Ejército de tierra de India

[Miroslav Lokar]

Army chief visits 3 Corps headquarters in Dimapur

KOLKATA: Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh took stock of the security scenario in the North East and militancy in the area under the jurisdiction of 3 Corps (Spear Corps) during his two-day tour to Rangapahar, Dimapur in Nagaland that concluded on Wednesday. Gen Singh reviewed the operational preparedness, security situation and progress made in development of Spear Corps during his visit.

The CoAS appreciated the role played by the troops in maintaining peace and tranquility along the international border. Nagaland shares its border with Myanmar which has strong Chinese influence. Militant outfits from Nagaland are known to maintain links with China through Myanmar. Though there is a ceasefire between the major militant groups and the Army in Nagaland, loss of life continues due to infighting. Extortion is another major problem that results in law and order crisis.

"The CoAS was received by Lt Gen Dalbir Singh, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command and Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni, GOC, Spear Corps, on his arrival in Rangapahar. The Army chief addressed the officers of the Corps including Division and Brigade Commanders on challenges and the need to maintain operational readiness and discipline. ""Officers must take steps to ensure the highest standard of motivation and morale among troops under their command," the Army chief told the officers. He also appreciated the humane touch being exhibited by the troops involved in combating insurgency.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Mock drill conducted by forces at Paradip

As part of the exercise to thwart possible terrorist attack on this port township in the eastern coast, a joint mock drill was today conducted by the personnel of Indian Navy, Indian Air-Force and Indian Army here.

The joint exercise was conducted from INS Airavat, the warship anchored in the Odisha coast.

Keeping in mind the terrorist attack on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, the exercise was conducted at a seven-storied building here at Nehru Bungalow area.

Three IAF helicopters made several sorties near the building, said Surjit Das, Additional District Magistrate, Jagatsinghpur.
The security personnel launched attack from all the three fronts - air, water and ground.

This is a continuous process conducted by the three wings of the defence, Das said.

About 3,000 soldiers took part in the mock exercise titled 'Madad'.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Indian Paramilitary & Police forces in action.

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[charly015]

Saludos

El rumor es que India va a adquirir 10.000 misiles Konkurs M por aprox. 240 millones de $.

Esto se uniría a los 25.000 misiles Invar para T-90 (10.000 rusos y 15.000 de Bharat Dynamics India).

UN SALUDO

[Miroslav Lokar]

India, US to hold joint military exercise at Fort Bragg in 2013

As many as 400 Indian Army soldiers would arrive at Fort Bragg – home to airborne and special operations forces – in the United States next year, to hold a joint annual military exercise.

The fortnight long "Yudh Abhyas" from May 3 to 17 is an exchange of combat units between the two countries – with each of them hosting it every alternate year.

Some 400 American soldiers would attend the joint exercise.

The purpose of the exercise will be bilateral operations, the exchange of ideas and developing the ability to work side by side, Lt Gen Francis J Wiercinski, the commanding general of US Army Pacific in Hawaii, told The Fayetteville Observer in a recent interview.

"Last year, we had a Stryker unit in India with the Indians," he said.

The US soldiers worked with an Indian mounted cavalry unit.

"It was almost seamless, like they had been working together for years," he added.

"They've done competitions – squad, platoon. It's a pretty good exercise. It's evolving every year. Now at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the 82nd Airborne Division, I think it will be a tremendous opportunity," the top US military leader said.

Wiercinski said most of the time they have been doing the joint exercise in the Pacific.

"We wanted to give them a different flavor and a different location, and Fort Bragg was kind enough to offer it up," he added.

Soldiers from the 18th Airborne Corps and California National Guard also will participate, the newspaper said.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Mystery Sighting Spooks Soldiers

Units of the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) have reported Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS) in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. An ITBP unit based in Thakung, close to the Pangong Tso Lake, reported over 100 sightings of luminous objects between August 1 and October 15 this year. In reports sent to their Delhi headquarters in September, and to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), they described sighting "Unidentified Luminous Objects" at day and by night. The yellowish spheres appear to lift off from the horizon on the Chinese side and slowly traverse the sky for three to five hours before disappearing. These were not unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), drones or even low earth-orbiting satellites, say Army officials who have studied the hazy photographs taken by ITBP.
Drone sightings are verified and logged separately. The Army has reported 99 sightings of Chinese drones between January and August this year: 62 sightings were reported in the western sector, the Ladakh region, and 37 in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh. Three of these drones intruded into territory claimed by India along the 365-km-long border with China in Ladakh, manned by ITBP. Such mysterious lights have been sighted before in Ladakh, a barren, 86,000 sq km heavily militarised zone wedged between Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Chinese-occupied Aksai Chin. The persistent sightings by the ITBP this year, however, worried the Army's Leh-based 14 Corps. The ITBP, did not respond to a detailed India Today questionnaire.

In September, the Army moved a mobile ground-based radar unit and a spectrum analyser-that picks up frequencies emitted from any object-to a mountaintop near the 160-km-long, ribbon-shaped Pangong Lake that lies between India and China. The radar could not detect the object that was being tracked visually, in dicating it was non-metallic. The spectrum analyser could not detect any signals being emitted from them. The Army also flew a reconnaissance drone in the direction of the floating object, but it proved a futile exercise. The drone reached its maximum altitude but lost sight of the floating object.


In late September this year, a team of astronomers from the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle, 150 km south of the lake, studied the airborne phenomena for three days. The team spotted the flying objects, Army officials say, but could not conclusively establish what they were. They did, however, say that the objects were "non celestial" and ruled out meteors and planets.

Scientists however say, the harsh geography and sparse demography of the great Himalayan range that separates Kashmir Valley from Ladakh, lends itself to unusual sightings. "The region is snowbound in winter, has few roads and is one of the most isolated places in India," says Sunil Dhar, a geologist at the government Post Graduate College in Dharamshala, who has studied glaciers in the region for 15 years.

Yet, none of the experts from the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)-in charge of technical intelligence-and Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), has been able to identify the objects. This has caused embarrassment rather than fear in the establishment. "Something is clearly wrong, if our combined scientific resources can't explain the phenomena," says a senior Army official in Delhi. Intelligence officials say these objects could be a crude psychological operation by China, or sophisticated probes attempting to ascertain India's defences in Ladakh.

"We can't ignore these sightings. We need to probe what new technology might have been deployed there, says former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal (retired) P.V. Naik. In 2010, the IAF probed and dismissed Army sightings of such luminous objects as Chinese lanterns. UFO sightings have been endemic to Ladakh over the past decade. In late 2003, 14 Corps sent a detailed report on sightings of luminous objects to Army headquarters. Army troops on posts along Siachen had seen floating lights on the Chinese side. But reporting such phenomena risks inviting ridicule. When told about them at a northern command presentation in Leh, the then army chief, General N.C. Vij, had angrily dismissed the reports as hallucinations.

Scientists say the mysterious objects are not necessarily from outer space.  There is no evidence of UFOS being of extra-terrestrial origin, says reputed Pune-based astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar. The implication of them being alien objects is fancy, not fact, he says.

There is still no explanation, however, for what is believed to be the clearest UFO sighting yet, in the Lahaul-Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh less than 100 km south of Ladakh in 2004. A five-member group of geologists and glaciologists led by Dr Anil Kulkarni of the ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad were on a research trip through the barren Samudra Tapu Valley. They filmed a fourfoot tall robot-like figure, that walked along the valley, 50 m away from them. The humanoid object then rapidly became airborne and disappeared. The encounter lasted 40 minutes.

It was seen by 14 persons including the six scientists. Kulkarni then interviewed each expedition member separately to verify what the team had seen. Copies of his detailed report were circulated to the PMO, ISRO, the Army and several intelligence agencies. Kulkarni established his team hadn't seen natural phenomenon. The matter, however, was buried soon after.

Sunil Dhar, who was part of the 2004 expedition, terms the sighting of the unidentified object an unforgettable experience. Locals, he says, have reported sighting mysterious objects for many years.  These are unsolved mysteries that need more intensive study, he says. Left unexplained, the Ladakh sightings risk slipping into the crack between fact and science fiction.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Gen Bikram Singh to brief PM Singh on Army shortages

Facing shortage of critical weapon systems and ammunition, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh will brief Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the "hollowness" faced by the 1.3 million-strong force in its defence preparedness.


Gen Bikram Singh will make a presentation before the prime minister about the "hollowness" faced by the force and the steps needed to do away with them in the next few weeks, government sources said.

The Army is in the process of identifying more areas where it is facing shortfalls and they will be added in the presentation before the PM, they said.

The Directorate General of Military Operations has asked the Army Headquarters to coordinate with all the arms and services to prepare the list of all equipment and platforms which are short in inventory and would be required by the force to maintain its operational preparedness, sources said.

During the recent Commanders' Conference also, the Army chief had said "hollowness" in the country's defence preparedness will be addressed by pushing for a new direction in modernisation.

"There was a need to address hollowness in defence preparedness and undertake modernisation with added vigour," he had said.

Gen Bikram Singh's predecessor Gen V K Singh had highlighted the critical shortage of arms and ammunition faced by the various arms and services of the force in a secret letter written to the prime minister.

In his letter, the former Army chief had said that there was only three to four days of ammunition left with the tank regiments especially the ones operating the Russian-origin T-90 tanks.

He had also highlighted the 98 per cent obsolescence faced by the Army Air Defence, which is in-charge of securing the country's frontiers from incoming enemy fighter planes and other manned and unmanned aircraft.

Even before the Army Chief wrote the letter to the prime minister, the defence ministry had started taking steps to doaway with the shortages faced by the ground fighting force and initiated talks with several foreign vendors to get the required equipment.

In recent times, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the ministry has cleared several proposals of the Army to procure equipment for its air defence units including acquisition of 12 regiments of Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air missiles squadrons.

The Cabinet committee on Security has also cleared the deals with Russia for buying 25,000 Invar missiles at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore for the T-90 tanks and 10,000 Konkurs-M missiles for the Infantry and Mechanised Infantry battalions to enhance their capabilities to take down enemy tank regiments.

Defence Minister A K Antony has also pledged full support to the Army in meeting its all operational requirements without letting them to be affected by the economic slowdown.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Army places Rs. 700-crore orders for versatile device

The Army has placed orders worth Rs. 700 crore for a novel versatile device developed by the Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehra Dun. The Integrated Multi-Function Sight (IMFS) can be used for surveillance and speedy engagement of targets, among other functions.

The IRDE is a laboratory that comes under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Ravi Gupta, Director of Public Interface, DRDO, said the IMFS was an amalgam of a thermal imager, a laser range-finder, colour charge-coupled-device (CCD) camera, a global positioning system (GPS) and a digital magnetic compass.

The range-finder can compute the location co-ordinates of a target. The thermal imager is a night-vision device, while the CCD camera is capable of executing a digital imaging of the target. The GPS is another independent system in the IMFS.

“As its name suggests, it is an integration of various devices” and can perform multiple functions, said Mr. Gupta. With its diminutive size — just over a foot long and weighing 3.5 kg — the device could offer a big advantage in the battlefield, he said.The IRDE designs and develops, among others, state-of-the-art night vision devices and thermal imagers, compact laser-based instruments, integrated electro-optical surveillance and fire control systems.

[Miroslav Lokar]

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[Miroslav Lokar]

Bomdila's tales of war & bravery

BOMDILA ( Arunachal Pradesh): Perched at a height of 8,500 feet in the Himalayas, Bomdila, which saw the last Indian resistance during the 1962 Chinese aggression, still remembers the hard times the people had to face during the war. However, Arunachalis recall with pride how they helped Indian soldiers put up a fight against all odds. The stories of the war have almost become folktales, being handed down from one generation to another. For the Indian soldiers it was a two-pronged war: against the enemy and the hostile terrain and the biting cold.

As the war broke out in the autumn of 1962, Tawang fell to the invading Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) within a few days, and in Bomdila, then the headquarters of Kameng frontier division, there was sheer panic. But the people egged the soldiers on with their support and encouragement.

A retired army officer reminisced, "The war was all about the heroism of our jawans, who fought without appropriate clothes and rubber boots in the snow-clad mountains."

While the Indian military and political leadership failed, it was the jawans and young officers who carried forward the battle. Dorjee Khandu Thongdok, an Arunachali politician who wrote a book on the aggression, "War on Buddha", said it was weak planning on the part of the army that led to the defeat. No logistic support was given to the jawans. Neither was there coordination among officers, said Thongdok. "Ask any villager in Tawang, Dirang, Bomdila, Chaku and Rupa and they will talk about the brave soldiers who died defending the country," he said.

Jaswant Singh, Subedar Joginder Singh, Havildar Sucha Singh, Rifleman Kanshi Ram, Naik Chain Singh, Rifleman Bishan Singh, Major Gurdial Singh, Captain R D Rosario, and Hoshiar Singh are names etched in the minds of villagers. Almost every Arunachali has grown up listening to these tales of bravery.

Dorjee Tsering, a social worker from Dirang, who was a 13-year-old during the war, said, "Our jawans fought vigorously. I saw more Chinese soldiers dying in Dirang than Indians. We saw the Chinese burying their dead and later digging them out and carrying them away," he recalled.

Tsering said, "Indian jawans fared better when it came to direct confrontation. But our jawans died mostly while retreating. They were asked to withdraw because of a weak leadership," he felt.

He added, "Everyone now knows there will not be a repeat of 1962...but what we need is to build roads and other infrastructure for better supply of essentials to jawans and people living along the Indo-Chinese border."

Eighty-year-old Dorjee Glow of Singchung village joined the war and used his six mules to carry food and ammunition for the soldiers. As the Indian army's supply to its troops was very poor, and there was only one supply route from Assam, tribal villagers volunteered to help Indian soldiers.

He remembered how the jawans asked them to flee when they saw the troops advancing. "We hid in the jungles to escape the attack," he said.

Tsering Tashi, who was 18 then, said the jawans in Bomdila asked them to vacate the township as the Chinese could arrive any moment. "I was studying in Bomdila High School and our hostel warden asked us to flee to Assam. It was snowing. We walked for five days to reach Missamari in Assam and then boarded a train to Guwahati. I returned to Bomdila after three months," said Tashi.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Pakistan’s war games in full swing, BSF steps up vigil

JAISALMER: Pakistan's military exercise 'Azam-e-Nav 4' is at its peak in which 10,000 soldiers are participating. The exercise started in October first week.

The Indian Army too has started its regular Army exercise 'Operation Alert' in a few areas in the Thar Desert which will continue till December first week.

Border Security Force, meanwhile, has stepped up the vigilance after Pakistan army's war exercise began, some 20-30 km from the international border adjoining Jaisalmer-Bikaner. The movement of vehicles of Pakistan army has increased along the border.

According to sources, the Pak army is running trials of Al-Khalid tanks, which have been assembled with the help of China. These tanks use Chinese engines while the spare parts are sourced from Spain.

Pakistan army chief General Kayani also reached the exercise area recently said sources. He reviewed the exercise and motivated participating soldiers.

Soldiers are also undertaking maintenance of bunkers and learning strategic defense techniques.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Two of Army’s off-air cellphone interceptors ‘missing’, govt seeks information

NEW DELHI: Two of the Army's off-air interceptor systems, which can listen in on cellphone conversations, are untraceable, a senior source told TOI, adding a fresh twist to the ongoing Army audit into the devices that were suspected to have been used illegally by a secretive unit under former chief General V K Singh.

"The suspicion is that they may have been destroyed," the source said. It is not clear at what stage the Army's internal investigations is, and if it has put on record and informed the home ministry about the missing interceptors.

It is not known either if the two interceptor units were in the custody of the erstwhile Technical Support Division (TSD), set up by Gen V K Singh after he took over as Army chief in March 2010. However, details about the two missing systems has been conveyed to the Army higher-ups informally, sources said.

A detailed Army audit of electronic warfare systems has been under way for the past several months. Among the key reasons behind the check is the doubt in the security establishment that the TSD may have been illegally listening in on phone conversations of important people in the national capital.

MHA sought information on all 35 interceptors

Ever since the allegations emerged, the home ministry has repeatedly raised questions about the Army possessing equipment capable of intercepting phone conversations. This MHA probe came even as a nationwide audit of off-air interception equipment was on, following allegations of the misuse of the devices by various government and private agencies.

Over the last year, the home ministry has sought details from the Army about the deployment of around 35 off-air interceptors and electronic warfare systems with the capability to listen in on phone conversations. The first set of questions was raised earlier this year when around 20 off-air interceptors were imported through defence public sector unit, Bharat Electronics Limited. Recently, the home ministry is believed to have raised questions about another 15 systems. The alleged misuse of off-air interceptors of the Army came to light several months ago when the activities of the TSD, which was created after Gen V K Singh took over as the Army chief in March 2010, came under the scanner. The TSD was created as part of Military Intelligence but was reporting directly to the Army chief.

In August, three months after General Bikram Singh became the chief, the Army decided to shut down TSD after a thorough review of its activities. An inquiry panel headed by Director General (Infantry) Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia is reviewing the activities of the TSD. It is not clear if the two off-air interceptors that are unaccounted for were in the TSD's custody.

Lt Gen Bhatia's panel is also examining the use of intelligence funds by the TSD. The probe is focusing on whether TSD routed money to an NGO in Kashmir that had moved court against Gen Bikram Singh, accusing him of killing an innocent Kashmiri in 2001. The NGO, which has no other known activities, had moved the J&K High Court a few months ago, raising questions over Gen Singh's appointment as the Army chief.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Military upgrade: Mini UAVs sought for infantry units

The Indian Army has outlined plans to beef up the reconnaissance capabilities of its infantry battalions with mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) small enough for soldiers to carry, deploy and recover.

A key component of the infantry modernisation plan is to equip more than 350 battalions with three mini UAVs each to help soldiers launch offensive and defensive operations, army sources said.
The US, British and Israeli armies have been relying on such small-sized surveillance systems for sometime now. Equipped with electronic sensors, man-portable UAVs are used for capturing and relaying images of the tactical battle area to improve the situational awareness of soldiers.



The army is looking at buying mini UAVs with an operating range of eight to 10 km and flight endurance exceeding three hours, the sources revealed.

Ramping up the infantry's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities with more than 1,000 mini UAVs could cost as much as Rs. 150 crore. That's not much of a price to keep soldiers out of harm's way, a senior officer said.

"Mini UAVs come with huge operational advantages as we can look deeper without sending out a patrol. Quicker flow of information will help commanders take more accurate decisions," said an infantry battalion commander, who did not wish to be named.

He said such systems would also offset the challenges posed by hard terrain conditions in forward areas. More than 120 infantry battalions are guarding our borders or involved in counter-terrorism operations in difficult areas.

The mini UAV project - one of the 80 modernisation schemes being given impetus by army chief General Bikram Singh - is expected to be implemented within the 12th Plan (2012-2017).

Mini UAVs are not confined to just military applications. These lightweight systems, which can be launched in 15 minutes, could be valuable for an army that is frequently called upon to provide humanitarian aid.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Delhi HC cancels Army's 2011 promotion process

NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented order, the Delhi High Court on Monday quashed the entire selection process of 2011 relating to promotions to the rank of lieutenant general in the Indian Army after it found that certain criteria had been revised without approval of the defence ministry.

The verdict quashing the Special Selection Board of last year is expected to have a huge impact on the seniority and promotions of the Army brass since the HC has now directed the Army to hold fresh SSB proceedings.

A division bench comprising Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Manmohan Singh also criticized the defence secretary for "perpetuating an error" since even though the bureaucrat was aware that the 2011 selection process was vitiated, he didn't cancel it.

"It is obvious the defence secretary was more influenced by the credibility of the promotion board being adversely affected and not by the merits of the matter. He forgot that to commit an error is to do no wrong, but to perpetuate an error is to do a wrong," the bench observed.

The HC was hearing a challenge to the 2011 SSB by two major generals who were overlooked. They had first approached the Armed Forces Tribunal but lost, prompting them to appeal in the HC.

Appearing for them, senior advocate Jyoti Singh highlighted the file notings of the defence ministry that showed the SSB of 2011 had committed a "wrong" by assessing officers on the basis of revised policy even though this policy had not been approved by the ministry. But the ministry was of the view that cancellation of the board would be an unprecedented stand detrimental to the discipline of the armed forces and credibility of senior officers of the Army.

On its part, the Army defended the selection process arguing it could not be termed illegal since the defence minister in February last year had upheld the names of officers recommended by the SSB. The minister said the names could be cleared after due scrutiny on the basis of the revised policy.

However, the HC dew a distinction between the minister's go-ahead to the promotion and his stand vis-a-vis the revised policy in itself, which was illegal since it had not received the mandatory approval of the ministry.

The HC recounted how the SSB was scheduled to be held in October-November 2010 but was deferred without any justification. Later, the revised policy mooted by the Army Headquarters was notified even though it wasn't approved by the defence ministry.

[Miroslav Lokar]

Fast-track China border projects: Antony to Army

NEW DELHI: Reviewing the development of new infrastructure including airfields along the China border in the northeast, defence minister A K Antony on Monday asked the military top brass to go beyond the expected schedules for completion of the projects "in view of the current security scenario".

"We need to go beyond the PDCs (proposed date of completion) in view of the current security scenario," Antony told a meeting to review infrastructure development on the northeast border. The meeting was attended by chiefs of the Army and IAF, defence secretary, the chief of BRO (Border Roads Organisation) and other senior officials.

Antony did not discuss the leadership change in China or any other specific inputs that may indicate any further sharpening of Chinese attitude along the border. However, his warning to the top brass is a clear sign of the Indian establishment's increasing worry over the secretive rise of Chinese military power without any clarity about its intents and future plans.

"Now that the initial teething issues have been overcome to a large extent there is a need to give a push to the ongoing infrastructural projects in northeast," an official quoted Antony as saying. He asked the forces and other agencies to move forward in a time bound manner.

The minister setup a monitoring committee under the vice-chief of the IAF, and comprising representatives from the MoD and other arms, to constantly monitor the revival of advance landing grounds and other airfields. While eight advanced landing grounds are under revival in the northeast, over 30 airfields primarily for helicopter operations are also being developed or revived.

Antony ordered a separate review meeting with BRO top brass of their projects in the region. Presently, India is undertaking construction of 73 roads in all three sectors bordering China. Of them, 29 roads in Arunachal were to be completed by 2012 but only eight are ready, sources said. Monday's meeting focussed on the northeast, especially Arunachal Pradesh.

Antony asked minister of state for defence Jitendra Singh to take up all issues related to environmental clearances and other bottlenecks with states and departments concerned.