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The Platform for Indian Defence Industry
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S NOTE
Most of the period since our last newsletter, has been focused on Doklam. This undulating plateau leads to the tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan. Further south is the Siliguri corridor, India's lifeline to the seven northeastern sister states. The narrow corridor is a vulnerability that Indians cannot be complacent about. As we go to press, soldiers of the two nuclear powers remain eyeball-to-eyeball with no substantial progress having been made as far as diffusing the situation is concerned. Hopefully, the onset of winters will lead to both sides withdrawing. The Indians have however sent their message very clearly to the Chinese; such incursions on Indian territory or those that it's committed to defend, will not go uncontested.
The Prime Minister's Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Lal Quila made adequate reference to the armed forces and other uniformed forces. He recalled their sacrifice and the insurgencies that they continue to fight. He reiterated his Zero Tolerance of terrorism and also referred to the surgical strikes Indians had launched post the Pakistani sponsored killings at Uri, J&K.
He made no reference to Doklam, possibly in order to add no more fuel to the fire. Or, perhaps to just convey that the situation is under control.
Meanwhile the news from HAL is not too encouraging. They are behind schedule in their Tejas aircraft deliveries. HAL is to supply 40 aircrafts by 2018. So far only four have been delivered. If HAL can ramp up its production line, it can find more orders.
The government is looking to sell stakes in four government owned defence companies to include Mazagon Dock, Bharat Dynamics, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers and Mishra Dhatu Nigam. Hopefully, the disinvestment will lead to greater efficiency.
Though not a major boost to the tooth-to-tail ratio, yet a small beginning seems to have been made. The government has issued orders for the closure of 39 military farms currently functional. The staff will be absorbed in other departments.
The first Indian joint venture for production of missiles was launched with the Kalyani Group and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd., announcing their venture to be located close to Hyderabad. Rafael is a global leader in missile technology and we do hope the JV will be successful.
Do keep visiting our website for issues critical to national security and the Indian defence industry.
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SOME OF OUR SPECIAL FEATURES THIS MONTH
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MoD Flip-Flop Delays Acquisition of Crucial Ammunition
Nitin A Gokhale
Inexplicable flip-flop by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over a decision to keep out inefficient public sector undertakings from participating in fresh tenders to manufacture vital ammunition for the Indian Army, has dismayed private players in the fray. Eight Requests for Proposal (RFI) were issued in No-vember last year for manufacture of different kinds of ammunition needed urgently by the Indian Army. The contracts, once finalised would run into at least USD 5 billion worth of orders over the next decade. Read More... |
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Playing Chinese Checkers In Bhutanese Pastures
Lt Gen P R Shankar (Retired)
The eyeball-to-eyeball game continues at the tri-junction with no solution in sight. The Chinese seem to be having problems with every other country with which it shares its land or maritime borders. In each of these cases it tends to behave like a bully. If such an approach be the method that the Chinese adopt, the author expresses his skepticism of the Chinese ever rising to the heights to be a superpower. The trust deficit between China and other nations can only increase if China considers hard power as a potent weapon in climbing the steps to becoming a superpower. Read More...
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Towards A Solution In Kashmir
Maj Gen Harsha Kakar (Retired)
Amidst the continuing violence and protests in J&K, it appears that the army is gaining ground gradually. The government, both at the centre and the state have displayed the resolve to not bow down to the militants. However, at some stage a dialogue must start between the government and the selected groups. When should the government take the initiative to get the groups concerned on the table? The author tries to answer such questions and debates various issues that impinge on them. Read More... |
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Breeze of Change from Tral in Kashmir
Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retired)
Amidst the continued aggression being displayed by security forces, the action to eliminate three terrorists in a remote cave stands out not just as an outstanding tactical operation, but also provides a few trends and indicators that emanate from it. The author, who has commanded the Corps in Srinagar, offers a concise analysis. Read More... |
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Leveraging Indus Water Treaty (IWT): A Realistic Appraisal
Lt Gen K J Singh (Retd)
For some time, India has been trying a firmer approach with Pakistan in an attempt to increase the cost it must bear for supporting cross-border terrorism. The surgical strikes, heavier retaliation to cross border firing and such like activities is a manifestation of the hard line adopted at New Delhi. However, it doesn't seem to have the desired effect on Pakistan. The General Officer, in his article advocates the use of water as a weapon. He explains the current arrangements in place and suggests certain augmentation on the Indian side, within the ambit of the Indus Water Treaty. Read More... |
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Slaying The Dragon: Unrestricted Warfare
Lt Gen P R Shankar (Retired)
The author's answer to Chinese belligerency draws a few cues from the book Unrestricted Warfare writ-ten by a duo of Chinese army officers. In this article, the author recommends exploiting the high handed-ness of Beijing's leadership and the resultant non-fulfilment of aspirations of Chinese people. There are also other areas that he identifies, which if exploited, could definitely help create unfavourable condi-tions for the Chinese. Read More... |
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The Gulf Crisis - A Game Of Demands
Anil Trigunayat
There's a crisis on in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Qatar was handed down a list of 13 points to comply with, and a land, sea, air embargo placed by Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman, with Egypt also joining the lot. By all standards of international diplomatic practices, it was a rather ham handed way of dealing with a sovereign state. The author analyses the impasse and provides an in-depth glimpse into the historical background of Qatar's uneasy relations with the GCC states. He goes onto evaluate the current situation and assesses the impact the episode will have on the future of GCC. Read More... |
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India's Uncompromising Stand Against China in the Himalayas Is Backed With Hard Power
Nitin A Gokhale
Several factors ranging from India's better military posture along the contested border to improved economic heft can be cited for the new approach. However, the biggest reason for India to stand up to China ironically is the blatant attempt by President Xi Jinping to force a China-centric order in Asia, a proposition that no government in New Delhi can agree to under any circumstances. Under Narendra Modi, politically the strongest Prime Minister in India for three decades, accepting China's hegemony was out of the question, given his muscular national security policies. Read More... |
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Impact Of PLA: New Theatre Commands
Maj Gen P K Chakravorty
The Chinese have initiated the process of force restructuring and modernisation. Along with force re-structuring force modernisation is also being rapidly progressed with PLA Strategic Support Forces (PLASSF) being focussed on warfare in an information age. There are substantial manpower cuts which would be compensated by technology induction that will enhance force capabilities. Notwithstanding the predictions in the article, it's time for India to undertake rapid force restructuring and modernisation. Read More... |
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Is Article 370 The Root Cause of Crisis?
Lt Gen Sanjay Kulkarni (Retd)
Article 370 has been talked and written about at length but not much debate has been focused on the re-strictive aspects of Article 35 in the context of the state of J&K. The author explains the major provi-sions, discusses the usefulness of both articles and opines on their relevance today. Read More... |
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At BharatShakti.in, our RFI/RFP pages attempt to inform you of business opportunities. While the Industry Capabilities listing page gives you details of various IDIs, their product range, niche capabilities and contact information, thus easing your search for the right partner for your business activities. Our Policy page is a repository of knowledge, hosting relevant government and departmental documents required for transacting in the area defence production. It also devotes space to FAQs on defence procurement that would be updated.
We at BharatShakti.in invite you all to be a part of our team. Do visit our pages regularly. Write to us, list your defence capabilities with us and engage with us. It's BharatShakti's faith and belief that the Indian Defence Industry is capable of addressing most of the requirements of Indian Armed Forces.
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