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Indicia Knowledge Brief
A Daily Assessment on Indian Defence and Internal/Homeland Security
May 18, 2015.
Primary aims of Indicia Daily Brief are two-fold. First, it distills infinite information into a
capsule form, thus saving precious time of its clients. Second, it tries to link micro-events
to larger strategic canvas through its analyses, thus providing support knowledge for
better understanding and decision-making.
Indicia Analysis of the Day
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitches for strong economic ties
with China, the Centre remains focussed on defence preparedness along
the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Defence Ministry has set itself a
deadline of 2018 to complete infrastructure projects in Sikkim and
Arunachal Pradesh.
In an important development, days after the government auditor
questioned the delay in producing the indigenous Tejas light combat
aircraft (LCA), a defence ministry official said the first squadron of 18
aircraft will be delivered by 2017-18.
Clearance of the Rs.11,930 crore Airbus-TATA consortium bid to
manufacture 56 transport aircraft for the IAF and of a Russian firm's bid
to build 200 advanced military helicopters will kick-start the aero
industry ecosystem in India, especially for aviation parts.
I. National Defence and Security:
Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018:
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitches for strong economic ties with
China, the Centre remains focussed on defence preparedness along the Line of
Actual Control (LAC). The Defence Ministry has set itself a deadline of 2018 to
complete infrastructure projects in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Refurbishing
six Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) for military aircraft, building strategic
railway lines, tunnels, and arterial roads leading up to the LAC are among the
projects the government plans to “finish” before its term ends in 2019. “The
Chinese infrastructure is right up to the LAC, whereas we are at places 50-100
km away from the LAC. This is now being addressed. By 2018 — a year here or
there — we plan to put the infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh and the
Northeast in place,” Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh told The
Indian Express. Singh, who was Minister of State for Defence Production from
2006-09 in the UPA government, said the days of “policy paralysis” towards the
Northeast were over. Singh visited forward areas in Arunachal and Sikkim last
week, which followed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to the area at
the beginning of the month. “The Border Roads Organisation has been brought
solely under the Defence Ministry… and has been given strict deadlines. The DG,
BRO will be monitoring the progress of these projects every three months and
submitting the reports to me. I will be personally monitoring the progress by the
year-end,” Singh said. The six ALGs, the Minister said, had fallen into disuse and
been encroached upon by local people, but they would be made fully operational
by the end of the year, and their 1,200-metre runways would allow military and
civilian jets. The Air Force currently bases its Sukhois at Tezpur and Chabua in
Assam. Singh said an idea of building “missile resistant tunnels” was also under
consideration.....
Source:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-finish-building-china-borderinfrastructure-by-18-rao-inderjit/
*
First Tejas fighter squadron expected by 2017-18:
Days after the government auditor questioned the delay in producing the
indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), a defence ministry official said the
first squadron of 18 aircraft will be delivered by 2017-18 - a good 17 years after
it first took to the skies. "The initial operational clearance was obtained in
December 2013 and the production of Tejas has commenced. The first squadron
is expected to be delivered by 2017-18," a defence ministry official told IANS on
condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media. "Efforts
are underway to enhance the production capability," the official added. However,
the full operational clearance for the LCA is still pending and is now expected by
December 2015. A report of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) tabled in
the just-concluded budget session of parliament said that due to the delay in the
manufacture and supply of the LCA, the IAF forced force to take alternative and
temporary measures such as upgrading its MiG-21s, MiG-29s, Jaguars, and
Mirage aircraft at a cost of Rs 20,037 crore (over $3 billion) and revise the
phasing out of the Soviet-era MiG-21s.....
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/First-Tejas-fighter-squadron-expected-by-201718/articleshow/47318229.cms
*
India-Bangladesh border: Will there be exchange at enclaves?
Children romp around with flags as seniors sit in groups discussing the future
course of action. Most children have Indian tricolors. Some carry the flag of the
Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Co-ordination Committee (BBEECC). This
is also a tricolor without the Ashok Chakra and a red vertical stripe along the left
edge. The intention is clear. Residents of the Bangladeshi enclaves in the Cooch
Behar district of West Bengal want to prove their allegiance towards India,
despite the hardships they have faced since Independence. Most of them have
nothing to do with Hindi or they may have uttered: "Achhe Din Aane Waale
Hain." According to a survey carried out by the government and the BBEECC,
none of the 14,000 residents of Bangladeshi enclaves would leave India when the
actual exchange of population starts. An estimated 1,700 people from Indian
enclaves would cross over from Bangladesh though. There are some who don't
agree with the census figures. They believe that there are many more enclave
dwellers than the 14,000 registered in India and 37,000 in Bangladesh. The
figure crossing over from Bangladesh may also be much higher than the
estimated 1,700. One shouldn't be surprised if this goes up to 17,000 even. How
smooth would the exchange process be then? Or is Bengal staring at another
Partition-like experience? There are Bangladeshi enclaves like Poaturkuti where
the dominant population is Muslim but they have no intention of leaving India.
Nearby, close to the Bakalichhara Enclave, the government is already carrying
out surveys on nearly 100 bighas of vested land where residents from Indian
enclaves who cross over from Bangladesh may be settled. "Nobody wishes to
leave their homes, in which they have lived for generations. If people do leave
their homes in Indian enclaves, it would be because they see no future as
Bangladeshi citizens and fear persecution. Most of us don't want to leave India
because of the security this country offers. There are apprehensions that the
Hindu population which crosses over from Bangladesh would have faced some
kind of persecution there because of their religion. As enclave dwellers, we have
been exploited in India but have never faced persecuted on the basis of religion.
What if the Hindu population that crosses over from Bangladesh gets into the
trouble with the Muslim population in Bangladeshi enclaves who have opted to
stay on in India," a resident of Poaturkuti says.....
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-Bangladesh-border-Will-there-be-exchange-atenclaves/articleshow/47322729.cms
*
Military plane, chopper deals to kick-start aero industry's
ecosystem: Parrikar:
Clearance of the Rs.11,930 crore Airbus-TATA consortium bid to manufacture 56
transport aircraft for the IAF and of a Russian firm's bid to build 200 advanced
military helicopters will kick-start the aero industry ecosystem in India,
especially for aviation parts, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on May 16.
Parrikar, who was speaking to reporters at a press conference at BJP's state
headquarters, also said there was a shortage of around 500 helicopters across
the Indian military wings. "From this, aero ecosystem, especially which relates to
manufacture of aviation parts will get a boost... It will provide a kick-start to the
private aviation industry," the minister said. He also said that 14 of the Indian Air
Force (IAF) transport planes to be purchased from Airbus-Tata would be in flyaway condition while the remaining 42 would be manufactured in India. "For
them, 50 percent (or) more parts will be indigenous," Parrikar said, adding that
the proportion of indigenous parts would go above 50 percent in time. Parrikar
also said that considering the shortfall of as many as 500 helicopters in the
Indian Army and the IAF, there would be no compromise on the manufacture of
Dhruv helicopters by the defence ministry-operated aviation company
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru. He said it even as the Defence
Acquisition Council approved the offer of a Russian defence manufacturing firm
to build 200 advanced twin-engine Kamov helicopters for the Indian armed
forces. "There will be no compromise on HAL's Dhruv. We need quantity from
them too. Army and Air Force need many more helicopters. In fact, the shortage
is almost around 500," Parrikar said, adding that around 250 Chetak and Cheetah
helicopters used by the Indian military were around 30 years old. Speaking
about the helicopter deal, Parrikar said the Indian government was dealing with
Russia directly over the issue and that while 60 choppers would be purchased
directly "rest of the 140 will be manufactured here under the Make in India
programme". "As a result, an eco-system for helicopters will be created,"
Parrikar said.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/military-plane-chopper-deals-to-kick-startaero-industry-s-ecosystem-parrikar-115051600942_1.html
*
Foundational agreements won’t compromise India’s security:
U.S.
Three “foundational” defence sector agreements between the U.S. and India,
which are pending signatures from both sides, have the potential to enhance
bilateral cooperation in this area but do not pose a risk to India’s strategic
security in any form, according to defence officials in Washington. Speaking to
select Indian media, officials noted that Washington and New Delhi have already
signed one such foundational agreement, the General Security of Military
Information Agreement (GSOMIA) yet three others have not been signed
although U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is preparing to make his first trip
in that role to India in June. The outstanding agreements, which the Pentagon
describes as “routine” instruments that the U.S. uses to promote military
cooperation with partner-nations, are the Communications and Information
Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), Logistics Support Agreement
(LSA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial
intelligence. Despite the “foundational” label attached to the agreements, “They
are not prerequisites to bilateral defence cooperation with the U.S.,” officials
said, and there was not likely to be any major push towards getting India to sign
them. However, they are far from immaterial, it is apparent, given the examples
of the benefits that could potential arise if the remaining agreements were also
signed. Some agreements, officials said, may have made it simpler or more costeffective for U.S. aircraft seeking to refuel in India en route to provide disaster
recovery assistance in Nepal following the recent earthquake there. In their
absence, however, ad-hoc measures, usually in the form of a single commercial
transaction between the two sides, would be necessary for such a refuelling
facility to be provided. On the positive side, there were benefits to having the
GSOMIA in place, officials said, and in the case of the tender for the Medium
Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal, the GSOMIA made it possible to provide missile
systems as well as aircraft survivability hardware for the U.S. F-16 and F-18
aircraft, even though the two platforms were not ultimately selected. While
progress with these agreements may not be at the top of the agenda when Mr.
Carter arrives in India, the U.S. side hoped that there would be no further
“inaccurate” reporting on the agreements, particularly suggestions that they
allowed U.S. soldiers unfettered access to Indian military facility, that they would
make American personnel immune from Indian law, or that they gave the U.S.
visibility into India’s classified intelligence systems.
Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/foundational-agreements-wont-compromiseindias-security-us/article7213305.ece
*
Can Manohar Parrikar Be Another YB Chavan?
In November 1962, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, under pressure
to revamp India’s armed forces in the wake on the debacle against China was
forced to draft a Maharashtrian, Yashwantrao Chavan then the Chief Minister of
the newly-formed state of Maharashtra. In four years, Yashwantrao, a complete
newcomer to Delhi, not only expanded the military rapidly but also restored its
dignity and standing. The modernisation of the Indian military undertaken by
Chavan with full backing of first Nehru and then Lal Bahadur Shastri, proved to
be decisive in the 1971 war. Over half a century later, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has entrusted another Goan/Marathi, Manohar Parrikar to shakeup the
lethargic and risk-averse civil and military bureaucracy in South Block to
modernise the Indian military and get it battle-ready. Parrikar, Chief Minister of
Goa till early November 2014, was handpicked by Modi to ensure that the
Ministry of Defence was provided the political leadership it so severely lacked in
the previous nine years under AK Antony. So completely ineffectual was AK
Antony as defence minister that he cancelled around a dozen tenders on receipt
of the first anonymous (obviously motivated) complaint and allowed the babus
to run the ministry as they wished. In contrast, Antony’s immediate predecessor
Pranab Mukherjee was in complete control of South Block. If he had stayed
Raksha Mantri as long as Antony did, the military would not have perhaps landed
up in such a mess as it found itself in 2014. Alas.....
Source: http://swarajyamag.com/politics/can-manohar-parrikar-be-another-yb-chavan/
*
In a first, two Mirage 2000 jets land at Saifai:
In a first for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the country or any village in India, two
Mirage 2000 fighter jets were test landed at and flown back from the Saifai
village airstrip on May 16. Saifai is the ancestral village of the former Union
defence minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP
chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. The district magistrate of Etawah, Nitin Bansal,
confirmed the IAF’s May 16 venture by Central Air Command but said that he
was not aware as to which air base the two jets came and went back to. However,
the fighter jets were reportedly from the Mirage 2000 squadron based at Gwalior
air base. The May 16 exercise came the same week the chief minister had a
meeting at his residence with the Central Air Command delegation where he
agreed in principle for making of a highway runway of the Air Force on AgraLucknow expressway, the first highway runway to come up in the country. In the
meeting, the Air Force also said that it would help Uttar Pradesh in training its
State Disaster Response Force and would also help the state whenever needed in
any calamity or disaster relief. The district magistrate (DM) and some officers
were present during the event, but the IAF had prohibited any photography or
videography of it. Though, they themselves captured the whole exercise on high
resolution cameras – both still and video. Bansal said that IAF did the test as they
may use the airstrip for any emergency purposes or exercises. IAF had deployed
a substantial support staff of its personnel at the Saifai airstrip that inspected,
studied, prepared the airstrip before the landing and studied it after the take
off....
Source:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-a-first-two-mirage-2000-jets-land-atsaifai/article1-1347987.aspx
*
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar blames UPA government for
ammunition shortfall:
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on May 17 blamed the previous UPA regime
for not taking steps to maintain the stocks of arms and ammunition as
preparation in case of a war and said the situation has substantially improved
now under the new government. The minister's remarks come in the wake of a
CAG report on ammunition management, which pointed that the army faced a
massive ammunition shortage with reserves that would barely last 20 days of
intense fighting. "I admit the CAG report, which stated that arms and ammunition
will last for 20 days if war breaks out. The situation that was there till 2013 has
considerably improved now and there was not reason to worry," Parrikar, who is
on a two day visit to Nagpur, told reporters. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
blames UPA government for ammunition shortfall. "The UPA cabinet took a
decision in 2010 which was without proper planning," he alleged. He said the
necessary stock of arms and ammunition between the year 2008 and 2013 was
not taken care of and no seriousness was shown in this regard. "Now the
situation is not that bad and it is not a question of 20 days or 40 days. It all
depends on the requirement of arms and ammunition and shell's life. I can't
afford ammunition for 40 days since other factors are also involved like the age
of ammunition and ease of handling," Parrikar said. There are a variety of
ammunition and and if one particular product is short, others can be used to
overcome the shortfall, he said. "We will overcome the shortfall within one and
half years and the gap has been filled 50 per cent and process of remaining 50
percent is underway," Parrikar asserted. To a question, Parrikar defended the
government's decision to freeze the raising of Mountain Striking Corps.
Elaborating on it, he said it requires a whopping Rs 88,000 crore for which the
previous UPA government did not make provision, but just took a decision."The
UPA cabinet took a decision in 2010 which was without proper planning," he
alleged. The infrastructure has to be improved for raising such a force and in the
absence of such a provision, the BJP government has decided to put it on
hold."We are working on to settle the unit," he added. On procurement of fighter
aircraft Rafale from France, Parrikar said India would go for direct purchase.
Earlier in the day, Parrikar met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the city.
Source:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/defence-minister-manohar-parrikar-blames-upa-government-forammunition-shortfall/546146-37-64.html
*
Pipavav Defence inks pact with Daewoo to build LNG ships:
Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Co. Ltd, a group company of Anil
Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, has signed a technical collaboration
agreement with South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co.
Ltd for building liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, completing the line-up of
Indian shipyards looking to build at least three such ships for state-run natural
gas firm GAIL (India) Ltd. With this, the big three shipbuilders in South Korea
now have partnerships with Indian yards. Daewoo Shipbuilding, the world’s
second biggest shipbuilder, holds the top slot by market share for LNG ship
construction globally. State-run Cochin Shipyard Ltd and Larsen and Toubro
Shipbuilding Ltd have tied-up with Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd and
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd respectively for securing technology. ABG
Shipyard Ltd has partnered with French firm Gaztransport and Technigaz (GTT)
for building LNG carriers.....
Source:
http://www.livemint.com/Companies/rOhCd6c3N1pgIHp3IT9rbM/Pipavav-Defence-inks-pactwith-Daewoo-to-build-LNG-ships.html
*
Stiff Norms Planned to Curb Unmanned Aerial Vehicles:
In a major step to control the misuse of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) titled
‘drone’ cameras in the country, Union Home Ministry is gearing up to frame
stringent rules and regulations. The Ministry would soon formulate a set of
regulations along with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to curb the
rampant misuse of such aerial cameras reported from many parts of the country,
sources said. “The restrictions would also include the issuance of licence and
control in the sales of the same online and offline”, state ADGP (Administration)
Loknath Behera told ‘Express’. Civilian drones are small UAVs usually fitted with
cameras that are used for surveillance, public functions, wedding ceremonies
and film shooting. Mostly, drones are less than two metres long and one metre in
width and weigh less than two kg. These remote-controlled drones fly at an
average speed of around 40 kmph. Though the Union Government had imposed
some restrictions on the use of civilian drones in October last year, it seems that
the use and sales of drones are rampant and increased like never before. Earlier,
DGCA has allowed only a limited bandwidth of radio frequency to fly small UAVs
in the Indian aerospace. In the public notice issued by DGCA, it was also stated
that no one could fly drones in Indian airspace till further notice as it pose
serious security concerns. According to the top sources from the state police, the
restrictions on such cameras are the need of the hour and it would be
implemented by the Union Government very soon. “As far as state police are
concerned, we are very particular about this matter. However,the Union Home
Ministry is all set to frame strict rules and regulations against the overuse of
such unmanned aerial vehicles. As the restrictions would be made across the
nation, we would also implement the rules by giving strict directions to the
respective police units in the state”, said Loknath Behera. He further pointed out
that there should be a licensing system...
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Stiff-Norms-Planned-to-Curb-Unmanned-AerialVehicles/2015/05/18/article2820340.ece
II
Homeland Security
*
IAF puts rider on airlift support to JK:
The Jammu and Kashmir government’s liabilities on account of airlift services
provided by Indian Air Force (IAF) have grown to over Rs 70 crore. The Air Force
has told the JK government that further airlift support would be subject to the
clearing of the past liabilities. Official documents accessed by Greater Kashmir
reveal that Commissioner Civil Aviation, S Katoch, has written to Principal
Secretary Civil Aviation, BB Vyas, to intervene in getting the IAF bills cleared
from different departments. “You are requested to intervene and advise the
departments to ensure reconciliation and clearance of IAF bills as soon as
possible,” the letter (CAW- Accts-AL/14/2014, dated 08-01-2015) reads.
According to the communication, the government departments have failed to
liquidate the IAF bills despite instructions from the civil aviation department. “In
reference to circular no. CMS/ CAD/ 48/97/ II, dated June 4, 2013 regarding the
above mentioned subject (recovery of outstanding airlift charges), it is
enunciated that various departments were called upon to clear pending dues.
Among the few departments which have participated in reconciliation, only
Police Headquarter Srinagar/ Jammu has cleared bills in 2013-14 as intimidated
to this office. Other departments have failed to take any action,” it states. “The
IAF has further communicated that pending dues to the tune of Rs 76,79,19,783
are likely to increase due to persistent utilization of their helicopter services by
government departments,” the letter reads. According to another document,
Joint Secretary, Defence Ministry, has informed the state government in 2012
that Rs 79 crore is outstanding against it for the airlift services provided by IAF.
“It has been further stated that various RTI applications and parliament
questions are being received in Union Ministry of Defence seeking details of
outstanding airlift charges, which results in an embarrassing situation for the
Ministry,” an agenda note reads. The note talks in detail about the meetings
convened by the Principal Secretary, Civil Aviation Department, in 2013 and
2014 to discuss the issue. The Ministry has said that further IAF support would
to subject to clearing of the outstanding dues. The IAF provides airlift services to
the government for carrying out evacuation and visiting remote areas of the
State. The IAF rider can prove a handicap for the JK government in the event of
any natural disaster.....
Source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/mobi/news/186628-story.html
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