Terming hybrid warfare — using non-state actors against an adversary nation — as “not the best option”, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said this tactic was causing more damage to Pakistan than to India.

“Any nation that has attempted hybrid warfare against an adversary has finally been the sufferer. Today, Pakistan is facing that brunt,” Rawat said while delivering a lecture on “Challenges of hybrid conflict in 21st century”.

“They (Pakistan) supported something in Afghanistan but after the imbroglio was over, what happened to those people (the jihadis)? This hybrid warfare launched by them (Pakistan) has actually started affecting them more than it is affecting us,” Rawat said.

However, he warned that the proxy war by Pakistan is there to stay despite all the things and despite India’s effective tackling of it.

Responding to a query as to why India, even after suffering for decades, does not launch offensive hybrid warfare against Pakistan, Rawat said it is not the best option for India, and emphasised that India is satisfactorily countering this warfare directed against it. “Paying the other fellow exactly in the same coin may not be the best option. A stone that is thrown in the air comes back to your head.

“Before we launch the hybrid warfare in the offensive-defensive domain, we should be prepared to see what will happen to those people once the objective is achieved. What you do with those people?” he said.

While he underlined that India does have the capability to launch an offensive hybrid warfare or even “strike across” at those perpetrating the hybrid offensive against it, the army chief said for that the Indian leadership must be clear as to how far the country can go if an escalation happens.

“India will have to carefully work on the escalation matrix as to how far it was willing to go if escalation happens,” he added.

He said to counter such operations by Pakistan, which include a propaganda on the social media, various Indian forces and agencies need to work together in close coordination.

Rawat said India can utilise its soft power with friendly nations to isolate the terror-exporting nation and offered that the Indian Army can help the country expand its soft power in many ways.

Speaking on the Kashmir situation, Rawat said that sustained pressure is needed to tire out the militants instead of wrongly believing after a peaceful year in the Valley that lasting peace has returned.

“When things become comfortable, we would go into this limbo thinking that peace has returned, not knowing that every time the peace returns, the nexus has utilised this period to rebuild their capacities and strength. And therefore sustained pressure is required,” Rawat said.

“What I am trying to highlight is that you get one successful year and you say let’s give peace a chance. That is I think a fault that you have been committing.

“If you think that just after having one successful year you should give peace a chance, that may not be the best option. You should have repeated successes and then think of giving peace a chance. And that is what we are doing now. Let us look at tiring the other side,” he added.

He also rued that the army faces flak even for taking a tough action against those pelting stones at it.

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 11

After having cut down on imports of weapons and military equipment, India has dropped down to be the second largest importer of weapons. For more than eight years, New Delhi had held the dubious position of being the largest importer of weapons and has been among the top five importers for decades.

Saudi Arabia is now the largest weapons importer.

These trends have emerged from an annual report released on Monday by the Sweden-based think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The assessment was done for a five-year period (2014-2018).

Titled ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers-2018’, it says, “India was the world’s second largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5 per cent of the global total.”

Last year (for the period 2013-17), India accounted for 13 per cent of all imports and was the world’s largest importer.

According to the latest report, Russia accounted for 58 per cent of Indian arms imports in 2014-18, said the report, adding that Israel and the US are the other two big suppliers having provided 15 and 12 per cent of supplies, respectively, to India.

SIRPI explains the lowering of imports by India as delayed deliveries. It says “Imports decreased by 24 per cent between 2009-13 and 2014-18 (two five-year blocks), partly due to delays in deliveries of arms produced under licence from foreign suppliers, such as combat aircraft ordered from Russia in 2001 and submarines ordered from France in 2008.”

During the period studied by SIPRI, India procured Mi-17-V5 helicopters from Russia; maritime surveillance planes, the Boeing P8-I from the US, and UAVs and radars from Israel.

The five biggest exporters in five-year block period 2011-2015 were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China. The US and Russia remain by far the largest exporters, accounting for 36 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively, of all global trade.

The China story

The bigger story is, however, China, which, in a sign of an omnipresent threat, has been helping Pakistan and Bangladesh in ramping up military prowess. China is now the fifth largest exporter of weapons ahead of traditional manufacturers like the UK and Israel. Its biggest benefactors are Pakistan and Bangladesh, both sharing a boundary with India and could potentially cause trouble for New Delhi. The two countries accounted for 53 per cent of Beijing’s exports from 2014-2018.

New Delhi sees China’s exports to countries around India as a part of its long-term strategy of having a ‘string of pearls’, a kind of military toe-hold in countries around India.

On the other hand, Beijing is also an importer. “Despite the rapid development of its indigenous arms-producing capabilities in recent years, China was the world’s sixth largest arms importer in 2014-18 and accounted for 4.2 per cent of the global total,” the SIPRI report said. Russia accounted for 70 per cent of Chinese arms imports in 2014-18. China remains reliant on imports for certain arms technologies such as engines for combat aircraft and large ships as well as long-range air and missile defence systems. Its own arms industry has yet to develop the technological capability to match Russian suppliers in these fields.

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

There is no doubt that the services of our armed forces should be duly recognised and celebrated. However, no constituent of a democratic republic has the right to rob citizens of their fundamental right to think and speak for themselves. Militarism suppresses this right. Militarism is incompatible with the working principles of democracy and its republican ideals.

Swami Agnivesh
Arya Samaj scholar and social activist

HYPE is the order of the day. Hype is created to suppress rational and factual thinking. Without thinking, there is no meaningful exercise of freedom of choice. Without such an exercise of choice, ‘the will of the people’ gets distorted and the temple of democracy is desecrated.

Beginning with the electorally overused ‘surgical strike’ in 2016 to the Pulwama attack and its aftermath, the improvisation of a sinister situation has been in the offing. It is described best as militarism, which involves the projection of the Army as a national cult. Militarism is not merely a matter of having a large Army, armed to the teeth and ready to function as a chillingly efficient killing machine. Militarism implies the fetishisation of the Army — a dogmatic object of worship — that makes it an anti-national offence to not concur readily with what the Army states. It disallows citizens and political parties from examining the factual merits of the versions given to them, which are required to be taken on trust. Pushed to the extreme, this makes the Army, not the will of the people, the decisive element in national affairs.

There is no doubt that the services of our armed forces should be duly recognised and celebrated. However, no constituent of a democratic republic — neither the State nor the Army, neither the judiciary nor Parliament — has the right to rob citizens of their fundamental right to think and speak for themselves. Militarism suppresses this right. Militarism is, therefore, incompatible with the working principles of democracy and its republican ideals. 

The foremost casualty in militarism is ‘equality of opportunity’ that political parties are entitled to in a democracy. In this scenario, spiced up by hysterical patriotism and nationalism, the armed forces cease to be a neutral organ. The forces come to be identified in popular perception with the ruling dispensation. Attempts are made to project this deception. The morale and bravery of the armed forces are attributed to the Prime Minister who, in his own words, is a chowkidar (watchman) who always remains chowkanna (alert). The Army is projected as an extension of the heroic will of the Prime Minister, who is increasingly perceived as its Supreme Commander. That there is the President of the republic who is meant to be seen in this role is forgotten.

In this ambience of militarism, the ruling party enjoys a huge advantage. It is free to craft or project military actions to further its electoral interests. No room is left for neutral citizens or opposition parties to question either the narrative or its partisan intent. Everything is required to be taken on trust, no questions asked. Even asking for evidence — which is the basic right of those who are required to believe what is dished out to them — is decried and stigmatised as ‘insulting the Army’ and as a ‘crime against the nation’, expressed picturesquely as ‘bringing a smile on the face of Pakistan.’ 

It is a cause for concern that the grave peril this holds out to our democratic culture goes unnoticed. In a democracy, the public sphere is envisaged necessarily as a domain of freedom and equality. Configuring the democratic space to favour one player and handicap the rest distorts and undermines democracy. If this is not avoided zealously, democracy could degenerate into dictatorship. The hallmark of dictatorship is that the ‘official version’ is the last word on everything. No dissent or deviation is tolerated.

Democracy mandates that if and when anything is introduced into the public sphere — such as putting out a version of the bombing of terrorist camps in Balakot — citizens and parties are free to examine the reported version factually and rationally, and come to their own conclusions. You cannot project a version of any event into the democratic space and intimidate citizens that unwillingness to lap it up is ‘anti-national’. Yet, this is exactly what the Prime Minister and his war strategists are doing. It is imperative that we recognise the threat this ploy poses to the very survival of democracy.

If something is so sacrosanct that it should not be exposed to the irreverence and raucousness of public discussion, the right thing to do is to withhold it from the public space. This principle is zealously followed vis-a-vis various aspects, say, of the Rafale deal. If is, of course, hard to understand why the price of these fighter jets bought with the taxpayers’ money should be kept a secret from them. It is an insult to democracy to suppress inconvenient questions about the issue.

Ironically, such an ambience is conjured and heightened on the eve of the General Election. It is too much of a coincidence to seem innocently accidental. The Election Commission — if it is to conduct meaningfully a ‘free and fair’ election later this year — needs to take note of this sinister distortion of the democratic space. Even more importantly, the citizens of India need to see through and rebuff such stratagems aimed at vitiating the spirit and integrity of the forthcoming elections. They will let Indian democracy down if, drugged by propaganda psychedelics, they reward those who cozen them into voting in ways that they would not have done otherwise.

India has received a joint submarine design and construction proposal from Russia to build on the technology transfer acquired while building the nuclear fleet, and promises to drastically reduce the cost of Navy’s next-generation vessel plan.

The proposal, believed to have been discussed at the top level during the Sochi summit in May, offers an alternative to an upcoming $10 b P 75I tender for six new diesel electric submarines that the Navy requires. These are to be fitted with an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system that significantly increases their ability to stay underwater.

“The Russian side has offered a transfer of all intellectual property for the design and prototype construction. This will mean that there are also no limits to the number of submarines that can be built under the project…,” officials familiar with the details told ET.

While the current plan is to go in for a global competitive process that will involve companies from Russia, France, Germany and Sweden, the official proposal from Moscow is for a government-to-government deal for joint design with the Advanced Technology Vessel Project (ATVP). This is the project that gave India its first nuclear armed submarine, the INS Arihant, which was constructed in Vizag with considerable assistance from Russia.

A line of nuclear armed and nuclear powered submarines will be rolled out under the project which has completed the Indian nuclear triad — the ability to launch warheads from air, land and underwater.

Sources told ET that the proposal is for joint design and building of a prototype, following which the technical knowhow and papers would be transferred to the selected Indian shipyard for construction. The design consultancy for the project is pegged at under $200 million, something that could result in savings of immediate payments for the Navy for its next-generation submarines.

Under the competitive process, an initial payment of over $ 2 billion (20% of total cost) might be necessary, which given the Navy’s current budget projections, seems difficult. The proposal seeks to design the submarine to meet Indian requirements, including installation of the Brahmos missiles on board, as well as a jointly developed AIP system with the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Sources involved in the Indian nuclear submarine project said that the proposal can build on the technology that has already been transferred to India but has to be scrutinized carefully to ensure that critical knowhow is not held back. Several parts required under the proposal are already being produced in India, including high strength steel for submarine hulls.

he Defence Ministry said that it has taken necessary steps to ensure that women, who were earlier inducted for short service commission (SSC), get permanent commission in the armed forces.

Women will be eligible for branches like army aviation and army air defence among others

NEW DELHI: 

Women officers can now get permanent commissions in 10 branches of the Indian Army, the government announced on Tuesday.

The Defence Ministry said that it has taken necessary steps to ensure that women, who were earlier inducted for short service commission (SSC), get permanent commission in the armed forces.

Permanent commission will be granted to women officers inducted in branches such as Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and Intelligence.

The Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers will have to give their option for permanent commission before completion of four years of commissioned service and they would be able to choose their specialisation, the Ministry said.

“In Indian Navy, all non-sea going branches/cadre/specialisation have been opened for induction of women officers through Short Service Commission,” the Ministry said.

The Navy is also building three ships for training of women officers after which they can be deployed at sea.

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)

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 2

Amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan and continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army on the Line of Control (LoC), Army chief General Bipin Rawat today visited the 16 Corps headquarters to review the operational preparedness of his forces in view of the current situation.

Accompanied by northern Army commander Lt-Gen Ranbir Singh, the Army chief was briefed and updated by Lt-Gen Paramjit Singh, GOC, White Knight Corps, about the current operational situation, prevailing security scenario and the preparedness of the formation.

Giving details, a defence spokesman said the chief of the Army staff was briefed on the actions taken to meet the challenges of increased ceasefire violations and measures put in place to thwart the designs of the adversary. “He was also briefed on the measures reinforced in hinterland in the Area of Responsibility towards ensuring peace and stability,” Lt-Col Devender Anand, defence spokesman, added.

During the visit, the Army chief commended all soldiers for their unwavering dedication to duty, selfless devotion and high standards of professionalism. “He was appreciative of the measures and standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations in the Corps Zone to minimise the casualties due to the ceasefire violations and infiltration bids.

The need to be prepared for effectively meeting current emerging security challenges was also reinforced,” the spokesman said.

Washington, November 25

The then Bush administration had mobilised special forces to neutralise Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists holding people hostage in hotels during the deadly Mumbai terror attack in November 2008, a former White House official has revealed.

But, before the Indian authorities gave the necessary clearances and the special forces could take off for Mumbai from an overseas regional location, Indian commandos had already completed their job, said Anish Goel, who was part of the White House’s 26/11 crisis management group.

Recalling the developments at the White House during the 2008 Thanksgiving weekend, Goel said the US had “some (special forces) teams in the region that we were willing to deploy quickly”. “In the beginning, the Indians were reluctant to accepting US assistance. But, as the attack dragged on for two-three days, they became more accepting of US assistance,” Goel said. — PTI

Tribune News service

Amritsar, March 3

Lance Naik Kuldip Singh of the 5 Sikh Regiment was cremated with state honours at his native Kale Bala village in Majitha here today.

Besides the Army, others who were present to pay tributes to the martyr included MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Shiv Charan Singh, OSD of SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia, SAD leader Talbir Singh Gill, Ashok Kumar, SDM, Baba Bakala; and Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare Officer, Col Gurinderjit Singh.

Kuldip Singh had died in an avalanche in the Kargil area. He was leading a troupe during patrolling in the hills. He is survived by his wife Pawanpreet Kaur and five-year-old son Jashanpreet Singh.

His body arrived at this native village today. His brother Sukhwant Singh and his son lit the pyre.