AIR AND SPACE POWER: THE FORCE MULTIPLIERS · SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2016, VOL 9 ISSUE 1 I `100 AIR AND...

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`̀100

AIR AND SPACE POWER: THE FORCE MULTIPLIERS

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A PEACEFUL SKY THANKS TO THOSE WHO DEFEND IT.

Boeing is proud to salute the Indian Air Force

as it celebrates its 84th anniversary.

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in this issue

Authors aspiring to publish their articles in Salute may send by email to [email protected] along with pictures, if any

04NOT QUITE KOSHER I Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch

05LOC - MEMORIES I Lt Gen Sudhir Sharma

06YOUR VOICE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

08THE CAMEL AND THE TENT I Air Mshl Sumit Mukerji

09WAR WIDOWS NEED HELP – BUT WITH DIGNITY ICommodore C Uday Bhaskar

10LEVERAGING SPACE FOR STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL USE INTHE INDIAN CONTEXT I Wing Commander KK Nair

12INDIAN AIR POWER ASSETS FOR COVERT OPERATIONS IAVM Manmohan Bahadur

15STATE OF HELICOPTERS IN INDIAN DEFENCE FORCES ILt Gen BS Pawar

18ROOKIE PILOT I Wg Cdr Vinod Nebb

20THE TABLE FOR ONE I Aditi Hingu

22MAA KE HAATH KI DIWALI I Aarti K Pathak

23OPINION: THE PROBLEM OF MISSION COMMAND IL. Burton Brender

26COMBATING TERROR: NEED FOR POLICE REFORMS IPrakash Singh

29VETERANS ALERT I Hony Capt Baldev Singh

30SCREWING QUEEN’S ‘E’ – IN BRIEF I Wg Cdr Unni Kartha

[email protected] >> September-October 2016 >> SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER 03

32DEFENCE NEWS

36BOOK REVIEW I Claude Arpi

38RAISINA HILL I Lt Col Anil Bhat

39EXPLORING KUTCH I Brig. A.P. Singh

41RAVA DOSA: AN IDEAL BREAKFASTI Aditi Pathak

42MAROOF’S MUSINGS IMaroof Raza

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EDITOR’S NOTE

SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER << September-October 2016 << [email protected]

After the euphoria of the successful surgical strikesof 29 September, a rather sour note crept in thecountry’s political discourse, driven by fears with-in the opposition parties that the ruling dispensa-tion would reap political dividends from the hugepublic support that the firm response elicited. In atragicomic farce, some leading lights in the oppo-sition parties first claimed that no surgical strikehad taken place and demanded proof of the same.This was quite absurd, especially as the IndianArmy’s DGMO had held a public press conferencestating the facts, wherein he also said that he hadinformed his counterpart in Pakistan of the same.From India’s military standpoint, that was anexcellent conflict control mechanism, as theDGMO had quite explicitly told his counterpartthat India would not carry out repeated attacks,unless further provoked by Pakistan. In a twist tothe case, the Pakistan military prudently deniedthat any strike had taken place, thus absolvingthemselves of the need to take any counteraction,to appease their own public. With India’s opposi-tion choosing to side with the Pakistani version,virtually calling their own Army liars, reflected thelow depths to which political discourse haddescended.

Slowly, as irrefutable evidence started comingin of the strike having been successfully executed,the statements took a dramatic turn. ‘OK’, said thespin doctors, ‘we agree that a strike did take place,but it is unworthy of the BJP to take credit for it.’This off course was pettiness of humungous pro-portions, unworthy even of delinquent school-children and cut no ice with the public. ‘War’, asClausewitz so succinctly stated, ‘is the continua-tion of politics by other means’. While militariesfight, it is not an independent act, devoid of polit-ical inputs and outcomes. The aim is political,designed to change the behaviour of the adver-sary. While credit certainly goes to the ArmedForces, it goes in equal measure to the politicalleadership too. The nitpicking however did notend there. The spin doctors now declared thatsuch actions had taken place earlier too and it wasprudent of them not to have tom-tommed itabout. A former NSA, whose performance in thataugust office was notable for its lack of directionand clarity, even made statements to the pressextolling the virtues of the earlier stand. In all this

hoop la, the enemy got the required breathingspace to extricate from a tricky situation. Whileinternal bickering is part of the political process,on issues of national security, the nation’s opposi-tion parties need to stand behind the governmentof the day, to tell the enemy that the nation standsunited. An apt example was the support extendedby Mr Vajpayee to Mrs Indira Gandhi in the 1971war with Pakistan.

Another sour note crept in on the unwhole-some debate on allowing Pakistan actors to star inIndian films. A viewpoint oft expressed was thatart and culture must be kept separate from con-flict. Without getting into the merits or otherwiseof this debate, it is surprising that people forgetthat wars are waged not by armies but by nations.A military defeat signifies a nation’s defeat, asIndian history so sadly testifies. We do not do busi-ness with a person who comes into our house withthoughts of rape, murder and plunder.Gallivanting with the enemy who has promised towage a thousand year war with us and aims tobleed India with a thousand cuts sends a wrongmessage to the Army and emboldens the enemyfurther. Let us remember that South Africa wasforced to change its policy of Apartheid, only afterall nations refused contact with that country,including sporting contact.

Lastly, on a more sombre note. The ArmedForces continue to be hit by bureaucratic shenani-gans, the latest being the downgrading of the sta-tus of the officers of the Armed Forces. This is noaccident. India’s bureaucracy has an adversarialrelation with the military and continues to seekways and means to belittle the Armed Forces.While the military can take care of external ene-mies, it is much more difficult to ward of threatswhich come from within. The present political dis-pensation has been favourably inclined to themen in uniform, a welcome departure from earli-er regimes, but the babus appear to be having theupper hand and continue to cock a snook at thepolitical authority. The babus rule the roost, andchange will not be easy to come by. This does notaugur well for the country. A surgical strike here isthe pressing need of the hour. And hopefully, thepolitical parties will present a united front shouldthis occur and extend wholehearted support tothe armed forces.

NOT QUITEKOSHER

PublisherMaroof Raza

EditorMaj Gen Dhruv C Katoch

SM, VSM

Associate EditorLt Col Anil Bhat

VSM (Retd)

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Board of AdvisersLt Gen Sudhir Sharma

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MAJ GEN DHRUV C KATOCH

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GENERAL SPEAK

05

A year after Staff College at Camberley(UK), I got the highly coveted fieldposting as Brigade Major (BM) ofPoonch Brigade. It was even thenconsidered a difficult yet prizedinitiation to soldiering ; A baptism byfire! Those were the days when the BMwas the prima donna of a fieldformation, lording over his operationalempire as the unquestioned principalstaff officer. I mention Camberleybecause by a quirk of fate andcoincidence of epic proportions, thePakistani Staff Officer across the LOCturned out to be my staff college courseand syndicate mate; Maj Shafat Shah.(He later also rose to be a Lt Generaland is currently Pakistan’s Ambassadorto Jordan). I came to know of this fromthe Danish UN Peace Keeping officer,another Camberley graduate, whoduring those days, along with a smallteam, used to be stationed in Poonch.

In the early eighties, cease fireviolations on the LOC mainly occurredin the Poonch sector but were not sofrequent. The firing was normallyrestricted to single round of rifle orLMG fire from either side. The normalconvention on the LOC was to fire asingle warning shot towards theoffending person who was in theprocess of violating the mutuallyperceived LOC. If the warning shot didnot deter the intruder, the next shotwould be for effect. In the absence ofany fence at that time cattle crossingover by mistake or design was the main

trigger for the violations.At that time Flag meetings and

interaction at sub sector level wasroutine. The procedure followed wasthat the country desirous of initiatingthe flag meeting would raise a white flagon a post nearest to our post on theLOC. This often was posts near theBetar Nallah where the proverbialeyeball contact was at its closest. ThePakistani ranger or sepoy would thanhail the Indian side loudly and conveythat a letter was to be delivered andindicate a time and place for the same. Iwould, on being informed, give the dueclearance after consulting theCommander and higher ups. The letter

would then be received which in a welllaid down and flowery English wouldseek a Flag meeting to resolve a dispute.(sharing of water along pre partitioncanals, or lost cattle or complaint offiring and such issues). The Flagmeeting once agreed upon would beheld under elaborate and pristine tentsor a Shamiana (Indian ceremonial tentshelter or awning, commonly used foroutdoor parties, marriages, feasts etc)close to the LOC. Both sides bent overbackwards to create a positive anddominant impression in trying to winthe psychological war. The very newesttents and durrees/carpets with brandnew camp furniture would be rolledout. The menu would be elaborate withthe best cooks one could muster, wouldlabour over choice dishes and gourmetsnacks. The participating officers andjawans of both sides wore their dressnumber one with shining shoes andgleaming brasso! While the officersengaged in animated discussion andoneupmanship of the agenda items, thejawans of both sides postured andglared at each other in true alpha malestyle! The minutes of the meeting wereexchanged and subsequently ratified bythe MO directorate and came back dulysigned for exchange at the LOC. Abrigade major’s acumen and careeroften hinged on how well he hadmanaged to push through a favourabledraft. I must confess with glee that afterone such marathon flag meeting, ourUN friend conveyed that the staffofficer of Pakistan army was posted outprematurely for signing on andaccepting a very unfavourablerecording of the minutes of themeeting! The flag meetings alwaysended with pious assurances ofmaintenance of tranquility along theLOC by both sides. But come earlymorning and I would be woken by oneof the adjutants’ seeking permission tofire in response to a LOC violation andwe would be back to square one!

LOC - MEMORIESLt Gen Sudhir Sharma

[email protected] >> September-October 2016 >> SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER

THE FLAG MEETING ONCE AGREED UPON WOULD BEHELD UNDER ELABORATE AND PRISTINE TENTS OR ASHAMIANA (INDIAN CEREMONIAL TENT SHELTER ORAWNING, COMMONLY USED FOR OUTDOOR PARTIES,MARRIAGES, FEASTS ETC) CLOSE TO THE LOC

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YOUR VOICE


Dear Sir,If you have to analyse all of Indian

history, it can be done in only oneline..."India is too big to be won from theoutside-in. It can only be won from theinside-out." Even right now, our biggestissue is insider threat. We can be our ownworst enemy. The enemy need onlyinsert a trojan horse. Our diversityunderlays a wide range of disparitiesfrom economic to religious ones. Thus,you have wide range of humanmotivations to turn people into traitors, ifyou know only where to look. What weneed is a strong unifying nationalnarrative. China has managed to usehistory with its Century of Humiliationnarrative. All the academia in the worldcan think why despite a rising economicmiddle class, democracy has not comeup in China...reason is their use ofHistory. US uses the Great AmericanDream. It has a widely heterogeneouspopulation. But it keeps them togetherwith the narrative of being citizens ofworld's most powerful & rich nation,where sky is the limit if you have thepotential. What is India’s?

Prerna Gandhi

Dear Sir,The article (29 September 2016: Yes

We Can). was very well written. I felt theauthor, Aarti Pathak has just put mythoughts in writing. Well done Aarti. Keepit up. Gurpreet Dhillon

Dear Sir,Good work for creating awareness (29

September 2016: Yes We Can).Swati Unde

Dear Sir,Can feel it here... straight from the

heart! Superbly composed (29September 2016: Yes We Can).

Meghna Baruah

Dear Sir,The article (29 September 2016: Yes

We Can) was great. The heroes of ourarmed forces need our support,appreciation and backing. Well done!

Manpreet Kaur

Dear Sir,I quite enjoyed reading

‘Secunderabad: Origins, Tales and ArmyConnection’. It is very well researchedand delectably told - better thanDalrymple’s. Thank you. The author, ColShailender Arya made my day.

As you probably know, Secunderabadis now a preferred destination for all andsundry and hence ‘house-full’ - which isthe reason why I live in the dirtyforbidden city of Hyderabad, like KirkPatrick minus Rabib Un Nissa.From myterrace, I sometimes imagine that I cansee another lonely heart, Esra Birgen inFalaknuma palace which is now parthotel and part residence of Esra – we areall relics of the past. She was forciblymarried to the last of the Nizams, tomake Mukarram Jah a Caliph, same ideasas ISIS, the old ‘Khilafat’ ideology thatwas quite dear to even Gandhi! My otherneighbour is the obnoxious Owaisi. I liveon the LOC, between sanity and insanity,between the besieged Hindus of Balapurand the Saudi funded Caliphate andhegemony of Owaisi. It is only a matter oftime before Owaisi over runs Balapur,unless someone sends in 4 Kumaon, thesuccessors of the old regiment of SalabatKhan!

Every day without fail, there is nownegative propaganda against the Armyand Secunderabad Cantonment Board inprint media vis-a-vis the new Nizam –‘KCR’ (The CM of Telangana, KChandrasekhar Rao). It is like theMaratha wars all over again. I am given tounderstand that KCR desires to move theentire cantonment, 100 km further north,north of Manir River – Musi is now just adirty clogged drain. Currently, the army isbeing projected as the enemy of thepeople of Telengana, just the way it wasduring Kirk Patrick’s time. We need a‘Subsidiary Alliance’ all over again, but Iwonder whether history can be repeated.Bisons are fighting a losing battle againstthe presstitutes; it is only a matter of timebefore they are asked to uproot to go andset up another Cantonment north ofManir! Cheers, look forward to more ofCol Arya’s writings.

Wing Commander Unni Kartha

Dear Sir,Apropos the article, ‘Assessing Uri:

Looking Beyond the Soundbites’. Thearticle needs to be read & understood bythe senior political hierarchy as also bysenior commanders of the Army & ofother SF.

Maj Gen Harwant Krishan

Dear Sir,Reference the article, ‘Assessing Uri:

Looking Beyond the Soundbites’. Havingserved in the Valley since 1979, I knowwhat it was then and what it is now. Mostimportant and of concern to every Indianshould be that for us, India should be firstirrespective of who we are or who ourenemy is. Undoubtedly, a psychologicalbarrier has now been breached,irrespective of what is in store for thefuture. Everything has a limit beyondwhich what is a must and requires to bedone, has to done.

Col Balraj Rathee

Dear Sir,I could not agree more with the author

(Assessing Uri: Looking Beyond theSoundbites). At the rate at which theproxy war is progressing and the kind ofmotivation, money & time that is beinginvested by our adversaries we need to beall hands on with technology and deepmining of all information. Intelligencecan no longer be only humanintelligence from troops in contact. Ifneed be, we must monitor 100 percent ofthe digital traffic in & out the KashmirValley. All thoughts of sedition need to benipped in the bud.

Rajinder Verma, Gujarat

Dear Sir,I absolutely agree with the contention

of the article (Assessing Uri: LookingBeyond the Soundbites). The TSD shouldbe reinstated and the Army must beallowed to take direct action when andwhere needed. Ashali Verma

Dear Sir,The article (Assessing Uri: Looking

Beyond the Soundbites) is spot on andbrilliantly analysed. There are far too

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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many vested interests who questionevery intent of the state.

Col Yashbir Singh


Beyond the Soundbites) is well thoughtout, analysed and articulated. Thearguments in all the three issuesdiscussed are indeed meticulous andhence convincing. Provocation andresponse needs to be examined in overallcontext to include political anddiplomatic spheres. The decision makingmust not be guided or influenced bypublic sentiments and political pressure.Counter terrorism strategy should caterfor the complete ecosystem of terrorismand needs to be quite nuanced andmultifaceted. The strategy needs to caterfor all probable scenarios to include apossible spectrum of options inescalatory ascension. As regardsintelligence gathering, it becomes moresignificant due to complexities involvedin this era of information explosion;accurate, credible and timely intelligenceis necessary for an effective response.TSD Project was not well steered due topolitical reasons and needs to be revived.

Brig. Om Dagur

Dear Sir,The SALUTE issue (Pakistan’s Proxy

War in J&K: India’s Patience Runs Thin),made for great reading. At the tacticallevel, a major overhaul in equipping thefield forces is required. Instances like thefact that the troops had to beaccommodated in tents on relief duringtransit thus presenting a soft target,needs a detailed analysis. Where were theoperation works assets? It's not that thereis dearth of funds. Enough funds aregetting earmarked for capitalprocurement and revenue expenditure,but it is the cumbersome process forutilisation of these funds that is actuallyproving a bane for current equipping andefficient functioning of our Army. Thisaspect too needs to be reviewed andmust be brought to the notice of toppolitical hierarchy.

Brig Sameer Chauhan


Beyond the Soundbites), makes somevery valid points, especially the attitudeof troops being impacted.

Brig Deepak Sinha

Dear SirThe SALUTE issue (Pakistan’s Proxy

War in J&K: India’s Patience Runs Thin),has covered the theme well. I am abeliever that the LOC over the years hascreated a psychological barrier in theminds of our units about its inviolabilitywhich is breeding a defensive mindset.One good action across the LOC hashad a tremendous effect. I think thesacrosanctness of LOC should not beallowed to come in the way as arestriction in any future operations.While you talk about what constitutesprovocation, (which can be at any level),in trying to discuss whether a hostileaction is provocation and the intendedresponse to it, valuable time would belost.We must work out what is aprovocation and the response to it well intime and deal with it when the occasionarises without any vacillation.I wouldrather leave it to the commanders on thespot, once every one is clear aboutaparticular act being a provocation.Thecommanders have to decide once theparameters have been made clear as towhether a hostile action constitutes aprovocation. From the topcommander tothe CO of the unit involved at theirrespective levels must feel free andshould not have to look back forinstructions. We must also rememberthat when we are engaged in operations,some times things may go wrong despiteall efforts. Immediate condemnationmust be avoided.Sometimes such faultfinding is done to assuage feelings butthey cause hurt at the other end.Matterscannot be undone and commandersrequire to hold the subordinateshand.Budgam incident is a case inpoint.I would like to point out that thestate/central police forces are highlypoliticised. Every action in the presentscenario is given a communal/ideological twist to gain political mileage.Some times its detrimental to the cause.We are aware that the political discourse

has sunk to an abysmal low. It would bein place to quote the example of BurhanWani and the"surgical strike” in additionto the Ishrat Jahan and Mumbai attacks.The political class managed to make ahero of a terrorist while reducing a finemilitary action into a quagmire ofcontroversy. Public perception can onlybe through a fair handling which is thehallmark of a mature nation. I am of thefirm conviction that the TechnicalSupport Division (TSD) was a verysensible idea. In certain operationsparticularly CI(like in the Valley), there isa need to keep information under wrapsas it will inevitably leak out andjeopardise the intended operation. Thedisbanding of this unit points towardslack of faith in the Chief while reposing iton some crafty journalists. The lacunaemust be sorted out and the unit shouldbe reactivated. Col V N Thapar

Dear Sir,Reference the article (Assessing Uri:

Looking Beyond the Soundbites). Pleasegive insight into yet another dimensionof terrorism, which I term as "PassiveCultural Invasion or Terrorism”. Oneought not to forget that a wellorchestrated psychological warfare hasbeen let loose by Pakistan against ourgreat Nation to subvert the innocentminds of the people who are ignorantabout the intentions of the enemy.Through 'Cultural Invasion' or 'PassiveCultural Terrorism’, Pakistan seeks toinfluence and malign the rich ‘Art andCultural Heritage' of our country.There isno dearth of Indian artists like ghazalsingers, cine actors, poets etc., yet thereare elements who with utter disregard tothe prevailing situation, invite suchindividuals from Pakistan to India. Weneed to ask why? Let it also not be totallydisregarded that the enemy must bepouring in colossal amounts of money infinancing their 'sleeper agents' and'sympathisers' to further their nefariousdesign.Indians must rise enmasse to foilthe design of the enemies of the nation.

Bishwajit Gon

YOUR VOICE


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OUT OF THE BLUE


A recent article in The Economic Timesstated “Air Force RFI surprises everyone”and went on to postulate that a RFIissued by the Indian Air Force projectsthe requirement for a single-engine lightto medium multi-role fighter. As aconsequence of this RFI, a rather grimconclusion stares one in the face – “Doesthis ring the death knell for the LCA?” Theconclusion is certainly frightening for thegovernment institutions that form up theconsortium involved in the “making” ofthe LCA and it takes on greater importbecause for years the PSUs have ruled theroost in providing military hardware tothe Indian armed forces and virtuallymonopolised the business.

Development of an aviation industry,replete with state-of-the-art technology,is no mean matter. There are very fewcountries who have created thewherewithal for an aviation industry andfollowed up with internationalrecognition. Aviation found instantacceptance in India. Established in 1940as a private ltd company with Walchand-Tulsidas-Khatau Ltd as the managingagency and encouraged hugely by thethen Maharaja of Mysore, HHJayachamarajendra Wadiyar, theHindustan Aircraft Company proved tobe a mainstay for repair and overhaul ofAllied aircraft operating in the Easterntheatre during World War II. Taken underthe wings of the Govt of India in 1947 andrenamed Hindustan Aeronautics Limitedin 1964, military aviation in India reliedheavily on HAL over the years. While therenowned Dr Kurt Tank and his team of

18 engineers provided the fillip to ouraircraft industry by producing the HF-24Marut, a contemporary, state-of-the-artfighter-bomber, it unfortunately met itsfateful end, a victim of the sanctionsplaced on India after its first experimentwith a nuclear device, which disallowedany progress in further improvement anddevelopment.

But the leap-frog into the higherechelons of the aviation fraternity did notpay the dividends one expected. Intypical Indian fashion we sat back on ourlaurels, applauded and patted our ownbacks and expected the aircraft industryto take off on its own. Sometimes Iwonder what happened to the peoplewho worked with or assisted Dr Kurt Tankand his team in the making of the HF-24?Did they harness the knowledge and thetechnology that went into the creation ofthe aircraft? 20 years after the HF-24, theHAL once again steeled itself tomanufacture a state-of-the-art fighter asthe IAF foresaw the draw-down of itsenormous MiG-21 fleet in the next 20 yrs.But there was no one of the calibre of theredoubtable Dr Kurt Tank. Bogged downby bureaucratic ankle chains and aninsensitive political platform, threedecades later the Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) is yet to see the light of day in itsoperational avatar. While it isunderstandable that manufacturing ahigh-tech modern fighter aircraft is notan easy task, somehow 30 yrs ofproduction with unconvincing resultsand nobody held accountable, does nothold much water in the public domain.The resulting compromise in theoperational status of the fightersquadrons has led to some introspectionand some definitive corrective action to“stem the rot”.

The decision of the govt to procure 36Rafale jets “off the shelf” put paid to thelanguishing RFP for 126 MMRCA whichnever fructified in over a decade. But the

void remains and in fact widens as thedraw-down of the fighter squadrons ofthe IAF continues unabated. The Modigovt introduced, as the old story goes, thecamel into the tent. In other words,private enterprise was given permissionto enter the defence market, hitherto akingdom ruled by the PSUs. The PM’sthrust towards “Make in India” providedfurther impetus in growth of this sector.While the steep demand in quality andspecifications, not to mention theuncompromising Quality Assurancedemanded of military hardware, couldnot immediately be addressed by theprivate players, Joint Ventures (JVs) andoffset partnerships are helping providethe transfer of technology and thefinancial backing.

Notwithstanding its acceptance by theIAF, the LCA still presents a bleak picturefor the IAF. It is no wonder that thevultures in the background are eyeing thehobbling project to pounce on theopportunity to promote their ownproduct as a more viable and cost-effective option. Lockheed Martin withits F-16, Boeing with its F-18 and Saabwith its Gripen JAS-39 are furtivelyknocking on the doors, offering temptingpropositions to not only meet time linesto stem the draw-down but also offer to“make in India”. Lucrative private JVs arein the offing and HAL has been told tojoin the competition. Private players arenow getting deeply ensconced in thedefence industry. The camel isincreasingly occupying the tent. It is awelcome guest.

An alumnus of NDA and DSSC, AirMshl Sumit Mukerji has served the IAF

as a fighter pilot with distinction He hascommanded three units, a MiG-29 Sqn, a

MiG-25 SR Sqn and TACDE (consideredthe ‘Top Gun’ school of the IAF) and alsoserved as the Air Attaché in WashingtonDC. He retired in 2011 as the AOC-in-C

of Southern Air Command.

THE CAMEL AND THE TENTAir Mshl Sumit Mukerji, PVSM, SC, VSM

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PERISCOPE


The controversy overPakistani actorsbeing cast in anIndian film as relatedto Karan Johar’s pre-Diwali production“Ai Dil Hai Mushkil’(ADHM) had manyfamiliar elements

that reflect the uglier face of Indianpolitics and the manner in which sanctityfor the law of the land is placed on theback-burner for short-term politicalexpediency. The MNS, a local Mumbaiparty stoked the post Uri sentiment inthe country and wanted ADHM to bebanned since it had Pakistani actors inthe cast. Many voices were raised in thecountry – both for and against the MNSstand – and this would have remained adomestic Mumbai matter but for ananomalous development that broughtthe Indian army into the unsavouryMNS-ADHM grid.

A group of film producers sought theintervention of the CM of Maharashtra toenable the release of the film – given thesizeable amount of money that had beenspent on it and what followed was theanomalous development. After themeeting with CM Fadnavis on October22, Raj Thackeray, the MNS leader stated:“All the producers who have Pakistaniartists in their film will as penance haveto pay some money. I suggested Rs 5crore per film… and to give the money tothe Army welfare fund.”

That this amounted to divertingextortion money to the army triggeredconsiderable anguish within the ‘fauj’and many veterans expressed theirdismay. No amount of sophistry fromMumbai could ‘sweeten’ the offer and itcompelled the government in Delhi tointervene and engage in damage control.On October 25, at the NavalCommanders Conference in Delhi, RMManohar Parrikar clarified that anydonation to the Army had to be"voluntary" and that he does notappreciate the "holding of someone's

neck." This rejection of extortion moneyby the ‘fauj’ and appropriately conveyedby the Minister is welcome but thiscontroversy also draws attention to somelarger issues.

It is a reality that the Indian military asan institution has been dealt with in ashabby manner by the politicalleadership of the country. At the time ofwriting this comment,the new rulesregarding equivalence in the Ministry ofDefence between service personnel andtheir civilian counterparts have beenannounced and point to this egregioustrend. Disability pensions and relatedbenefits have been revised to thedetriment of the soldier – and yes, thewelfare and status of the widow of anIndian combat veteran can definitely beimproved upon – but not in the ADHMmanner. What has been suggested as‘penance’ by the MNS is rank extortionmoney – albeit brokered by the ChiefMinister – but it still remains theequivalent of the ‘hafta’ payment that thehapless Indian citizen knows all too well.

Post the Uri terror attack and theIndian response through a surgical strike,there has been an undesirable contourand pitch to the prevailing publicdiscourse on nationalism, patriotism andwhat constitutes national security.Theopposition parties have accused theruling BJP led NDA government ofseeking to gain political mileage from thepost Uri operation and introduce amilitaristic jingoism into the nationalmood. This is an issue where the politicalparties will have to evolve a modus-vivendi and draw their own ‘LakshmanRekhas’.

Democratic leaders do seek to gainelectoral mileage from military victoriesand both PM Indira Gandhi (1971Bangladesh war) and PM MargaretThatcher (1982 Falklands war) are case inpoint. However, imprudent initiatives toinvolve the military directly for politicaladvantage have been discretely butfirmly resisted. The Emergencyexperience with PM Indira Gandhi at the

helm in 1975 and more recently the 1999Kargil war when PM Vajpayee prudentlykept the fauj out of the election rhetoricare illustrative. Former Army ChiefGeneral VP Malik has spoken about thelatter experience. I recall a conversationwith late Lt. Gen. AN Vohra, then VCOASduring the Emergency, who recountedthe manner in which PM Indira Gandhireined in her son Sanjay Gandhi and theRM of the day Bansi Lal from draggingthe fauj into the political domain in adirect and thereby damaging manner.

The welfare of the wounded Indiansoldier and the families of those who laytheir lives in combat must be addressedand redressed urgently – but not throughpolitical parties that flout the law andgenerate extortion money.The silverlining of the MNS-ADHM controversy isthe attention it has focused on the needto improve the welfare and fiscalassistance for battle casualties andfamilies of those who have died incombat/ operations. RM Parrikar statedthat the concept behind the newlycreated Battle Casualty Fund was toensure that all those citizens who wantedto donate voluntarily for the welfare ofthe family of martyrs could do so. Headded that this new scheme would bemanaged by the Defence Ministry withassistance from the AG’s branch. Whilethis scheme may take time to translateinto tangible benefit for those who needthis assistance the most – perhaps theArmy’s regimental centres could createtheir own Aadhar card equivalent databases and identify the widows/families intheir own ‘biradari’ who are the mostvulnerable. The fiscal support can thenbe generated and my sense is thatBollywood will step forward – voluntarily.

Commodore C Uday Bhaskar, iscurrently Director, Society for Policy

Studies (SPS), New Delhi. He waspreviously Director, National MaritimeFoundation (NMF) and prior to that he

headed the Institute for Defence Studiesand Analyses (IDSA).

WAR WIDOWS NEED HELP – BUT WITH DIGNITYCommodore C Uday Bhaskar

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BackgroundMilitary force projection is deeplyinterlinked to strategy and tactics. Itapplies to both since the precisedistinction between strategy and tacticsis getting increasingly blurred. Astrategic mission can yield tacticaleffects, strategic manoeuvres mayenable fulfilment of tactical objectivesalso and vice versa, strategic forces alsoenable tactical gains, and so on and soforth. Both impact each other to anextent and a certain amount of overlapis normally expected. The issue by itselfis contentious as well as complex andthe intent herein is not to address thesame but to address the aspect ofleveraging space for military forceenhancement and projection within thescope of our existing and foreseencapabilities and limitations.

This paper argues that spacecapabilities are critical to militarymodernisation for the present and thefuture. Space capabilities apply acrossthe board and yet this paper aims atbeing grounded in the realities of ourextant space capabilities and lookingfor options within the same. The intentis to explore the best means of usingspace to complement the nation’s rising

interests, challenges, needs and futureorientations within our existing spacecapabilities and those foreseen. Theabove aspect would be dealt within thebroad confines of strategic interests asconventionally known and practicedwithin India. It also places the issuewithin tactics as known in the Indiancontext which basically impliesopposing force in contact or close tocontact like opposing troops, marinevessels, aircraft etc.

Caveats to Leveraging SpaceBefore rushing headlong into thesubject proper, certain caveats wouldhave to be taken into account since thesubject needs to be treated within auniquely Indian context. Some of thesecaveats are unique to our context andsome are not.

The first is that unlike most othernations ranging from the US, the formerSoviet Union and China, whose spaceprogrammes began primarily forsupporting strategic military missions,India’s space programme was designedprimarily for civilian needs and most ofour capabilities for military purposes,strategic or otherwise are accrued as aby-product rather than as the primaryproduct. Aspiring earnestly forcapabilities is the easier part, attainingthem is another matter. The overallattempt hence would be to balance (ortemper) aspirations and judiciouslyleverage space within the broadercontext of extant realities.

The second is that while India’s risein the prevailing geo-economic andgeo-politic scenario has been meteoric,the challenges to national security havealso been rising exponentially. And onthe other hand, the security resources

to meet the challenges continue to bescarce and costly. The challenges havealso evolved beyond air onto the realmof space and now encompass the entirevertical dimension of aerospace. Weneed to prepare in our own uniquebalanced manner.

The third caveat is that going bycombat experiences of the past, themilitary attributes of space are largelystrategic in nature. Strategic capabilitiesaccrue mostly by default and tacticalcapabilities accrue by precise design.For example, while a single observationsatellite enables strategic intelligence, itwould need constellation of preciselydesigned satellites to enable tacticalintelligence. Contrast the lack of tacticalintelligence on Osama with the role of aKH-11satellite on the Osirak strike andthe uses become pretty obvious. Theneed for balance is again paramount.

Prevailing Military Uses of SpaceThe most important missions of spaceare of force enhancement ranging fromobservation, navigation, commun-ication, weather, geodesy and searchand rescue.The uses are largely pacificand affairs dealing with space basedoffence and defence are mired incontroversy and hencecomprehensively elaborating on thesame is presently dispensed with.Secondly, the Indian stand is tocontinue with the internationallyaccepted norm of ‘peaceful uses ofouter space’, which enables us to usespace for military force enhancementrather than war-fighting in space. Theattempt herein is restricted to what islegally possible and practicable.

LEVERAGING SPACE FOR STRATEGIC ANDTACTICAL USE IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT

Wing Commander KK Nair

SPACE WARFARE

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Military Utility of Space in the IndianContextThe extent to which India’s strategic footprint lies is fairly well known and needsno repetitive articulation. What is moreimportant is the fact that the foot printmay not be sacrosanct, it may alsochange in future. Thus, there exists aneed to configure force structures whichare not only capable of meeting thedemands of extended reach but are alsoflexible enough to shift their focus ontonew areas rapidly. A few decades hence,the areas of aspired strategic interestmay wax or wane; they may shrink orexpand in particular areas. The futurecan only be predicted with limitedcertainty and hence the attribute offlexibility would have to be implicitwhen focussing on reach. And suchrapid reach and flexibility can beattained only by elements drawn fromthe entire realm of air and space.Basically, both have to be judiciouslymatched to compensate for each othersdeficiencies and to bolster strength.Primarily, in keeping with our uniquerequirements, legalities and capabilities,the following areas need emphasis.

Observation/ISRWith the acquisition of long rangeassets, the prevailing national reachand potential for a fast response hasexpanded as never before. Theexpanding reach implies a vast numberof targets from which to select prioritiesin keeping with operational goals. Thisdemands precise IntelligenceSurveillance Reconnaissance (ISR)capabilities which could only beaugmented and made more efficient byboth air and space based assets.Political air space restrictions wouldrestrict acquisition of targetingintelligence and hence to matchstrategic reach with adequateintelligence and targeting information,the availability of space-based assetswould be imperative.

NavigationIn view of the enormously expandingreach of national airpower, these

capabilities would enable precisenavigation, targeting and delivery ofscarce and costly platforms, munitions,personnel, humanitarian assistance etcwell beyond national borders therebyincreasing the contingency support aswell as contingency managementoptions of the Government in keepingwith our rise as a global power.

CommunicationIndia’s stated nuclear doctrine woulddemand availability of survivablecommunication links for a retaliatorystrike by elements of the nuclear triadthat could be provided only by space-based systems. In the present and inour unique context, for credibledeterrence, integrating survivablespace based communications isessential.

The enormous strategic reach andmobility of airpower enables rapidresponse and insertion of military forceat long distances and the same woulddemand extensive coordination,command and control etc that could beaddressed only by space basedcommunications. The same logic wouldalso apply to national maritime forces.In case of the land forces connectivityproblems in mountains and other farflung inaccessible hostile terrains couldbest be served by satellite

communications.

ConclusionThus, in view of the prevailing changedgeo-politics as also altered conflictdynamics, it is imperative that weharness space for exploiting ourexisting and envisaged capabilitiesbetter. Notwithstanding the uniquecaveats inhibiting our acquisition anddevelopment of these capabilities, weare evolving and can make optimal useof our extant capabilities.Wing Commander Kiran Krishnan Nairis the Joint Director Operations (Space)

at Air HQ, New Delhi. He has beendealing with space issues for the last 15

years and has also served on a varietyof Space Committees and projects of

the Government of India. An LL.B andPG Diploma in Air and Space Law fromthe WB National University of Juridical

Sciences, he is also a M. Phil inInternational Relations from Jawaharlal

Nehru University. His writings havebeen published in leading national and

international magazines and journalsand he also lectures on the subject atnumerous national and international

forums. Since 2012, he has been postedto work with the Centre for Air PowerStudies (CAPS), New Delhi on issues

related to sustainable development ofspace and space security.


SPACE WARFARE

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PreambleThe ‘surgical’ strikes by the Indian Armyafter the Uri terror episode generated,literally overnight, a multitude ofliterature and spawned a large number of‘analysts,’ each giving his or her theorieson what the Indian Army did across theLine of Control (LoC) on the night of28/29 September. In some initial reportsfrom ‘sources’ (always termed reliable), itwas mentioned that helicopters hadbeen used for infiltration and exfiltrationof the Special Forces (SF). Subsequentaccounts, however, have said that the SFcommandos had gone in on foot andexfiltrated in a similar manner. Possibly,the reported shallow incursions did notnecessitate the use of helicopters – butwhat if, the next time around, the SFraiding parties need a ride in and/or outfrom the area of operations? What wouldbe the special equipment that wouldneed to be on board the helicopters toensure success? Who should becoordinating such a delicate operation?This article looks into these aspectswhich assume great importance, nowthat India has broken the self imposedrestriction of not crossing an active

boundary, the International Boundary(IB) or the LOC; the span of discussionwould not be restricted just tohelicopters but fixed wing assets andother involved issues too.

Historical LessonsIt would be instructive to recount somewell known ‘surgical’ operations to use asa base in developing the arguments forcapability that is being advocated by thisauthor. The most famous is the 04 July1976 raid by Israel to free its hostagesfrom Entebbe, about 4000 km away fromits shores; the aircraft used were C-130Hercules. Another was the American raidon the POW camp at Son Tay on 21November 1970 where HH-53helicopters formatted on a C-130Hercules which flew its almost three hourmission at 105 knots, just 5 knots aboveits stalling speed for the transit; theexecution of the raid was perfect but noPOWs were found! An absolutelyunsuccessful raid was the US effort torescue its hostages in April 1980 fromIran under Operation Eagle Claw, whichended in disaster. These rescue missionsbring out the following mandatoryrequirements to mount a successfulmission.

Choice of Aircraft. The C-130 was theideal aircraft and was used in all threequoted missions. It all boils down to theaircraft’s flying qualities that need to begood requiring minimum pilotcompensation. For the C-130 to haveflown the ingress part at a speed just 5knots above stalling speed in the Son Tayraid speaks volumes of the aircraft. Thehelicopters used in the Iran and Son Tayraid were various version of the Jolly

Green Giant. While night vision deviceswere not available for the Son Tay raid,the Iran rescue attempt may have hadthem, as it was a decade later. However,all modern aircraft would have FLIR andNVGs as the basic minimum kit for anyoperation. The availability of wellequipped aircraft is, thus, the startingpoint of all planning.

Accurate Intelligence. The Israelishad constructed a full mock up of theEntebbe airport taking help from Israeliconstruction companies which had beeninvolved for the building of the airport. Inthe Son Tay raid too, a mock-up wasmade based on accurate CIA intelligenceinputs. As per Sgt Buckler who was partof the raid (account is available on youtube), they were always intrigued duringpractices by the presence of a bicycleoutside one of the model huts; in theevent, when they landed in the POWcamp, the bicycle was indeed there!Accurate HUMINT is, however, vital forsuccess; it was a failure as far as Son Taywas concerned (as the POWs had beenmoved out some months before) but was pretty spot-on in Entebbe. In the Iran hostage rescue attempt,availability of accurate information wasquestionable.

Realistic Combined Training. Allparticipants – aircrew, ground troops andanyone else part of the raid – must traintogether. This basic requirement was metin the Entebbe and Son Tay raid butabsence of joint training was one of themajor reasons of the failure of the Iranrescue attempt. Information about Landing Zone (LZ).While information about Entebbe airportwas well known, the Son Tay raid had

INDIAN AIR POWER ASSETS FOR COVERT OPERATIONS

AVM Manmohan Bahadur, VM

COVERT OPERATIONS

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many blank spots.The desert landingarea in the Iran hostage was wellreconnoitred, including prior covertlandings by a Twin Otter aircraft of CIA tocollect soil samples to check hardness ofthe surface. That this landing itself wentundetected speaks volumes of theplanning and professionalism, whichcame to nought when the helicoptersflew in to the landing strip from theaircraft carriers and got involved inaccidents while re-positioning on groundpost a successful transit from the carriers- actually a helicopter was being re-positioned to make way for refuelling anEC-130 when it collided with another C-130.Real time Communication. The Son Tay raiders maintained totalradio silence, though Americanintelligence was monitoring NorthVietnamese communication to keeptrack of the mission getting detected. TheIsraelis had a Boeing 707 flying high at anintermediate spot to act as a radio relay

back to the leadership in Tel Aviv. The USmission for the hostages in Iran also hadcommunication back to Washington.President Carter spoke to the leader ofthe mission while the latter was onground in Iran and the aircraft mishapshad taken place; on getting the reportfirst hand he agreed with the leader tocall off the mission and recover theraiders back. Where does India standnow with respect to its airbornecapability for covert operations as wemove towards the quarter way mark inthe twenty first century?

Fixed Wing AssetsThe IAF has five C-130 Super Herculesaircraft specially configured for SpecialOperations; the replacement for the sixththat had crashed will arrive in the nextcouple of years. The aircraft, as the namesuggests, and history shows, are tailormade for covert operations. Blessed withreal good flying qualities, the C-130 hassensors for covert ingress at night - FLIR,

electro optical equipment and a fullyNVG compatible cockpit and cargo holdarea; with Gen-V NVGs (which India hasmade a bid for) the aircraft can fly reallow level with great accuracy, due itsnavigation equipment, and thus avoidradar detection. Its short field landingand take-off characteristics and ability tooperate from unpaved surfaces makes itan ideal platform for transport of SpecialForces.

The C-295 is going to be thereplacement for Avro aircraft. The C-295has short field operations capability andwould be arriving with a NVG compatiblelighting suite. If some of these aircraft getequipped with other night op devices,then the country would have anothersmaller and versatile platform for specialops.

Rotary Wing AssetsThe IAF’s main helicopter is the Mi-17 V5now. Coming from a good lineage, the V5has an NVG compatible cockpit and


COVERT OPERATIONS



cargo compartment with Russian Gen IIINVGs for the aircrew. A full glass cockpiteases pilot work load. There is a standardGPS navigation package as also aDoppler navigation system. Theavailability of a weather radar and wirecutters as a standard fit augments flightsafety in low level flight. The navigationsystem, when coupled to the autopilot,can ensure hands off transit and hover atthe desired map coordinates that havebeen fed-in. Thus, if there is arequirement to induct troops or exfiltratethem, the Mi-17 V5 would be the IAF’shelicopter of choice, if the drop/landingzone size can accommodate it.

Weapon System Integrated AdvancedLight Helicopter Rudra has better nightflying equipment than the Mi-17 V5 as ithas a FLIR as a standard fit besides anNVG compatible cockpit. Being smallerin size and with lesser All Up Weight(AUW), the Rudra has a less intense rotordownwash and can get into a smallerjungle clearing or landing spot. Inaddition, the Rudra has air to groundrockets and a turret gun besides MICA,the French air to air missile for combat.Depending on the weapon load it iscarrying, the Rudra can carry around fiveto eight troops for the assault role. A bigadvantage of the Rudra is its much bettermanoeuvrability and care free enginehandling that allows the pilot to fly theaircraft into restricted spaces with ease.In all probability, it would have been theRudra that would have been used in thepost-Uri surgical strikes, if there was arequirement for helicopter support. TheIAF has fewer Rudras than Army Aviationand, in all probability, the latter’s assetswould have been tasked.

Some reports stated that IAFhelicopters were in a readiness mode tocome to the rescue in case the strikes hadgone awry. This is a contingency thatwould have been catered for duringplanning and one is sure that some Mi-17V5s and Mi-35 helicopters would havebeen on combat readiness. Both thesehelicopters are of medium category withtheir attendant operational issues andone awaits the arrival of the Apacheattack helicopters, whose contract has

been signed, and the Light CombatHelicopter (LCH), whose flight tests areongoing at HAL; both are dedicatedattack helicopters and would be ideal toprovide armed support for covertmissions.

Joint TrainingThe aspect of joint and realistic trainingof personnel cannot be over emphasised;a special ops force can have the best ofequipment but lack of joint trainingimplies that any covert mission would bedoomed from the start. Thus, thecreation of a joint special operationsentity is a mandatory requirement toensure standardisation of proceduresand execution of tasks. Some missionswould require fighter assets to providetop cover and electronic support andcounter measures too. Most advancednations have joint Special Operationsschools/formations/commands that arecharged with creating and maintainingcovert capability; personnel andequipment of the concerned Services arepooled together under one command toensure jointness. It is understood that theChiefs of Staff Committee hasrecommended the setting of a SpecialOperations Command (SOC) and itwould be in national interest that this isaccepted and the SOC raised at theearliest. With the uncertain securityscenario in India’s neighbourhood andPakistan continuing to support terroriststrikes, the chances of mounting further

covert missions has only increased. Thenation can ill afford to delay setting up aSpecial Forces Command to coordinateand fine tune this niche capability.

Air Vice Marshal ManmohanBahadur, retired from the Indian AirForce after 36 years of distinguished

service. He is an Experimental Test Pilotfrom the French Test Pilots School, a

graduate of the Air Command and StaffCollege, USA and a post graduate inDefence and Strategic Studies from

Madras University. He has commandeda frontline Helicopter Unit and two

Flying Bases, was the Contingent Cdr ofthe first IAF United Nations Mission inSudan and has been Head of Training(Air) at Defence Services Staff College,

Wellington. As Asst Chief of Air Staff, theauthor was the operational head of

Transport and Helicopter Operations ofthe Indian Air Force for two and a halfyears. His last assignment was as Asst

Chief of Integrated Defence Staff in-charge of perspective planning and force

structure of the Services. He writes forleading national newspapers and

professional journals and his coreinterests concern Air Power and

Strategic Affairs. AVM Bahadur iscurrently a Distinguished Fellow at the

Centre for Air Power Studies, NewDelhi.Views expressed in this article are

personal).

COVERT OPERATIONS


The operational diversities of the IndianArmed Forces coupled with extremityand variety of terrain (from sea level tohigh altitude) underline the need forstate of art, modern technologyhelicopters capable of operating bothby day and night in a complexbattlefield environment of future. Asper reports the armed forces are lookingto induct as many as 1200 plushelicopters in the coming decaderanging from attack and high altitudereconnaissance to medium and heavylift variants. Presently, the Indianmilitary holds in its kitty approximately600 helicopters of all types and classincluding specialised ones, but majorityof these have far exceeded their lifespan and are either obsolete or nearingobsolescence – the largest componentof this is the Chetak/Cheetah fleet. Thecriticality lies in the three Servicescontinuing to operate the ageing andvintage fleet of the Chetak and Cheetahhelicopters, whose maintenance itself

has become a nightmare due to non -availability of spares – almost 600helicopters of this class are required.This is seriously impacting theoperational capability of the armedforces, especially with respect tooperations in high altitude areas andSiachen.

Current Status: Cheetah/ ChetakReplacementThe Cheetah/Chetak replacementprogramme for the army and airforcecontinues to flounder despite theGovernment to Government agreementbetween India and Russia for the supplyof 200 Kamov- 226T light helicoptersunder the Make in India Policy.Presently there is no clarity on as to howthis project will move forward and bothsides seem to be struggling to meet thechallenging 'Make in India'requirement of building 50 per cent ofthe helicopter in India. While the HALhas been designated as the nodalagency for this critical programmealong with Russian Helicopters (anagreement has been signed this month)there are a number of complex issuesinvolved which need to be addressed inorder to move ahead. Given the trackrecord of other such crucialGovernment to Government deals likethe army’s M777 Howitzer and theairforce’s MMRCA Rafael projects(Rafael deal has finally been inked aftera period of 3 years), the prospect ofconcluding a contract for the Ka-226Tdoes not inspire much confidence.

Meanwhile the Reconnaissance andSurveillance Helicopter (RSH)programme for 197 helicopters (133 for

army and 64 for airforce) continues tobe shrouded in uncertainty, with noclarity from the Government on itsfuture, leaving the private industry highand dry. The trials for the 2009 re-tendered RSH project were completedin 2013- in fray were the Airbus AS 550C3 Fennec and the Russian Kamov Ka -226T. The decision to cancel this criticalproject was taken by the MoD in August2014 after allegations of corruption andtechnical deviations in the selectionprocess. With the ‘Make in India’ policyin place, a fresh RFI was issued inOctober 2014 with the aim ofidentifying probable Indian Vendorsincluding Private Companies formingJoint Ventures (JVs) with ForeignCompanies. Indian majors like Tata’s,Reliance, Mahindra, etc. are in fray,looking at JV’s with foreign majors likeAmerican - Bell and Sikorsky, Russian -Kamov and European - AirbusHelicopters – some of these companieshave already formed JV’s, Mahindra’swith Airbus and Tata’s with Bell.However, with the Government toGovernment agreement for 200 Ka-226T helicopters signed in Jan this year,the fate of the 197 RSH programme nowhangs in balance. In addition, the HALis already going full throttle ahead inthe development of the Light UtilityHelicopter (LUH), which is in the sameclass as the RSH, to augment thereplacement of the Cheetah /Chetakfleet held with the army and airforce.The first flight of the prototype wassuccessfully carried out in July this yearand as per HAL’s claims the LUH wouldbe ready for certification by the end of2017. A total of 184 LUH’s are planned


STATE OF HELICOPTERS ININDIAN DEFENCE FORCES

Lt Gen BS Pawar, PVSM, AVSM

ROTARY WING IN ARMED FORCES

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for induction into the army andairforce. The HAL has also embarked ona project for the development of alimited number of upgraded Cheetahhelicopters with a more powerfulengine called the ‘Cheetal’ to meet thecurrent Cheetah helicopter shortagesand to cater to the arising criticality forhigh altitude operations. This is a stopgap measure and orders have beenplaced for only 30 Cheetal’s, 20 for thearmy and 10 for the airforce – airforce isalready flying a couple of thesemachines.

Navy has also been looking toreplace its outdated fleet of Chetak/modified Chetak-MATCH(mid-airtorpedo carrying helicopter) with a twinengine, 4.5 ton Naval Utility Helicopter(NUH), capable of operating fromwarship decks, as well as being armedwith rockets/guns and light weighttorpedoes. Its earlier tender of 2012 for56 NUH involving Airbus Helicoptersand Agusta Westland was cancelled bythe Government in August 2014 and afresh RFI was issued for 110 NUH on thesame lines as that of the RSHprogramme, based on the ‘Make inIndia’ policy with Indian privatecompanies collaborating with foreignOEM’s. The platforms underconsideration are the Airbus AS 565MBe, Bell’s 429 and Agusta WestlandSuper Lynx 300, though Agustapresently is a non-starter due toFinmeccanica’s involvement in the VVIPhelicopter scam. It is understood thatthe Navy and MoD are in the process ofissuing a RFP soon.

Utility HelicoptersIn the utility category, the HAL builtALH (Dhruv) has already enteredservice with all three services and CoastGuard. The Dhruv has also been testevaluated for high altitude operationswith the fitment of a more powerfulengine ‘Shakti’ being produced jointlyby HAL and French firm Turbomeca.This is a major achievement and willgive a boost to helicopter operations inhigh altitude areas especially Siachen.The induction of the armed version of

the Dhruv (Rudra) has alreadycommenced with a unit each currentlyunder raising for the army and airforce– however a major drawback in theRudra presently is the lack of a suitableanti - tank guided missile in its weaponarsenal. ‘Helina’ the air version of theNAG anti-tank guided missile beingdeveloped by DRDO is nowhere on thehorizon. Without this capability theRudra remains a gunship at best. In themedium lift category the Air Forceholds the MI 8 and the MI 17 Russianhelicopters. While the MI 8 fleet is in theprocess of being replaced by MI-17’s,the majority of the existing MI-17 fleethas been upgraded/ refurbished inrespect of avionics and night capability.Currently 151 MI-17 V5 helicoptershave been acquired from Russia - thesehelicopters are upgraded versions ofthe Mi-17’s, with armour plating, glasscockpit, enhanced avionics, nightcapability and armament package.Some of these helicopters have beenfurther modified for VVIP tasks. As perreports the airforce is looking atacquiring another 48 x Mi-17V5helicopters in the near future.

In the heavy lift category there isnothing worthwhile held with theIndian Military, barring a few RussianMI 26 helicopters whose high altitudecapability is poor. Based on the army’srequirement of a suitable helicoptercapable of lifting under slung the Ultra-Light Howitzer M777, being acquiredfrom the United States for deploymentin mountains, the process foracquisition was set into motion.Trialsfor the same have been completed withthe American Chinook CH 47 scoringover the Russian MI-26. Fifteennumbers have been cleared forinduction with the likelihood of anothersix in the future.

Specialised/Attack HelicoptersThe weakest link in the Indian militaryinventory is the holding of specialisedhelicopters like the attack and anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The MI25/MI 35 attack helicopters held arevintage and require replacement on

priority. Even the Sea King ASWhelicopters held with the navy needupgrade/ replacement with a state ofart modern ASW helicopter. In the trialsconducted for acquisition of attackhelicopters, the American ApacheLongbow has been selected over theRussian MI-28 (Havoc). The inductionof 22 Apaches Block III (LatestUpgraded Version) is likely tocommence this year end or early nextyear. The Army has also put in itsrequirement for 39 Apaches Block III forits three Strike Corps – in principleapproval for the same was given by thelast Government, but under the presentcircumstances its future seems to beuncertain. The Navy had alsoconducted extensive trials forreplacement of its multirole Sea Kingfleet (the Naval Multirole HelicopterProject- NMRH) with the EuropeanNH-90 and American Sikorsky S- 70B infray. However, the NH 90 also became aco-lateral damage of the VVIP scandal,as Finmeccanica is part of the EuropeanConsortium manufacturing the NH-90.



After dillydallying on this project sinceDecember 2014, the DefenceAcquisition Council finally cleared theacquisition of 16 Sikorsky S-70Bhelicopters, out of a total requirementof 123 NMRH by the Navy.

In this context, the development ofthe Light Combat Helicopter (LCH),stated to be a state of art attackhelicopter with capability to operate inthe mountains by HAL is very significant.The LCH uses the technology of theexisting Dhruv and its configurations,except that the fuselage is suitablymodified and streamlined for tandemseating required for a modern day attackhelicopter. An indigenous attackhelicopter is a step in the right directionas it has been tailored to suit the terrainand climatic conditions of our area ofoperations – its ability to operate in themountains is a major achievement. Asper reports the LCH is likely to getcertification by early next year and willbe ready for induction by end of 2017,but the drawback in terms of a suitableanti-tank missile remains. Both Air Force

and Army are the potential customersfor induction of the same.

ConclusionFrom the above it is evident that theIndian Military continues to be saddledwith old, vintage and archaic helicoptersdespite an urgent need to replace themdue to security and operationalimperatives. Despite numerous trialsconducted in the last decade there hasbeen no forward movement in thereplacement/new acquisition ofhelicopters for various reasons, the mainbeing lack of decision making by thepolitico-bureaucratic combine andapathy to matters military and nationalsecurity. This attitude has somewhatchanged with the thrust of the ModiGovernment on Make in India and theforay of the private sector into defenceand aerospace sectors. With this thrust, itis hoped that the state of helicopterswith the military will improve in thecoming years both in quality andquantity. The good news is that the HALhelicopter projects though delayed, are

on track. Both the crucial projects ofLUH and LCH are likely to fructify nextyear and the Dhruv has stabilised afterabout 11-12 years of operations – thereare approximately 100 plus Dhruv’soperating with the Indian Military andmany more are expected to be part of theinventory in coming years. The problemhowever lies in the capability tomanufacture these different types ofhelicopters in such large numbers. Forthis the involvement of private industryin helicopter development needs to beencouraged by the Government in orderto not only stop the monopoly of HAL,but ensure greater competition in themarket. There is an urgent need todevelop a collaborative approachtowards developing helicoptermanufacturing base in the country forusing the strengths of both the publicand private sector towards fulfillingnational aspirations and urgentlymeeting the critical helicopterrequirements of the Military.

An alumnus of RIMC, Dehradun,The NDA, DSSC, LGC and the NDC,

Delhi, Lt Gen B.S Pawar wascommissioned into Artillery in June

1968. He took part in operations in theUri sector in the 1971 Indo-Pak war as

an Observation Post Officer and in acareer span of four decades has held anumber of prestigious command and

staff appointments. He commanded aRocket Regiment and has the

distinction of commanding the largestArtillery Brigade in J&K in a counter

insurgency environment. As Maj. Gen.Artillery, Western Command during

Operation Parakram, he was awardedthe Ati Vashist Seva Medal. Later, he

headed the Army Aviation Corps andwas instrumental in the

operationalisation of the AdvancedLight Helicopter during his tenure.He

is currently the President of theNorthern Region of ‘The Helicopter

Society of India’ and also on theirGoverning Council.A defence analyst,

he writes for a number of defencejournals/ publications and is also onthe Editorial Board of some of them.





With the onset of the 1965 war, and nothaving finished my Fully OperationalSyllabus, I was therefore only qualifiedto do air defence missions. Due tosevere lack of experience, my FltCommander did not detail me for anylive missions against the enemy. I wasdisappointed and eager to activelyparticipate in the war and expressedmy feelings and keenness to my FltCommander. I had learnt how oursoldiers had been humiliated in the1962 war against China and I was keento change such perceptions. With greatreluctance he conceded to my requestand I was put on air defence missions.

On the morning of 5 September1965, one F 104 star fighter made a highspeed single pass down the runway. Itwas interpreted by us as a photoreconnaissance sortie to identify ourdispersal plans and positions of aircraftand our readiness status. It was evidentthat soon we would have an airstrikeagainst our ground instillations andaircraft. Flt Lt Ahuja and Flg Offr MVSingh were detailed to carry out a strikeagainst Pakistan army‘s groundposition in the Khem Karan Sector.Here, Flg Offr MV Singh was shot up bythe enemy ack ack fire, a shell went

through his cockpit and his right leg gotseverely injured. Since he was interrible pain and unable to fly hisaircraft back to base, he ejected andwas taken POW. Incidentally it is thesame area where an army vehicledriven by Kisan Babu Rao Hazare(Anna Hazare) survived enemyshelling, when his transport was hitand every occupant of the vehicleperished, he was the lone survivor.

On the morning of 6 September, Iwas on ORP duty which commences ½an hour before sunrise, to be onstandby to take on the enemy within 2minutes. As my shift was drawing to aclose at 1300 hours, Sqn Ldr Patel andFlt Lt DN Rathore were detailed to takeover the afternoon shift. Since Patelhad some work, he requested me tocontinue and stand in for him. Flt LtRathore as my leader carried out abriefing. At around 1700 hours, myStation Commander, Group CaptainJohn was in conversation with the AirDefence Commander on the tennoy.He was told to get all serviceable a/cairborne as a massive air strike wasexpected by the enemy. Hearing this, itwas clear to me that since the time wasinadequate to comply with the advice, Iwas sure that we at ORP would be askedto protect the base. I casually picked upmy flying helmet, proceeded to myaircraft, strapped myself up and waitedfor the command. Sure enough, a fewminutes later, Flt Lt DN Rathore whowas my leader for the mission, camerunning out to scramble. I took the cueand started my aircraft. Rathore camelive on RT and told me to scramble forCombat Air Patrol over the base, forwhich I had already been briefed. As wetook position for the CAP, I spottedthree aircraft coming towards our basefrom the north east and informed my

leader, “3 Bogies 0ne O’ Clock below”.Since I had never seen the F 86 sabresin my life, and they somewhatresembled with the Mystere aircraft, Iwas confused for a while but Rathoremy leader was very clear about them.He established visual contact andstarted manoeuvring his aircraft toposition himself behind them for agunshot. I like a good No 2 remainedstuck with him in position. Aftermanoeuvring, I found two Sabres didnot go over the airfield but had turned270 degrees heading for the borderleaving the airfield on the south.

Rathore positioned behind them onthe right and I was on the left. My jobwas to look out for more bogies andcover his tail. I saw Rathore firing onthe aircraft on the right. Seeing him fireI was now sure they were not Mystereaircraft but were the enemy Sabres. Ithen decided to take on the Sabre onthe left. In my excitement, I just put theaircraft nose onto the enemy aircraftand started firing, but found to mychagrin that the bullets were not hittingthe enemy but running on the ground.I suddenly remembered the “Rangingand Tracking“ exercise, which meansthe use of GyroGunsight (aiming devicemeant to feed range and gravity drop tothe aiming point ‘piper’). I then put thepiper on to the aircraft cockpit andfired a burst. This burst hit the tail ofthe enemy aircraft and some blacksmoke emanated. I moved the piperslightly forward and fired anotherburst. The enemy aircraft threw a hardleft turn, which gave me a sudden planview for a moment, and made it betterfor me to position the piper. I wastaught during training that two poundsof high explosive charge fired into anaircraft causes it to explode, but thisaircraft did not explode! I continued to

ROOKIE PILOTWg Cdr Vinod NebbNebb, VrC and Bar

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fire at him and kept closing on to himwith utter disregard to my own safety. Iwas barely 100 yards from him when itsuddenly exploded and I saw a moonshaped big chunk of debris flyingtowards me. I broke right and pulled upto find Rathore on my right and aheadof me. I caught up with him and weproceeded to Ferozepur border to see ifwe could find more Sabres, but alasthere were none and hence we cameback to base. As we were approachingHalwara, the air traffic controller toldus to proceed to Ambala. We set coursefor Ambala, and as we were reachingAmbala, instructions were revised andwe were asked to return to base. By thistime it was dark and despite not beingnight qualified I managed to landsafely. When I switched off the aircraftat the ORP, the ground crew opened theSabrina (which collects the emptyshells) collected the empty shells andthrew them on himself as if he hadfound a treasure. Such a memorableand adorable scene, a sense ofsatisfaction and fulfilment still remainsetched in my mind.

My Commanding Officer Wg. CdrClarke, picked me up in his car anddrove me toward the Base OperationsRoom. He had barely driven 500 yards,when the Station Commander, Gp.Capt GK John stopped us and took mewith himself. When we reached theBase Operations Room, I gave him thefull details of the sortie. Hecongratulated me for the missionaccomplished and declared that I wasthe junior most and the youngest pilotto have shot down a Sabre aircraft inany war. The words of my flightcommander, DS Jog once morereverberated in my ear “Do a job betterthan the best”.

Subsequently, I carried out many airdefence missions but did not get achance to engage any enemy aircraft incombat. Every evening we woulddisperse the aircraft to far away basesto return early morning. This wasprimarily to save our aircraft from nightenemy bombing. One night, Pakistanconducted a daring but foolish

exercise, in that, they used a Herculesaircraft to para drop a special combatforce to conduct an attack onPathankot, Adampur and HalwaraBases. Sqn Ldr S.K. Singh a ground dutyofficer was in charge of Halwaraground defence and security and he ledhis men on the job of rounding upthese invaders. He, with the help of thecivilians around the airfield, was ableto capture most of them alive, whilesome were killed in the encounter. Hewas the only ground duty officer tohave been awarded a VrC in the historyof the IAF.

During the on-going war, Air ChiefMarshal Arjan Singh now Marshal ofthe Indian Air force, flew in hisCanberra Aircraft to personally meet usand congratulate us. This was indeed agreat morale booster as he was the onewho gave me my wings! Subsequently,the awards to the gallants wereannounced and I was awarded a VirChakra. The investiture ceremony washeld at Rashtrapati Bhawan, where thethen president Dr. Radha Krishan,pinned my medal and shook my hand!I felt that I had made history. Trulymemorable!

Wing Commander Vinod Nebb wascommissioned in the IAF in 1963 and

was still under training as a fighterpilot when the 1965 Pakistan war

broke out. He was very eager toparticipate to set aside the humiliation

of 1962. On his insistence, he wasallowed to do Combat Air Patrol (CAP)

and during one such sortie onSeptember 06 over Halwara, he shot

down a Pakistani F86 Sabre aircraft. Hewas just 22 years old. The President, Dr

Radhakrishnan, awarded him his firstVir Chakra. While in the IAF, he won

many rocket and gunnery trophies. In1971, during the Bangladesh

Liberation War, he was awarded hissecond Vir Chakra. In 1984, while

commanding a radar unit, he put hisimprints on the Himalayan Car Rally

map and stood first among all Indianparticipants and sixth from amongst

all participants across the world. In1988, his flying career came to an

abrupt end when he suffered a heartattack, and he took premature

retirement. Thereafter, he helped hiswife in her venture in direct marketing

with Hindustan Unilever Limited, byconducting motivational training.


Pakistani Sabre shot down

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This story is not about a person or anevent. The story is about a solitary diningplace at the Cadets Mess at the NationalDefence Academy (NDA) at Khadakvasla.Set up in December 1954, NDA is the firsttri-services academy in the world. Ittrains cadets for permanent commissionin the three services (Army, Navy and AirForce) and its alumni have foughtvaliantly in every major conflict.

Cadets live on the campus anddevelop strong bonds with their coursemates. However, NDA is singularlydifferent from other campuses in oneway – not only do the cadets forge bondswith each other, an equally strong bondis formed with all those who would havegraduated from NDA, even if many yearsago. A kinship is developed and the ethosof never letting down a fellow comrade-in-arms is strongly ingrained.

Nowhere is this symbolised aspoignantly as in the Cadets Mess at NDA.Apart from the regular dining tables, thedining hall has an empty table near theentrance with a forlorn chair. It is laid outfor a solitary diner with completecrockery and cutlery. However, it is never

ever occupied: the chair is tilted forwardand the crockery is upturned. The tablehas a vase with a red rose and a redribbon, an empty glass, an unlit candle, aslice of lemon and salt on the bread plate.A casual visitor may be pardoned forwondering – whom is this place for? Whythe upturned chair, the empty glass, arose and ribbon?

This ‘Table for One’ is inremembrance of all those soldiers whofought in various wars but neverreturned – neither alive nor dead. Theywere either taken as Prisoners of War(PoW) or declared as Missing in Action.In the wake of the Shimla Agreementafter the Indo-Pak War of 1971, Indiarepatriated over 90,000 Pakistani PoWsbut shamefully failed to secure therelease of 54 Indian PoWs. As per theThird Geneva Convention (both Indiaand Pakistan are signatories to the same),every PoW must be treated humanely, beallowed to inform his next of kin and

International Committee of the RedCross of his capture, given adequatefood, clothing, housing and medical aid,and released quickly after cessation ofconflict. However, in complete defianceof these terms, there has been noinformation about the 54 soldiers – eventhough it has been long wait of 45 yearsfor their families and comrades since thewar ended.

Despite proof of Indian soldierslanguishing in Pakistani jails andsustained efforts by their families tosecure their release, nothing tangible hashappened. Bureaucratic files moved,papers were pushed – but to no avail. 54young men were condemned to rot injails for having committed the sin offighting bravely in a war that was notcreated by them. The trauma and torturethat would have been inflicted on themcannot even be imagined.

Their families were doomed to spendthe rest of their lives doing the rounds of

THE TABLE FOR ONEEternal Wait for the Soldiers Who Never Returned

Aditi Hingu

MOTIVATION

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different government offices andpersuading, requesting and begging anindifferent politico-bureaucracy to bringback their loved ones. Aged parents wentto their graves with broken hearts andchildren grew up without their fathers.Many of these soldiers were as young as25 year old, married for not more than ayear or two. Imagine the plight of a 23year old girl – who lived with her husbandfor 1 year and led the rest of her lifefighting a callous government forsecuring her husband’s release. Lifepassed both her and her soldier husbandby – she was neither a wife, nor a widow;could not experience motherhood;doomed to decades of uncertainty,seeking only clarity or closure – butgetting neither.

Subsequent petitions by children whogrew up without fathers led to theministers flippantly asking them, “Doyou think they are still alive?” I wonder ifthe ministers would have thought thesame if his father/brother/son werelanguishing in the Pakistan jails. Even ifone of the soldiers (who may have beenalive) can be brought back, it wouldmean closure for at least one bravefamily. Numbers are not important here,what is important is how a nation canwilfully and shamelessly forget its ownpeople.

But while the nation has forgottenthese men, their fellow soldiers haven’t.‘The Table for One’ is a poignantreminder to the cadets that the missingmen were carefree youngsters like them,who roamed the same halls and whoseboisterous laughter would haveresonated within the same walls. Everyitem of ‘The Table for One’ symbolisessomething poignant. The forlorn singlechair is symbolic of the overwhelmingodds that the conquered prisoner musthave faced. The unlit candle speaksabout the insurmountable spirit thatwould not have broken despite capture,and possible extreme torture. Theupturned plate and the empty glassacknowledge the fact that these PoW maynever return, the red rose is reminiscentof the patience of the families that are stillwaiting to embrace a loved son, a beloved

husband, a younger brother and anindulgent father. The lemon and saltsymbolise the bitter fate, heartbreak andtears that are left for the families whodeal with uncertainty. The red ribbon isreminiscent of the red ribbon worn onthe lapel of all their supporters who bearwitness to their determination to get aproper accounting of these missingsoldiers.

It is in the honour of these men, thatthe armed forces have kept the traditionalive for the last 45 years. However thesemen did not belong only to an institutioncalled the Indian Armed Forces. Theybelonged to a nation called India. As wecelebrate India’s Independence Day andRepublic Day, wearing the obligatorytricolour clothes and listening topatriotic speeches and songs, perhaps itwould be fitting to spend a minute or twoin reflection. Reflect on what is it thatmakes a young man risk all for hiscountry – a fairly tenuous ideal in thesedays when everything is defined bymaterial success or in the ability to createanarchy in the name of freedom ofexpression? What is it that makes a 30year old man leave his beautiful wife andyoung kids behind and serve for 2 yearsat the inhospitable terrain of Siachen?What is it that makes a 25 year old jump

into a raging river to rescue civiliansduring floods, knowing well that thesame set of people may pelt him withstones a year later?

As we enjoy our country’s freedomalong with our loved ones, spare athought for a family where a son hasbeen missing for decades, for childrenwho don’t even know what their fatherwould be looking like now and for menwho are still waiting for their comrades tocome back. Let us at least remembertheir sacrifices and empathise with thosewho are still clinging to the ever-fadinghope of reuniting with their loved ones.‘The Table for One’ waits wistfully forthem to return.

Aditi Hingu is a Gold Medalist fromUniversity of Delhi and an alumnus of

Indian Institute of ManagementCalcutta (PGDM, 1996-1998). She has

been working in the corporate world forthe last two decades. She has worked

(and continues working) with leadingMNCs in various roles in Marketing,

Innovation and Strategy. Herspecialisation is the FMCG market in

South Asia. Aditi comes from an Armybackground and has seen the realities of

Army life closely. She writes on issuesthat she feels strongly about (most of the

articles can be accessed on sify.com).


MOTIVATION

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It’s that time of the year whenmyriad beautiful memories ofDiwali from my childhood comesurging to me and leave me mistyeyed. I can still see it all, as if I amright there; my little siblings and Irunning around the house callingout to our mother…

The day would start byrectifying the ‘rangolis' which wewould have made days beforeDiwali, out of excitement.Conceivably, the breeze wouldblow over them and mix up thecolours into crazed patterns; or a

cat or a bird would have sauntered over it leaving incriminatingfootprints. We would then painstakingly make battis for diyasand make sure that the diyas were soaked in water long enoughso they were adequately saturated for us to fill them with oillater. If there was nothing to do, we would just tail our motherthrough the day as she worked at making the day more andmore special for us; all the while, irresistibly appetising aromasemanating from her kitchen.

As evening approached, we would light diyas and candles allaround our home and specially around our pride – the rangolis.My siblings and I would then get ready for the prayers and stepinto our Diwali gifts- exquisite traditional wear of choice. Mawould put teeka for us and then on it, carefully stick a few grainsof rice as we’d excitedly stick out our necks to her, each simpleritual more riveting to us than the other. The Puja room wouldbe alit with little lights and diyas and decorated with flowers…with those beautiful, calming, happiness inducing visions inmind we would sit down together and close our eyes and prayas a family. Fresh, hot and wonderful homemade prashaad(sujikahalwa) would follow next.

And then we would prepare for the after-party: we’d grab ourbag of crackers and run out to burst them. As we’d inhale thefamiliar smell of sparklers freshly lit by other kids, ourexcitement would barely be contained. We’d carefully light thealpha-candle and that would mark the commencement of theadrenaline inducing event. There would be so many childrendown in our colony and we’d get to gawk at, marvel and clap ateveryone’s crackers on display.

When the booty would get over we all would go back hometo our mothers and dive into dinner. A large part of ourchildhood we lived in SF or Separated Family quarters as our

father, like everyone else’s in the colony, was on a field posting.As papa spent time on the Pakistan border, China border or SriLanka, I remember so many Diwalis spent without him,thinking about him. And yet Diwali is my favourite festival. Iguess nothing could dampen our spirit. God no! What kind of aninfantry daughter would that make me? Or maybe, somewhere,Diwali became symbolic of the quiet strength that my motherexuded all through the year- I’d feel it the most on Diwali. Thepure happiness in our home and the effortless festivitymaintained therein was the labour of love of the one woman.

Subconsciously inspired, I would test the limits of my ownbravado in childlike ways. Even as a little school girl I could takea Diwali bomb, stretch out its string, then holding the bombwith my nimble fingers I would light it on a candle and expertlythrow it far up and watch enthralled as it burst deafeningly midair. My father would advise against it ofcourse, ‘no heroicsplease’, to which I’d exclaim, ‘that was just a simple patakapapa,you handle grenades daily’. His letter would gently remindme, ‘my grenade is predictable, your patakas are not.’

Today, years later, a mother of two myself, I still cannot resistthe urge to be with my parents for Diwali. As if trying withurgency to make up for or clasp at something that I missed outon… As now it can be different. After all these years it finally canbe different. As always it is going to be the all engulfing, lovefilled Diwali which I call ‘Maa ke Haath kiDiwali’.

But this time- daddy’ll be there too.

Ms Aarti Pathak is a mother of two and an Economicsprofessor, who loves to write. She blogs at https:/ /

sparrowtimes.wordpress.com/ author/ bloggingsparrow/ .

MAA KE HAATH KI DIWALIAarti K Pathak

DIWALI MEMORIES

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Mission command has some realproblems. Of course, the conceptsounds great, or at least General Pattonseemed to think so: “Never tell peoplehow to do things. Tell them what to doand they will surprise you with theiringenuity.” As you might expect, the USArmy Command and General StaffCollege supports this belief, devotinghours to discussing the logic ofempowering junior leaders. However, toparaphrase a US Air Force B-1 bomberpilot from the 2015-2016 class, themilitary rarely practices this. This articleattempts to answer why. It submits thatthere are serious risks inherent withinthe philosophy of mission commandthat cause many people to reject it, ifnot in word then in deed. Three of theserisks are the fear of subordinatesmaking mistakes, the discomfort ofsuperiors feeling out of control, and theangst of leaders chancing their careerson others’ mistakes. These are realdilemmas that inhibit the practice ofmission command and ones that we inthe military community often choosenot to discuss—but like all dilemmas,they are easier to fix when confronted.

The philosophy of missioncommand is the empowerment ofsubordinate leaders to creatively solveproblems within a higher commander’sintent. This philosophy surfacedprominently in military writing with the1890 Prussian concept of‘Auftragstaktik’, or mission tactics.Thebenefits of an agile and autonomousforce, according to German militarytheorist Helmuth von Moltke the Elder,include the ability “to act on the basis of[one’s] own view of [a] situation,

[especially] at times when no orders canbe given.”

United States ArmyLieutenantColonel Brian Steed, a military historyprofessor at the United States ArmyCommand and General Staff College,once outlined the costs of embracingmission command as he saw them.One, audacity risks stupidity. Militaryleaders must accept that empoweringjuniors makes them equally capable ofgreat heights of genius and of strikingfailures. Two, loosening control riskschaos (or at least the appearance ofsuch). Allowing others to take controlmeans that they may do thingsdifferently than their superiors wouldhave. Lastly, leading empoweredsubordinates means superiors may paythe price for their mistakes. Perhaps thegreatest threat to the implementation ofmission command is the fear thatleaders who practice it will be called toaccount for the leeway they granted.However, as threatening as all of thismay look, Steed stressed that it is onlyby accepting and managing theseliabilities prudently that we can haveleaders capable of serving in thecomplex and rapidly changingenvironments in which we fight.

Audacity Risks StupiditySubordinate empowerment can goterribly wrong. One prominent exampleis the battle of Little Bighorn. In 1876,US Army Lieutenant Colonel Custer’s7th Cavalry was part of a largeoperation pursuing Chief Sitting Bull’snative coalition. During his 19 years inthe Army, Custer had built a reputationas a daring commander. At age 23, he

was one of the youngest generals in theAmerican Civil War, establishinghimself as an extremely aggressiveleader in such engagements asHunterstown and East Cavalry Field inthe Battle of Gettysburg. Though awillingness to think for himself had wonhim success during the Civil War; later,though, it cost his and his men’s lives inbattle with the Sioux.

In late June 1876, Custer’s force waspart of a brigade-sized elementattempting to destroy Sitting Bull.Colonel John Gibbon, Custer’s brigadecommander and direct superior,ordered Custer to use his cavalryregiment to drive the enemy into thebulk of his waiting brigade. As Custerapproached the enemy’s camp, though,he believed that hostile scouts hadalready compromised his element ofsurprise. He reasoned that if he did notact immediately, the enemy wouldescape as it had so many times before.

Operating well removed from directsupervision, Custer acted upon hisjudgment. He disregarded hiscommander’s plan and ordered hisregiment to attack what he thought wasa weak-willed enemy. Unfortunately forthe 7th Cavalry, though, instead of afrightened band of renegades, Custerencountered a stalwart force ofthousands of natives who killed nearlyeveryone in his command.

The same audacity that had servedCuster so well in the past ended in hisunit’s ruin on that midsummer day.Both Gibbon’s and Custer’sAuftragstaktik resulted in failure, whichbrings us to an unpleasant reality: thechance that plans can fail horribly is a


THE PROBLEM OFMISSION COMMAND

L. Burton Brender

OPINION

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real and indelible risk associated ofmission command. However, equallybound up with the risk of failure is thepossibility of great success.

The power of mission command isthat it enables military units to adaptquicker and act more boldly thanorganisations in which subordinatesare afraid to make decisions on theirown. One example of this comes fromthe Korean War. When General MatthewRidgway assumed command of the 8thUnited States Army, following the deathof General Walton Walker, GeneralDouglas MacArthur told Ridgway that“[You should] do what you thinkbest…the Eighth Army is yours.”Ridgway later commented, “[T]hat isthe sort of order that puts heart into asoldier.” Ridgway would go on to fightthe North Koreans and Chineseardently and ingeniously until the 1953armistice at the 38th parallel. Mission

command enables leaders, likeRidgway, to be audacious andsuccessful just as much as it risksfailures like Custer’s. It allows peoplethe latitude to come uponopportunities and seize them.

Loosening Control Risks theAppearance of ChaosFor superiors, mission command isabout accepting a certain loss ofcontrol. Indeed, by necessity thephilosophy embraces a measure ofseeming disorganisation. Once, theauthor of this article observed a cavalrysquadron’s training mission against asimulated chemical bunker in Korea. Inpreparation for the event, one troopcommander carefully rehearsed hisoperation, including a 3-D digital walkthrough of the facility with his squadroncommander present. The troopcommander’s rehearsed plan was to

enter the U-shaped bunker from theright—but upon arriving on theobjective late on the night of the attack,the plan no longer made sense. On thefly, he decided to enter from the left.Obviously, going left instead of rightwas a small deviation from what he hadbriefed to his boss, but from the outsidehis actions might have looked likebedlam. That subordinate commanderwent about solving his problemdifferently than he had briefed andperhaps even differently than hiscommander would have.Extemporaneous decision making likethat can insert a degree of unease intothe execution of a plan, particularly forthose superiors who do not feelcomfortable with improvisation.

Supervisors may genuinely feelnervous about how their subordinateswill perform when they are left tothemselves, and not without good

OPINION

“The Cister Fight” by Charles Marion Russel


reason. Superiors practicing missioncommand allow their subordinatesconsiderable leeway. For relationshipswhere trust has not yet developed, orwhen supervisors require direct controlto feel safe, there can be seriousdiscomfort with mission command’sseemingly ‘laissez-faire’ processes.

Yet, the lessening of control is anessential element of mission commandand of the creative problem solvingprocess itself. On another occasion, theauthor observed several staff officerspreparing a presentation for theircommanding general’s training brief tohis higher command. In abrainstorming session, the generalpresented his message to the staff. Hisverbal message was masterfullyarticulated; however, he wanted a slideto support his point and was not surewhat he wanted it to look like. So, threeoperations officers from his staff brokeapart and created three entirelydifferent slides. When the officerssubmitted their products to the general,he was pleased with the variety his staffafforded him and even more pleasedthat one of the slides met his needs.

Neither the general nor the officers’direct supervisor had any no directinput on the creative process, yet theirteam still came up with a winningsolution. The trust the leadershipplaced in their subordinates to enterinto the “chaos” of unsupervisedcreativity allowed the general to deliverhis message to his commander in thedesired way.

Empowerment Risks PunishmentIt is important to admit that missioncommand can be a risky business. Why?Because superiors stand to lose a lot iftheir organisations fail at a task.Military officers are proud of saying thatleaders are responsible for everythingthat happens and does not happen intheir unit. Indeed, they should be proudof it: it is a key component of leaderaccountability. However, Brian Steedasserts this responsibility has a definiteeffect on the application of missioncommand that leaders ought to

acknowledge.To illustrate the career risks that

failure carries, a recent conversationwith an Armor branch manager revealeda sobering statistic. Officers that madeArmor’s 2015 battalion command selectlist had an average of approximately fourand a half of five evaluation reports ratedas “most qualified” (the highest rating),and merely advancing to lieutenantcolonel required a record nearly as good.He continued that to get anything lessthan a nearly perfect history ofevaluations means risking one’s verymilitary retirement (at least as an Armorofficer). This has the effect, howeverunintentional, of making aspiringofficers reluctant to give theirsubordinates enough power to get theminto trouble.

Addressing this issue starts with theinstitutional Army. To again paraphrasethat same branch manager, with whomSteed agrees, the current standard ofwhat a promising field grade officerlooks like on paper is not sustainable.There simply are not enough top blocksto go around. Armor, at least, willeventually have to recalibrate itsdefinition of what good enough is…ornot have enough officers selected for itscommands.

And while that particular example isdrawn from the author’s own Armorbranch, one could find parallels inalmost any hierarchical organisation,military or otherwise. Increasinglydifficult-to-meet standards withincompetitive organisationsinadvertently encourage leaders totolerate less risk. According to Steed,the threat of a stalled career is oftenstrong enough to prompt leaders toforego mission command and ensurethey never get a mediocre evaluation. Atthe very least, the institution mustacknowledge this.

However, the responsibility toempower mission command is not justat the institutional level. While everyleader is affected by the system in whichhe or she works, he or she should neverminimise his or her own ability to effectchange. While some subordinates do

warrant management in depth (thoughsuch individuals should soon findthemselves differently employed), mostdo not need such paternalism. It isincumbent upon leaders to adroitlyassess their subordinates and extend themaximum degree of latitude prudent forthe circumstances. Yes, frustratingretraining will be involved and yes,subordinates will make foolish mistakes.However, to play to those factors is tomiss the brilliance and ingenuity thatlies within our team members.

ConclusionIt is within our power, indeed, it is ourresponsibility as leaders, to makemission command a daily reality. TheUnited States’ military missions are toocomplicated and its formations toogeographically dispersed to expectsuccess without it. But to practicemission command we must acceptthree things: audacity risks stupidity,less control involves the appearance ofchaos, and leaders who empowerothers will always incur risk. But, asLieutenant Colonel Steed might say: ifwe can know the difference betweenhonest mistakes and incompetence, ifwe can find the courage to letsubordinates operate independently,and if we can accept that we might beheld personally responsible formistakes we did not make, then we canalso achieve the prudent audacity towin wars, the brilliance to solvecomplex problems, and the wisdom tobetter realise our most importantresource: people.

L. Burton Brender is an officer at theNational Training Center at Fort Irwin,

California. He holds a master ofmilitary arts and sciences from the

Command and General Staff Collegeand has held a variety of staff and

command positions within the armorfield. This article was first published on

1 September 2106 in The StrategyBridge (thestrategybridge.com). It is

republished here with the permissionof the Director of the Editorial Board,

The Strategy Bridge


OPINION



Policing is perhaps more difficult inIndia than in any other part of theworld. The plethora of problems thatIndian police forces face is quiteamazing. Let us consider a comparisonwith the U.S. police. Arguably, the threebiggest security problems of the U.S.are: firstly, racial problems betweenblacks and whites, secondly, illegalmigrations from Mexico, and thirdly, thethreat of terror. When viewed in theIndian context, in place of racialproblems, we have caste tensions andcommunal problems, which are farbigger and more complex than theracial problems which confront the U.S.Illegal migrations from Bangladesh areon a much bigger scale and dimensionthan the illegal migrations from Mexico,and are far more sinister as it leads tochanges in the demography of thecountry and adds to India’s communalproblem. Terrorism poses a limitedthreat to U.S. India, on the other hand,is the sixth most affected country byterrorism in the world. Comparisonscarried out with other countries will alsoshow that India has similar problems ona much larger scale.

What makes things morecomplicated is that India’s police forceshave to work in an environment whichis far from congenial. The political class

exploits the police to further theirpolitical ends and objectives. Thebureaucracy is not sympathetic to thepolice and misses no opportunity toundercut the Indian Police Service. Thepublic is indifferent to the police, andthe media treats the police as aconvenient punching bag. On top ofthat, the living and working conditionsof the police personnel are poor, to saythe least. India’s police forces thus haveto handle a variety of very difficultchallenges in an environment that is farfrom congenial. It is a matter of greatconcern that even nearly seven decadesafter independence, we have not caredto reform, restructure or rejuvenate thepolice. A report written in 1902 by aCommission appointed by Lord Curzonmakes an interesting reading. It says:

“The police force is far from efficient.It is defective in training andorganisation, it is inadequatelysupervised, it is generally regarded ascorrupt and oppressive, and it hasutterly failed to secure the confidenceand cordial cooperation of the people…The police force throughout the countryis in a most unsatisfactory condition,abuses are common everywhere, andthis involves great injury to the people,and discredit to the government.Radical reforms are urgently necessary.”

This report could well have beenwritten in the present times! It is as truetoday as when it was written 114 yearsago. Time seems to have stood still forthe police. There has been no change. Itwas corrupt then, it is corrupt now. Itwas oppressive then, it is oppressivenow. It did not have the confidence ofthe people then and it does not have theconfidence of the people today.Probably the deterioration is sharperand police is in a worse state todaybecause of the nexus that has developedbetween the criminals, police,bureaucrats and the politicians. This

aspect was not there in 1902, when theCommission talked of radical reformsbeing an urgent necessity. Today, morethan a century later, we are still talkingand struggling to bring about reforms inthe police. It is a sad commentary onour leadership, on their understandingof the importance of the police, and ontheir appreciation of the need for policereforms.

Security ChallengesAgainst this backdrop of the failure toreform the police forces, we face multi-dimensional security challenges.Foremost amongst these is the threat ofterrorism. This is a very serious threat,which has not being taken seriously inthe country, regardless of which partywas in power at the Centre. Terrorismreceives attention only when there is acrisis, or an explosion, or when there ismass killing. Soon thereafter attentiongets diverted to other issues and thingscarry on as usual. The threat ofterrorism is serious because terroristsare opposed to the very idea of India.They attack India politically, socially,economically and culturally to seek thedestruction of the country. Delhi,Mumbai and Bengaluru therefore comeunder attack because these are thepolitical, commercial and IT nerve-centres of India respectively. Incidentsare perpetrated in Ayodhya becausethese elements want to create areligious divide. Many years ago, theLeT chief, while speaking from amosque, said:

“if people had talked of thedisintegration of the Soviet Union, theywould have laughed at that person…But today, I announce thedisintegration of India - and we shall notrest until the Moghul rule is re-established”.

More recently, Syed Salahudeen,head of terrorist organisation, Hizb-ul-

COMBATING TERROR: NEED FOR POLICE REFORMSPrakash Singh

POLICE REFORMS

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Mujahideen, said, “We will makeKashmir the graveyard of Indiansecurity forces”. All these are ominouswords and would have to be takenseriously. In the Northeast we continueto have multiple insurgencies. In August2015, a ‘framework agreement’ wasannounced with the NSCN (IM), and itwas stated that a final settlement of theNaga problem would take place shortlywithin the next three months or so.While the dialogue is moving in the rightdirection, the stated outcome seemsunlikely in the near future. Left WingExtremism (LWE) continues to affectlarge swathes of Central India. While it isbeing contained, and the number ofaffected districts have come down fromabout 182 to 106, its eradication is still along way off. It would be wise toremember that the movement wascontained twice earlier also, but itresurfaced again because the basicissues remained unaddressed. WhenCharu Mazumdar was arrested and hedied in prison, it was thought that themovement was over, but it resurrected.Later, when Kondapalli Seetharamiahwas arrested and the People’s WarGroup was virtually decimated, it wasagain believed that the movement hadtapered of. The movement howeverrevived. The security forces can deliverup to a point only. Thereafter, theadministration has to step in and fill upthe vacuum, which it has not beendoing. In the absence of administrationestablishing itself in areas cleared by thesecurity forces, we invariably seeresurgence of the problem in course oftime.

Border management is anothermajor challenge as India has more than15,000 km of land border and more than5000 km. of coastline to protect. This isan extremely difficult task, and yet themuch derided police and CentralArmed Police Forces (CAPF) haveguarded the border with fairly goodresults.

Future ThreatsPotential future challenges are in anascent stage but are fast building up.

The most significant of these is thethreat of Islamic State. Whilegovernment maintains that the numberof people radicalised is very small, butconsidering the large size of the Muslimpopulation in India, as stated in the U.S.Counter Terrorism Report of 2014, thefuture scenario could be very grim. Ananalysis of the comments whichappeared on FaceBook, after the CharlieHebdo attack, is quite revealing.Support for the attackers came not justfrom the major towns but also fromsmaller towns like Bhilwara, Buxar andother places and included all sections ofsociety like students, doctors, engineers,advocates, lawyers, et al. Radicalisationis thus taking place in a big way, thoughthe number of people who have goneabroad to fight for the Islamic State maybe small.

Another looming threat is maritimesecurity. We have a three-tier securitysystem, comprising the marine police,the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.But it is a huge coastline and thereremain many chinks in our armour. Wehave to be careful of our coastline beingexploited by elements not well disposedto the country. Yet another threat is ofcybercrimes and cyber terrorism, thedimensions of which are going to beformidable. We are a great IT power, butan average cyber power.

Response Strategies:How should the state police forces andthe CAPF cope with these threats? Asstated earlier, the state police forces arein a shambles because nobody has paidserious attention to the subject of policereforms. In the first few decades afterindependence, the policemen managed

to run the show reasonably well becausethe first generation of bureaucrats andpolice officers were inspired by theideals of freedom and the desire to dosomething for the country. During theEmergency, the police, as recorded bythe Shah Commission, “ was used forpurposes they were not meant for andsome police officers behaved as if theyare not accountable at all to any publicauthority”.

The colonial police system standsfully discredited. To reform it, severalCommissions and Committees, wereappointed. The National PoliceCommission, submitted a verycomprehensive report in eight volumes.However, its recommendations werenot implemented for political reasons.The Report was sent to the states, butthe forwarding letter stated that thegovernment had reservations aboutsome paragraphs, and the states wereasked to take action as deemednecessary, indicating that the Centrewas not serious about itsimplementation.

Subsequently, a public interestlitigation (PIL) was filed in 1996, seekingimplementation of the salientrecommendations of the NationalPolice Commission Report. TheSupreme Court gave a historic verdict in2006, containing six importantdirectives. These were:• Constitute a State Security

Commission to insulate the policefrom extraneous pressures.

• Set up a Police Establishment Board(PEB) to decide transfers, postings,promotions and other service relatedmatters of police officers of and belowthe rank of Deputy Superintendent of


POLICE REFORMS



Police and make recommendations onpostings and transfers above the rankof Deputy Superintendent of Police.

• Set up Police Complaints Authority(PCA) at state and district levels toincrease accountability of the police.

• Ensure that the DGP is appointedthrough merit based transparentprocess for a minimum tenure of twoyears.

• Ensure that other police officers onoperational duties (includingSuperintendents of Police in-charge ofa district and Station House Officersin-charge of a police station) are alsoprovided a minimum tenure of twoyears.

• Separate the investigation and law andorder functions of the police.

• The seventh directive was for theCentre to set up a National PoliceCommission.

The Supreme Court judgement had aproviso that the directions would holdgood till such time as the Centre or thestate governments passed their ownlaws on the subject. This was anecessary insertion because the ApexCourt could fill a legislative vacuum butit could not legislate. To circumvent theSupreme Court directions, the stateshurriedly passed laws which legitimisedthe existing arrangements! Some statespassed executive orders purportedly incompliance of the Supreme Courtdirectives, but effectively diluting oramending them. The Centre alsodisappointed. It was expected that theCentre would be the first to pass aModel Act for Delhi. The Act had alreadybeen drafted by Soli Sorabjee, but thegovernment has been dragging its feetover its implementation till date. TheSupreme Court directives, it isemphasized, are not for the glory of thepolice, but for radical improvements inits functioning and for betterenforcement of the Rule of Law in thecountry. The recommendationshowever do not suit the political classand the bureaucracy. And so, there isstalemate. This battle can be won onlywhen a substantial majority of peoplearticulate their views and express their

support for police reforms.

Enhancing the CapabilitiesThere are a number of other measureswhich would need to be taken to buildthe capability of the police forces. Thereis huge shortage of manpower, which asof now is about five lakh policeman.This is compounded by the fact that alarge number of policemen are divertedfor unauthorised duties, like VIP dutiesetc. At the central level, the open endedexpansion of Central Armed PoliceForces must stop. Some of these havebecome too large and unwieldy.

There are infrastructural shortagesalso in respect of transport,communications and forensic facilities.Many police stations are sanstelephones and wireless sets. More thansix lakh exhibits are lying forexamination in different forensic labs ofthe country. Gujarat has done well inthis respect and is the only state to haveits own Forensic Sciences University -the only university across the worlddedicated to Forensic & InvestigativeScience. Gujarat also has mobileforensic labs which take care of thedistricts. In other states, the facilities arepoor and would have to be upgraded.

The government must also improvethe housing facilities for policemen.Training of the force requires muchmore attention. Time has come to postthe best police officers for training,rather than sending the discarded onesto the institution. Control rooms mustbe upgraded and steps taken toexpedite the setting up of a nationalemergency response system.Commissionerate system must beintroduced in all cities with populationof more than a million. Modernisationof the police must get high priority.

CCTNS (Crime and CriminalTracking Network System) seeks tonetwork police stations across thecountry. The project was to becompleted by 2012, but has beendelayed, and is proposed to becompleted by 2017. NATGRID (NationalIntelligence Grid) is another project,which has been making slow progress.

Both these projects must be expedited.The CBI exists on the basis of aResolution passed on 1 April 1963 and itderives its investigative powers from theDelhi Special Police Establishment Act.This is an absurd situation. Severalcommittees have recommended thatthe CBI should have its own statute togovern its functioning. This must bedone forthwith. We must also have anOrganised Crimes Act to deal withcrimes like money laundering,trafficking in arms, drug trafficking,trafficking in women and girls, etc.Cyber crimes need to be handled byqualified personnel dedicated for thepurpose. The same should be done forsocial crimes also.

It is also essential that the police isplaced in the Concurrent List of theConstitution. If that is not foundfeasible and there is resistance from thestates, government should considerdefining federal crimes and entrustingtheir investigation to the CBI / NIA, asrecommended by the SecondAdministrative Reforms Commission.Government must also codify itsinternal security doctrine.

India’s state police forces and CAPFshave a combined strength of over threemillion. The focus should be onreorganising, restructuring andrejuvenating these forces. Well organised,adequately equipped, well trained,motivated, ably led and properly utilised,they would transform the internalsecurity scenario of the country.

An Indian Police Service Officer of the1959 batch, Shri Prakash Singh served as the

Director General (DGP) of both the UttarPradesh Police and Assam Police. Thereafter,

he served as the DG BSF. A strong advocatefor Police Reforms, he filed, after his

retirement in 1996, a Public Interest Litigationin the Supreme Court of India in pursuance

of the same. Recipient of the Padma Shri,Singh has authored many books dealing with

national security. He submitted acomprehensive report on the role of officersof civil administration and police during the

Jat reservation agitation in Haryana. Thisarticle is based on a talk given by the author

at the Vivekananda International Foundationon 15 September 2016.

POLICE REFORMS


VETERANS ALERT

29

REVISION OF PENSION


Havildars Granted ACP 1Revision of pension under OROP in respect of Post-2006Havildars granted ACP-I and who later on were promoted tothe Rank of Hony Nb Sub. It is clarified that pension of Post-2006 Havildars granted ACP-I, who got pensionary benefits ofNb-Sub rank but later on promoted to the rank of Hony Nb-Sub for which Corr PPOs were issuedrevising the rank as Hony Nb-Sub.Pension in such cases shall be revisedto the rank of Nb-Sub.

Revision of pension under OROP in r/oFly. Sergeant. The rank of Fly. Sergeanthas not been mentioned in theequivalence of ranks in Appendix ‘Y’ ofthe PCDA Pension Allahabad Circulars555& 557. It is hereby clarified that rankof Fly. Sergeant is equivalent to JWO ofthe Air Force and Naib Subedar of theArmy. Hence, pension of Fly. Sergeantshall be revised from the Tables of NaibSubedar. PCDA Pension Allahabadcircular No 566 dated 16 Sep 2016refers.

Implementation of Government’sdecision on the recommendations ofthe Seventh Central Pay Commission-Revision of Pension of Pre-2016Defence Forces Pensioner/Family Pensioners

Revision of Pension: As per Para 5.1 of GOI, MoD, DESW letterNo.17(01)/2016-D(Pen/Pol) dated 29 Oct 2016, for the existingpensioners, who have retired/died before 01.01.2016, therevised pension/family pension with effect from 01.01.2016shall be determined by multiplying the Basic Pension (beforecommutation)/Basic Family Pension (exclusive of DearnessRelief) as had been drawn as on 31.12.2015 by 2.57 to arrive atrevised pension under 7th CPC. The amount of revisedpension/family pension so arrived at shall be rounded off tonext higher rupee.

Minimum and Maximum Pension:The minimum basic pension with effect from 01.01.2016 willbe Rs. 9000/- per month (excluding the element of additionalpension admissible to old pensioners). The upper ceiling ofpension/ family pension will be 50% and 30% respectively ofthe highest pay in the Government (The highest pay in theGovernment is Rs 2,50,000/- with effect from 01.01.2016).

Disability Element:The implementation of 7th CPC recommendations relating tomethodology for calculation of disability element has beenreferred to the Anomalies Committee. The disability elementwhich was being paid to pre-2016 Defence Pensioners as on31.12.2015 will continue to be paid till decision on the

recommendations of AnomaliesCommittee is taken by the Government.

Ex-gratia awards to Cadets in casesof disablement: The following ex-gratia award shall bepayable subject to the same conditions ashitherto in force in the event of invalidmentof a Cadet (Direct) on medical grounds dueto causes attributable to or aggravated bymilitary training. Payment of monthly ex-gratia award of Rs. 9000/- per month andpayment of ex-gratia disability award @ Rs.16200/- per month for 100% disabilityduring the period of disablement. Theamount will be reduced proportionatelyfrom the ex-gratia disability award in casethe degree of disablement is less than100%;

Methodology for Implementationand ReportingAll Pension Disbursing Agencies handling

disbursement of pension to the Defence Pensioners arehereby authorized to pay pension/family pension to existingpensioners/family pensioners at the revised rates in terms ofPara 5.1 of the above letter without any further authorizationfrom the concerned Pension Sanctioning Authorities. It isconsidered desirable that the benefit of these orders shouldreach the pensioners as expeditiously as possible. To achievethis objective, it is directed that all Pension DisbursingAgencies should ensure that the revised pension and thearrears due to the pensioners in terms of Para 5.1 above ispaid to the pensioners or credited to their account in oneinstallment within two months from the date of issue of theletter. A suitable entry regarding revised pension with effectfrom 1.1.2016 fixed in terms of Para 5.1 of the above letter, asthe case may be, will be recorded by the Pension DisbursingAgencies in the Pension records of the pensioners viz.Pension Payment Order, Check Register/Pension PaymentScroll Register. An acknowledgement shall be obtained by thePension Disbursing Agencies from Office of PCDA (Pensions),Allahabad in token of receipt of the requisite Annexure.

Hony Capt Baldev Singh

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During my final three years in uniform atAir HQ, my job was to daily write filenoting and briefs, technical things,without any scope for humour. After all,what humour can you add inE=MC2.None of my superiors ever readmy briefs, they already knew allaboutE=MC2. If I had to write briefs thathad to be sent to MoD, sycophancy wasmade to drip like honey fromE=MC2. Butthe lowly amoeba ‘Desk Officer’ MrYashpal, his job in MoD was to act like apostal employee, franking with self-inking rubber stamp ‘Bugger Off’, righton top of my dripping honey. So it was acomplete waste of my time. Nevertheless,that was my job, and hence I persevered.In retrospect, it was very stupid of me tobe conscientious, when none wanted meto be so!

Once in a while I had to write briefs forthe CAS (Chief of Air Staff) too, routedthrough DASR, ACAS (Plans), DCAS tothe Chief, all of whom took great pains toproofread and correct Queen’s ‘E’. Theillustrious and most affable CAS was veryfond of me, but not my W-front armourpiercing contact fused briefs! Due to his

macho Alpha male perception, the CASwould not wear specs or contacts. He wasblind as a bat (short sight, myopia). Also,as is common with all those who pip pastMaj. Gen. (& equivalents), while they arestill in uniform, the CAS perhaps hadmild ‘dyslexia’(difficulty in reading andcomprehending anything, other than hisown perception). Double trouble for me,especially when I had to write highlycomplex technical briefs, E=MC2 typewith no sense of humour.

Once I was briefed by my equallyconscientious venerable boss for twohours, and asked to write a brief for CASon who he should meet, what he mustdo, and technology that he must look outfor during his forthcoming visit toFarnborough air show. Dutifully I sentaround a note to all directorates in AirHQ, including the ‘Camp Commandant’,my course mate Dayalu, asking for theirviews, especially latest technology inoffice chairs. I didn’t have a chair andused to sit on piled up 4” thick volumes ofMTNL telephone directories.

When I compiled every one’s views, itbecame a 1000 page encyclopaedia,which I knew the chief will not read. So Idid précis writing, again and again to cutit short, even taking out articles,prepositions, verbs, pronouns andeverything else in ‘Wren & Martin’ thatgives the Queen of England a mighty ‘O’.Finally, I even tried writing it like it isdone in Army HQ, to help morons towrite English without spelling mistakes(like ‘recce’ for reconnaissance, ‘laz’ forliaison, ‘mvre’ for manoeuvre, ‘rv’ forrendezvous etc). After much strenuousconstipation, I produced a masterpiece,condensing 1000 pages to about 50 pageswithout missing any points from Tom,

Dick or Dayalu, especially my neighbourin Prince’s Park, Dayalu and his charmingwife Rita.

All of this ‘Shakespearian’ effort tooktime and the Chief was to leave the samenight. Reason why I decided to use theNH bypass circular road around mybosses, the DASR, ACAS (Plans) andDCAS, short cut through the StaffOfficer’s room, sneak in through theCAS’s toilet. Very proudly I went directlyto the Chief, like the ‘Roman Centurion’going to meet Caesar. I was hoping thatthe Chief, on his return fromFarnborough would at least sanction aR&D technology demonstrator officechair, that looked like an ejection seat,strongly recommended by the CampCommandant as long term replacementscheme for MTNL telephone directory tosit on in Air HQ.

‘What is it?’, the Chief asked me withannoyance, because I had caught himearly morning, as soon as he sat down inhis chair that did resemble an ejectionseat. ‘A brief for you Sire’, I said humblyand respectfully. ‘It is about who youshould meet, what you must do, andtechnology that you must look out forduring your forthcoming visit toFarnborough air show’, I said witlessly,with no sign of tact. I have foot in themouth disease. The illustrious CAShiccupped and very justly threw thereport at me.

‘Go away, and don’t come back’, hecommanded like King Solomon.

‘What happened?’ my boss askedwhen I returned to my throne of MTNLtelephone directories, looking sad andforlorn.

‘Chief didn’t like the brief’, I saidtactfully, rather unusual for me.

SCREWING QUEEN’S‘E’ – IN BRIEF

Wg Cdr Unni Kartha

IN LIGHTER VEIN

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IN LIGHTER VEIN

‘Do it again’, my boss ordered. ‘Do itthe way Chief likes it, we have to have anote in the file that we have briefed theChief’, he said and vanished. My boss wasa stickler for propriety and file noting,recorded for the benefit of C&AG as wellas posterity.

So I sat down and typed, ‘Bon Voyage’on a single A4 size paper, Ariel 72 fontand took it back to the Chief, once againsneaking in through the toilet, lest the AAwaylay me, as was his job. By then theChief had drunk his tea, ate biscuits andgone for a pee. So he was not sufferingfrom hypoglycaemia. He was in a goodmood.

‘What is it now?’ he growled.I put the single sheet of brief in front of

him without saying tactless things.He picked it up, held it at arm’s length

and squinted at it.He then got up from his ejection seat,

grabbed my hand and shook it.‘This is how a brief must be made for

the Chief’, he gave me a compliment. ‘Doyou want to come with me toFarnborough?’ he asked very graciously.

‘No Sir’ I replied with a smile. It was apleasure to please the fine chief, I was

very proud to be his minion.‘Why not?’ He asked with a frown.‘Sire, the British MI-6 & SAS have

shoot at sight orders to kill me, because Iscrew their Queen’s ‘E’ every time I writea brief’, I said, and ran off from the Chief’soffice without looking back, this timethrough AA’s office. He didn’t waylayoutbound traffic.

Finally when British-ers got fed up,their venerable High-Commissionerissued me a ‘De Marche, Tout De Suite’.Before they laid claim for me under‘Indo-UK extradition treaty, in return forMallya’, I voluntarily marched out of theIAF for the last time. Singlehanded, I thenwent to war with the British, to teach‘British-ers’ to learn to ‘ish-crew’ Queens‘E’ without ‘Running Martins’, especiallyon the ‘Speak In Hinglishdays’ in theirHouse of Commons. It then became theiracceptable parliamentary language, evento use Punjabi MC & BC once in a while.The latest ‘E’ dictionary defines thepeople of Britain as ‘British-ers’, as we sayin India. I confess that I copied psy wartactics of Dr Goebbels. It took me twodecades. But ‘British-ers’ and ‘English-ers’ are now ‘jusht loving it’, like the fraud

Chicken Tikka Masala. They are now ‘sa-tanding and ish-crewing their Q’s E, ish-slowly, ish-slowly’. I think that is why theyvoted ‘Brexit’, all of them want to exitBritain and migrate, come right back toIndia to rule!

‘What a good’ it will be Sir-Jee, to havea ‘Wise-Roy’ back on Raisina Hill, insteadof the ‘Han-Jee’s with ‘Vices’.

Rimcolian, Ex NDA, a QFI and ExpTest Pilot, Wg Cdr Unni Kartha (Cyclic),

PG (Aerospace Design), MaESI, MBAserved in the AF for 23 yrs. Raised and

commanded a Mi-35 Sqn and took PMRin 1994. Afterwards did extreme

engineering in myriad technology withmultinationals, in India and abroad, for

22 yrs. ‘Make in India’ entrepreneur of‘Advanced Technology, Unique

Machines’.With his boots off, in hissunset years in Hyderabad, he alsowrites sentimental and humorous

stories of his very mischievous youth,toamuse and motivate the younger

generation, on his bloghttp:/ / cyclicstories.blogspot.in/ He can

be contacted on 9810252959.

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DEFENCE NEWS

32 SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER << September-October 2016 << [email protected]

CAMBRIAN PATROL: 2/8GR WINS GOLDA team from the Indian Army's 2/8 GorkhaRifles won a gold medal at one of the mostgruelling exercises in the world - theCambrian Patrol, an annual internationalmilitary patrolling exercise that makes itsparticipating units cover an 80 km coursein less than 48 hours while performingnumerous types of military exercises in therugged Cambrian Mountains and swamplands of mid-Wales. Organised by the BritishArmy, the Cambrian Patrol 2016 had 121teams participating, each vying forexcellence. It was first set up more than 40years ago, by a group of Welsh TerritorialArmy soldiers who designed the trainingevent to feature long distance marchingover the Cambrian Mountains culminating ina shooting match on the Sennybridgetraining area. Since then, the exercise hasbeen rigorously updated to meet thechallenges faced by modern soldiers whoare tested on 15 different parameters,ranging from NBC, knowledge of NATOweapons, tactical reconnaissance, combatfirst aid, mine field crossing, GenevaConventions, et al.They are assessed onmilitary skills, completion of orders anddebrief and are given points based on theirperformances in several military tasks.

The competition consists of teams ofeight men patrolling across some of themost unforgiving terrain. It's a test ofleadership, self-discipline, courage,physical endurance and determination. Theexercise usually starts with teams arrivingat a rendezvous before having theirequipment checked to make sure they haveeverything required. Missing equipment willbe replaced by dead weight and will meanpoints will be deducted. From there theteam leader will be taken to orders whilethe rest of the team set up a quick hide,start their battle prep and prepare toreceive orders i.e. prepare a model of theground which will be covered during thepatrol. Many of the teams that enter do notfinish, those that do earn one of fourdistinctions; gold medal, silver medal,bronze medal, or passing. It is however nota competition. The Gold Medal is awardedfor achieving a score of 75 per cent orabove. A Silver medal is awarded for a

score of 65 to 74 percent and bronzemedal for a score of 55 to 64 percent.Certificates are awarded to teams thatfinish with lower than 55 percent of thepoints.

The British Army inWalestweeted "Congratulations to 2ndBattalion 8 Gorkha Rifles on their goldmedal at #Cambrian Patrol. Consistentlysuperb.” After being presented the goldmedal, the team from 2/8 GR thenpresented a memento, a traditional khukri,the central element in the regimentalinsignia of the Gorkha Rifles to the Brits.

It's been over tenyears since the IndianArmy has been sendinga team to compete inthe Cambrian Patrol.Selection for the teamwhich goes toparticipate is rigorous.Beginning in Novemberevery year, a team fromevery infantry battalioncompetes to gain thepole position in thebrigade, then division,then corps competitionin order to reach thecommand competition.The top two teams from

each Command are selected to participatein the Army level trials conducted atCommando Wing Belgaum. This process ofcompetitions is completed by early April.The top two teams are further put througha set of exercises conducted at twodifferent locations in August to run off forthe privilege to represent the Indian Army atWales in October.

The first Indian Army team to win a goldmedal at Wales was 4/9 GR in 2011. 8Garhwal Rifles repeated the feat in 2014.And it's 2/8 GR now. Well done andcongratulations to team 2/8 GR for theirmagnificent performance.

2/8 GR Team with the COAS, Gen Dalbir Singh

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DEFENCE NEWS


PRIME MINISTER INAUGURATES SHAURYA SMARAK IN BHOPALOn 14 October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated theShaurya Smarak, a war memorial in Bhopal for India’s soldierswho laid down their lives for the nation. According to CongressRajya Sabha MP and eminent lawyer Vivek Tankha, the idea ofShaurya Smarak evolved during the second Colonel Ajay MushranMemorial Lecture held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi onJuly 10, 2008, which Mr Tankha had organised in his capacity asthe President MP foundation, which hosts events in memory ofdeceased former finance minister of the state Ajay Mushran. Inthat year, the lecture was on ‘Why young men are no longerjoining the army’.

Gracing the occasion were the then Army Chief GeneralDeepak Kapoor, the FOC-in-C of the Eastern Naval CommandRear Admiral Nirmal Verma (Later retired as CNS) and Lt Gen.Milan Naidu, who was then the VCOAS. Also present was theChief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhanand other political leaders including Congress leaders DigvijayaSingh and Jyotiraditya Scindia. While addressing the audience,General Deepak Kapoor pointed out that the army is no longerattractive for young men as “the army does not get respectedthe way it used to… and if there is no respect for soldiers, noone will join the armed forces.” During the course of discussions,a number of speakers stated that India had not constructed anational war memorial after the memorial constructed by theBritish Indian Government at India Gate, though four wars hadbeen fought and thousands of soldiers had laid down their livesfor the country. Also, many soldiers had died, while protectingour borders and fighting insurgencies. At this point, Chief MinisterChouhan asked Vivek Tankha with simplicity, "Is it possible toconstruct a war memorial in a state?”. Thus was the idea of theShaurya Smarak born.

The Chief Minister made four announcements that eveningwhich included constructing a state war memorial in Bhopal andgiving land in Bhopal and Jabalpur to veterans for constructingresidential colonies. The foundation stone of Shaurya Smarakwas laid in February 2009 in the presence of General DeepakKapoor. The structure was completed in 2013, and it wassuggested that President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurate thememorial in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the ArmedForces. However, it was felt that merely having a column formartyred soldiers was not enough. It was suggested that a lightand sound show should be made a permanent feature of thememorial so that tales of valour could be made known to thepeople. This took up a couple of years more to get the memorialin the shape it is in today. Spread over an area of 12.67 acres,the total cost of construction of the Shaurya Smarak is Rs 41crore. It now has a sound and light show, library and wardisplays, besides the columns in which the name of the Shahidsare etched. Indeed it is an auspicious sign that the nation is finallyrecognising the valour of its soldiers and paying respect to thosethat gave their life for the nation. The inauguration by the PrimeMinister of the Shaurya Smarak is indeed momentous as the

Prime Minister had promised to construct a National WarMemorial in Delhi and funds for that purpose have been allotted.The Armed Forces and the whole nation await that happy daywhen the National War Memorial in Delhi will finally beinaugurated.


DEFENCE NEWS

34 SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER << September-October 2016 << [email protected]

INDIA SIGNS DEAL TO PROCURE S-400 TRIUMFDuring the India Russia Summit in Goa,which took place a day after the BRICSSummit concluded on 16 October, Indiasigned a deal to buy the S-400 Triumf airdefence system (called Growler by NATO),developed by Russia’s Almaz CentralDesign Bureau. India will buy five of them atan estimated price of Rs 30,000 crore.

The S-400 Triumf fills a critical void inIndia’s air defence system. it is a mobileplatform that can launch eight missiles atone go and at a speed faster than mostfighter aircraft. It is hence a game changerin the current environment in the subcontinent. Its criticality lies in itssophisticated jamming-resistant panoramicradar that can detect and track a target ata distance of 600 km with the ability toengage multiple targets up to a range of380 km.

Russia first deployed the S-400 Triumf in2010 to defend its air space and an area afew hundred kilometres beyond, againstmissiles and aircraft of all types, includingstealth aircraft. Each S-400 battalion haseight launchers, a control centre, radar and16 missiles available as reloads. Itincorporates four types of missiles whichare carried on mobile launchers. Thesemissiles engage targets at ranges of 120km, 200 km, 250 km and 380 km and canhit targets at a speed of 17,000 km anhour, faster than any existing aircraft. Thetargets could be strategic aircraft, spyplanes, fighter jets, stealth aircraft,airborne early warning aircraft and missiles.

Following the shooting down of aRussian Su-24 warplane by Turkish fighters,Russia has deployed the system in Syria.The immediate impact of the deploymentwas that the Turkish F-16s not only stoppedventuring into Syrian airspace but evenstopped coming close to avoid anaccidental provocation. Ankara alsoreversed its policy to invite Russia to bid ina tender to build an anti-missile defencesystem. With that one move, Moscow sentout the message that it wasn’t posturing,but was there to stay in Syria - a move thatstunned NATO. A single weapons systemhad fundamentally altered the balance ofpower in the Syrian battlefield and outside.

In comparison, the US Patriot missilesystem has a range of just about 100 km.

China is also buying six S-400 anti-aircraft/anti-missile systems - a move thatwill significantly boost China’s air defencecapability against the US and its allies.Russia recently completed the delivery of S-300 air defence missile systems to Iran.For India, it will restrict the Pakistan AirForce’s ability to operate even within itsown airspace and will provide more latitudeand security to the political authority, at

least on the volatile Pakistanfront. The first effect is onthe rounding off of India’sthree-tier air defence loop.At the first level are short-range surface-to-air missiles,basically the indigenously-developed Akash with a 20-40 km range. Then, themedium range surface-to-airmissile of about 70 kmrange. And now the S-400s.As the S-400 would virtually

cover most of Pakistan, the vulnerability ofthe Pakistan Air Force would greatlyincrease. India plans to deploy three ofthese against Pakistan and two againstChina, one each on the western andeastern sectors of the Line of ActualControl (LAC). The calculus is that even theChinese would have to depend largely ontheir aerial capabilities for any deepoffensive into India. So, this acts as a majordeterrent.


DEFENCE NEWS


INDIA TO BUY 200 COMBAT JETSIndia is considering the purchase of 200 to 300 fighter planes fromforeign manufacturers - as long as the jets are made in India andwith a local partner. A deal for 200 single-engine planes producedin India, to fully phase out ageing Soviet-era aircraft - could be worthanything from $13-$15 billion - potentially one of the country'sbiggest military aircraft deals. India had earlier, scaled back theproposal to buy 126 Rafale Jets from France’s Dassault to just 36aircraft. at a cost of Euro 7.87 billion.The Indian Air Force is nowlooking to speed up other acquisitions and arrest a fall inoperational strength, which now is a third less than required to faceboth China and Pakistan. However, the BJP led NDA governmentunder Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants further military planes tobe built in India with an Indian partner to kickstart a domesticaircraft industry, and end an expensive addiction to imports.

Lockheed Martin has expressed interest in setting up aproduction line for its F-16 plane in India for not just the Indianmilitary, but also for export. Sweden's Saab has also offered a rivalproduction line for its Gripen aircraft, setting up an early contest forone of the biggest military plane deals in play. An Air Force official,who briefed on the Make-in-India plans under which a foreignmanufacturer will partner local firms to build the aircraft withtechnology transfer, said that...“the immediate shortfall is 200. Thatwould be the minimum India would be looking at.” Consequently,India's defence ministry has written to several companies asking ifthey would be willing to set up an assembly line for single-enginefighter planes in India and the amount of technology transfer thatwould happen. “We are testing the waters,” said a governmentofficial, “we are testing the foreign firms' willingness to moveproduction here and to find out their expectations.”

The Indian Air Force originally planned for 126 Rafale twin-enginefighters from Dassault, but the two sides could not agree on theterms of local production with a state-run Indian firmand settled for 36 planes in a fly-away condition.Adding to the military's problems is India's three-decade effort to build a single-engine fighter of its ownwhich was meant to be the backbone of the IAF. Onlytwo of those Light Combat Aircraft, called Tejas, havebeen delivered to the IAF, which has ordered 140 ofthem. The IAF has pegged its fighter squadronrequirements to 45, but as of now it is down to just 32operational squadrons. In March 2016,the Vice Chiefof Air Staff, Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa told parliament'sdefence committee that it didn't have the operationalstrength to fight a two front war against China andPakistan.

Amongst the foreign manufactures, Saab hasstated that it was ready to not only produce itsfrontline Gripen fighter in India, but also help build alocal aviation industry base. According to JanWiderstrm, Chairman and Managing Director, SaabIndia Technologies, they were…“very experienced in

transfer of technology - our way of working involves extensivecooperation with our partners to establish a complete ecosystem,not just an assembly line.” Jan confirmed Saab had received theletter from the Indian government seeking a fourth generationfighter. A source close to the company said that while there was nominimum order set in store for it to lay down a production line, theywould expect to build at least 100 planes at the facility. LockheedMartin said it had responded to the defence ministry's letter with anoffer to transfer the entire production of its F-16 fighter to India.“Exclusive F-16 production in India would make India home to theworld's only F-16 production facility, a leading exporter of advancedfighter aircraft, and offer Indian industry the opportunity to becomean integral part of the world's largest fighter aircraft supply chain,”Abhay Paranjape, National Executive for Lockheed MartinAeronautics Business Development in India said in an email.Lockheed's offer comes on the back of expanding US-India militaryties in which Washington has emerged as India's top arms supplierin recent years, ousting old ally Russia. Earlier this year Boeing alsooffered India its twin-engine F/A-18 Hornets, but the level oftechnology transfer was not clear.

India has never previously attempted to build a modern aircraftproduction line, whether military or civilian. State-run HindustanAeronautics (HAL) has assembled Russian combat jets including theSu-30, but these are under licensed production. For India, thisrepresents the most serious attempt to build a domestic base.According to Air Marshal M. Matheswaran, full or a near-full techtransfer lays the ground for further development and that the Indiangovernment would be looking at producing at least 200 fighters,and then probably some more, to make up for the decades of delayin modernising the IAF.


BOOK REVIEW


This book, written by Dr Monika Chansoria, a Senior Fellow atthe prestigious Centre for Land Warfare Studies, is timely forseveral reasons, but first and foremost because it describesthe way Beijing conducts ‘diplomacy’ in its extendedneighbourhood.

Chansoria writes: “Changing the territorial status quo hasbeen the unfinished business of thePeople’s Republic of China since itsfounding in 1949, when it set out toforcibly absorb the sprawling Xinjiangand Tibetan plateau — actions thatincreased the landmass of China by 44per cent.”

The scholarly author continues:“Underlining the fact that China doesnot apply the rule of law at home, itsingenious principle to covetneighbours’ territories is: ‘What is oursis ours and what is yours is negotiable’.”

India has been at the receiving endof China’s irredentism sinceIndependence. Chansoria quotes MajGen. Zhang Zhaozhong of the People’sLiberation Army (PLA), who mentionsthe ‘cabbage’ strategy; it involves“asserting a claim, launching furtiveincursions into the coveted territory,and erecting — one at a time —cabbage-style multiple layers ofsecurity around a contested area so asdeny access to a rival.” In other words,you grab what you want or what youneed for your security, cover it with afew ‘security layers’ and then offer‘friendly’ discussions to the oppositeparty. The Chinese-speaking scholarcontinues: “The strategy bears all thehallmarks of modern Chinesebrinkmanship, including reliance onstealth, surprise and a disregard for therisks of military escalation and seeks to ensure that theinitiative remains with China.”

Similar tactics were used during the negotiations withIndia for the Panchsheel Agreement in 1954; at that timeChina had just started building a road in the Aksai Chin. Thisbook is relevant because it is crucial for Indian strategists tounderstand the pattern used by Beijing, one could call it

‘grabbing with Chinese characteristics’: “Construct a dispute,initiate a jurisdictional claim through periodic incursions,and then increase the frequency and duration of suchintrusions, thereby establishing a military presence orpressuring a rival to cut a deal on China’s terms.”

China is always one stage in advance on its opponent,which is often kept off balance. This isnot only the story of the SenkakuIslands, but also the ‘rocks’ in the SouthChina Sea, the Aksai Chin region ofLadakh or the LAC in ArunachalPradesh or Uttarakhand (incursions aremildly called ‘transgressions’ by the shyIndian politicians). Beijing invariablyfollows the same pattern, if there is noresistance, no opposition, it continuesto advance, till it is stopped by force atthe risk of a conflict. One could also citethe example of Tawang and other areasin Arunachal Pradesh where historicallythe Tibetan ‘influence’ has never beenmore than 10 per cent of the landmassof the State, but which is today claimedby China as South Tibet in entirety.Unfortunately for Beijing, in the presentcase, the Japanese are not ready to bebullied.

Chansoria starts her study with the‘Genesis of dispute in the East ChinaSea’. The fact that the author calls theIsland in dispute as ‘Senkaku’, theJapanese name, shows which side of thedispute she stands at. China calls theIslands, Diaoyu (‘fishing platform’).Chansoria, however, highlights thecomplexity of the issue: “The disputeover sovereignty of the Senkaku/DiaoyuIslands is structured around economicinterests, domestic politicalcompulsions, issues surrounding

national identity and allegiance, requirements ofinternational law and the long-standing baggage of historicalgrievances.”

The eight uninhabited islands, located in the East ChinaSea, northeast of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland andsouthwest of Japan’s southernmost Okinawa prefecture,might be small, but are the object of a bitter quarrel which

STEERING ASIA TO STABILITYClaude Arpi

CHINA, JAPAN AND SENKAKU ISLANDS

By Monika ChansoriaKW Publishers

Price Rs 980/- (Hard Cover)

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BOOK REVIEW

could explode anytime. The five volcanic islands and threerocky outcroppings have a total land area of only 6.32 sq km.

On January 14, 1895, the Japanese Cabinet had passed aformal Resolution incorporating the Senkaku Islands into itsterritory. Japan argued that before 1895, the islands were terranullius (ie territory claimed by no nation). The islands wereplaced under the jurisdiction of Okinawa Prefecture. This isthe foundation of Japan’s legal basis for asserting its claimover the islands.

In May 1895, Japan and the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty signedthe Treaty of Shimonoseki ending the Sino-Japanese war.Under the agreement, (considered today by China an‘unequal treaty’), China ceded Taiwan/Formosa to Japan“together with all the islets appertaining or belonging to thesaid island of Formosa.” The treaty did not specificallymention the Senkakus. Today Beijing and Taipei argue thatafter World War II, the Allied declarations at Cairo andPotsdam restored to China territories taken through militaryaggression by the Japanese, and thus the islets should havebeen returned to China.

In October 1945, Japan relinquished authority over allterritories seized or occupied (such as Manchuria, Formosaand the Pescadores), but in no agreement were the Islands ofSenkakus mentioned; by default it remained part of Okinawaprefecture. Of course, China does not agree to this reading.

Chansoria goes into depth into the International Law, LegalProvisions and Conventions; the Resurgence of National inChina and Japan (an important factor of the dispute), but alsothe Oil, Gas and Economics of the Conflict, (whichunderstandably exacerbate the lust of the opponent andharden the respective positions) and finally the China-Japan-America Triangle (which makes any peacemakers lose faith inany possible negotiated solution).

Her last Chapter is on ‘Reigniting a Quiescent Volcano’. Herconclusion points to the need “to steer Asia towards a regionalorder that maintains stability in the power equilibrium,thereby challenging a visibly coercive Sino-centric vision ofthe future Asia, especially within the Indo-Pacific.”

It is easier said than done, but the Modi Government hastaken many steps in this direction by establishing closer linkswith Japan, Vietnam or Australia. The work of Chansoria isdetailed, precise, legally well-researched. The generalprinciples described by the author can apply to any of China’sterritorial claims. It is perhaps high time for India to preparesuch studies for its border with China from Ladakh toArunachal. It may one day be useful.

This book review was first published in The Pioneer,October 23, 2016. Editor.


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Yet another case of Pakistan army or itsproxies, i.e., terrorists trained byit/sometimes operating with it,mutilating Sepoy Mandip Singh of IndianArmy in the most sick, savage way on 28October 2016, is nothing new. From thetime Pakistan and its army came intoexistence in August 1947, the latter’sethos underwent drastic changes. Thesame soldiers, who were part ofundivided India’s army, which won greataccolades in two world wars, becamepart of the newly apportioned Pakistanarmy, the first task of which was attackingIndia to try to grab Jammu and Kashmir.The major changes seen in this war werethe mass use of proxies-the ‘Kabailis' andlarge scale rape and pillage, all of whichcertainly was not by the ‘Kabailis' only.They were being commanded andcomplemented by Pak army officers andsoldiers respectively.

In the second and third Indo-Pak warswaged by Pakistan (1965 and 1971) therewere a number of instances of Pak armypersonnel committing barbaric acts ofmutilation, including severing genitalsand forcing them into the mouths ofIndian Army personnel unfortunateenough to be cornered by them. Beforethe 1971 war, Pak army raped a fewhundred thousands of Bangla women inerstwhile East Pakistan-then still its owncountry. It also captured fifty four IndianArmed Forces personnel, who were notregistered as prisoners of war (PsOW),who have been detained illegally to thisday to languish in various prisons in

Pakistan, to avoid theirdetection/identification by their visitingnext of kin and Red Cross teams. If killingby mutilation is one form of horrendoustorture, this kind of detention is another.And compare this to Indian Armycapturing 93,000 Pakistani armed forcespersonnel as PsOW in erstwhile EastPakistan, keeping them in healthyconditions in PsOW camps as per GenevaConventions and repatriating them witha packet of sweets to each.

Having realised that India could notbe beaten in conventional wars,Pakistan’s third dictator president, GenZia ul Haq devised a plan to “bleed Indiaby a thousand cuts” and waged thefourth war against India by export ofterrorists, which continues to date.During this war there have been manyinstances of Pakistani terroristsmutilating Indian Armed Forcespersonnel, which were not reported bythe government of the day. In almostthree decades of this war, during a greatlyintensified phase in mid-1999 in the areaaround Kargil, Pak army personnel againcommitted heinous acts of barbaricmutilation against Indian officers, whichwere reported as was the last one on twoIndian Army soldiers in 2013. The reasonis a mix of frustration of defeat,cowardice and total lack ofprofessionalism and leadership in thecase of Pak army personnel andindoctrination in the case of terrorists.

In the Indian Army the Gorkhas areauthorised to carry the ‘khukri’ (curvedmachete) and the Assam Regimenttroops, the ‘dah’ (straight machete) astraditional side-arms. While soldiers of

both these regiments wield thesemachetes with great dexterity, they havealways only been used as last resortweapons in close quarter battle, afterammunition has been expended andnever for savagery.

How should an adversary respond tothe loathsome acts like those mentionedabout Pak army or their terrorist proxies?Literally an eye for an eye and a tooth fora tooth has never been the modus ofIndian Army, as it would amount tostooping as low as an army of barbarians.Punishing the Pak military appears aviable option as evidenced by the promptand punitive response to the 28 Octobermutilation of Sepoy Mandip Singh, withthe Indian Army eradicating fourPakistani posts along the Line Of Controlin Keran sector by a preponderance offire power. In addition, India mustpublicise all of Pak army’s/its proxy’sbarbarous acts widely, take them up withthe International Court of Justice andrelentlessly pursue the case tillpunishment is pronounced.

"We believe that Pakistan can directlycontribute to regional stability by actingagainst militants on its soil who seek toattack its neighbours," State DepartmentSpokesman John Kirby told reporters athis daily news conference. WhetherPakistan will take that much needed stepis however doubtful. Meanwhile, IslamicState has sought to make inroads into thestate, hoping to exploit the country'sgrowing sectarian divisions. The nightattack of 24 October on a Pakistani policetraining academy in Quetta which killedover 60 people and injured over ahundred was claimed by the IS. Earlier, InAugust, the IS also claimed the attack onmourners gathered at a hospital inQuetta, which killed 70 people, though aPakistani Taliban faction, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, also laid claim to the same. Themilitary had dismissed previous IslamicState claims of responsibility and lastmonth said it had crushed the MiddleEast-based group's attempt to expand inPakistan. It also dismissed previous ISclaims of responsibility as 'propaganda'.But there is growing evidence that somelocal groups are working with IS. We needto monitor the situation carefully.

DEALING WITH A ROGUE ARMY

Lt Col Anil Bhat

RAISINA HILL


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LEISURE & LIFESTYLE


The overnight train from Ahmedabadwas on time and we got down at thedesolate Anjar station at the crack ofdawn. Our anxious eyes spottedSanjeev, who was to be our host andguide over the next few days. We quickly

loaded our bags in his car and sped tothe guest house for a quick changebefore embarking on our exploration ofKutch. We had a long day ahead of us.

The lingering monsoons ensured anovercast sky much to our relief. Not onlythe weather, soon othermisapprehensions about Kutch werecleared for us. The hot, arid landscapethat we had envisioned turned out to bea cool, cloudy and lush greencountryside. We learnt that duringNarendra Modi’s tenure as ChiefMinister, he had brought Narbadawaters through pipes, which hadtransformed the region. We witnessedthis first hand when we halted at afamous dhaba on the Bhuj bypass,famous for fresh fruit juices. The fruitsfor the staggering variety of juices wereall grown at their own farm! We evenpacked a supply of fresh frozen juiceswhich the owner assured would remaincold for 3 to 4 hours.

The countryside continued to amaze

us. Having been posted in this region inthe early 1970’s, the greenery appeareda miracle. Anjar had been the epicentreof the devastating earthquake in 2001,and along with Bhuj, had been razed tothe ground. Both places were nowbustling towns, shining in theirnewness. Naturally, no old constructionhad survived and everything was post-2001 construction.

Our first destination was theMatanamadh Temple, famous for theAshapura shrine that is steeped inantiquity finding mention even in thePuranas. She is reputed to fulfil allwishes and has a large following. Thepeculiarity of the deity is that she isseen on her knees, appearing to standup. The long queue notwithstanding,we were able to get a satisfying‘darshan' and were again on the road by12:30 pm. Having covered 150 kms, wehad another 50 kms to reach NarayanSarovar, the western-most point of ourtrip.

EXPLORING KUTCH

Brig. A.P. Singh, SM*, VSM

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The welcome arch of NarayanSarovar marked the beginning of akilometre-long causeway connectingthe town with the mainland, with dryflats on either side. A huge concrete TVtower was visible from the distance. Wewere now at one of the western-mostpoints of India. The next populated cityacross the border in Pakistan wasKarachi itself! The glow of the city isvisible on clear nights from here. Thetown is famous for the sarovar (lake),once nourished by Saraswati River andone of the five sacred sarovars forHindus, another one being KailashMansarovar.

Koteshwar is a few kilometres furtherand is on the seashore. And it is the lasthabitation on the Indian side of theborder. This ancient temple also findsmention in Hindu religious texts.Legend has it that in the Ramayan,Ravana, while carrying the Shivlingfrom Kailash to Lanka, placed it on theground and the temple came up on thespot. The temple is an imposingconstruction built to withstand the seasand storms and it is well maintainedand clean. The nearby BSF borderoutpost car park was nearly swampedwith visitors heading towards thetemple. A strong breeze from across thesea cooled us slightly as we performedour rituals. The packed lunch wassumptuous and was enjoyed under thepicturesque stone-roofed picnic spotsconstructed along the seashore.

It was 3:30 pm by the time we wereon the road again. Next destination wasMandvi, famous for its beach and otherhistorical monuments. We had theoption to retrace our path by followingthe more traveled route. We chose thepath less traveled, which was alsoshorter and it took us past the IndianAir Force base at Naliya. The distancewas 150 kms, but the road conditionswere uncertain.

Our apprehensions were soon put torest. The road was well maintained andthe countryside continued to be green,with a sprinkling of industries along theway. These were mostly cement plantsand salt units. Wind farms were

plentiful. A large portion of road userswas herds of cattle! We had to often slowdown to give them right of way. Thehistoric port town of Jakhau andreligious centre of Pingleshwar werebypassed, as they were off the main NH41. It was late afternoon when weentered Mandvi. The town wasbrimming with tourists since it was aSunday. The road to the beach wasjammed with cars and we took the saferoption to park at a distance. The longwalk helped loosen our cramped legsand was refreshing. The beachresembled a mela. Swings, merry-go-rounds, food stalls, camel and horserides covered every available space onthe beach. Families holding handstightly and sitting in the shallow waterenjoyed each wave as it came crashingand engulfed them! We joined in thefun. Sanjeev opted for a camel ride,while we savoured a freshly roastedcorncob.

We still had the final 100 kms tocover back home and felt it was prudentnot to wait to witness the sunset. We leftat 6:00 pm. Initially Google led us up avillage path, before we realised ourmistake and took some “manual”decisions to find our way back to NH 41.The highway joined the roadconnecting Mundra Port and thehighway was full of big container truckstrundling along with their massiveloads. With darkness setting in, ourprogress reduced considerably.

Tiredness finally took its toll and mostof the journey was completed in relativesilence. The highway towards the endbecame single lane, which furtherreduced progress. Finally, at 8:25 pmwe reached the guest house. It had beena full12-hour day spent on the road. Wehad covered the expanse of Kutch andtraveled literally to one end of India!The experience was revealing as thiscircuit was off the major tourist routesand we had many misconceptions ofthe area being barren and undeveloped.

I hope more people make the effortto visit this area to gain a better insightabout our country, its people andculture. And our heritage, which is stilllargely unknown to most of us. We werelucky to have had the opportunity to geta glimpse of it.

Brig. A.P. Singh, SM (Bar), VSM wascommissioned into the Corps of

Engineers of the Indian Army on 31Mar 1972. He has been an adventurer

at heart and found time between hisprofessional duties to be deeply

involved in sailing and participated inthe First Indian Expedition around the

World on Trishna. A NationalChampion and a National Coach, hehas accompanied children under 16

years’ age for international events forover 25 years. Presently he is the

Registrar, Indus UniversityAhmedabad.

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LEISURE & LIFESTYLE


Today was one of those mornings whenI was really craving a wholesomewarming hearty breakfast. Yet, I didn'twant to spend too long in the kitchenmaking it. And then I remembered RavaDosa! It was an instant approval fromwithin! Seeking a change, I skipped theusual sambar and chutney to go with itand instead made onion and tomatochutney. This was an ideal combinationand I will definitely recommend this ifyou're ever in the mood for a quickhealthy tasty meal. Here is the recipe -

Chutney ingredients:● 2 onions roughly chopped● 2 tomatoes roughly chopped● 2-3 dried red chillies● 1 spoon tamarind paste ● 1 spoon jaggery● 1-2 tablespoon peanuts● Salt to taste● 2-3 tablespoons oil

Recipe:Heat oil in a pan. When it's hot add thered chillies and onion. Please note thatdried red chillies can be too spicy, Iadded three small ones and it was stillquite hot! If you prefer less spicy eitheradd lesser chillies or use dry Kashmirired chillies. This way you will get the redcolour but the chutney won't be toospicy. Cook till onions are soft and thenadd the tomatoes. Let this cook for some

time till the onions turn golden brown.Add salt, roughly one tea spoon. Add thepeanuts followed by the tamarind pasteand let cook some more. Now add thejaggery. Mix and turn off the heat. Letthis mixture cool for some time andthen remove into a mixer and blend tillthis turns into a coarse chutney. Taste alittle, you can adjust to suit your taste byadding more salt, jaggery or tamarind.Once ready, let this sit aside while youprepare the Rava Dosa.

Rava Dosa Ingredients:● 1 cup semolina (sooji)● 1 cup rice flour● 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)● An inch of ginger finely chopped● 1-2 green chillies finely chopped● 1 tea spoon cumin seeds● 1 tea spoon salt● Water roughly 2-4 cups

Recipe:Mix the semolina, rice flour and allpurpose flour in a bowl. Add the ginger,

chillies, cumin and salt. Now add waterslowly and mix till the ingredientscombine well. Add more water to makethe consistency quite thin as this batterneeds to be quite runny. Once the batteris ready set aside and heat a pan to makethe dosas. Add some oil all over the panand using a deep ladle mix the batterand spread it from the centre of the pan,slowly moving outwards. You don't needto be too careful as this dosa batter isrunny and you need only cover areaswhich are still empty. Once the pan iscovered, let the dosa cook on medium/high heat. Spread oil all over the dosaand use a spatula to further even out theoil all over the dosa. Once your dosa isready it will start lifting up from thesides, help this out further using yourspatula and ease out the dosa from thepan. Fold in half or fold twice and servehot with the chutney you preparedearlier. Before serving, I garnished mychutney with a 'tadka' of 'rai' and freshcurry leaves. Do try out this dish andhope you enjoy it as much as I did.

RAVA DOSA: AN IDEAL BREAKFASTAditi Pathak

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MAROOF’S MUSINGS

The concept of using aircraft carriers for force projection originated in theUnited States from the writings of Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, whoargued that sea power could best be exhibited by having floating naval

bases like aircraft carriers. Thus, the United States even now operates as manyas 11 aircraft carrier groups. Most aircraft carriers never operate alone butmove on the high seas like monarchs, surrounded by a flotilla of ships and gunboats that provide it constant protection and also help project power whenrequired. In recent years, the United States has often moved an aircraft carriergroup in Asian waters to project military power – as it did in December 1971 inthe Bay of Bengal – or when tensions were high between the US and Iran.

Despite the length of India’s coastline being as much as its borders witheither China or Pakistan, Indians have yet to realise the significance of a bluewater navy capability. One reason for the absence of understanding ofmaritime issues is that the bulk of India’s threats and conflicts have come fromour land borders. But now, as India increasingly begins to focus its diplomaticinitiatives in the Indian ocean region, with the US goading India to become anactive military–maritime partner, the importance of a bigger navy with aircraftcarriers is an obvious requirement for the future. And the Indian Navy, thatcurrently is the only navy in Asia to operate an aircraft carrier group, plans tohave two aircraft carrier groups operating on either side of our peninsula.

In fact, for a brief moment in independent India’s history, our navy didoperate two aircraft carriers, with the induction of India’s latest aircraft carrier,INS Vikramaditya, and before the recent decommissioning of theVikramaditya’s predecessor, INS Viraat, a feat earlier accomplished amongstAsian countries only by pre- world war- 2, Japan. China is still to get its acttogether with its own aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. But in October this year, INSViraat began its last voyage to Mumbai from Kochi, where it will be decided,whether it will be preserved as war memorial or a tourist attraction. Hopefullyit wouldn’t meet the fate of its predecessor, INS Vikrant, that ended up in a shipbreaking yard, after its auction for Rs 60 crores, in 2014.

The Viraat came to India, after 27 years of service in Britain’s Royal Navy,following the necessary re-fitments to serve the Indian Navy for another threedecades. During that time, it had a fleet of Sea Harriers on board and Sea Kinghelicopters for anti-submarine and commando operations, along with Chetakhelicopters (that were housed below its deck, in a parking slot bigger than afootball field!). In fact, it carried a crew of 1500 men and generated electricityenough to light up a small town. But now, having sailed long enough to havecircled the globe twenty seven times, the Viraat, was gradually stripped of itspropulsion system, weapons and radars, before being towed to its restingplace.

I had the privilege of spending a few days aboard the Viraat more than adecade ago, while making a television series on India’s armed forces, ‘The Lineof Duty’, when I was exposed to much of its capabilities as it sailed in theArabian sea, like a monarch, surrounded by ships, frigates and submarines. Butlike all aircraft carriers, the part that fascinated me most was the capabilities ofour naval aviators in flying both the Sea Harrier fighters and the Kamovhelicopters during the day and specially at night, with stunning precision andphenomenal skills. No wonder, Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on themoon, once said, that perhaps the greatest challenge for a pilot is to land hisaircraft on a pitch dark night, on the deck of moving aircraft carrier. I saw ourpilots do that time and again. I saluted them then, as I salute them now.

For more details on Maroof Raza, visit: https:/ / www.maroofraza.com.

AIRCRAFTCARRIERS ANDTHE VIRAAT

Maroof Raza


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