Calculate to disrupt

China-Pakistan infrastructure building in PoK Any military action requires political will. Does the Bharatiya Janta Party which leads the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre have the political acumen to be able to present a politico-military response to the continuing creation of new kinds of facilities through the heart of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir connecting China’s […]

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Boosting synergy

Air-land military operations The Indian armed forces have been acquainted with the “air-land battle” concept since 1987 when General K Sundarji conducted the massive deployment of air, land and sea components during Operation Brasstacks in the Rajasthan desert and the Gujarat marshlands. It was described by military commentators at the time as being the largest […]

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Enemy in backyard

Chinese submarines in Indian Ocean and India’s response There is no way that the Government of India can expedite the acquisition of submarines and anti-submarine assets even if it raids the gold filled vaults of the Thirumalai temple for a one-time payment for all it needs. Events are overtaking it at a very swift pace […]

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Seamless thrust

Integrated EW systems and future war The pace of electronic warfare is changing rapidly and in future it may assume a new dimension in which individual soldiers can conduct the war proceedings to take control of the battlefield while sitting away thousands of miles from the actual frontline zone. It is all possible due to […]

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Renewed hope

Increasing FDI in defence sector The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of the ministry of Commerce and Trade has delivered an old wine in the same bottle but to a new consumer, with the strong belief that the wine will be consumed this time. Since the new Narendra Modi led NDA government is […]

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Talk trap

Pakistan’s game plan for Siachen Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s recent comments in Mumbai on the possibility of a resolution of the Siachen issue once talks resume makes one wonder why he is so optimistic about any outcome over the issue given Pakistan’s hard line about accepting the Actual Ground Position Line. The point  at […]

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Generating thrust

Infusing new life into Kaveri engine The process for the finalization of the contract for the acquisition of 126 combat aircraft under the MMRCA (Medium, Multirole Combat Aircraft) tender by sealing the deal with Dassault Aviation whose Rafale fighter had emerged a winner by overtaking the five other rivals seems to be acquiring “some speed” […]

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Slow pace

Delay in the acquisition of artillery guns Though the sanction for 814 artillery guns worth Rs 15,750 crore ( US$ 2.56 billion) was cleared last November, by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar headed Defence Acquisition Council, the MoD is yet to issue a Request for Proposal. These guns would be acquired under the Buy and […]

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