2013, even after the officer had retired from the IAF.



He paid for Nayyar's air travel and luxury hotel stays abroad. Nayyar's wife Rachita, daughter Ruchi, son Gaurav and daughter-in-law Smridi also travelled at Michel's expense.



Nayyar made trips to several foreign countries and cities including Paris, London, Dubai, Los Angeles and Turkey with his family. He also travelled to Lisbon, Frankfurt, Rome, New York, Milan, Venice and Singapore.

Michel has travelled with Nayyar to London on many occasisons. Nayyar always travelled with another former IAF officer who has been identified as retired Group Captain Shashi Bhushan Sharma.

Nayyar and Sharma jointly owned two firms Diamond Air Maintenance and Pinnacle Aero Pvt Ltd.



The identity of Michel was revealed as the ED tracked down the complete money trail that was followed in the multi-crore VVIP chopper scam from Dubai to Delhi.

The ED tracked kingpin Michel's Delhi links and his properties worth crores in Delhi allegedly bought through benami transactions. ED has decided to attach the kingpin's benami properties. As per ED officials Delhi-based travel agent RK Nanda owns Michel's benami properties.



The 51-year-old middleman is alleged to have been paid 26 million pounds by state-controlled Italian aerospace, FINMECCANICA, executives to help secure the Rs 3600 crore contract from the Indian government for helicopters. Michel reportedly has family links at the heart of British high society and business links in India dating back to the late-1980s.



As per reports of investigating agencies, the head of a state-controlled Italian aerospace company had paid bribes of about Rs 362 crore in India to get orders for helicopters to ferry Indian VVIPs. The Ministry of Defence had put an hold the receipt of the remaining nine of the 12 helicopters for which the Rs 3600 crore deal was struck in 2010.








from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1Gi6Pk7

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Monday, 16 March 2015

Use Twitter To seek answers From Defense Minister

Hi Guys



I want to request you to tweet to our Defense minister seeking answers to our queries.

It is highly possible if we all stick to a set of queries and repeatedly post them on twitter it might get some attention and even a response.



I have posted two tweets :

1) http://ift.tt/1bcdR00



2) http://ift.tt/1bcdR02



I will request you all to try if this can work out.



Thanks in advance





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1Ge4B5f

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Saturday, 14 March 2015

DM: Forces repeatedly changing requirements for Indian weapons

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 .





from Indian Defence Forum - Defence & Strategic Issues http://ift.tt/1Elx74I

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1g6ceP5

Google Alert - "technology" OR "google" OR "window" OR "andriod"