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Army will not hesitate in taking action against terror along Pak border’

'Army will not hesitate in taking action against terror along Pak border'

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat addressing during Army Day parade in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

New Delhi, January 15

NThe Indian Army will not hesitate to take strong action to deal with terror activities along the border with Pakistan, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Tuesday.

The country along India’s western border is providing support to terror groups and the Indian Army is dealing with them effectively, Gen Rawat said in an obvious reference to Pakistan, “We are ensuring moral dominance along border in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said while addressing Army personnel on the occasion of Army Day here.

The Indian Army will not hesitate to take strong action to deal with terror activities along the western border, Gen Rawat said.

He said new guidelines are being followed to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border in the eastern sector.

“We will keep reviewing the situation along the eastern border,” he said, referring to the border with China.

“Our soldiers will not allow any compromise in guarding the border in the eastern sector,” he said.

Gen Rawat also said the Army was carrying out major restructuring and modernisation of the Army. P


Won’t Allow Gay Sex In The Army, Says Chief General Rawat

When asked about the Supreme Court ruling on adultery, he said the Army is “very conservative”.

https://www.ndtv.com/video/news/news/won-t-allow-gay-sex-in-the-army-says-chief-general-rawat-503622

NEW DELHI: 

HIGHLIGHTS

  1. We don’t enjoy some rights, privileges you enjoy, said Bipin Rawat
  2. He also said adultery can’t be allowed “to perpetrate into the army”
  3. The Supreme Court has struck down anti-adultery, anti-gay sex laws
 Gay sex is not acceptable in the Indian Army, its chief General Bipin Rawat said on Thursday when asked to comment on the Supreme Court decriminalizing homosexuality last year.

“Aap logon me chalega to chalne do. Humare yahan nahi chalega (We will not allow this to happen in the Army) In the army LGBT issues… are not unacceptable. We will still be dealing with them under various sections of the Army Act,” said General Rawat, addressing his annual press conference.

“We are not above the country’s law but when you join the Indian Army, some of the rights and privileges you enjoy are not what we have. Some things are different for us, but we are certainly not above the Supreme Court,” he said.

“We will have to see how we take a call, let us also see how it comes into the society, whether it’s accepted or not… I can’t say what will happen 20 years down the line.”

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court last September unanimously decriminalised a part of a colonial-era law under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which banned “consensual unnatural sex”, saying it violated the rights to equality.

Asked about the Supreme Court also ruling that adultery is not a crime, General Rawat said the Army is “very conservative”.

He added, “We are neither modernised, nor westernised.”

The army chief was asked these questions after a former general suggested in an article that the armed forces can continue to enforce their own rules on gay sex and adultery even after the Supreme Court orders.

60 COMMENTS

The United States used to have a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy which has been repealed. The country’s restrictions on gay, lesbian and bisexual personnel ended in September 2011. In the UK, gay, lesbian and transgender personnel can serve openly since 2000. Any discrimination is illegal.

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Panel slams govt over military budget

THE PANEL SAID IT FAILS TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE AMOUNT ALLOCATED UNDER CAPITAL BUDGET DOES NOT EVEN FULFIL DEFENCE MINISTRY’S OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS COMMITTED LIABILITIES.

NEWDELHI: A parliamentary panel has slammed the government for inadequate allocation of capital budget for the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force and took strong objection to the Finance Ministry’s reluctance to create a non-lapsable fund for defence expenditure.

In a report tabled in Lok Sabha, the Standing Committee on Defence said though the Defence Ministry projected a requirement of ₹1.72 lakh crore under capital budget for 2018, only ₹ 93,982 crore was allocated by the Ministry of Finance.

“The allocation under capital budget not only fell far short of projections by Ministry of Defence, but the allocation does not even cover committed liabilities,” it said.

The Committee said it fails to understand the reasons behind the allocation where the amount allocated under capital budget does not even fulfil the Defence Ministry’s obligations towards committed liabilities.

The panel, headed by BJP MP Kalraj Mishra, also criticised the Finance Ministry for its reluctance to create a ‘Non-Lapsable Capital Fund’ for defence forces. Under current norms, the unspent budget allocation goes back to the Finance Ministry.

It has been a long-pending demand of the armed forces that unspent funds be kept in a non-lapsable pool so that capital acquisition can be made using it.

“The very fact that the allocation of resources under Capital Budget for the year 2018-19 (Budget Estimate) which is not even sufficient to cover committed liabilities leaving alone new projects and other capital requirements strengthens the Committee’s case for creation of such a fund,” it said.

The committee said in 2018-19, the shortfall was ₹17,756 crore for the Army, ₹15,691 crore for the Navy and ₹41,924 crore for the Air Force.

It also noted the submission by the Vice Chief of Army Staff before the committee earlier this year that the marginal increase in capital budget allocation for Army had dashed hopes for modernisation. “The Committee were particularly alarmed to note from his oral evidence that although the Ministry of Defence had delegated financial powers up to ₹14,097 crore to the VCOAS towards security related issues, there was no separate allocation for this in the Capital Budget allocation in 2018-19,” it said.

“Hence, the ministry is left with no other option but to reduce resources for security of military stations or compromise on other acquisitions.”


Army to train 100 Doda youths

Army to train 100 Doda youths

Youths take part in a pre-recruitment rally organised by the Army in Doda district. Tribune photo

Doda, December 26

For the first time, 100 youths from the remote Doda district have been selected by the Army for 40-day training.

The initiative has been taken up due to the low percentage of candidates making the cut in the rigorous selection procedures at the Army recruitment rallies.

District Information Officer, Doda, Mohammed Ashraf said, “A pre-recruitment rally was held in Doda on Wednesday by the Army in collaboration with the civil administration, in which 1,000 youths took part.” “For the first time, 100 selected candidates will go for 40-day physical, mental and education training in the Suigawari Army camp of the Rashtriya Rifles. The district administration will bear the expenses of 50 candidates and provide highly efficient teachers for the course,” he added.

A senior Army officer said, “The basic aim of the training is to provide the youth a right direction. Selected candidates will be given physical, education and computer training.”

Special training shall also be part of the curriculum to achieve intangible qualities such as leadership, camaraderie, discipline and determination, which are inevitable for the military individuals. — OC

 


463 tonne airlifted in 6 hrs, IAF sets record

463 tonne airlifted in 6 hrs, IAF sets record

A C-17 Globemaster from Chandigarh arrives at Leh with cargo.

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 18

In a dramatic display of its airlift capabilities, the Air Force today ferried a record 463-tonne load from its airbase at Chandigarh to airfields and drop zones in the Ladakh region in a single wave in a few hours.

The aim of the exercise undertaken by the Western Air Command was to evaluate the IAF’s rapid airlift capability and to enhance crew training and competency in this role. In routine operations, the IAF averages about eight tonne a day.

The effort was accomplished through a fleet of 16 fixed-wing transport aircraft comprising the C-17 Globemaster and IL-76 Gajraj heavy-lift freighters as well as the AN-32 medium-lift tactical aircraft.

The entire wave was accomplished in less than six hours. All aircraft were assembled, loaded and launched from Chandigarh airbase in the morning. The maximum payload capacity of the C-17 and IL-76 is 70 tonne and 45 tonne, respectively, while the AN-32 can carry up to six tonne. While the C-17 is an American aircraft, the other two are Russian.

While the heavy aircraft landed at Leh and some among them were “turned around” in a short time to enable more aircraft to come in, drops were carried out in forward areas by the AN-32.

Airlifting of around 500 tonne within the designated timeframe in a single wave happens to be a record that enhances the commands’ capability towards rapid and heavy airlift.

The command is responsible for air maintenance of the entire northern region of the country and under normal operating circumstances airlifts close to 3,000-tonne load, which includes rations and fresh food, fuel and lubricants, ammunition and ordnance stores and equipment, per month.

“Rapid air mobility is a key component of modern warfare. This assumes greater significance in short and intense wars,” Air Marshal NJS Dhillon, Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command, said.

“This is very true in India’s context, especially when related to air mobility to airfields in the Ladakh region. With a wide spectrum of military transport aircraft in its inventory the IAF today has a credible airlift capability that has provided succour on numerous occasions when the nation was struck with natural calamities,” he added.

In recent times, the IAF has been focusing on enhancing its logistic support capability in forward areas. Besides activating several advance landing grounds (unpaved strips) in the northern and north-eastern sectors for operations with aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules, it has also conducted exercises involving para-dropping troops in Ladakh.

The newly acquired C-17 aircraft have also been test-landed at some forward airstrips such as Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh.

 


‘An embarrassment for the country’: Twitter reacts to army chief Bipin Rawat’s sexist comments

General Rawat believes that women are not ready for combat roles in the army because they could die. And that’s just one of the reasons he listed.

‘An embarrassment for the country’: Twitter reacts to army chief Bipin Rawat’s sexist comments

ndian Army chief General Bipin Rawat triggered outrage on Saturday when he listed a string of sexist reasons for keeping women out of combat roles in the army.

In an interview with News18, Rawat claimed that women are not ready for combat roles because army men, who largely come from small villages, would not be willing to accept a female commander. He also claimed that women could die in combat, and Indian families are not yet ready to deal with the sight of women’s bodies returning from war zones. Implying that a woman’s primary responsibility is childcare, Rawat said that the army would not be able to give a woman commanding officer six months of maternity leave. He added that there would be a “ruckus” if women were denied that maternity leave

In a bizarre statement, he also claimed that women in combat roles, surrounded by “100 jawans”, would inevitably complain about men peeping into their tents while they would be changing their clothes. “She will say somebody is peeping, so we will have to give a sheet around her,” he said.

Predictably, social media users reacted with indignation and disgust as they slammed Rawat’s statements.


Rahul hails Gen Hooda’s surgical strikes remark

New Delhi, December 8

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today lauded Lt Gen DS Hooda (retd) for his remarks in Chandigarh yesterday that the 2016 surgical strikes should have been carried out secretly, and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for drawing “political capital” from the issue.

“Spoken like a true soldier General. India is so proud of you. Mr 36 (sic) has absolutely no shame in using our military as a personal asset. He used the surgical strikes for political capital and the Rafale deal to increase Anil Ambani’s real capital by 30,000 Cr #SurgicalStrike,” Gandhi said on Twitter.

Later in the day, former minister P Chidambaram also spoke with “pride” of people of eminence shedding their fear and speaking their mind. “Glad to see important persons shedding their fear and breaking their silence. First it was Dr Arvind Subramanian who called demonetisation a massive monetary shock. Next it was outgoing CEC who said note ban had no impact on the use of black money in elections. Now, it is General Hooda who has decried the hype over the so-called ‘surgical strike’ and its politicisation by government,” he tweeted. — TNS


To counter China, Indian Navy to have 56 new ships, submarines

To counter China, Indian Navy to have 56 new ships, submarines

Admiral Sunil Lanba. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 3

With Chinese warships regularly patrolling the Indian Ocean, the government has approved an expansion and upgrade plan for the Navy with 56 new ships and submarines.

Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, while addressing a press conference on the eve of Navy Day here on Monday, said, “The government has given approval to having 56 ships and submarines. Some of these will replace the existing fleet and include new ships like fleet ships, submarines and mine sweepers.”

He said the construction plan would be spread across a decade. This is in addition to the 32 ships and submarines under construction, as of now.

Navy Day is observed on December 4 to mark the famous ship-launched attack on Karachi during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Admiral Lanba said the attention of the entire world is focused on Indian Ocean region. We are the net security provider. We are committed to keeping the area clean of all traditional and non-traditional threats in the Indian Ocean.

On being asked about the naval preparedness for a simultaneous two-front war, the Admiral said, “We have overwhelming superiority over Pakistan at sea. In case of China the balance of power in Indian Ocean
is in our favour. Similarly, the balance of power in South China Sea is in favour of China.”

On the US assessment that China would be a big naval power by 2050, the Admiral said, “By 2050 we will also have 200 ships, 500 aircraft and be a world-class navy.”

He said the three chiefs had agreed on having a permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC). On theatre commands, he said we needed a high defence organisation before we got to creating theatre commands. “We need one operational commander, the three chiefs cannot be operational commands.”

On being asked about the delay in taking action against Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited in supplying five offshore patrol vessels, the Admiral said there is no preferential treatment. “The bank guarantees have been encashed. The OPV contract is being examined.”

On the make in India efforts, he said as of now, in the past four years, 72 per cent of all contracts are given to India vendors.

On coastal security following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the Admiral said a pilot project on to fit Automated Identification System (AIS) transponders on fishing boats had been successful. “It will now be implemented across India. There are some 2.2 lakh fishing boats–under 20 metres in length–that do not have AIS transponders. The issue was to have low-cost transponders. I agree it has taken 10 years but soon we will have these transponders on
all fishing boats,” he said.

 


Can’t lower guard: Rawat

Can’t lower guard: Rawat

Gen Bipin Rawat, Aarmy Chief

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 28

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said India was facing Pakistan-sponsored hybrid war since 1947 and advised against lowering guard in wake of recent overtures like opening of the Kartarpur Gurdwara corridor.

“In tackling hybrid warfare we have two options — one is to engage in hybrid warfare as a nation or be defensive. Pakistan is an example of what happens. There is no good or bad terrorist. The use of such elements will eventually cost the country itself. Creating unrest in other countries is not something that we do,” he said.

Gen Rawat said a coordinated approach and response was being given. Pakistan has used regular and irregular (terrorists) forces for hybrid warfare in J&K. Pakistan’s modus operandi for long time has been to send terrorists supported by regular forces, he said.

He described hybrid warfare as a well-sequenced warfare focusing on population and infrastructure. “As a nation, we have never been expansionist. We want to be peaceful with our neighbours,” he said at the annual YB Chavan Memorial lecture on “Addressing the Challenges of Hybrid Conflict in the 21st Century” at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

Chavan was the Defence Minister from November 21, 1962, to November 13, 1966.

General Rawat said the tolerance level of Kashmir had decreased and the Kashmir youth were being misguided.