Monthly Archives: August 2018

The indigenous Zorawar tanks will be designed to operate from a high-altitude area, marginal lands and island territories
NEW DELHI: The continuing war between Russia and Ukraine is delaying India’s ambitious project to manufacture Zorawar light tanks, as the war, now in its 19th month, has choked the supply chain for defence components.
Sources said the delay is due to the inability of a few foreign countries to supply critical components needed to manufacture the tanks. Foreign-supplied “electronic, electrical components and engine” are critical for Project Zorawar.
The push to make Zorawar tanks comes amid a continuing threat along the northern border with China. Light tanks are needed to address sector-specific operational requirements, sources said.
The indigenous Zorawar tanks will be designed to operate from a high-altitude area, marginal lands and island territories.
“A lightweight agile platform with a high-power-to-weight ratio and substantial firepower, protection, surveillance, and communication capabilities is essential to provide the Indian Army the versatility to execute operations in varying terrains,” a source said.
Zorawar tanks are expected to weigh about 25 tons. The Army’s MBT Arjun tank weighs around 60 tons, T-90 tanks around 48 tons and T-70 around 45 tons.

Manama: The Indian Tricolour was hoisted onboard the indigenously designed and built Guided Missile Destroyer INS Visakhapatnam and the fleet tanker INS Deepak at Manama, Bahrain to commemorate the 77th Independence Day.
The Indian Navy released a video of the celebration of the 77th Independence Day on INS Vishakhapatnam and INS Deepak in Bahrain’s capital Manama.
From the East Coast of Australia to the Persian Gulf, the Mission Deployed warships of the Indian Navy celebrate the 77th Independence Day with the Nation.
Indian Naval ships (INS) Visakhapatnam and INS Deepak are on a visit to Port Mina Salman of Bahrain from August 14 to 17. The ships will share practices aimed at strengthening ties between the two Navies.
Indian Naval ships Visakhapatnam and Deepak under the Command of Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, are visiting Port Mina Salman, Bahrain from August 14 to 17.
During the visit, Indian Navy ships will undertake professional interactions with the Royal Bahrain Naval Force on various aspects of maritime operations and share best practices aimed at enhancing cooperation and strengthening ties between the two Navies.
Additionally, the ships shall celebrate the 77th Independence Day of India and engage with the Royal Bahrain Navy personnel in various sporting and cultural events.
Earlier this week, INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand under the command of Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai to conduct bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar’ to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies.
The two ships visited Port Rashid from August 8 to August 11 and were commanded by Captain Ashok Rao and Captain Pramod G Thomas respectively, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.
A contingent of the Indian Navy, which is in Australia currently to participate in ‘Exercise Malabar’, hoisted the tricolour on Indian Naval Warships, INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata, at Sydney on the occasion of 77th Independence Day.
The naval forces of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia began their Malabar joint defence exercise in Sydney on Friday, marking the first time Australia has hosted the war games amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
‘Exercise Malabar 2023’ is being conducted in two phases — the harbour phase and the sea phase. The Harbour Phase involves wide-ranging activities such as cross-deck visits, professional exchanges, sports fixtures and several interactions for planning and conduct of the Sea Phase, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release earlier.
The Sea Phase will include various complex and high-intensity exercises in all three domains of warfare, encompassing anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine exercises including live weapon firing drills, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, in the national capital, New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
In his 10th Independence Day address, PM Modi dwelt at length on the strides the country has made, adding that the decisions taken by the country today will impact its future for 1000 years.
Continuing with his custom of wearing colourful turbans, PM Modi donned a multi-coloured Rajasthani-style turban and paired this with an off-white kurta and churidar and a black jacket.
Recalling the testing times during the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Modi said India helped out several countries with vaccines and emergency medical equipment at the time, emerging as the ‘Vishwa Mitra’ (friend of the world).”We have to make our country so strong that it will contribute to ‘Vishwa Mangal’ (global welfare),” he added.
The Prime Minister added that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the world order and the definition of the geopolitical equation have changed and India has become the voice of the global South.
Balloons in the colours of the tricolour were released into the air as PM Modi concluded his address to the nation.

Hong Kong: The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), an armed force beholden to the Chinese Communist Party, is the world’s largest military. Its pursuit of “jointness” between the various armed services has been made evident in the recent blockade of a Philippine outpost in the South China Sea, and in the recent transfer of naval aviation assets into the hands of the PLA Air Force.
On 5 August, forces of the PLA Navy (PLAN), China Coast Guard (CCG) and People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia combined to prevent Philippine Coast Guard vessels from resupplying a dozen marines aboard BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting vessel that forms a Philippine military outpost at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.
It was deliberately beached there in 1999 to maintain Manila’s territorial claim in the face of Chinese encroachment, specifically its occupation of the then uninhabited Mischief Reef sitting 37.8km away. Clearly, by blockading Philippine vessels in this way, China has raised aggression a further notch, using water cannons and their larger ship hulls to prevent the monthly resupply of military personnel at Second Thomas Shoal within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. CCG vessels even tried to ram smaller Philippine resupply boats.
Without any legal justification, China stated: “We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringing activities in these waters. China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters, including the Second Thomas Shoal. The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction according to law.”
The shoal is about 200 km from the Philippine island of Palawan, but more than 1,000 km from China’s nearest landmass of Hainan Island. In no uncertain terms, the Permanent Court of Arbitration proclaimed in 2016 that China has no claims there.
China is seeking to push the Philippines off this reef, as it will then have a clear path to claiming more of the South China Sea. Using the Filipino name for the shoal, Jonathan Malaya, the Philippine National Security Council spokesman, warned, “For the record, we will never abandon Ayungin Shoal.”
Unlike predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who allowed China to trample over Philippine territorial claims, the current Philippine administration has taken a stronger line against Chinese coercion. Beijing was also willing to endure sharp criticism from the likes of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and USA for its actions. China is illegally blocking Philippine territory, practicing dangerous maneuvers at sea, and so it must face more than mild approbation for its actions. A US State Department spokesman warned that attacks on Philippine vessels, armed forces or aircraft would invoke the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty.
Will Manila, with US support, even consider building a more permanent structure on the reef?
The Philippines will have to resupply its garrison on the dilapidated vessel within two weeks, so it will likely employ different tactics. In 2014 it resorted to an airdrop. If the Philippines uses helicopters in the future, for example, this would make it more difficult for China to intercept resupply runs, but it could escalate Chinese aggression.
While Beijing easily has the ability to up the ante – by capturing the rusting hull on Second Thomas Shoal by force, for instance – this would be escalatory as it could bring the USA into the equation. So far, China has been willing to play a long game at Second Thomas Shoal, but it is now pressing the issue. This water cannon incident can be viewed as a skirmish in a longer war. The end game, as far as China is concerned, is to seize the reef and thus to push the Philippines out completely.
Video footage of the incident showed the close cooperation between the PLAN, CCG and maritime militia. They worked seamlessly to pummel and prevent one of the vessels from reaching BRP Sierra Madre. Elsewhere, the PLA has taken a major move towards rationalizing aviation units to further improve jointness, a long-held ambition of China’s military. “Jointness” is defined as “the integration of the strengths of at least two limbs of the military in a coordinated effort to achieve a common goal”. This important restructuring of the PLAN and PLA Air Force (PLAAF) covers at least three fighter brigades, two bomber regiments, three radar brigades, three air defense brigades and numerous airfield stations. China has remained silent on why this reorganization has occurred, but this is typical for a country paranoid about national security.
In August, the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), a think-tank affiliated with the US Department of the Air Force, released a report discussing these recent changes. Entitled “PLA Naval Aviation Reorganization 2023”, the author Rod Lee said the majority of aviation units had moved to the PLAAF by midyear. This conclusion was based on press reports, imagery showing former PLAN personnel now wearing PLAAF uniforms, and units that have been explicitly identified as air force units.
The most pertinent question is this, why has China transferred naval aviation units almost wholesale to the air force?
In one sense, it will make missions such as maritime strike far more complicated. As the PLAN previously owned JH-7 fighter-bombers and H-6 bombers capable of striking naval targets, the navy could conduct such missions without the kinetic support of any other PLA service. Now, such tasks will fall under the remit of theater joint command systems, and this will place greater demands on the latter.
Nonetheless, Lee pointed out that this move is consistent with what the PLA has been trying to achieve in promoting jointness. “…Between the growing emphasis on multi-domain operations, PLAAF maritime strike capabilities and PLA Rocket Force multi-domain fires, an increasing portion of maritime strike missions are joint in nature. As such, aligning all air-based maritime strike capabilities under the PLAAF is in line with preexisting joint command modernization efforts.”
Lee continued: “Despite this loss of kinetic capabilities, the PLAN still has organic information enablers in the form airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft; anti-submarine aircraft; as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). If the PLA had removed these airborne assets from PLAN control, then the PLAN would constantly have to ask for support or control over said PLAAF assets. This, in turn, could significantly strain theater headquarters, theater navy and theater air force staff workloads as they attempt to manage PLAN requests for PLAAF assets.”
A side issue is how much aerial minelaying capability the PLAN will retain. Aircraft like the JH-7 and H-6 can drop sea mines. However, with these platforms given to the PLAAF, only Y-9 anti-submarine warfare aircraft will be left with this ability.
Will the PLAAF introduce mine-laying as part of its training curriculum, or will it leave this skill in the PLAN’s hands?
Lee voiced two key benefits that this transition to PLAAF command will bring for air operations. “Firstly…the PLA improves administrative management over these types of forces. Under the previous arrangement of the PLAN having its own fighter, bomber, air defense and air surveillance radar units separate from the PLAAF, the PLA had two separated management chains over similar types of personnel and equipment. For example, PLAN and PLAAF H-6 bomber pilots adhered to different training guidance despite flying the same airframe. Bringing similar types of units under the same administrative structure streamlines bureaucratic duplication and improves standardization across units with identical functions.”
Lee listed the second advantage too. “…This realignment also unifies all defensive air operations under theater command air forces rather than having it split between two theater services. Prior to the realignment, PLAN units appeared to have exclusive responsibility over air defense missions in certain parts of PRC airspace, including a roughly 250km swath of coastline between Zhoushan and Wenzhou along with the entirety of Hainan Island. There were no PLAAF radar or ground-based air defense units covering these coastal areas, and the closest ground-based fighter units were often a PLAN aviation unit. By realigning these former PLAN units under the PLAAF, the PLA did away with a potential geographic seam in the command and control of air defense missions.”
This move will also help the PLAN improve its carrier-based aviation force. This force currently comprises two J-15 fighter brigades that embark aboard China’s two active aircraft carriers, with a third carrier currently being fitted out. The PLAN is awaiting modern, stealthy carrier-borne fighters and new KJ-600 AEW aircraft that are facsimiles of the American E-2 Hawkeye. Lee noted, “By divesting themselves of thousands of billets, multiple pieces of infrastructure and numerous airframes, the PLAN is now free to pursue a more carrier-centric force within the constraints of its current level of resourcing.”
What About The Impact On The PLAAF?
It has received relatively modern platforms from the navy, but the task of maintaining two dozen regiments and brigades will require further commitments of personnel and resources. Nonetheless, radar sites in littoral areas will greatly improve the PLAAF’s surveillance coverage, while extra H-6 bombers will permit it to commit more airframes to the nuclear mission. Lee concluded: “In all, this shift represents a noticeable change in the way the PLA organizes itself. Whether this was done voluntarily by the services or mandated from above, doing away with redundant capabilities across services demonstrates a marked improvement in PLA jointness.”
Significantly, the PLAN has retained some aviation-related units, including helicopter, UAV, the aforementioned carrier-based units and a single fighter unit (the 8th Aviation Brigade). Also remaining under its order of battle are several aviation training units, headquarters elements and some airfield stations. Lee was uncertain as to why the PLAN has kept the 8th Aviation Brigade, though he did speculate: “It is possible that the PLAN wants to retain at least a small ground-based fighter inventory to help support extensive operations in the South China Sea. Alternatively, this unit may be slated for conversion to a carrier-based fighter like the J-15. However, the latter hypothesis runs contrary to the PLAN’s typical model of standing up new carrier-based aviation units rather than converting pre-existing formations.”
According to data compiled by CASI, the PLAAF in the Eastern Theater Command has absorbed the 4th Aviation Brigade, 6th Aviation Brigade, Eastern Theater Navy (ETN) Bomber Regiment, ETN Air Defense Brigade and 2nd Radar Brigade. Remaining under the PLAN is the ETN 1st Aviation Division (containing special mission aircraft), ETN UAV Regiment and Helicopter Regiment. The navy keeps control of Feidong Air Base, where J-15 fighters and helicopters are stationed. As for the Southern Theater Command, the navy has divested itself of the 9th Aviation Brigade, Southern Theater Navy (STN) Bomber Regiment, STN Air Defense Brigade and 3rd Radar Brigade. However, the PLAN has retained the 8th Aviation Brigade, 10th Aviation Brigade (with J-15 fighters), 3rd Aviation Division (special mission aircraft), STN UAV Regiment and Helicopter Regiment. Concerning the Northern Theater Command, the Northern Theater Navy (NTN) Air Defense Brigade and 4th Radar Brigade have been turned over to the PLAAF.
Elsewhere, the navy still controls the 11th Aviation Regiment (with J-15s), 2nd Aviation Division (with special mission aircraft), NTN Helicopter Regiment, and assets under the PLAN Aviation University, Carrier Aircraft Test and Training Base, and PLAN Headquarters. The status of the 5th Aviation Brigade remains uncertain, according to CASI.
These changes in the PLAN and PLAAF are significant, a further step in the Chinese military’s journey to become more combat-effective and better able to work together. This all bodes ill, as China’s ongoing coercion of Taiwan demonstrates as it continuously flies aircraft towards and near Taiwan. Even while wildly blaming others for stoking tensions, China is ramping up its pummelling of Taiwan and anyone else who dares to defend their island territories or to sail or fly through international waterways and airspace.

During the 77th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s iconic Red Fort, Indigenous 105-mm Light Field Guns were used for the ceremonial gun salute, replacing the British 25-pounder guns. These indigenous guns marked their debut earlier this year with a 21-gun salute during the Republic Day parade. The 21-gun salute involves specially-designed cartridges to create firing sounds.
https://255a4e43a770fa01e89637c60b866e57.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.htmlPrime Minister Narendra Modi received a Guard of Honour from the Armed Forces and Delhi Police before hoisting the national flag and delivering his 10th consecutive Independence Day address. Flower petals were showered by Indian Air Force helicopters, and the theme for the year is ‘Nation First, Always First,’ aligned with the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” celebration.

New Delhi: The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander level meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on 13-14 August 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press statement.
https://db0734936f4e6c1c8d5e754a54aed213.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.htmlThe two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner, the press statement said further.
They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels.
In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas.
The 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was also held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on 23rd April 2023.
The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations.
In line with the guidance provided by the State Leaders and further to the meeting between the two Foreign Ministers in March 2023, they had an exchange of views in an open and candid manner.
In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector. The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.
The two countries started holding military talks on disengagement and de-escalation of the situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh soon after the confrontation started between the two militaries.
The two sides have since then disengaged from multiple confrontation points and moved to new positions to avoid clashes and resolve the issues peacefully.
Sources said the Indian side is keen to resolve the dispute amicably securing all Indian interests in the region and has deployed over 50,000 troops to match the Chinese deployments in the areas opposite eastern Ladakh.
The two sides have been heavily deployed but have resisted direct conflicts even though the Indian side does not rule out the possibility of any misadventure by the adversary along the LAC.
India thwarted one such misadventure by the Chinese Army in December 2022 in Yang Tse near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

स्वतंत्रता दिवस और गणतंत्र दिवस में झंडा फहराने में क्या अंतर है ?

*पहला अंतर*

15 अगस्त स्वतंत्रता दिवस के अवसर पर झंडे को नीचे से रस्सी द्वारा खींच कर ऊपर ले जाया जाता है, फिर खोल कर फहराया जाता है, जिसे *ध्वजारोहण कहा जाता है क्योंकि यह 15 अगस्त 1947 की ऐतिहासिक घटना को सम्मान देने हेतु किया जाता है जब प्रधानमंत्री जी ने ऐसा किया था। संविधान में इसे अंग्रेजी में Flag Hoisting (ध्वजारोहण) कहा जाता है।

जबकि

26 जनवरी गणतंत्र दिवस के अवसर पर झंडा ऊपर ही बंधा रहता है, जिसे खोल कर फहराया जाता है, संविधान में इसे Flag Unfurling (झंडा फहराना) कहा जाता है।

*दूसरा अंतर*

15 अगस्त के दिन प्रधानमंत्री जो कि केंद्र सरकार के प्रमुख होते हैं वो ध्वजारोहण करते हैं, क्योंकि स्वतंत्रता के दिन भारत का संविधान लागू नहीं हुआ था और राष्ट्रपति जो कि राष्ट्र के संवैधानिक प्रमुख होते है, उन्होंने पदभार ग्रहण नहीं किया था। इस दिन शाम को राष्ट्रपति अपना सन्देश राष्ट्र के नाम देते हैं।

जबकि

26 जनवरी जो कि देश में संविधान लागू होने के उपलक्ष्य में मनाया जाता है, इस दिन संवैधानिक प्रमुख राष्ट्रपति झंडा फहराते हैं

*तीसरा अंतर*

स्वतंत्रता दिवस के दिन लाल किले से ध्वजारोहण किया जाता है।

जबकि

गणतंत्र दिवस के दिन राजपथ पर झंडा फहराया जाता है।

*आपसे आग्रह है ये अंतर अपने बच्चों को जरूर बताएं।*

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, August 16

With water in river Beas swelling after increased releases from Pong Dam reservoir, the Kangra district administration has launched a massive operation to evacuate people living inside the riverbed.

The operation has been launched with the help of Indian Air Force (IAF) which has pressed its helicopters to rescue people. Besides IAF the NDRF and SDRF teams are also engaged in rescuing the villagers, using boats.

Till the filing of this report, 1300 people were rescued from Mand area extending in Indora and Fatehpur assembly constituencies of Kangra district.

The Mand area lies inside the Beas river bed downstream from Pong Dam reservoir. Over the years since the Beas river received minimum flows downstream of Pong Dam reservoir the people had started cultivating lands with the riverbed and had also constructed houses there.

However, this year due to heavy monsoon in the catchment area of Beas river the Pong Dam is already full to its brims. As per the data available from BBMB authorities the water level in Pong Dam was at 1398.68 feet which was more than the 1395 maximum water level generally maintained in the reservoir.

The BBMB authorities were releasing 141960 cusecs water from the Pong Dam reservoir that has inundated most of the areas lying with the Beas riverbed.

Kangra deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal who has been supervising the evacuation exercise said that 1300 people have been evacuated from the villages inundated in Indora and Fatehpur assembly constituencies. The evacuation was still going on and about 150 people are still to be rescued, he said.

Jindal said the district administration had alerted the people to leave the area after a warning was received from BBMB that water would be released from Pong Dam reservoir.

However, the people were reluctant to leave their houses and cattle and the help of IAF and NDRF had to be taken to evacuate them, he added.

The district administration has housed the people rescued from the inundated villages in Damtal temple and Radha Swami sect facilities in Fatehpur and Indora areas. The people are being provided food through community kitchens.

The villages that have been affected due to flood in Beas include Badala, Bela Indora, Mand Sanour, Miyani, Ulahiriyyan and Mand.

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, August 16

India celebrated its 77th Independence Day on Tuesday with enthusiasm and fervour. People from all walks of life could be seen rejoicing on the historic day.

On the evening of the Independence Day, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal took to X to share a video of a young Sikh soldier.

Posting the video, Badal wrote, “Punjabis like this young boy have always been on the forefront in the service of the nation and made their families and country proud. On the occasion of #IndependenceDay, I salute their courage, valour and selfless service for the nation.”

The tweet, which has been viewed more than 8,000 times, saw people commenting to appreciate the soldiers and their sacrifices for the country.