Monthly Archives: August 2018

It is expected that the deal would be worth over Rs 1,000 crore.

NEW DELHI: In an apparent effort to bolster its infantry units against the tank regiments of the enemy nations, the Indian Army is planning to buy more than 3,000 Milan 2T anti-tank guided missiles from France.

It is expected that the deal would be worth over Rs 1,000 crore.

“An Army proposal in this regard would come up for discussion at a high-level meeting of the Defence Ministry for buying more than 3,000 of the second-generation Milan 2T ATGMs which are license-produced by the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in partnership with a French firm,” sources in the Defence Ministry told ANI.

ndian Army requires around 70,000 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) of various types and around 850 launchers of different types. The Indian Army is planning to procure third-generation ATGMs with a longer range than that of its existing Milan-2T and Konkurs ATGMs.

Sources told ANI that the Army’s decision to procure Milan 2T ATGMs should be seen as a stopgap arrangement as the Army is more focused on including its homegrown third-generation ATGM in its arsenal. It is to be noted that the third-generation ATGM is currently undergoing trials.

Last year, the government had decided to scrap a programme to buy the Spike ATGM from Israel keeping in mind the development made by Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in this regard. The DRDO has already conducted two successful trials of the man-portable ATGMs.

Jammu, January 17

A civilian was injured on Thursday when Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and resorted to firing and mortar shelling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said.

Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said the Army is replying befittingly to the Pakistani aggression.

Pakistan troops resorted to firing and mortar shelling on forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Nowshera sector, the officials said.

The ceasefire violation resulted in injuries to a civilian who has been hospitalised, they said.

The year 2018 had witnessed the highest number — 2,936 — of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

The continuous Pakistani shelling and firing targeting villages has set in fear psychosis among the border dwellers.

Pakistan troops resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in Poonch district of the state for 12 days of this month.

On Monday, Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad was killed in a sniper firing by Pakistani rangers along the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar-Samba sector of Kathua district.

On the same day in another incident, Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.

On Sunday, an Army jawan was injured in ceasefire violation along the LoC in Keri sector of Rajouri.

On Friday, an Army porter was killed when Pakistani troops resorted to firing in Nowshera sector ofRajouri district.

On the same day, an Army Major and a soldier were killed in an IED blast on the LoC in Laam sub-sector of Rajouri. – PTI

Col Dilbag Dabas (Retd)

Deepak, son of Naresh Sharma, was born in Bidhlan village of Sonepat district on July 3, 1983. He grew up listening to the stories of valour of his grandfather, who was part of the action during World War II, and at a very young age, decided to follow into his footsteps.

Deepak passed his senior secondary education from Shiksha Bharti School, Rohtak. After attaining a Bachelor of Technology degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, he joined the Officer’s Training Academy, Chennai, and was commissioned into the Signal Regiment on September 16, 2006. In March 2008, Deepak, as a young Captain, was sent on two-year attachment with 42 Rashtriya Rifles (Assam) operating in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pulwama district, located between the Pir Panjal Range and the Greater Himalayas, though geographically not close to the line of control (LoC) in the west, has the dubious distinction of being one of the hotbeds of militancy in the Kashmir valley. And it is strongly believed that due to a false notion of being alienated by the state, Kashmiri youths have covertly been assisting militants exported by Pakistan. Nonetheless, 42 Rashtriya Rifles has an impressive record of conducting many successful cordon and search operations in the Kashmir valley from time to time since its deployment there. During one such counter-militancy operation in Pulwama district, Captain Deepak Sharma, an officer from the Signal Regiment attached to 42 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalion, displayed gallantry of the highest order, for which he was awarded the coveted Kirti Chakra, the second highest peace-time military decoration in the country. The account of gallantry of Captain Deepak Sharma during a counter-militancy operation in the Kashmir valley is recorded in the War Diary of 42 RR Battalion. 

Naresh Sharma, a retired banker, recalls, “During his B Tech final semester, Deepak was offered a well-paid job in an upscale corporate house but for his love for the Army, he declined the offer. I asked him as to what special was he looking for being an Army officer? He told me ‘papa, Army mein mujhe salute milegi, samman milega aur sahi maine mein desh sewa ka mauka milega’. His reply really made me proud”.

During his short leave in January 2010, Deepak got engaged to a serving lady officer from the Signal Regiment itself at a simple ceremony and the marriage was scheduled sometime in June the same year. But no one knew he had a different kind of date with fate three months before that. 

Indu Sharma, mother of Capt Deepak Sharma, opens up with a sigh, “Every mother’s son has a date with fate. My son too had his but he met his date with fate as a warrior, as a ‘shoorveer’, in the finest traditions of the Indian Army”.

The account of his bravery in War Diary of 42 RR Battalion reads…

On March 4, 2010, some terrorists were suspected to be hiding in a room in a village in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, which could not be cleared due to its close proximity to a large Jamia Masjid. Since the targeted room was adjacent to the masjid, and to avoid any damage to it, direct room intervention was the only option to flush out the militants. At 8.15 am, on March 4, Capt Deepak Sharma along with his buddy closed in and entered the house through a small window by lobbing hand grenades. At point-blank range, Capt Sharma fired and killed one terrorist in the first room. He then crawled to the next room under heavy volume of fire from the terrorists and lobbed another grenade. On spotting two terrorists under the staircase, with total disregard to own safety, Capt Sharma charged at them with a steely grit and killed both of them on the spot. However, during the fire fight, Capt Deepak Sharma sustained a gunshot wound on his neck and he later succumbed to his injuries. Captain Deepak Sharma displayed unflinching devotion to duty and indomitable courage in the face of the enemy and made the supreme sacrifice in the finest traditions of the Indian Army.

(The writer is a veteran Gunner, 6 Field Regiment)

MK Bhadrakumar
Former Ambassador

Us space agency NASA has abruptly called off a planned visit to the US in February by the head of the Russian state space corporation, Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin. NASA made the announcement on January 4 following criticism by the US media and lawmakers who demanded cancellation of the visit. The snub to Moscow presages sudden death of the historic Russian-American collaboration in exploring the ‘last frontier’ for mankind. It becomes an inflection point.

Rogozin is a close political associate of President Vladimir Putin. He has been subjected to the Western sanctions over Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who is a leading critic of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, threatened that the Congress will be ‘forced to act’ unless NASA withdrew the invitation to Rogozin. Shaheen called Rogozin ‘one of the leading architects of the Kremlin’s campaign of aggression towards its neighbours’ and said the invitation ‘undercuts our message and undermines the US’ core national security objectives’.

The big question is whether the curtain is coming down on the space cooperation between the US and Russia. It is a poignant moment since the two countries have had a long history of working together in space ever since the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975, and more so, in the past two decades. Within the ambit of cooperation, the two countries have shared training, communications, operational capabilities and expenses in support of the International Space Station (ISS). In particular, following the cancellation of the US Space Shuttle Program in 2011, the US began relying on Russia’s Soyuz capsules for transport to the ISS. Russia receives an average of $81 million per seat on the Soyuz. In a joint statement in 2017, the two countries even projected the idea of collaborating on deep space exploration, including the construction of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a research-focused space station orbiting the moon. (Rogozin’s visit aimed at fleshing out the tantalising idea.) Both countries saw clear benefits, given the high price tag for solo space exploration.

However, times have changed. Russia and the US are flaunting today their capability to destroy each other in a thermonuclear war, something unheard of even at the height of the Cold War. Space has become a new domain of warfare. If the 2018 US National Defense Strategy characterised ‘space and cyberspace as war-fighting domains’, Russia’s 2010 military doctrine explicitly stated that ensuring superiority in space would be a ‘decisive factor’ in achieving its strategic goals. In this tense security environment, the need arises to protect space assets (satellites, etc.) with space-based weapons. Suffice to say, the scope for sharing sensitive technology or capabilities in space partnerships has dramatically shrunk due to the growing hostility between the US and Russia.

Secondly, a private sector space industry has appeared in the US and it has spawned commercial interests. The development of advanced technologies by private companies means NASA has new options to choose from and to reduce the dependence on Russia. In fact, NASA is already in a position to use Boeing and SpaceX capsules for human spaceflight beginning in 2020 and even has the option to phase out the procurement of Russian RD-180 rocket engines by 2022. With President Trump ordering the establishment of a sixth branch of the military (‘Space Force’), the dominant aerospace companies in the US — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and BAE Systems — are eyeing the new frontier. 

Russia’s preference has always been to press on with a space programme entwined with the US’s. But in a scenario where NASA turns its back on Roscosmos, Russia may have to turn to China or India for partnership. Recently, Rogozin openly hinted at this. In his words, ‘China is offering many initiatives for cooperation, is asking us to help them develop, though they have already achieved a good level of development. They are suggesting creating a joint station.’ Rogozin even floated the idea of a ‘BRICS station’. Of course, Russia is technologically capable of building a lone Russian lunar station. But then, as the director of the Institute of Space Policy in Moscow, Ivan M Moiseyev, told the New York Times recently, ‘The technical capability exists, but the finances don’t.’

Quite obviously, considering that space efforts are inextricably connected to military plans, Russia needs to take a leap of faith to form an alliance with China. On the one hand, the scientific space-related endeavours have immense commercial potentials, while on the other, they signify the ultimate ‘eye in the sky’ through a combination of satellites and unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles that would give unmatched insight into positions of enemies (as well as allies). They will phenomenally improve military logistics, facilitate ‘orbital strikes’ at enemy targets as well as open up new lucrative trade and travel routes.

India is far better placed than China can ever be to align with Russia’s space programme, as there are no contradictions in the relations between the two countries. China is a competitor for Russia — as much as for the US — in space. Commenting on the recent landing of a Chinese scientific probe on the far side of the moon, Mary Dejevsky at the Guardian newspaper, a veteran Russia hand, wrote, ‘The response in political and military quarters in Washington, as in Moscow… is likely to reflect trepidation.’ It cannot be otherwise in New Delhi also. All factors taken into consideration, therefore, a tapering off in the NASA-Roscosmos cooperation, which is on cards in a near-term scenario, can be to India’s advantage. Delhi should seize the opportunity.

New Delhi: India is facing complex and dynamic security challenges along its borders, which are a threat to the country’s territorial integrity and internal stability, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has said.

In a new year message to Army personnel, he hailed the collective grit, determination and sacrifices of the troops in standing up to the challenges along the borders as well as in combating threats of terrorism.

He, however, did not mention about the situation along India’s nearly 4,000- km frontier with China or along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our steadfast resolve to ensure territorial integrity has been evident from the collective grit, determination and sacrifice of our troops who have stood their ground under the most challenging, inhospitable and most hostile circumstances,” General Rawat said.

The Indian Army has been firmly dealing with infiltration bids and incidents of unprovoked firing by Pakistani Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K.

The Army has also improved its vigilance in several key sectors along the border with China following last year’s Doklam episode.

“All ranks have displayed highest degree of sincerity and commitment while guarding our frontiers, combating terrorism and insurgency,” the Army Chief said.

He also appealed to the 12-lakh strong Army personnel to work with added zeal in dealing with security challenges facing the country.

“We need to continue to work with added zeal while upholding our core values of integrity, loyalty, duty, respect selfless service, courage and honour to fulfil our constitutional obligations and assigned roles,” he said.

General Rawat described his force as one of the most disciplined and professional armies in the world, adding that it must preserve that pride with dignity and honour.

“I am sanguine that the rank and file of the Indian Army will continue to discharge their responsibilities in the best traditions of our organisation,” he said.

General Rawat also mentioned about the “stellar role” the Army played during the devastating floods in Kerala as well as the way it has discharged its duties in the UN missions.

“I salute all those personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty for the nation in the past year. I wish speedy recovery to all others who are recovering from injuries in the line of duty,” the Army Chief said.

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The Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara. File photo

Islamabad, January 24

Pakistan on Thursday described India’s response to its proposal to finalise an agreement on the opening of the Kartarpur corridor as “childish”, saying that Islamabad’s reply will be “mature”.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal said Pakistan shared a detailed proposal along with a draft agreement with the Indian authorities and invited them to Pakistan to discuss and finalise modalities for the pact.

He said that concerned departments of Pakistan did extensive work in the preparation of the draft agreement on the Kartarpur corridor, which was shared with India on January 21.

Instead of responding to Pakistan’s initiative, India asked a Pakistani delegation to visit New Delhi and suggested two possible dates — February 26 and March 7 — for the meeting, Faisal told the media here.

“India has regrettably behaved in a childish manner, as far as its response is concerned. We have seen similar reply from India in the past, in September 2018, in response to the letter from Prime Minster Imran Khan,” Faisal said.

“Pakistan, unlike India, would come out with a very mature and well considered response on this highly important matter and respond to the Indian move very soon,” he added.

The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur—the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev—with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.

It will enable Sikh devotees to offer prayers at the historic shrine where Guru Nanak had spent his last 18 years.

Faisal alleged that India committed 2,300 ceasefire violations last year and these violations are still on the surge.

Pakistan is responding in a befitting manner to the “unprovoked Indian firing” on the Line of Control, he said, adding that Pakistan would respond to India in the same coin.

“If it (India) speaks the language of peace, we will respond peacefully and if it speaks the language of bullet, we will respond with the bullet,” he said.

Faisal also rejected the Indian claim about sinking of their fishing boat in Pakistani waters on 17th of this month.

He, however, alleged that poaching in Pakistani exclusive economic zones is a frequent activity by the Indian fishing boats.

He said Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) conducts anti-poaching operations as per the laws and international regulations and the relevant UN convention.

To a question about not allowing the use of airspace for cargo planes to Afghanistan, Faisal said that “our position on overflight cargo planes from India remain unchanged. However, passenger flights from India are operating as per the laid down SoPs.” — PTI

Defence Cyber Agency will have close to 200-strong staff from the tri-services – Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

With the threat perception changing from land, sea and air into the cyber world, India’s Defence Cyber Agency has started taking shape.

Initial proposal of the Defence Cyber Agency will have close to 200-strong staff from the tri-services – Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, to be headed by the Headquarter of Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). They will serve under the command of the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee and work closely with the National Cyber Security Advisor.

“We are alive to the threat on cyber front. To that end we are thinking of making a cyber agency. It would not be a quite full fledged command as we have in the army. As conscious of the fact that the threat exists, we are going in for the cyber agency. It will be headed by a two star rank officer. It will be an inter-service agency, not purely army, functioning under the Integrated Defence Staff. They will be looking after the threats in the cyber domain,” said Lt Gen MM Naravane, GOC-in-C, Army Eastern Command.

To begin with, the Defence Cyber Agency will be based out of the IDS Headquarters and later dedicated units will come up with the Army commands.

“The entire proposal is still under the formulation. Of course units will be spread all over the country. One person sitting in Delhi cannot be expected to do all these jobs. There will be units in every Headquarters with dedicated officers to deal with the cyber security,” added Naravane.

Last year, the Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the formation of three agencies – Defence Cyber Agency is one of them, the two others are – Defence Space Agency and Special Operations Division.