The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) will allocate funding worth INR 714.38 billion (USD9.5 billion) towards “domestic capital procurements” in fiscal year (FY) 2021–22, Ajay Bhatt, India’s Minister of State for Defence, said in parliament on 19 July.
In a parliamentary reply, Bhatt said the figure represents 64% of total defence capital acquisition funding for 2021–22, which he said totalled INR 1.11 trillion. He added that in the past three fiscal years the MoD has signed 102 capital procurement contracts with Indian defence companies.
In another reply, Bhatt said that since FY 2018-19 the MoD had approved 119 defence procurement contracts worth INR 2.15 trillion. He indicated that the majority of these contracts supported domestic manufacturing programs.
Bhatt said that India’s emphasis on boosting local defence production had been bolstered by the issuance of two ‘indigenisation lists’ since August 2020. These lists contain 209 military platforms, items, and related systems that will be progressively sourced from local manufacturers over a four-year period starting this year.
Further import substitution efforts, said Bhatt, have been channelled through the MoD’s ‘Srijan’ web portal, which was launched in August 2020 to identify opportunities for local companies to manufacture products that are currently provided by overseas suppliers.
Bhatt said that since its launch the portal had identified nearly 11,000 imported defence items for local production. He added that local firms had expressed interest in producing about 28% of these items and that Indian state-owned enterprises are currently engaging with the firms to support local production.

Five months after claiming that four of its soldiers were killed in clashes with Indian troops in June last year, China has now revised the toll to five.

Giving fresh details of the Galwan Valley clash, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday that “several soldiers were besieged including regimental commander Qi Fabao”.

The report, which was quoted by Global Times, focussed on “details of how Chinese officers and soldiers sacrificed their lives in the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, including martyr Chen Hongjun”.

It said that 33-year-old Chen Hongjun, a Battalion Commander, sacrificed his life to the “frontline defense confrontation with India in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, along with other four of his comrades-in-arms, who had stationed in the Karakoram Mountains with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang Military Command.”

A Battalion Commander in China is the same rank as the Commanding Officer of a Battalion in the Indian Army.

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Different estimates from China

In February this year, China had admitted for the first time that four PLA soldiers were killed in the clash.

This admission came at a time when India and China were disengaging from the southern and northern banks of Pangong Tso.

However, Indian defence and security sources believed the toll was much higher than what China had officially claimed. This was because during various levels of talks with India, Chinese officials have — unofficially — given contradictory figures for their Galwan clash casualties, as reported by ThePrint.

The figures, shared informally, especially in breaktime conversations during dialogue sessions, varied from five to 14.

ThePrint had also reported that contrary to the perception that the Indian side was outnumbered by the PLA in the Galwan Valley, it was the Chinese that faced the brunt and they had to call in reinforcements, which came at night.

This is something that the fresh reports by the Chinese media have also reported.

Focusing on Chen Hongjun, the report said, “during the battle, when regimental commander Qi Fabao was besieged by Indian troops at the vanguard, Chen Hongjun took two other soldiers and rushed forward against the stones that were being hurled and the blows from sticks wielded by Indian troops. Using his body as a shield, Chen rescued Qi.

As he saw several soldiers were besieged by the Indian troops, Chen Hongjun, once again, turned around without hesitation and led the soldiers to charge again at the battleground”.

India had lost 20 soldiers in the clash.

While some of the deaths were the result of the clashes, a large number of soldiers died of hypothermia after falling into the cold waters of the river.

Also read: No fresh clash between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, Army says

The project under the strategic partnership model will be the first that allows domestic firms to collaborate with foreign players to produce high-end military platforms in India.

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry on Tuesday issued the request for proposal (RFP) or the formal tender to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Navy at a cost of over Rs 40,000 crore, over a month after the mega acquisition project was cleared.

It will be the first project to be implemented under the strategic partnership (SP) model that allows domestic firms to collaborate with foreign players to produce high-end military platforms in India.

The RFP was issued to the Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the two Indian companies shortlisted following a long-drawn process, according to the defence ministry.

Both L&T and MDL will have to collaborate with one of the five already short-listed foreign shipyards — Daewoo Shipbuilding (South Korea), ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (Germany), Navantia (Spain) and Naval Group (France) and JSC ROE(Russia).

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“Foreign OEMs will enable SP for construction of submarines, achieving high levels of indigenization, and transfer of technology (ToT),” it said in a statement.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) last month approved the issuance of the request for proposal (RFP) for the acquisition programme named Project-75(I).

The ministry said the OEMs would enable the setting up of dedicated manufacturing lines for the submarines in India by providing ToT for submarine design and other technologies and make India the global hub for submarine design and production.

“The project would not only aid in boosting the core submarine, shipbuilding industry but would also greatly enhance manufacturing/industrial sector, especially the MSME by the development of an industrial ecosystem for the manufacture of associated spares, systems and equipment related to submarines,” the ministry said.

In order to achieve these objectives, the RFP has key features like mandatory level of indigenous manufacture of platforms, ToT for design, manufacture and maintenance of submarines and a few critical equipment and systems.

Under the strategic partnership model, domestic defence manufacturers are allowed to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce high-end military platforms to reduce import dependence.

The Indian Navy planned to acquire 24 new submarines, including six nuclear attack submarines, to bolster its underwater fighting capability under a 30-year programme that will end in 2030.

It currently has 15 conventional submarines and two nuclear submarines.

The Navy has been focusing on significantly bolstering its overall capabilities in view of China’s growing efforts to increase its military presence in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Indian Ocean, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy, is critical to the country’s strategic interests.

According to global naval analysts, the Chinese navy currently has over 50 submarines and about 350 ships. The total number of ships and submarines is projected to go past 500 in the next 8-10 years.

The Indian Navy is also in the process of procuring 57 carrier-borne fighter jets, 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) and 123 multi-role helicopters under the strategic partnership model.

Also read: What is Project 75 India & what it means for Indian Navy

Riedel has reminded the US that it had made ‘many mistakes’ in Afghanistan by not paying attention after the Soviets left and allowing it to descend into a ‘failed’ state, permitting the Taliban and al-Qaeda to enter that vacuum. Riedel blamed former President George W Bush for taking his ‘eye off the ball’ in Afghanistan after the 2001 US invasion and letting Osama bin Laden escape into Pakistan.

Feared: Power vacuum in Afghanistan after US troop withdrawal will spawn terror. Reuters

Vappala Balachandran

Author and Columnist

On July 17, Bruce Riedel, formerly of the CIA and now at Brookings, warned that the power vacuum in Afghanistan after the US troop withdrawal will adversely affect India by spawning terrorism. Similarly, The New York Times (July 15) reported Chinese fears of insecurity in the region after the killing of nine Chinese workers in a ‘Belt & Road’ hydroelectric project in Dasu, Pakistan’s Northwest, due to a suspected explosion.

Riedel had issued a similar warning on April 27, 2021, by reminding President Joe Biden of what President Barack Obama had said in his memoir A Promised Land: “The Riedel report made one thing clear: Unless Pakistan stopped sheltering the Taliban, our efforts at long-term stability in Afghanistan were bound to fail.”

What was this Riedel report? In February 2009, Obama chose Riedel to chair a White House Review to synthesise suggestions from heavyweights like Richard Holbrooke, special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Gen David H Petraeus, Central Command Chief, and Admiral Michael G Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before the next NATO summit.

In a joint press conference at the White House on March 27, 2009, Riedel and Holbrooke outlined Obama’s strategy for NATO presence in Afghanistan: “To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda, and to ensure that their safe havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan cannot threaten the United States anymore.”

They added that the US exit strategy would depend on that.

Biden’s White House address on April 14, 2021, also claimed that they had achieved the “disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda” strategy. However, Riedel did not agree. He said that Joe Biden, who inherited “a terrible deal from Trump’s feckless negotiators” had “failed to engage with Prime Minister Imran Khan”, which was a mistake. This is because Pakistani generals “will be more hubristic and dangerous than ever”, as Pakistan is the winner “again” in Afghanistan, by outlasting two superpowers.

Riedel reminded America that Washington DC had made ‘many mistakes’ in Afghanistan by not paying any attention after the Soviets left, allowing it to descend into a ‘failed’ state, permitting the Taliban and al-Qaeda to enter that vacuum. Riedel blamed former President George W Bush for taking his “eye off the ball” in Afghanistan after the 2001 US invasion and letting Osama bin Laden escape into Pakistan.

In my opinion, a bigger mistake was made in 1992. This was after the failed coup d’état in the Soviet Union in August 1991 and eventual disintegration. In September that year, three Baltic states seceded and declared their independence. A limited ‘Belovezha’ accord signed on December 8, 1991, was modified by the December 21 Alma Ata Protocol in Kazakhstan, creating the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Western powers, including the United States, recognised these independent countries.

On March 9, 1992, President Mohammad Najibullah made a direct appeal to the United States through The New York Times to help him in maintaining stability in Afghanistan. This was after President Boris Yeltsin stopped all direct assistance to Afghanistan, which grounded the Afghan air force and encouraged defections, which affected the Afghan army too.

Senior journalist Edward A Gargan reproduced Najibullah’s text of appeal to the US in The New York Times. Najibullah’s tone was premonitory: “If fundamentalism comes to Afghanistan, war will continue for many more years… Afghanistan will turn into a centre of world smuggling for narcotic drugs. Afghanistan will be turned into a centre for terrorism.” However, none in Washington DC listened.

Najibullah also echoed the then Secretary of State James Baker’s statement that Islamic fundamentalism had posed a significant threat to regional stability: “You may think that the Central Asian republics are significant for the United States of America… That’s right. But I must say that the strategic and political significance of Afghanistan is much more than these republics. If Afghanistan is lost and is turned into a center of fundamentalism, you will lose the Central Asian republics.”

During this period, even King Zahir Shah’s US-based representatives had appealed to the State Department and the CIA that the retention of Najibullah in Afghanistan was very necessary as he was the only Afghan leader who would be able to hold the country together, obstruct the jihadis from coming into power and prevent Afghanistan’s splintering. They even conveyed that Najibullah should be accepted by the US, just as it had recognised the CIS leaders, who were mostly authoritarian.

Unfortunately, the rivalry between the State Department and the CIA prevented this from happening.

Steve Coll, in his book The Ghost Wars, vividly records the clashes between the State Department and the CIA over Najibullah. Initially, the State Department’s special envoy to Afghanistan Edmund McWilliams had differed with CIA’s Station Chief Milton Bearden over Najibullah’s fate. The CIA wanted him to go, as desired by Pakistan’s ISI. Milton Bearden started resenting “interference” by the State Department over their turf.

In Washington DC, this rift between the CIA and the State Department was carried higher by the then CIA Deputy Director Thomas Twetten and Peter Tomsen, State Department’s new special envoy to the Afghan Resistance. Robert Kimmitt, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, told The New York Times (January 3, 1991) that Secretary of State Jim Baker had wanted to “coax the rebels and the Najibullah regime into democratic elections”, but that “they (meaning CIA) are just bucking policy.”

However, during that period, Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, member, US House of Representatives’ Appropriations Sub-Committee for Defence, was exercising disproportionate influence over Afghan operations. It resulted in other voices being ignored.

Wilson regretted this later. An article in The World, a public radio and podcast programme, on February 11, 2010, said that Wilson, to the end of his life, regretted that “more wasn’t done to stabilise the country” and “the moderate, pro-Royalist factions in the resistance were ruthlessly suppressed by more extreme Islamic militants on our side.”

These ‘regrets’ of ‘mistakes’ are not going to help the hapless Afghans now who continue to be the victims of external interference.

Lieutenant General DP Pandey hands over Swarnim Vijay Mashaal to war veterans and NCC cadets after paying tribute to the 1971 martyrs, at 15 Corps headquarters, Badami Bagh, Srinagar. PTI

Srinagar, July 16

The Army on Friday said it was encouraging to see an overwhelming response from people in Kashmir to the ‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’ — the victory flame to celebrate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war — as the force paid floral tributes to soldiers who laid down their lives for the country.

Army officers and war veterans, led by General officer Commanding (GoC), 15 Corps, Lieutenant General DP Pandey, paid their tributes in front of the victory flame which was kept at the war memorial at the headquarters of the 15 Corps at Badamibagh Cantonment here.

The victory flame was lit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16 last year. It reached Badami Bagh Cantonment, the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps, on July 12.

Lieutenant General DP Pandey noted it was encouraging to see an overwhelming response from the people in Kashmir to the victory flame as it was carried around several places in the Valley, including in the Srinagar city.

“As a mark of solidarity, roadside events were organised by citizens and local NGOs at Lalded hospital, Iqbal Park, Pratap Park, Jogger’s Park and Rajbagh to pay homage to the victory flame,” he added.— PTI

Gratitude to all

People from all walks of life thronged in thousands to pay their respect to this honourable flame. I indeed want to convey my gratitude to all. DP Pandey, Lieutenant General

The Sarang helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force performed for the first time at the ‘MAKS’ international air show held at Zhukovsky International Airport, Russia.

Tribune News Service

Zhukovsky, July 20

The Sarang helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force performed for the first time at the ‘MAKS’ international air show held at Zhukovsky International Airport, Russia.

The air show is a biennial fixture and this year’s edition started on Tuesday. This is the first occasion when Sarang Team performed its four-helicopter aerobatics display in Russia with ‘Made in India’ ‘Dhruv’.

Jagjeet Singh Grewal

New Delhi, July 20

When the UK’s biggest warship, aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, arrives in India for an exercise, on board will be Indian-origin Jagjeet Singh Grewal. The warship and its accompanying strike group are to meet the Indian Navy for a series of maritime exercises this week. A leading engineering technician with the Royal Navy, Grewal works in the Marine Engineering Department. — TNS

Rs 43,000-cr project aims at indigenous production of advanced vessels

Within six weeks of having okayed a plan to make six next-generation stealth conventional submarines, the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday formally invited bids for the Rs 43,000 crore ($5.8 billion) project. – File photo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 20

Within six weeks of having okayed a plan to make six next-generation stealth conventional submarines, the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday formally invited bids for the Rs 43,000 crore ($5.8 billion) project.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex decision-making body of the MoD headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had on June 4 okayed to issue a Request for Proposal (RFF). Today, the RFP was issued to selected Indian and global companies.

The RFP was issued to shortlisted strategic partners (SPs) or Indian companies — Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Larsen & Tubro (L&T), the MoD said. The MDL is largely owned by the MoD while L&T is a private entity.

The two Indian companies will collaborate with any of the shortlisted foreign submarine makers — Naval Group, France; TKMS, Germany; JSC ROE, Russia; Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co Ltd, South Korea; and Navantia of Spain.

A foreign manufacturer will tie-up with an Indian partner to make these submarines under what is termed as strategic partnership (SP) model. This is the first project on which this new ‘SP model” policy is being tried.

The project envisages indigenous construction of six conventional submarines.

Indian Navy has asked for the vessels to have a fuel-cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology, which allows a vessel to dive for 12-15 days, much more than the 4-5 days of endurance of existing subs.

India at present has 17 submarines, including one nuclear powered INS Chakra on a 10-year lease ending March 2022. Meanwhile the US Department of Defence report ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2020’ talks about a growing threat from China.

Officials in the ministry said the plan was yet to be made “fully operational” and, hence, the MHA recently sent a communication to these forces to update it about the development of software managing transfers and postings of the personnel.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 20

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB, to apprise it of the progress on creating an in-house software to implement Home Minister Amit Shah’s proposal to ensure troops spend at least 100 days a year with their families.

The idea was first mooted by the Home Minister in 2019 with an aim to provide rest, recuperation and quality family time to the forces’ personnel deployed in some of the harshest locations and difficult climatic conditions across the country. The purpose of such a move was to reduce stress and enhance the happiness quotient of the troopers, which will effectively reduce the cases of suicides and fratricidal killings.

Officials in the ministry said the plan was yet to be made “fully operational” and, hence, the MHA recently sent a communication to these forces to update it about the development of software managing transfers and postings of the personnel.

They said as per the plan, the software was going to be the precursor to “at least 100 days with the family per year” proposal. A considerable time has elapsed since the Home Minister gave the direction and the proposal is yet to see the light of day.

“It is envisaged that the digitisation of posting and transfer processes for soft, hard and very hard locations will eliminate personal bias and allow a free-and-fair system leading to easy rotation of the troops,” a senior MHA official said.

The over 10-lakh personnel strong paramilitary or the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) include the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB apart from the Assam Rifles which draws its officer strength from the Army. Officials in the MHA said while the CISF, ITBP and the SSB have developed their respective software, the CRPF, BSF and the Assam Rifles are still in the process.

The tournament is being organised by the Leh-based 14 Corps.

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 19

The Army has chosen a unique location to organise the first-ever Siachen Cricket League to mark the 50 years of victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. The tournament will be held at Nubra Valley, the base of Siachen glacier along the Line of Control (LoC).

50 years of war

• To mark 50 years of victory over Pakistan, the Army is organising Siachen Cricket League
• It will be played between 8 teams of local youth at Nubra Valley at the base of Siachen glacier
• The Battle of Turtuk was fought here in 1971 when the Army captured 800 sq km area from Pakistan
• The Northern Command is also commemorating 22 years of the Kargil conflict

The Battle of Turtuk was fought at this valley in 1971 when the Indian Army captured 800 sq km of Pakistan-occupied area in Gilgit-Baltistan and Turtuk, Dhothang, Tyakshi and Chalunkha villages, which is now part of India. The tournament is being organised by the Leh-based 14 Corps. Eight teams comprising youth from Nubra Valley are participating, said Col Emron Musavi, spokesperson, Ministry of Defence.https://5b61d4f9035cfb783507e4c133c74618.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Major Chewang Rinchen of the Ladakh Scouts had captured the territory without any artillery support and in below-freezing temperatures in December. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. Major Rinchen and his troops had captured this vital territory as the Shyok river enters Gilgit-Baltistan from this valley.

The Northern Command is also commemorating 22 years of the Kargil conflict. A motorcycle expedition comprising 15 riders was flagged off by Lieutenant General PGK Menon, General Officer Commanding of the 14 Corps, from Leh on Monday. The expedition will be crossing the formidable Chang La and Khardung La passes at altitude of over 18,000 ft covering a total distance of 1,000 km from Leh to Daulat Beg Oldie (along the LAC with China) before culminating at Drass. The expedition will go past the Galwan flashpoint.