India’s armed forces have embarked on a shopping spree for modern assault rifles, body armor and helmets, providing a potential boost to global arms suppliers.

The 1.3 million-strong military is abandoning its two decade-old Indian made rifles and seeking to outfit its infantry with more up-to-date equipment, scouting for a new model on the global market for 185,000 assault rifles. The Ministry of Defence also needs to buy hundreds of thousands of helmets and tens of thousands of bullet proof vests.

The moves are part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s $250 billion push to modernize India’s armed forces, as infantry continue to face the brunt of deadly attacks in disputed border areas such as Kashmir and the north-east.

Plans to buy new equipment from overseas, however, have been held back by bureaucratic delays and the military’s desire to balance the needs of troops against efforts to have equipment built domestically under Modi’s “Make in India” program, a key plank in his drive to boost local manufacturing.

“It’s encouraging that they’re going ahead with this, but it’s discouraging that it’s not made under ‘Make in India,’ ” said Anit Mukherjee, a former major in the Indian Army and assistant professor at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “The fact that it took 10 years for Indians to go ahead and say, ‘we’re importing’ means the bureaucracy is still holding back modernization of the armed forces. That’s problematic.”

Local Rifles

The army currently uses the INSAS, or Indian Small Arms System, rifle, introduced in the late 1990s and built by the state-owned Ordnance Factory. Yet the Indian and Nepalese soldiers issued with the guns complained the 5.56mm rifles were unreliable, prompting the ministry to go to the global market for their replacement.

To identify possible vendors, the ministry last month issued a request for information. It said it wants a larger, more deadly 7.62mm model that will “shoot to kill.”

India needs 65,000 rifles within 28 months of signing the contract and has asked global manufacturers to reply by November 7, the ministry said. India plans to issue a tender for procuring rifles in April 2017.

This is India’s second attempt since 2011 to procure assault rifles for its infantry. The 2011 tenders were issued to Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, Italy’s Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A., Swiss Sig Sauer Inc., the Czech Republic’s Ceska zbrojovka and Israel Weapons Industry Ltd. But it was canceled in 2015 after the rifles offered up by the global manufacturers did not meet the multi-caliber requirements of the army.

Procurement Delays

Apart from assault rifles, the army also sought to buy light automatic rifles and machine guns, as well as sniper rifles. Initially, it planned to buy 43,000 carbines off the shelf from international companies and build 120,000 others at ordnance factories in India.

But a tender issued four years ago to buy the carbines was canceled earlier this month over procedural issues, according to a senior army officer who asked not to be identified discussing information that is private.

The rifle procurement is part of the army’s efforts to modernize personnel equipment, including body armor and helmets. It needs over 350,000 bullet-proof vests, and earlier this year decided to buy 50,000 units of body armor to meet emergency requirements. The army has also inched closer to procuring 150,000 lightweight helmets.

Delays in procuring basic equipment should concern policy makers as infantry troops take on the brunt of India’s current operations, according to Srinath Raghavan, a former infantry officer and senior fellow at New Delhi’s Centre for Policy Research.

The “Make in India” program, where foreign firms team up with local ones, is helping to address that, he said. But there were still tensions between the army’s urgent requirements for modern equipment and the slow pace of defense sector joint ventures, meaning at least some equipment must be bought “off the shelf”.

“The fact that you can’t even design your own small arms system reflects very poorly on the military ecosystem in India,” he said. “The military innovation cycle is dysfunctional and broken down and it should be a matter of huge concern.”

• Assault rifles, helmets and bullet-proof vests on the list
• Bureaucratic delays reveal ‘dysfunctional’ innovation cycle

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-27/modi-seeks-shoot-to-kill-hardware-in-military-modernization

URGENT

FOR KIND ATTENTION OF ALL CITIZENS 

AND IMMEDIATE ACTION PLEASE 

Noble Citizens of Bharathvarsh,

Jai Hind.

Please click on the link below and read Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s letter dt. 21 Sep 2016 addressed to Mohd. Hamid Ansari, Hon’ble Chairman Rajya Sabha, submitting a Resolution and Private Members’ Bill for discussion during the Winter Session of Parliament regarding numerous nefarious and inimical activities of Pakistan by way of training & pumping terrorists into India; so that, at the end of the discussion Rajya Sabha can pass a resolution, declaring Pakistan a Terrorist State.  

http://rajeev.in/rajeev_writes/Winter_Session_Parliament/Letter_to_Honble_Chairman_Hmaid_Ansari_Sep212016.pdf

or

http://bit.ly/2dmq98w 

May I request you all to click on the following link and sign the Petition;

https://www.change.org/p/parliament-of-india-pass-resolution-to-declare-pakistan-a-terror-state?recruiter=602639591&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

and also pass on this email to all your friends & relatives for their signatures, on Priority. We need one lakh signatures before commencement of winter session of Parliament.

Having signed the Petition, may I request you all to PLEASE confirm the same to:

Shivani Sharma Dasmahapatra <shivani.dasmahapatra@gmail.com>, 

Col SS Rajan <colonelrajan44@gmail.com>,

Regards,

Col Rajan

Bangalore, 9449043770 

CLICK LINK BELOW TO OPEN pdf  FILE OF RAJIV CHANDRASEKHAR

Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s letter dt. 21 Sep 2016 to Mohd Hmaid Ansari Hon’ble Chairman RS

This photo shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter last year shows him meeting soldiers. File photo

New Delhi, October 23

Amid heightened tension on the border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a campaign through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to soldiers guarding the nation’s frontiers to boost their morale.

People can send messages under the #Sandesh2Soldiers campaign on the Narendra Modi App, through MyGov.in, and also through All India Radio. Doordarshan shall also be mounting a programme to share people’s emotions with the Armed Forces.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The Prime Minister, who is leading the campaign, said in a tweet: “I sent my #Sandesh2Soldiers. You could also do the same. Your wishes will certainly make our forces very happy”.

“This Diwali, let us remember our courageous armed forces who constantly protect our Nation. Jai Hind,” he said.

“When 1.25 crore people stand with the soldiers, their power increases by 1.25 crore times,” the Prime Minister said.

As part of the campaign, the Prime Minister has shared through social media, a special video, featuring his appeal to the people to send messages to the brave Armed Forces personnel.

Within hours, the video has generated tremendous interest on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.The great respect and admiration that the nation has for our Armed Forces, will find expression this festive season, through the campaign being led by the Prime Minister, the PMO said in a release.

A special module has been launched on the Narendra Modi App, which enables people to send greetings or their hand-written messages to the Armed Forces.

The #Sandesh2Soldiers campaign is expected to generate increased interaction between the people and the Armed Forces.

The campaign comes against the backdrop of the surgical strikes carried out by the Army on terror launch pads in PoK and the heightened border tension.

Earlier this month, at an event in Bhopal, the Prime Minister had focused on the human element of the jawans. His appeal to people to applaud jawans when they meet them, has also created a buzz on social media.

This is not the first time that Modi is focusing on the armed forces. He spent his last two Diwalis as the Prime Minister with the Army. — PTI

A 45m-tall steel sword at War Heroes Memorial in Amritsar. Vishal Kumar

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 23

Helping visitors get a soldier’s perspective of the battlefield is the focal theme of the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum that was inaugurated in Amritsar today, conveying the message that if the call arises the sword should be unsheathed.The centerpiece of the memorial is a 45-metre-tall steel sword that emerges from a water body. “Water signifies purification of things and sword evolving from it denotes that it is only to be used for righteous action and protection of the distressed and not for any evil purpose,” Rakesh Kapoor, whose Delhi-based architecture firm designed the memorial, said.“The underlying theme is that we are pure at heart but ready to pick up arms if need be. The sword also represents the spirit of Punjab, which has borne the brunt of foreign invasions over centuries,” he added.At the base of the sword are four lions facing the four cardinal directions, which depict strength and alertness. “The expression of the lions has purposely been kept neutral so that they can reflect the visitor’s own thoughts and the viewer can develop a notional relationship with them,” he said. The lions also represent India’s national emblem and the visitor can also relate them with the nation as a whole.Motivation is an important aspect of the museum and a gallery is devoted to this theme. A lot of planning also went into giving visitors a realistic feeling of war zones.A cafeteria in the complex has been designed to look like a bunker while some other areas have a distinct military ambience where visitors can walk back in

Stand up and salute defence personnel: Badal to DCs, SSPs

Announces ex-servicemen helpline at war memorial opening

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 23

Asking Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police in the state to accord due recognition and respect to defence personnel and veterans, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today directed them to stand up and salute them whenever they visited their offices.Addressing a vast gathering of ex-servicemen and civilian dignitaries after inaugurating the Punjab State War Heroes’ Memorial and Museum here, he said the administration should never be complacent on this account as defence personnel and ex-servicemen constituted one of the most revered sections of society. He also announced a tele-helpline at the Secretariat to redress grievances of ex-servicemen.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Patting the Narendra Modi government and the Army for the cross-LoC surgical strikes by terming these the “right decision at the right time”, Badal said a country without a strong and effective military was a hollow nation. “History has shown that countries that have had a good military leadership have always been strong. Alexander the Great and Maharaja Ranjit Singh are examples of this,” he said.Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister Vijay Sampala also complimented the government for the surgical strikes. Sukhbir said the intake into the armed forces from Punjab, which had witnessed a decline, had picked up. “Only four cadets from Punjab had joined the National Defence Academy five years ago. The figure is now 20,” he said.Sukhbir said contrary to perception, there was no mass drug abuse by the youth in the state. “Medical tests at an Army rally revealed that only 1.26 per cent of the aspirants tested positive for narcotics, which was about half the national average,” he said.Others present were former Army Chiefs Gen JJ Singh and Gen Deepak Kapoor and former Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal SK Sareen, various Cabinet ministers, Commonwealth War Graves Commission secretary Richard Hill and WW-II veteran Col Thomas Conway.

COMMENTS

LAST MINUTE LARGESS FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL’S in  his Last 4 Months Rule

Pretty Shameful.

The decorated Solider Birig Chandpuri MVC ,VSM a living legend standing behind Dy CM And a minister not in first Row. What help it can provide when IZZAT not granted  to a Decorated Solider at War Memorial.

 

HELPLINE

1. More than 9 years of Rule less than 4 months left there was no helpline now at fag end the govt announces HELPLINE making fool of veterans. 
3.  badal orders DC and Police officers to salute the Defence personnels but himself not recognising Brig Kuldeep Chandpuri a Decorated and living Legend of 1965 war backseat.

The landscaping of the memorial reflects three war zones from pre-British era, British era and post-Independent era. Tribune photo

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 21

American-made Sherman and Patton tanks captured from Pakistan during the 1965 war are among a host of war trophies and rare artefacts that would be displayed at the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum in the border town of Amritsar, which is scheduled to be inaugurated on October 23.The memorial and museum traces and documents the martial history of the Greater Punjab region since Alexander the Great’s invasion of India and the Battle of Hydaspes, fought on the banks of the Jhelum in 326 BC.The Sherman Mk-IV was captured by the Seventh Light Cavalry in the Battle of Barki while the Patton, the type with which the Pakistani army was then newly equipped, became the war trophy of 3 Cavalry. Displayed alongside is an Indian Centurion tank, the type that had played a decisive role in the Indo-Pak wars.A de-commissioned MiG-23 fighter and a scale model of INS Vikrant aircraft carrier are other exhibits in addition to scores of ancient and contemporary Indian personal weapons as well as those captured from the Japanese and Germans during the world wars, photographs, illustrations, paintings and maps.The site of the complex is also significant. It lies on the fringes of the battlefield of Khem Karan where Pakistani’s powerful 1 Armoured Division was decimated in the 1965 war, with about 90 tanks being captured.  Adjoining the complex is Guru Ki Vadali village, the birthplace of the Sikh Guru Hargobind. It was he who had given practical shape to the Sikh concept of Miri and Piri that was earlier propounded by Guru Nanak.The 45-metre tall steel sword that forms the memorial’s centrestage draws a parallel with Miri.The museum has nine galleries showcasing 4,000 years of history witnessed by the sub-continent and the role of Indian soldiers in campaigns around the world. A coffee table book published by the Department of Defence Services Welfare gives a glimpse of the galleries that cover all wars and operations and also touches upon recent developments like the surgical strikes across the Line of Control and the induction of women fighter pilots in the Air Force.

NEW DELHI: The army has deferred an annual promotion exam for young commanders for two months amid rising tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) following the September 29 surgical strikes.

Army sources said the exam was postponed as forward positions are commanded by young captains and majors who can not be spared at this critical juncture. Leave restrictions are already in place.

The exam, known as Part D, will be conducted from December 24-29 instead of October 19-24. Spread over six days, it tests the knowledge of officers in areas such as military history, current affairs, military law, administration and tactics.The army issued a letter on October 14, informing all its commands about the re-scheduling of the exam. However, it only mentioned “amendment in schedule” without listing out any reason. Officers can’t be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel until they clear the Part D exam.

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 15

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Capt Amarinder Singh today said he would burn an effigy of “chitta Ravana” in Ludhiana during the Prime Minister’s visit to the city on October 18.He was in the city to address a function to mark Valmiki Jayanti.“Chitta Ravana will be burnt at the same site where a clash took place on the eve of Dasehra. As soon as Modi will start speaking, the effigy will go up in flames,” said Amarinder.“I will burn the effigy. Let them try and stop me if they can,” Amarinder challenged the Akali government, asserting, “I want to show the Prime Minister the sorry state of affairs in Punjab.”“Let Modi also get a taste of how Punjab is burning under the Akali rule,” he said. He added that the Congress leaders and workers would burn the effigy in all 117 Assembly constituencies of the state.“The Congress will fight the drug menace in the state till it’s completely wiped out. It is not that the police do not want to work, but the reality is that the police are not allowed to work on this front,” said Captain.The Punjab Congress chief also came down heavily on the Badal government for the spurt in atrocities against Dalits across the state and demanded stern action against those involved in the recent killing of a Mansa youth and other incidents of violence against the community.He also visited the injured DCC president, Gurpreet Gogi, who is in hospital since the Dasehra eve clash between the Congress and Akali workers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses ex-servicemen in Bhopal on Friday. ANI

Bhopal, October 14Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Army will never “forgive” the country if it is found “sleeping” when it should be awake, in comments that come against the backdrop of the recent surgical strikes.

He asserted that the Indian Army does not believe in speaking but in displaying its valour.

“Our Army is happiest when we sleep in peace. They have no complaint. But they will never forgive us if we sleep when we should be awake. Unfortunately, we have been found sleeping when we should have been awake.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. We have to keep alert always. It will be injustice to the army if we sleep away when we have to be awake,” he said without elaborating.

Addressing ex-servicemen and their families at the inauguration of ‘Shaurya Smarak’ (memorial to valour) here, he devoted his speech hailing the role of armed forces and their spirit of sacrifice in adverse situation.

“Our Army does not speak but displays its valour. When I would say this earlier, they (critics) would tear my hair out.

“They would say Modi is sleeping and doing nothing. Like our Army which does not speak but displays its valour, our Defence Minister also does not speak … ,” he said, with a pause, as the audience broke into applause with some raising patriotic slogans.

Modi said the ancestors in hundreds of years of India’s history never waged a war to capture a country. “But if it comes to fighting for values and ideals, India is never found wanting,” he said.

Lauding the valour and humaneness of armed forces, he referred to their relief and rescue operations in Srinagar during the floods two years ago despite the violence they face from the stone-pelting mobs.

“When massive floods hit Srinagar two years ago, the government found it difficult to deal with the situation and the country saw that our jawans were toiling to save people’s lives. — PTI

KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 11

The growing demand for inclusion of alternative methods of voting other than proxy and postal ballots for defence personnel would be taken up for examination by a parliamentary panel this week even as there is little movement on such a facility for NRIs.The committee, headed by Garhwal MP Maj Gen (Retd) Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri, is scheduled to hear evidence from the representatives of the Ministries of Defence, Law and Justice and Election Commission on the issue of e-postal ballots, a proposal mooted a couple of years ago for the benefit of NRIs.While evaluating the existing facility of postal ballots and proxy voting, the panel decided to examine the proposal for NRIs that among other things envisages reaching the ballot paper through electronic mail, of which a registered voter can take a printout only once and then submit it to Indian mission.The Election Commission had set up a committee, which submitted a report in October 2014 exploring the feasibility of alternative options for voting by overseas electors. Commenting that the existing system of postal ballots is both time consuming and cumbersome, the committee said a one-way electronic postal ballot with some safeguards like secrecy, privacy and accuracy of vote, protected by passwords, containing unique barcode/QR code with watermark and unique ID generated through customised random algorithm could be a way out. After prolonged discussion, armed forces personnel are now allowed to cast their votes either through postal ballots or a proxy following due process established by the poll panel.

• 1942, Operation Anthropoid, Prague: Code name for the assassination attempt on Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich. It was planned by the British Special Operations Executive with the approval of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. Although only wounded in the attack, Heydrich died from his injuries in June 1942 and his death led to a wave of merciless reprisals by German troops.
• 1972, Operation Wrath of God: After terrorist group Black September kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics in 1972, the Israeli intelligence Mossad sought revenge. Covert Israeli assassination units killed dozens of suspected conspirators across Europe. The operation spurred retaliations and criticism of Israel.
• 1976, Israeli raid at Entebbe: Under cover of darkness, Israeli commandos launched Operation Thunderbolt, to rescue 100 Jewish passengers of an Air France jet that had been hijacked and flown to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The mission was largely a success, with all seven hijackers and dozens of Ugandan soldiers killed.
• 1980, Iranian hostage rescue: Iranian students took 53 Americans hostage at the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979. Early next year a plan, Operation Eagle Claw, ended in disaster in the desert as members of the US Army Rangers and the Delta Force antiterrorism team ran into sand storms and aborted the mission. In a subsequent fire during the evacuation, eight men died and the team left a Sea Stallion helicopter and a C-130 aircraft burning in the desert.
• 1989, Arrest of Manuel Noriega: In the winter of 1989, US launched Operation Nifty Package to overthrow and capture the Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega. Three platoons of Navy SEALs tracked down and surrounded Noriega at the Apostolic Nuncio, a Roman Catholic facility in Panama City. After a bloody firefight and psychological pressure for several days, Noriega surrendered.
• 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia: US Army Rangers and Delta Force teams launched an operation in October 1993 to capture Somali warloard Mohamed Farrah Aidid. But after two US Black Hawk helicopters were downed by rocket-propelled grenades, the mission quickly unraveled. US lost 18 soldiers and another 73 were wounded. The Somali managed to escape.
• 2002, Moscow theatre hostage: In 2002, Chechan rebels took over the crowded Nord-Ost Theater in Moscow, taking 850 hostages. After two days, Russian Spetsnaz forces pumped an unknown chemical into the theater’s ventilation system and then stormed the complex. The raid left at least 170 dead, including 129 hostages and 39 terrorists.
• 2003: Rescue of Jessica Lynch: Jessica Lynch, a US soldier was taken prisoner by Iraqi forces in March 2003, when her convoy was ambushed in Nassiriya. She was missing for nine days. On April 1, a team of US Special Forces launched a nighttime raid on the hospital where she was kept and rescued her.
• 2003, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said to the be among the key planners of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, was among three terrorism suspects arrested in a March 2003 CIA-led operation in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in Pakistan.
• 2011, Killing of Osama bin Laden: A heli-borne assault, Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out by a team of US Navy SEALs on the compound of terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011. The mastermind of the attacks of September 11, 2001, was killed and the team gathered a large cache of documents and manuscripts.