India Commissions First Indigenous Stealth Warship INS Shivalik

India commissioned its first indigenously-built stealth warship, INS Shivalik with sophisticated systems integrated ,the first of the three-ship Project-17 frigates, at Mazagon Docks (MDL), on 29 Apr 2010.

The 143-metre-long warship, with 6,000-tonne displacement, has "versatile control systems with signature management and radar cross-section reduction features." The other countries having the capability to build stealth warships are the US, the UK, Russia, France, China, Japan and Italy.

The Navy currently has a 130-warship which includes an aircraft carrier, twenty landing ships, eight destroyers, twelve frigates and sixteen attack submarines.

Shivalik class warships can deal with multiple threat environment and are fitted with weapon suite comprising both area and point defence systems. It has sensors for air, surface and subsurface surveillance, electronic support and counter equipment and decoys for 'soft kill measures'.

Shivalik marks Indian capability in design and development of indigenous vessels.

Svipja Technologies

Pak Urdu Press: 19 - 25 Apr 2010

Pakistan Urdu Press is IDSA's Weekly Newsletter containing selected translations from Pakistan's leading Urdu dailies. It contains editorial excerpts, opinion columns and selected news items.

Pakistan and surrounding areas impact local and global security. It is important to 'monitor' reports in the local press of Pakistan.

Pse Click Pakistan Urdu Press

Brigadier(Retired) Sukhwindar Singh
http://www.indiandefenceindustry.com/
(An e-Hub for India Defence & Aerospace Ecosystem)
Credit: In Arrangement with the IDSA, http://www.idsa.in/ ,India's Think Tank on Matters Defence.

MMRCA, India

IAF is presently conducting flight trials for the MMRCA Jets. The bids are to expire on April 28. The MOD has asked manufacturers to extend offers for an additional year with the option of revising their price, if warranted, as per report.

The Jets need to go through field trials in all the terrain obtaining in the country. It is a normal process to ask for extension of the validity of the bids by a few months if delay in contract signing is envisaged. One year extension should suffice.

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Indigenous Anti-Submarine Corvettes for the Navy

India launched its first anti-submarine warfare corvette built by GRSE, Kolkata, on 19 Apr 2010. It would be commissioned in 2012. Four ships of this class are under construction, other three are expected to be commissioned by 2015.

The corvette is a small, fast-moving ship with 3,100-tonnage. It will be fitted with the latest indigenous sonars. The torpedo tubes, and scutter (torpedo decoys) launchers contribute to its anti-submarine capability. In addition, the ship will also be equipped with vertically launched Point Defence Missile System (PDMS) and Close- In-Weapon-Systems (CIWS) such as AK 30s and Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM). The ship is equipped with decoy system, Kavach which counters the threat of various anti-ship missiles.

At present the Indian Navy does not have any anti-submarine corvettes. It uses bigger ships like frigates and destroyers for anti-sub ops.

Svipja Technologies.

Journal of Defence Studies: Defence Acquisition Special, Jan 2010

'Our defence forces require timely and cost effective acquisition of defence equipment to enable them to meet any challenge to the country's security. The emerging security scenario is very challenging. Nobody can say what will happen in some of our neighbouring areas. India will have to be fully prepared, our armed forces will have to be fully prepared to meet any challenge from any quarter and they must be able to protect every inch of Indian territory' said the Defence Minister in the IDSA Defence Acquisition Seminar in Jan 2010.

Defence equipments are technology intensive involving heavy investments. Moreover, the equipment remains in an inventory for a long time. Acquisition of defence equipment requires expertise in diverse fields from technical to administrative such as military, technology, industry, market research, contract management, project management, administration and policy making. Defence acquisition is, therefore, a time consuming and a cumbersome process

It is therefore essential that we all are conversant with India's Defence Acquisition Process to make it happen expeditiously but correctly.

Pse read the Defence Acquisition proceedings compiled by the IDSA in its Special Issue on the Defence Acquisition: http://idsa.in/jds/4_1_2010

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Arty Guns for India

Trials for procuring 155 mm, 52-calibre towed guns began in summer 2002, when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) began evaluating three guns from BAE Systems, Soltam; and Denel. Five rounds of trials, conducted in 2002; 2003; 2004; and 2006; reached no conclusion. Denel was blacklisted for corruption in September 2005; the other two guns did not meet the army’s standards.

A fresh tender was issued in 2008.

Indian Field Howitzer-2000 (IFH-2000), developed by Singapore Technologies Kinetics, or STK joined-in the tender. In 2009, STK was 'blacklisted' for corruption after the arrest of the Chairman, OFB. STK has now been asked to field its gun for trials.

Guns under trials are to be from BAE (Indian Partner M & M), and STK (Indian Partner Punj Loyd). The Order for 155 mm Gun, 52 Calibre towed gun, is for about INR 8000 Crores.

Pse read the full Report from Business Standard on: Arty Guns

Svipja Technologies

Consolidated FDI Policy India, Effective 01 Apr 2010

FDI in Defence Industry is permissible up to 26%, under Government route subject to Industrial license under the Industries (Development & Regulation) Act 1951 and the following conditions:

Licence applications will be considered and licences given by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in consultation with Ministry of Defence.

Cases involving FDI will be considered by the FIPB and licences given by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion in consultation with Ministry of Defence.

The applicant should be an Indian company / partnership firm.

Government decision on applications to FIPB for FDI in defence industry sector will be normally communicated within a time frame of 10 weeks from the date of ack.

Consolidated FDI Policy India, 2010

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Svipja CMR Chair (5) : A Dynamic Model Needs to be Developed for CMR

[This Posting was made by Svipja on 15 Jul 2009. A lot has happened in the CMR arena in the Indian Context in the recent past. It was therefore considered prudent to establish 'Svipja Civil-Military Relations Chair' from within resources of Svipja Technologies, a Think Tank in its own right. Our research will be objective, impartial and a positive delivery to Democratic forms of Govts, with special focus on India. This Note in fact marks genesis of the Chair.]

Indian Military has remained loyal and apolitical since Independence. It appears to have faced ‘not-so-pleasant’ handling in our system, reasons are many. Has resulted in ‘grouses’, at the levels of officers and men which are amply seen lately. As a ‘maturing democracy’, we all need to be careful. We can not afford to let the professionalism of the Indian Military erode in view of challenges & commitments that the nation has.

It is time that we develop a ‘dynamic model’ for better understanding of the type of civil-military relations which could dominate the country’s political life. The creation of a multi-factorial model is therefore needed. This model ought to be a composite one. The following issues could be considered:

Firstly, The military institution itself. A close observation to the size of the military institution, the social background and the level of professionalism of its members, their political ideology, their level of cohesion and unity as well as that of their desire to protect their corporate interest(s), could offer us a better chance for comprehending the relations.

Secondly, the model should take into consideration the effect of the domestic social, economic and the political environment in which the military institution lives and functions. Special attention ought to be paid to the political factors since it is this which will greatly determine whether the process of democratisation has established strong roots in the nations’ military and the country.

Thirdly, the role of the international factor and more specifically the influence which the major foreign powers could exercise upon both the military establishments, and the country’s para-military forces in their routine interactions.

Lastly, the past and the present role of the military institutions in the evolution of civil-military relations. A small rider below should be added here.

Most studies of civil-military relations are greatly concerned with the 'military factor' only after an intervention occurs. The role of these institutions in domestic policy-making process in situations where the military does not rule, is often neglected or under-estimated. Although most of research anywhere focuses on the immediate factors leading to the military intervention, they forget that the military organization as "a system of continuous purposive activity of specified kind" functions within the society long before the pre-intervention stage. It is said that "the direct control of govt. by officers or military junta is only a crude indication of the role that the armed forces may be playing at a given moment, for men in uniform have sundry ways of making their will felt".

The phenomenon needs a continuous study. May be institutions like IDSA /Other Think Tanks could help in regular profiling of Civil-Military Relations in India. The relations are ‘not very diligently’ handled presently, to say the least.


Brigadier (Retired) Sukhwindar Singh
http://www.svipja.com/
Credit: NATO Study on Turkey & Greece.

Svipja CMR Chair (4): Why are CMR More Important in a Democracy?

There is a ‘rooted’ tendency amongst Us to narrow Civil-Military Relations to IAS-Military Top Brass. In wider sense it in fact relates to who governs the Country, Civil or Military leadership?

Civil is all encompassing - politicians, civil bureaucracy including allied civil services, police, State machinery, civil offices providing services like supplies, power, water, teles, transportation, roads, etc. Military and its personnel deal at various levels of ‘civil governance’ in official and personal capacities. Any aberrations to military personnel while on duty, off duty, or at home leaves them frustrated if not handled well. Military has expectations to be governed / handled diligently and in an orderly fashion. It is here that a soldier ‘grumbles’ when he is ‘towed’ to follow ethos alien to him.

First damage to civil-military relation stems when a soldier is handled shabbily, dishonestly, or indifferently in the Civil. And this could multiply manifold as he moves through his ‘life cycle’. In his frustration, he then uses ‘force’, the only ‘expertise’ developed in him to reach his objective, at least temporarily, willing to face its consequences subsequently.

Any nation has to be sensitive not to bruise soldiers’ pride in day-to-day interactions. Self-Pride, Self-Respect, Self-Reliance, High-Class Motivation, Professionalism, Ability to Lead by Example, etc are his inherent strengths. Any act that tends to lower it is damaging to the Forces, and Nation as a whole. Anyone including Armed Forces Leadership hurting/undermining these basic traits in any manner is doing disservice to the Nation as it may result in ‘mass grouse’, sometimes difficult to be handled by leadership. That’s why the Armed Forces handle cases of bad management, indiscipline or corruption strictly.

‘All Civil Institutions’ need to fully appreciate it in a democracy like India, where ‘ethos & personal examples’ tend to become casualty.

A Soldier is a Class by Itself and Should be treated as Such. He is then ‘fit’ to deliver optimally ensuring Your Freedom.

We are an established democracy now, it is time that we talked and discussed Civil-Military Relations openly, and organised ourselves on 'Systems Approach' both in thinking and action.

Sukhwindar
Svipja Technologies
[It is a stub, could be expanded to a full Article by some Researcher(s)]

Crux of the Homeland Security Problem

"Terrorists, Divisive Forces and Naxals are on the prowl fomenting violence by exploiting and intimidating the poor and 'have-nots' and more particularly the tribal people," perspective shared by Home Minister P Chidambaram in Puducherry PCC Meeting on Apr 10, 2010.

This is the crux of our Homeland Security problem.

Coupled with Corruption and bad Governance, it becomes deadly to the Idea of India.

We must all, at least the Govt. Machinery including 'neutral security experts', move in unison on the issue w/o trying to score individual points, and partake in blame-game of any kind.

Svipja Technologies
http://www.svipja.com/

Corruption, Governance, and Maoists

A number of ‘national debate(s)’ on the Maoists have been orchestrated in media in last few days, post massacre of our CRPF Men. Unfortunately these are laced with petty party politics, and ‘cover-up syndrome’. We should get clear of it. We need to answer the following:

1. Is Maoist Movement indigenous, or sponsored and funded by Agencies interested in destabilizing India?

2. Have we provided ‘breeding ground’ for this movement with utter neglect of the development of the Regions?

3. Factors like Governance and Corruption are to be simultaneously tackled. How much discontent or disharmony these spread in our routine social lives? Are we really able to reach ‘Idea of India’ through mis-governance and corrupt practices?

4. Are the killings by Maoists purely their operational objective, abetted and supported by nations/agencies inimical to India, or just a ‘revenge’ of the sort? We need not support killings by Maoists , but see the reasons clearly to chart long-term strategy.

5. Are we reaching-out to our countrymen, the Maoists, shedding our ‘State Ego’? We have build expertise since Independence in alienating our communities somehow.

6. We must answer, how much ‘personal stake’ we have in such-like field operations?

------------------ And Much More.

Finally, are our PMFs designed to tackle ‘self-motivated’ insurgent groups? We have models at hand like NSG, RRs, Assam Rifles, etc, to emulate for CRPF too. Develop them into a hard-hitting independent force with all arms & services suitably integrated. No sacrifices or investments are very heavy to make the ‘Idea of India’ flourish. But, let Us not create more Maoists or Terrorists in the process.

‘Development of the Regions’ and ‘Punishing the Maoists’ need to be concurrent elements in our strategy.

We have the desired expertise to develop a customized Homeland Security Mechanism. We just need to focus, and be honest to ourselves.

Svipja Technologies

India for more AEW ac

India has sought RFP from Israel Aerospace Industries(IAI) to supply another three Ilyushin Il-76-based airborne EW ac.

The deal could be worth $1.5 billion. It follows India’s previous order for three IL-76s modified by IAI's Subsidiary, Elta Systems. India is likely to receive its second AEW ac in mid-2010 under the first contract, with the third to follow next year.

The ac is deployed for tactical surveillance, and EW Int missions.

Svipja Technologies
Credit: USIBC & Its News Agencies.

DRDO Launches Aero Programmes With Civil Industry

Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), HQ Bangalore, a DRDO lab, is the nodal agency to spearhead Rs 100 Crores initiative to fund R&D projects in the area of gas turbines. Under this venture, aero R&D projects for investments of Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 5 Crores would be considered for funding. Rs 78 Crores have already been sanctioned. GRTE would support 40 to 45 such projects.

The initiative is expected to fuel "coherent directed research" in the area of gas turbines, DRDO said.

DRDOs Approach takes into account futuristic national programmes. It would support, encourage, nurture, monitor and exploit the design, research, development and manufacturing capability of academic institutions and R&D establishments, industries and other think tanks to carry out frontline work in bringing out next generation gas turbine engine system.

The programme envisages participation of 100 R&D Centres and 1,000 scientists, engineers and technicians.

High-Tech MSMEs should come forward to join the programme.

Svipja Technologies

‘State Ego’ in a Democracy

India has fissiparous tendencies. In such a situation, to propagate and maintain the ‘Idea of India’ assumes special significance. It is not the aim to go into details of this hypothesis at this stage.

This makes the Government exert its will on its citizens in the process of Governance. This aspect may have been rooted in our psyche because of hundreds of years of foreign occupation of our land. If the Democracy is ‘for the people’ and ‘by the people, our Governance philosophy ought to be citizen-friendly.

We must refrain from tit-for-tat policy and instead take a conciliatory approach for any conflict resolution with our citizens; conflict need not always be met by force. Is it the ‘State Ego’ in its unpleasant form that tends to create situations leading to insurgency or terrorism? We need to mull over it as a democracy. Of course, all this is to be within our Constitution.

Our Leaders should not stand on ‘State or Personal ego’. Get on the table earliest through Track 1, 2, ---- n, methods. That creates a win-win.

Sukhwindar
Svipja Technologies

CRPF Men 'Shot Dead' by Maoists in Chhatisgarh

It is difficult to comprehend loss of over 70 CRPF Men to the Maoists in Chhatisgarh without any casualty to them. There is no flaw in planning LRP Operations continuously for four days by a sub-unit. LRPs are known to go far beyond four days. Execution of the operations and ‘Conduct of the Company in the LRP’ needs to be put under scrutiny if we have to avoid such 'massacre' in future.

Let ‘truth’ be known to the Planners!

It is distressing to hear ‘mass killings’ of uniformed personnel in the Operations. No ‘plain’ reasons stand to justify the incident. No ‘cover-up’ are to be encouraged.

Sukhwindar
Svipja Technologies

Svipja CMR Chair (3): A Perspective

Some excerpts from the Article of Lt General Vijay Oberoi, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Former VCOAS, are given below which have CMR Implications in the Indian Context:

“The deteriorating civil-military relations do not bode well for the safety and security of the nation. And the regional security environment is cause for concern. The status of army personnel is dwindling continuously, adversely affecting the morale of the rank and file.”

“In democracies the world over, the political leadership makes national policy and the national security strategy, with the active participation of civil and military officials of the country. However, in India, the military has been deliberately kept out of the policy formulation loop and even after over six decades of loyal, patriotic and dedicated service to the nation, it is obvious that it is still not trusted!”

“The military also needs to modify the concept of being apolitical. The army’s long standing stance of keeping a distance from the leaders of political parties other than those of the party in power needs to be modified. In a parliamentary system like ours, policy is formulated by all parliamentarians despite differences of the opposition. After all, the Parliament Standing Committee on Defence and similar other committees are all-party bodies. Consequently, though remaining apolitical, the army needs to apprise and discuss its concerns with the political leadership across the board. This would not reduce the apolitical nature of the army, about which it is justifiably so proud.”

“Civil Control implies the supremacy of the political leadership over both the military as well as the civil bureaucracy.”

Click: Challenges Before the New Army Chief for the full Article.

Svipja CMR Chair

Svipja CMR Chair (2) :National Security & Civil-Military Relations

One of the cornerstones of a democracy is a healthy civil-military relationship (CMR). India stands out as a success story in civil-military relations amongst developing nations of the world. The nation and its military are rightfully proud of it. We need to maintain this right ‘balance’.

Should the discourse on civil-military relations remain confined to the facts that in our country there have never been open criticism of the government’s policies on military affairs, never any combat refusal, or anything like a threat of military takeover? Unfortunately, most of our experts and the media are content to focus on the presence or absence of civilian control, politicisation, military discontent and discipline as the only considerations worthy of attention. Little attention is paid to the dynamics of politico-military strategies and civil-military discourse and its impact on military capabilities, and doctrines to safe-guard security of our nation.

Article of General VP Malik, PVSM, AVSM, Former COAS, in The Tribute recently covers certain aspects of National Security and related issues.

Click:

Svipja CMR Chair (1): India's Think Tanks

Firstly, Think Tanks should in the normal course aim to influence targeted audience for getting their ‘mind share’. It should take a ‘systems approach’ to an issue with the ultimate objective of sound implementation to achieve the desired outcome. It is not correct to say that the Policy Makers or Others may not ‘heed to the advice, or may not be influenced’ by the Think Tanks. It does in a way. If not, these are not Think Tanks then - their research results may be ‘tainted’, not in line with the democratic values, or totally out of context. Think Tanks need not work in ‘vacuum’ of any kind and should relate to the existing or future course(s). That much for the concept.

Secondly, Think Tanks need to be staffed with practicing managers/researchers and academia of the right kind to tackle real-life situations, and not be pure ‘philosophic’. These should relate to our ‘own’ environments. This would help in looking at their findings from ‘Policy Angle(s)’. Who funds it may not be very important in today’s intellectual scenario; system sees it through and places credibility on the Think Tanks accordingly. There may be hundreds of them but a few are creditworthy.

Thirdly, the subject matter to be tackled could take the form of a 'Chair’, for long life. The Chair could be established in Corporates, Universities, Foundations, etc, provided they operate under the Charter of Think Tanks. Intellect is widely dispersed.

Mr Kanti Bajpai’s Article in today’s TOI on ‘ Think Tanks in India’s Democracy’ puts the subject issue in a perspective, but the 'common notion'.

Click: Think Tanks in Democracy

'Svipja Civil-Military Relations (CMR) Chair' be seen in this context, a faithful delivery to the Indian Democracy and its People in CMR.

Svipja Technologies