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Army Chief cuts red tape, mulls shutting down Division HQs

August 12, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat

A division, headed by a Major-General and comprising about 10,000 officers and men, oversees the functioning of Brigades, usually three of about 3,000 men, under its command.

Now, the division could cease to exist. Preliminary studies within the Army point towards abolishing most of the 40 plus divisions of the Indian Army. They may exist in the Army’s Strike Corps — 1, 2 and 21 — and the new mountain Strike Corps being formed in the East. They may also survive in 15 and 16 Corps which have under them, forces of divisional strength to fight terror attacks and partly, in 10 and 11 Corps where one division each (9 and 18 division respectively) have dual (offensive and defensive) roles. But the others — 20-25 of them, depending on the decision, could well be history.

So, how will the Army function without divisions? The Brigades, now headed by Major-Generals, will be called Task Forces. They will have numbers like TF-1 or TF-2 and report directly to the Corps, which will have headquarters reinforced to deal with the various Brigades.

What are the reasons? Each divisional headquarters has at least 15 officers. Abolishing 20 plus divisions would involve a saving of 300 officers and several thousand men who can be deployed in operational areas. Some would be sent to reinforce the Corps. This will improve the Army’s teeth-to-tail ratio. There will also be a saving in terms of infrastructure costs. Most important, this will reduce another layer and the Army believes will bring about quicker decision-making.

The structure of the forces could change during war. The Chief of Staff of the Corps (the No 2) would take over as the divisional commander if necessary.

The study, being worked on now, will be deliberated during the next Army Commanders’ Conference in October this year and then, finalised and placed before the Defence Ministry.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat | File image |Photo Credit: PTI

While considering abolishing the post of Brigadier, the Indian Army has begun work on another radical move: shutting down divisional headquarters, for long a major part of the operational structure. This is part of the Army’s plan to have a leaner, a more modern force.

The division, headed by a Major-General and comprising about 10,000 officers and men, oversees the functioning of Brigades, usually three of about 3,000 men, under its command. About three divisions report to the Corps, headed by a Lieutenant-General — the Indian Army has about 15 of them.

Army says five slain ultras were fresh infiltrators

August 12, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 10

The Army on Friday said the five militants killed in a gunfight at Rafiabad forests in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district were probably fresh infiltrators.The operation was launched by security forces on August 5 after specific intelligence input about the presence of militants at the dense Doniwari forest in Rafiabad, nearly 90 km from Srinagar.The first contact with militants was established on August 8 when they fired upon a search party that left one soldier injured.“In the ensuing gunfight over several hours, five heavily armed terrorists were eliminated by security forces. On detailed search of the area, four AK-47 rifles, one pistol and a large amount war-like stores were recovered,” Brig Dharam Raj Rai, commander of Army’s 7 sector, told reporters in north Kashmir on Friday.“An analysis of the recovered items suggests that the militants belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba. The group had probably infiltrated into the state from the PoK recently,” he added.Brigadier Rai, however, did not specify the exact route through which the militants had infiltrated from across the Line of Control.

CAG questions readiness of IAF bases, says Boeings not effective

August 8, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

CAG questions readiness of IAF bases, says Boeings not effective

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 7

In separate reports tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the Comptroller and Auditor General has raised serious questions on the operational readiness of the IAF bases, saying US’ Boeing-supplied maritime reconnaissance aircraft don’t perform as promised.One of the reports said: “Audit found inadequacies in the support facilities at IAF airfields adversely affecting their readiness”. The report identified facilities like modernisation of communication equipment, surveillance of plane while in air, safe landing and take-off, restoration of runaway after (enemy) bombing, refuelling of planes and handling of armaments to be loaded. There was a shortfall in the equipment to be held by the airfields which was mainly due to delay in procurement.The CAG pointed out that Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) project at a cost of Rs1,220 crore was running years behind the schedule. Off the 30 air bases to be moderinsed by 2014, only 25 had been done till last year.The IAF conducted in October 2016 a survey “at 40 per cent of the airfields” where MAFI implementation was completed and found that the performance of systems and infrastructure was 69 per cent. This was sub-optimal performance, said the CAG.The CAG has also questioned award to Boeing. The report on Navy maritime reconnaissance aircraft said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2009 awarded a contract to Boeing by wrongly arriving at costs.The CAG said Boeing, in 2007, bid at $2,187 million (Rs8,700.37 crore). The EADS bid was at 1,323.72 million Euros (Rs7,776 crore). The Euro rate was then Rs58.74. The EADS offered two-year support, the Boeing offered nothing. The cost negotiation committee (CNC) calculated 20-year support price and suggested that EADS bid was 1.483 million Euro (Rs8,712 crore) — Rs12 crore more than Boeing.

Modernisation behind schedule

Rs 1,220 cr Modernisation of Airfield Infra (mafi) project running behind schedule, as per CAG
25 Air bases modernised till 2017; target was to modernise 30 air bases by 2014
69% Performance of airfields where MAFI implemented; CAG calls it sub-optimal performance

Army school plants 1,000 saplings at autumn fest

August 6, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

Rajouri, August 5

To develop cordial relations between students, staff and parents, the management of Army Goodwill Public School organised an ‘Autumn Fete’ here on Saturday.The function, inaugurated by Maj Gen MV Suchindra, General Officer Commanding, Infantry Division, was attended by more than 600 students, staff and parents. They enjoyed various games organised by the school on the campus.Maj General Suchindra also inaugurated a plantation drive under which more than 1,000 saplings were planted by the students, parents and the staff.“The school also moved a step forward in the direction of digitisation and academic excellence by inaugurating ‘Gramonnati Centre e-Pathshala’ with facilities of tablets, laptops and accessories for the students between Class VI and VIII, especially for hostel inmates,” said a senior Army officer.He said Bansal coaching classes with an e-pathsala facility had been launched so that Class IX to XII students could prepare for the board and competitive exams.“To make the Autumn Fete more interesting, educative and successful, the students of the school also organised a cultural show for the audience,” said a school spokesman. — OC

Exhibition on Sikh soldiers’ valour begins in UK

August 1, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

CHANDIGARH:A 15-day exhibition honouring the military tradition of the Sikhs was inaugurated at Slough, town in Berkshire, England, on Sunday. Organised by the Legacy of Valour Society, the Sikh Martial History Exhibition, covers centuries of history through the eyes of Sikh soldiers, reported Slough Express. The exhibition is open for public till August 12.

TWITTER■ British armed forces Sikhs with UK’s first turbaned Sikh parliamentarian Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi at the Legacy of Valour Exhibition launch at Khalsa Primary School in Slough, England.

On display in the exhibition are material on Sikh solders’ sacrifices fighting alongside the British in World Wars, the Khalsa warrior spirit and the establishment of a Sikh kingdom in Punjab, reported Slough Express.

The Legacy of Valour is a community heritage project funded by the local Punjabi community living in Reading and Wokingham, UK. The aim of the project is to facilitate the community to engage with its own proud history — learn, understand and highlight the contribution made by Sikhs and other Indian soldiers. The project will reflect on aftermath of the war and how it affected Indian social, political, military and economic evolution.

The exhibition at the Wexham Road school was opened for private viewing on Saturday and to the public on Sunday. Special guests on Saturday included Ravi Singh, founder of Slough-based charity Khalsa Aid and 107year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh, according to Slough Express report.

United Kingdom’s first turbaned Sikh parliamentarian, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, also attended the exhibition, along with historians and armed forces members.

“People were impressed in terms of the comprehensiveness of the exhibition,” society chairman Inderpal Singh Dhanjal was quoted by Slough Express as saying.

Inderpal said Sikh soldiers were laid to rest in 400 cemeteries in 35 countries after World War-1, and 280 cemeteries in 50 countries after the World War-2, but says the faith’s martial record is often overlooked in British and Indian schools. This exhibition is trying to redress that gap in the education systems, Inderpal said.

Corridor hope as Indian envoy visits Kartarpur Explores possibility of bringing 4-km project to fruition

August 30, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

Corridor hope as Indian envoy visits Kartarpur

ndian High Commissioner to Islamabad Ajay Bisaria at Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara.

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad Ajay Bisaria on Wednesday visited Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan’s Narowal, bordering Gurdaspur in Punjab.

This comes just days after Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu visited Pakistan to attend the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sidhu had later mentioned that Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa suggested that they were considering opening up the Kartarpur corridor to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev next year.The 4-km corridor, if opened, would connect Kartarpur Sahib, where Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years, to Dera Baba Nanak Dev in Gurdaspur on the Indian side.

According to sources in Pakistan, the envoy during his visit looked towards the Indian border visible from the gurdwara rooftop, interacted with caretakers and explored the possibility of the corridor. “We hope to bring this longstanding proposal to fruition with focused follow up and coordination with the Pakistan side. This corridor will have a special appeal and significance for devotees as we celebrate 550 years of Guru Nanak Dev’s birth next year,” Bisaria told The Tribune.

The proposal of the corridor first came up during the Musharraf era, but was never actively followed up.

Sikh pilgrims from India visiting Pakistan have been provided access to Kartarpur Sahib over the years through Wagah and Lahore.

However, a direct corridor from Punjab would be very different. “Kartarpur Sahib was the resting place for Guru Nanak Dev for several years. It will be an important gesture from Pakistan for the pilgrims if it happens. It will be significant for devotees,” said Sarat Sabharwal, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan.

There is no clarity yet on the modalities and logistics under discussion and if the corridor could be opened for a few days next year or for the long term.

Meanwhile, Bisaria who was stopped by the Pakistan authorities from entering gurdwaras, including Nankana Sahib, during recent visits, was accorded a warm welcome at Kartarpur. However, he was not presented a robe of honour (siropa), as per sources.

Army appoints new medical chief, matter in SC over seniority

August 21, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 20

Barely three weeks after the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of the Director General Medical Services (Army), the post has again come under judicial scanner with a Lieutenant General moving the apex court against the appointment of another officer as the new head of the Army’s medical branch.After the Supreme Court’s order on August 1, the Ministry of Defence posted Air Marshal Rajvir Singh, DGMS (Air Force) as the DGMS (Army) on August 10 in the rank of Lieutenant General.In his petition, Lt Gen Manomoy Ganguly has averred that he is one promotion batch senior to Rajvir Singh and also has a higher professional qualification and career profile. Ganguly, according to the petition that is expected to come up for hearing on August 27, is the second senior-most Lieutenant General after the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services, an Army Commander equivalent who heads the medical establishment of all three services.Although the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet notified Ganguly’s promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General on January 19, 2018, he is still posted as the head of the medical branch at Southern Command, a post tenable by a Major General.Earlier, Ganguly had moved the Armed Forces Tribunal for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General. The tribunal allowed his petition, but it was challenged by the government in the Supreme Court. Upholding the tribunal’s judgment in its order of August 1, the apex court observed that there had been some attempt to deny Ganguly his promotion.

Petitioner’s argument

Post SC order, the Ministry of Defence posted Air Marshal Rajvir Singh, Director General Medical Services (Air Force), as the DGMS (Army) on August 10
In his plea, Lt Gen Manomoy Ganguly has averred that he is one promotion batch senior to Rajvir Singh and also has higher professional qualification and better career profile

The Afghanistan endgame by Vivek Katju

August 21, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

The Afghanistan endgame

ONCE MORE: The ceasefire over Eid-ul-Fitr is being proclaimed as a sign of ‘brotherhood’.

Vivek Katju
Ex-secretary, Ministry of External AffairsOn August 21, 2017, President Trump enunciated his Afghanistan and South Asia policy. One year on, it lies in tatters. Its basic objective of bringing a semblance of normalcy to Afghanistan lies unmet. With that, beginning an end to America’s longest war remains a distant prospect. What has gone wrong?Afghanistan’s continuing turmoil can be cumulatively attributed to many factors but the main reason is its possession of havens and sanctuaries in Pakistan. It has had unimpeded access to these secure places beyond the reach of the Afghan security forces. On its part, the US has chosen all through these years, and at the cost of over 2,500 military fatalities, not to cross the Durand Line to take out Taliban bases. It has relied on cajoling Pakistan to persuade the Taliban to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Afghan government. Till now, the Taliban has not shown a real willingness to do so despite some tentative attempts on its part to show a new and softer face to Afghan civilians. In fact, the Taliban has steadfastly focused on armed and terrorist action instead of efforts at peace-making.The essential new elements in Trump’s policy were the absence of putting a timeline on troop withdrawal, publicly calling on Pakistan to close the Taliban havens or risk America’s wrath, and an open, if ungracious, signal to India to increase its economic involvement in Afghanistan. All this initially shook Pakistan for it had become used to America’s soft persuasions backed by financial assistance to bring the Taliban to the path of reconciliation. Pakistan’s concerns increased when US officials signalled that its duplicity — simultaneously sharing intelligence on the Taliban and warning them — would no longer be tolerated. It seemed not only to Pakistan, but also outside observers that Trump’s policy marked a decisive break from earlier approaches, in that it had identified that Pakistan held the key to Afghanistan’s peace and stability and its willingness to do what was necessary to make it desist from continuing to destabilise its western neighbour. Without making any changes on the ground, Pakistan engaged US officials to complain of terrorist attacks from the Pakistan Taliban holed up in the ungoverned areas of Afghanistan. It also softened up to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, whose outreach it had spurned leading to his sharp criticism of Pakistani interference in his country’s affairs. Eager to see the infrastructure of Taliban support wound up in Pakistan, the Americans initially were not taken in. This New Year’s Day, Trump tweeted, ‘The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the past 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!’ A stronger threat cannot be imagined. Publicly, Pakistan rejected the charges. It pointed to its cooperation in giving land and air access, military bases and intelligence cooperation. However, in order to rule out any possibility of effective American action on the ground, it privately decided to step up its engagement with the Afghanistan government. It also decided not to impede ‘behind the scenes’ contact between the Taliban and Kabul, while ensuring that the Taliban armed and terrorist actions would strongly go on. Pakistan contends that the Taliban takes its own decisions and is not under its control. It also argues that it has enjoyed wide support in Afghanistan. That it has adherents, especially among the Pashtuns, is a fact. It now has links in Iran and contacts with Russia and China, but the truth is also that without Pakistani cover it could not have became the potent force it became.Over the past months, American officials have been in constant contact with Pakistan to ensure that the project to push the Taliban towards negotiations moves ahead. While economic pressure is being maintained through the FATF and the IMF and American links with the army are allowed to sag a bit, America has really abandoned coercion and is only seeking to persuade Pakistan. Even Trump is now mute on Pakistan. On its part, Pakistan is taking American economic garrotting in its stride. It has the Chinese and the traditional options to strengthen its foreign exchange reserves. It also knows that the possession of nuclear weapons ensures that the international community has a stake in its stability. An elaborate Afghanistan-Pakistan dialogue structure has been set up under the Afghan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS). The armies of the two countries are in contact, as are the intelligence agencies, both being the principal players in the bilateral equation. Acrimonious rhetoric is being shunned and claims of brotherhood are being made. The Taliban ceasefire over Eid-ul-Fitr is being proclaimed as a sign of it and Pakistan moving in the right direction. There is a possibility of another brief ceasefire on Bakr-eid. It is also being said the Taliban is showing flexibility by not insisting that the withdrawal of foreign troops is a condition precedent for peace but is now willing to allow their gradual withdrawal. The current round of terrorist attacks is being attributed to its desire to shore up its position prior to peace talks!It is futile to think that the ongoing contacts have shored up the possibilities of peace and stability in Afghanistan. That will remain elusive even if Pakistan allows the Taliban to begin some open contacts with the Afghan authorities. Only if the US is willing to take all measures, including ground action across the Durand Line, to make Pakistan change its Afghan policy will it allow the Afghan nightmare to begin to end.

UK Sikh charity organisation comes to Kerala’s rescue

August 19, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

UK Sikh charity organisation comes to Keralaâs rescue

Khalsa Aid supporters cook food at Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Kochi, Kerala. Photo: Twitter

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, August 18

Help continues to pour into Kerala as the state battles unprecedented flood. Among those volunteering is a UK-based Sikh philanthropist organisation.

Photos and videos posted on Facebook show the Khalsa Aid International serving flood victims at the Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Kochi, Kerala. Photos and videos posted by the organisation quickly went viral, drawing unanimous praises.

Don’t add more numbers, forces told

August 13, 2018 webadmin Leave a comment

Donât add more numbers, forces told

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 12

In an important signal on optimum use of available funds, the armed forces have been asked to avoid fresh accretions — adding any more numbers to the existing strength — while continuing with right-sizing of the Army, Navy and the Air Force.The matter of force numbers, the resultant man-power costs and redundancy caused due to technological upgrades was raised by a top government official at the two-day Unified Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi on July 30 and July 31, sources confirmed to The Tribune. The matter of not increasing numbers was referred to and the rising costs were discussed, a functionary confirmed about the meeting.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is clear: “Addition of new equipment (modernisation) does not mean a corresponding rise in the strength of men,” said sources. The foundation of this was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi very early into his tenure. In his address at one such conference in December 2015, Modi said: “Modernisation and expansion of forces at the same time is a difficult and unnecessary goal.” Over the last decade, the armed forces have absorbed a fair amount of technological developments, including communications and digitisation, which means some of the troops can be redeployed.The high-powered Defence Planning Council (DPC), at its first meeting in May this year, asked for “leaner, meaner and restructured armed forces ready for future wars enabled by proper use of budgetary allocations”. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had ordered restructuring of the Army on June 12 this year.The Army, the biggest of the three armed forces, about 1.3-million strong, has been asked to improve its teeth-to-tail ratio. In simple words, it means have more fighting units and reduce non-fighting numbers. Last year, the MoD announced a major change as 57,000 officers and soldiers were to be redeployed to have more combat-oriented roles by 2019.It was an outcome of a committee headed by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd), which suggested 99 points for structural changes in the Army, among them being cutting down flab and reducing revenue (maintenance) expenditure. Of these, the MoD has accepted 65 suggestions.Focus on right-sizing

In this year’s budget ending March 31, 2019, salaries of the three services and civilians work out to Rs 1,18,966 crore
Another Rs 1.08 lakh crore is the pension bill—both salaries and pensions account for 40 per cent of the entire budget
More money had to be earmarked for salaries and pensions than for modernisation (Rs 99,563 crore)

Core Committe

ALL INDIA EX-SERVICEMEN JOINT ACTION FRONT

SANJHA MORCHA

CHAIRMAN ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

BRIG PRAHALAD SINGH , Dogra Regt

PRESIDENT ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA ,Director (Hony) Sr Veterans Association, Ontario, .Member Indo- Canadian Veteran Association Canada

COL CHARANJIT SINGH,BENGAL SAPPERS

.

..

JOINT PRESIDENT ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

COL AVTAR SINGH BHINDER, SIKH REGT

.

.

PRESIDENT DISTT PATIALA CUM JOINT SECRETARY SANJHA MORCHA

CAPT KUSHWANT SINGH DHILLON,BOMBAY SAPPERS

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.

PRESIDENT CALCUTTA ZONE SANJHA MORCHA

MAJOR JOGINDER SINGH KOCHAR

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.

EX-SERVICEMEN COORDINATOR : MOHALI

HAV NASIB SINGH , Engineers

..

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Petitioner’s argument

State Stalwarts

DEFENCES FORCES RANKS

ARMY, NAVY, AIRFORCE RANKS

FORMATION SIGNS

FORMATION SIGNS

ALL HUMANS ARE ONE CREATED BY GOD

HINDUS,MUSLIMS,SIKHS.ISAI SAB HAI BHAI BHAI

CHIEF PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

LT GEN JASBIR SINGH DHALIWAL, DOGRA

SENIOR PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

MAJOR GEN HARVIJAY SINGH, SENA MEDAL ,corps of signals

.

.

PRESIDENT CHANDIGARH ZONE

COL SHANJIT SINGH BHULLAR

.

.

PRESIDENT TRI CITY COORDINATOR

COL B S BRAR (BHUPI BRAR)

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.

INDIAN DEFENCE FORCES

DEFENCE FORCES INTEGRATED LOGO

FORCES FLAGS

15 Th PRESIDENT OF INDIASUPREME COMMANDER ARMED FORCES

Droupadi Murmu

DEFENCE MINISTER

Minister Rajnath Singh

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (2nd)

General Anil Chauhan PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM

INDIAN FORCES CHIEFS

CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF(29th)

General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM (30 Jun 2024 to Till Date)

CHIEF OF AIR STAFF(27th)

Air Marshal AP Singh

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)

Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC

COMMANDS

GOC-in-C NORTHERN COMMAND

LT GEN MV SUCHINDRA KUMAR PVSM, AVSM, YSM**, VSM GOC-IN-C, NORTHERN COMMAND

GOC-in-C WESTERN COMMAND

LIEUTENANT GENERAL MANOJ KUMAR KATIYAR, AVSM

GOC-in-C CENTRAL COMMAND

Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, UYSM, AVSM, YSM

GOC-in-C Eastern Command

Lt Gen Ram Chander Tiwari, UYSM, AVSM, SM GOC-in-C Eastern Command & Col of the Kumaon & Naga Regts and Kumaon Scouts

GOC-in-C Southern Command

Lt Gen Ajai Kumar Singh, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM

GOC-in-C SW Command

LT GEN AMARDEEP SINGH BHINDER, AVSM, VSM,

Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command

ice Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM

Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Naval Command

Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, AVSM, YSM, VSM

PRESIDENT ALL INDIA
SANJHA MORCHA ,
Director (Hony) Sr Veterans Association, Ontario,
.Member Indo- Canadian Veteran Association Canada

JOINT PRESIDENT ALL INDIA
SANJHA MORCHA

PRESIDENT DISTT PATIALA CUM JOINT SECRETARY
SANJHA MORCHA

15 Th PRESIDENT OF INDIA
SUPREME COMMANDER ARMED FORCES