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Indicia Knowledge Brief
A Daily Assessment on Indian Defence and Internal/Homeland Security
May 24, 2015.
Primary aims of Indicia Daily Brief are two-fold. First, it distills infinite information into a
capsule form, thus saving precious time of its clients. Second, it tries to link micro-events
to larger strategic canvas through its analyses, thus providing support knowledge for
better understanding and decision-making.
Indicia Analysis of the Day
The test facility to launch ballistic missile interceptors being set up on a
river island of the Krishna creek in Andhra Pradesh by the Indian Defence
research and development organization (DRDO) is a part of the DRDO’s
ballistic missile defence(BMD) project to shoot incoming enemy missiles
out of the sky.
The Indian Navy's indigenous offshore patrol vessel, INS Saryu, will
participate in a week-long ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief
Exercise (DiREx), further strengthening India’s Act East initiative.
The Indian Army is confident of handling any fresh violence unleashed by
a Naga separatist faction operating from its bases in Myanmar, even as it
is gearing up to face the challenge in a new way.
I. National Defence and Security:
Cong slams govt over Rafale deal, downsizing of China-specific attack
corps:
Senior Congress leader and former defence minister AK Antony on May 23 raised
several questions over the Rafale warplane deal, wondering whether the finance
ministry and defence acquisition council were taken on board while clinching the
agreement with France. He also said that several opposition leaders and top BJP
brass like Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the
French fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on different counts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to France last month had signed
an agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for over $6
billion. Antony said that the finance ministry had not supported the Rafale deal
when he was defence minister as a new concept of L-1 was introduced to arrive
at the best aircraft available based on the life-cycle cost of the machine. Stung by
defence minister Manohar Parrikar's reported remarks that he "killed" the deal
by making several notings on the file, Antony insisted that he had taken the
"correct" decision against the backdrop of IAF's plea for early acquisition of
fighter jet.....
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Congress-assails-Modi-govt-over-Rafale-dealdownsizing-of-attack-corps-along-China-border/articleshow/47398941.cms
*
DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Interception Test Facility Coming Up In
Andhra State:
A test facility to launch ballistic missile interceptors is being set up on a river
island of the Krishna creek in Andhra Pradesh by the Indian Defence research
and development organization (DRDO). This is part of the DRDO’s ballistic
missile defence(BMD) project to shoot incoming enemy missiles out of the sky.
According to a DRDO source, they had been facing problems in terms of range for
the target missile that needs to be intercepted at the lower end of the parabolic
arc as it enters the atmosphere. The range DRDO needed is of 1500-2000 kms so
that the target missile could have the full flight range and the interceptor can be
tested to its full capacity. There are two varieties of missile interceptors that the
DRDO has been developing. The first is for an endo-atmospheric interceptor
called the AAD, which intercepts a long range after it enters the earth’s
atmosphere at the terminal stage of the flight phase. The other is the exoatmospheric PAD system that seeks to kill the target missile at the farthest
distance possible from its target. The DRDO has undertaken 7 tests, all of them
inconclusive in proving them efficacy of the home grown BMD system. Ballistic
missile interception is test-intensive and the DRDO has had to develop all the
technology virtually from scratch.
Source:
https://www.ibcworldnews.com/2015/05/23/drdos-ballistic-missile-interception-test-facilitycoming-up-in-andhra-state/
*
Antony picks holes in Rafale deal:
The former Defence Minister, A.K. Antony, on May 23 raised several questions
over the Rafale fighter jet deal, wondering whether the Finance Ministry and the
Defence Acquisition Council were taken on board while clinching the agreement
with France. He also said that several opposition leaders and BJP brass like
Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the French
fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on different counts. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to France last month, had signed an
agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for over $ 6 billion.
Mr. Antony said the Finance Ministry had not supported the Rafale deal when he
was Defence Minister as a new concept of L-1 was introduced to arrive at the
best aircraft available based on the life cycle cost of the machine. Stung by
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s reported remarks that he “killed” the deal
by making several notings on the file, Mr. Antony insisted that he had taken the
“correct” decision against the backdrop of the IAF’s plea for early acquisition of
fighter jet. Mr. Antony said he had told all concerned to continue with the
negotiations, but not to take it with the government for approval until the L-1
dispute was settled. During his tenure as Defence Minister, Mr. Antony said what
was being sought to be achieved was acquisition of 18 aircraft in fly-away
condition and 108 to be manufactured along with technology transfer agreement
with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The company was not ready to transfer
technology as part of the agreement. Mr. Antony insisted that neither the Prime
Minister, nor the Defence Minister or the Armed Forces could procure any
equipment bypassing the Defence Acquisition Council. The Congress leader
sought to know what was the decision on technology transfer arrived at by the
Modi government which had been emphasising much on ‘Make in India’
Defence preparedness
At the AICC briefing, the senior Congress leader tore into government claims on
defence preparedness accusing it of committing the “anti-national act” of
compromising the nation’s security by downsizing the Mountain Strike Corps on
the Chinese border despite Beijing enjoying 3/1 superiority over New Delhi. “A
weak man cannot safeguard national interests. We don’t want war, but should be
in a position to protect our country,” he said, appealing to the government to
reconsider the decision.
Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/antony-picks-holes-in-rafaledeal/article7239948.ece
*
Indian Naval vessel INS Saryu to participate in ASEAN
exercise:
The Indian Navy's indigenous offshore patrol vessel, INS Saryu, will participate
in a week-long ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Disaster Relief Exercise (DiREx), an
offiial statement said on May 23. The vessel is commanded by Cdr Sreekumar
Pillai and operates under the the Andaman and Nicobar Command. Co-hosted by
Malaysia and China, the exercise will kick-off on May 24 in Malaysia and see the
participation of Thailand, apart from India. The exercise is being conducted in
Penang, northern Malaysia, from May 24 to 28. "The aim of the exercise is
sharing of information and networking among national agencies of this region
towards providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) during
natural calamities like earthquakes and tsunami etc as well as Search and Rescue
(SAR) for ships and aircraft lost at sea," the official statement added. According
to the Indian Navy, there was a consensus in the ASEAN Regional Forum on the
need to better mitigate, manage and respond to natural and man-made disasters
in the region. "Disaster management continues to be a vital area for cooperation
in the region," the statement said. The exercise will include field training drills in
mass evacuation, managing chemical leakages and road accidents and
conducting search and rescue operations. The marine component of the exercise
would include search and rescue operations using a simulated maritime incident
and deploying helicopters to locate survivors as well as diving operations to
evacuate trapped personnel.....
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-naval-vessel-ins-saryu-to-participatein-asean-exercise/articleshow/47395899.cms
*
Army’s non-operational manpower and infrastructure will be
downsized: Manohar Parrikar, Defence Minister:
The NDA government plans to slash the non-operational "flab" of the 1.18million strong Army after a detailed review, both in terms of manpower as well
as infrastructure, to ensure a cost-effective and leaner force with a better teethto-tail ratio. Talking exclusively to TOI before he left for J&K and Siachen on May
23, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said there was "an urgent need for some
downsizing in areas which are not of operational importance" due to budgetary
constraints. "The flab will be reviewed and removed... there is a requirement to
re-think all aspects for a drawdown. The money saved can go towards the new
mountain strike corps (MSC)," said Parrikar. Though the minister did not go into
specifics, the axe could for instance fall on the "sahayak" (orderly) system for
officers or the practice of deploying soldiers for escort duties or to man unit-run
canteens, all of which are often blatantly misused in violation of rules. But the
Army can take solace from the fact that Parrikar said he had imposed just a
"temporary, not permanent, freeze" on the ongoing raising of the MSC, the 17
Corps, which the force feels is critical for acquiring the "requisite deterrence"
against China along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control. The previous UPA
regime had approved the raising of the 17 Corps, with 90,274 soldiers, at a cost
of Rs 64,678 crore over seven years. "I agree the MSC is a necessity. I have not
cancelled it. But I have put a temporary stop to it. The previous UPA government
arbitrarily approved it without any fund allocation or proper planning," said
Parrikar.....
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/armys-non-operational-manpower-andinfrastructure-will-be-downsized-manohar-parrikar-defence-minister/articleshow/47393876.cms
*
India sends four warships to the East, kicks off exercise with
Singapore:
India has dispatched four warships, including a frontline destroyer and a stealth
frigate, on a long overseas deployment to the South Indian Ocean and South
China Sea in consonance with the country's "Act East" policy. As part of the
endeavor, two of the warships -- stealth frigate INS Satpura and anti-submarine
warfare corvette INS Kamorta - also kicked off the four-day SIMBEX exercise
with the Singaporean Navy on May 23. The Eastern Fleet's deployment led by
Rear Admiral A B Singh will see the warships, which also include destroyer INS
Ranvir and fleet tanker INS Shakti, make port calls at Jakarta (Indonesia),
Freemantle (Australia), Kuantan (Malaysia), Sattahip (Thailand) and
Sihanoukville (Cambodia). "The visits are aimed at strengthening bilateral ties
and enhancing interoperability between navies as well as showing the Indian
flag in this region of strategic importance. After each port call, passage exercises
are also planned with the different host navies," said a senior officer. As for the
SIMBEX exercise, it will include all facets of naval operations ranging from air
defence and surface firing to maritime security and search and rescue operations
with Singaporean warship RSN Supreme and submarine RSN Archer along with
fighters, patrol aircraft and helicopters. "Operational interaction between the
Indian and Singaporean navies began with anti-submarine warfare training
exercises in 1994. The exercises have steadily grown in tactical and operational
complexity over the last 20 years," he said. "Constructive engagement is our
principle weapon during peacetime. The idea is to enhance security and stability
in the entire Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by engaging with regional and extraregional maritime powers,'' he added. ....
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-sends-four-warships-to-the-East-kicks-offexercise-with-Singapore/articleshow/47401065.cms
*
One Rank One Pension and competitive politics:
Even as the Modi government dithered over the economics of implementing the
“One Rank One Pension” (OROP) scheme for the armed forces ahead of its first
anniversary in power, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took on the ruling
dispensation on this issue on May 23: shortly after meeting members of the exservicemen’s cell of his party, he stressed that though the UPA government had
allocated money for it, the Modi government had failed to implement the scheme.
“We will pressurise the government and ask them to take a decision at the
earliest,” he said. Raising the emotional pitch on the issue, he reminded the
government that those who sought the implementation of the OROP scheme
were the ones who secured the borders of the nation. “They [ex servicemen] had
knocked on the doors of the government, but nothing materialised. The Army,
Navy, Air Force take care of the nation, secure our borders; their demands
should be met,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Antony attacks govt.
Later in the day, Congress veteran and the former Defence Minister A.K. Antony
took the story one notch up when he slammed the Modi government for
compromising on national security. “The present government has compromised
our national security,” he said, pointing out that “The defence expenditure this
year is the lowest in recent years.” The frontal attack on the BJP-led NDA
government on the twin issues of national security and welfare of soldiers — an
issue that the BJP has always sought to give a nationalistic spin — comes just two
days before Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s scheduled first anniversary rally in
Mathura where the government hoped the Prime Minister would announce the
OROP scheme. Indeed, earlier this month, shortly after the Defence Ministry
cleared the implementation of the OROP mechanism, Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar had told journalists in Goa that the Finance Ministry would clear OROP
“in a few days.” But with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying on May 22 that the
“methodology of calculation” was still being worked out in consultation with the
Defence Ministry, it looked unlikely that it would be resolved by May 25.
Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/one-rank-one-pension-and-competitivepolitics/article7239953.ece
*
Need to factor in India's 106 km border with Afghanistan: Ajit
Doval, National Security Advisor:
India shares a 106-km border with Afghanistan which people do not factor in,
national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on May 22, hinting both at India's
claim to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the threat that withdrawal of Nato
forces from Afghanistan poses for internal security in India. Speaking at a BSF
function, Doval said the force should be prepared for the fallout (of NATO
withdrawal) on this border and that India had a stake in ensuring Afghanistan
remained peaceful and did not become an "epicenter of terrorism". Doval made
the statements while delivering the Rustamji Memorial Lecture on 'Challenges of
Securing Our Borders'. While speaking on how border guarding forces needed to
go beyond physical security, Doval said, "We have to plan and prepare for the
future. We have got seven countries with which we share our border.
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/need-to-factor-in-indias-106-km-borderwith-afghanistan-ajit-doval-national-security-advisor/articleshow/47394949.cms
*
Army’s non-operational manpower and infrastructure will be
downsized: Manohar Parrikar, Defence Minister:
The NDA government plans to slash the non-operational "flab" of the 1.18million strong Army after a detailed review, both in terms of manpower as well
as infrastructure, to ensure a cost-effective and leaner force with a better teethto-tail ratio. Talking exclusively to TOI before he left for J&K and Siachen on May
22, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said there was "an urgent need for some
downsizing in areas which are not of operational importance" due to budgetary
constraints. "The flab will be reviewed and removed... there is a requirement to
re-think all aspects for a drawdown. The money saved can go towards the new
mountain strike corps (MSC)," said Parrikar. Though the minister did not go into
specifics, the axe could for instance fall on the "sahayak" (orderly) system for
officers or the practice of deploying soldiers for escort duties or to man unit-run
canteens, all of which are often blatantly misused in violation of rules......
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/armys-non-operational-manpower-andinfrastructure-will-be-downsized-manohar-parrikar-defence-minister/articleshow/47393876.cms
*
Army’s non-operational manpower and infrastructure will be
downsized: Manohar Parrikar, Defence Minister:
The NDA government plans to slash the non-operational "flab" of the 1.18million strong Army after a detailed review, both in terms of manpower as well
as infrastructure, to ensure a cost-effective and leaner force with a better teethto-tail ratio. Talking exclusively to TOI before he left for J&K and Siachen on May
22, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said there was "an urgent need for some
downsizing in areas which are not of operational importance" due to budgetary
constraints. "The flab will be reviewed and removed... there is a requirement to
re-think all aspects for a drawdown. The money saved can go towards the new
mountain strike corps (MSC)," said Parrikar. Though the minister did not go into
specifics, the axe could for instance fall on the "sahayak" (orderly) system for
officers or the practice of deploying soldiers for escort duties or to man unit-run
canteens, all of which are often blatantly misused in violation of rules......
Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/armys-non-operational-manpower-andinfrastructure-will-be-downsized-manohar-parrikar-defence-minister/articleshow/47393876.cms
*
10 Indian Military Weapons That Will Make Our Enemies
Tremble With Fear:
Indian military, the fourth largest military in the world, is also the keeper of the
some of the most advanced and hi-tech weapons on the planet. It’s commendable
that with a defence budget of a mere $46 billion per annum, India has developed
weapon technologies that are at par and even superior to that of the US and
Russia. India is not only the largest importer of weapons on the planet but it’ll
also become the fourth highest military spender by 2020.
Here are 10 weapons possessed by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force that are
among the best in the world.
10) PINAKA (mbrlS)
The Pinaka MBRLS (multiple barrel rocket launch system) is produced in India
by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian
Army. Combat proven in the cold and high altitude regions during the Kargil
conflict in 1999, Pinaka can fire up to 12 missiles/rockets in 44 seconds with a
reload time as short as 4 minutes. A single launch system fitted on an 8×8 Tatra
truck is loaded with 12 rockets which have a maximum range between 40 km-65
km. Pinaka makes use of the very advanced inertial navigation system (INS)
which uses a computer, motion sensors and rotation sensors to calculate the
position, orientation, and direction of a moving object. Pinaka is capable of
working in different modes namely autonomous mode, stand-alone mode,
remote mode and manual mode. DRDO is also working on fitting GPS guidance
systems on the rockets, and developing missiles with a baffling range of as much
as 120kms. What’s surprising is the fact that Pinaka is approximately 10 times
cheaper than its American peer, the M270.
9) T-90S BhiSHMA....
Source: http://idrw.org/10-indian-military-weapons-that-will-make-our-enemies-tremble-with-fear/
II
Homeland Security
*
Naga Insurgents Losing Steam, Says Indian Army:
The Indian Army is confident of handling any fresh violence unleashed by a Naga
separatist faction operating from its bases in Myanmar, but will deal with the
rebel challenge "very differently" this time, a top commander has said.
Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat, commanding the Indian Army's Kohima-based 3
Corps that is responsible for counter-insurgency operations in Nagaland and
other northeastern states, said that the faction headed by Myanmarese Naga
rebel leader S.S. Khaplang can't do very much because it lacks popular support.
"In Nagaland, the people have got used to the peace dividend for the last 17
years. They don't like resumption of rebel violence because that will mean
military operations again which affects their normal lives. So Khaplang stands
isolated," Lt. Gen Rawat told IANS. He admitted that Khaplang is sheltering
Assamese, Bodo, and Manipuri rebel factions at his base area in Myanmar's
Sagaing province. "Other Naga rebel factions and political groups have no
stomach for fresh violence, as they have got used to peace. So they are
determined to keep his fighters out of Nagaland," Lt. Gen. Rawat said. Khaplang
had earlier alleged that Indian intelligence is using other Naga rebel factions in
India to block his fighters because these factions have given up the demand for
Naga independence. Lt. Gen. Rawat said the Indian Army will handle the fresh
rebel challenge in northeast "very differently". "We have built up a peoplefriendly image over the last 17 years of ceasefire in Nagaland and other parts of
the northeast. When Khaplang's fighters ambushed and killed eight of our troops
in Mon district recently, we restrained our troops and there was no backlash.
The locals saw us as a responsible force and now they are joining up to resist
Khaplang because they blame him for breaking the ceasefire," Lt. Gen Rawat said.
When asked about the formation of a united rebel platform UNLFW, Lt. Gen
Rawat saw a 'foreign hand' in it. But he was unwilling to identify which of India's
neighbours could have been responsible for getting the disparate rebel groups to
unite....
Source:
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Naga-Insurgents-Losing-Steam-Says-IndianArmy/2015/05/23/article2829273.ece
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