Indian Army: News and Discussions 15 Apr 2012

[jamwal]

One of more difficult things is getting enough supplies at a fast enough rate in to that region. Air bases are too few, too high and too close to border for regular air-sorties.
Land routes are poorly maintained and over-crowded with civilian traffic. Construction of tunnel bypassing Rohtang will help a little, but a lot more needs to be done.

[KrishnaK]

Face-offs continue; China has built 5km road inside Indian territory

Reports say China has managed to construct a road up to Finger-IV area in Ladakh, which also falls under Siri Jap area and is 5km deep into Indian side of LAC.

[Nick_S]

Tattoos are so common in villages. After officer shortage, they might have jawan shortage.

http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidate ... outs-10-1/

What is the problem of tattoos?

Its pretty common in militaries world wide.

[Yayavar]

The article states that tattoos on hands/arm are ok but not on other parts of the body. As per article the tattoos on arm may be name or religious symbol and are not objectionable.

[rohitvats]

X-Posting from another thread:

Some time back, I had postulated that China gets India to sign all these meaningless agreements to forge a false sense of normalcy. Using this false sense of normalcy, it restricts India from achieving its true potential in military terms and maintains a status quo which is beneficial to China.

I must admit that I had not evaluated the PLA positions and options in depth in past. Analysis of PLA spatial distribution shows that PLA has got away by committing bare minimum number of troops to Indian borders - both in the east and west. But more so in west.

Analysis of PLA forces under Lanzhou Military Region (responsible for Ladakh section of LAC) show that PLA troops are spread far and wide. In fact, it is my opinion that if Indian Army+AF were to mount a surprise and rapid offensive onto PLA positions occupying Ladakh, we could overwhelm them. PLA would take minimum of 4-5 days to bring together a cohesive force against India. And this when India and Indian Armed Forces would be fully ready. And waiting.

On reason for this in my opinion is that PLA was stationed across China with the objective of preventing enemy forces from threatening the Chinese heartland in coastal areas and Beijing. And for assaulting Taiwan. The two potential enemy forces could be USSR and US Army.

However, the fact that China has got away with deploying minimum number of troops shows how confident they are of Indian polity not taking aggressive position and exploring such options.

In the recent Discussion Board I had started, I have written a piece on spatial distribution of PLA under Lanzhou and Chengdu MR. Also, there is a short analysis of connectivity in terms of rail and road connectivity. The section will be expanding further.

http://tandemwarhead.blogspot.in/2013/0 ... ity-1.html

PLA forces under Lanzhou and Chengdu MR:

http://tandemwarhead.blogspot.in/2013/0 ... u-and.html

There are some other excellent pieces which explore last mile connectivity situation from Chinese perspective.

Please feel free to participate by using the comments section.

[ManuT]

Leh, May 26

India and China may have announced an end to their 20-day stand-off in Ladakh sector, but the situation has not entirely settled down judging from a recent incident when the Chinese intercepted an Indian Army patrol and prevented it from going to Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The incident took place near Finger-VIII area, also known as Siri Jap, on May 17, two days before Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang arrived in New Delhi after it was announced that the stand-off resulting from a 19-km-deep Chinese intrusion had ended. It was claimed that the intruding Chinese troops had gone back to their previous positions.

While the Udhampur-based Army spokesperson refused to comment on the incident, official sources said there was a brief stand-off at the Finger-VIII area after which the Army patrol returned without proceeding to the LAC.

The sources said after the incident all patrols were stopped by the Ladakh-based 14 corps, including the one proposed to be sent in Depsang plain, where the Chinese Army had pitched tents for nearly three weeks beginning from April 15.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130527/main4.htm

[vivek_ahuja]

India and China may have announced an end to their 20-day stand-off in Ladakh sector, but the situation has not entirely settled down judging from a recent incident when the Chinese intercepted an Indian Army patrol and prevented it from going to Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The incident took place near Finger-VIII area, also known as Siri Jap, on May 17, two days before Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang arrived in New Delhi after it was announced that the stand-off resulting from a 19-km-deep Chinese intrusion had ended. It was claimed that the intruding Chinese troops had gone back to their previous positions.

While the Udhampur-based Army spokesperson refused to comment on the incident, official sources said there was a brief stand-off at the Finger-VIII area after which the Army patrol returned without proceeding to the LAC.

The sources said after the incident all patrols were stopped by the Ladakh-based 14 corps, including the one proposed to be sent in Depsang plain, where the Chinese Army had pitched tents for nearly three weeks beginning from April 15.

Proud day for Indians everywhere.

[member_23360]

Only thing changed between 1958 and 2013 is that, we had guts (someone would say stupidity) to employ "Forward Policy" then and now we have wisdom (or fear) to remain calm.

Our PM is in Tokyo, pitching (begging) Japanese to forge security ties. Its amazing to see, a nation of 1.24 billions asking the japanese for help.

I wouldn't wonder if in future (distant future), India will allow americans to create permanent bases in india.

[member_26622]

Well consider that Indians were technically slaves/second-class/treated like dogs for 700 years in their own country before becoming free (Delhi was under foreign rule starting 1206 AD, http://www.thenagain.info/webChron/Indi ... Delhi.html). We have been free for 60 odd years now which is less than 10% of that time. 700 years is about 15 plus generations. It takes a while to clear away these deep scars (and these are cold hard facts by the way). The good thing is that we are on an improving trajectory.

These scars are so deep that we have to depend on one family to lead us for 50 plus years out of those 60 years (direct or through remote control). Our current generation of leaders were born before independence. Think about their mindset...How motivated would you be to fight a war when you are 80 years old, which is how old our PM is by the way. How effective can he be at this age? Just the stress of going to war can kill him.

After going through this much, we are today ruled by a non-indian (though I do not doubt anyone's loyalty here but it's also a fact). How many countries in the world are in this enviable situation...FYI the US constitution disallows a foreign born person from running for presidency.

Now consider how import dependent is our military...even looking to import basic guns for infantry?

Anyone will take shots at India with this envious track record...Why blame the Chinese?

[ramana]

rohit, Talked a a young brigadier from IA last May. He spent all his time in the frontiers and is an on the way up officer. He said that when press reports talk about raising this or that its already a done deal and is going through the motions.
IA has solid plans. I ran your idea of the West Bengal holding pen as dual front reserves. Thats exactly what it is for.
TSP is the near term threat and PRC is long term threat.
TSP would have moved to medium but for the radicalization under US guidance to fight the FSU in Afghanistan.
Nukes from PRC also moved them to near term threat.
They have a very comprehensive knowledge manangement program:Masters, PhDs, and training at colleges in India and abroad. Add to that their own think-tanks.

[VinodTK]

Senior Army general shunted after charges of irregularity

[rohitvats]

rohit, Talked a a young brigadier from IA last May. He spent all his time in the frontiers and is an on the way up officer. He said that when press reports talk about raising this or that its already a done deal and is going through the motions.
IA has solid plans. I ran your idea of the West Bengal holding pen as dual front reserves. Thats exactly what it is for.
TSP is the near term threat and PRC is long term threat.
TSP would have moved to medium but for the radicalization under US guidance to fight the FSU in Afghanistan.
Nukes from PRC also moved them to near term threat.
They have a very comprehensive knowledge manangement program:Masters, PhDs, and training at colleges in India and abroad. Add to that their own think-tanks.

ramana, thanks for the inputs.

The raising of new formation(s) generally starts from augmentation of existing resources with in the army...the permission is actually required to create and fill up new posts and vacancies due to expansion.And of course, new equipment.

[Surya]

the permission is actually required

this is very important

in absence of this - it is nothing much dilution of existing units in the name of creating new ones

Has happened to some very elite units

[ASPuar]

Senior Army general shunted after charges of irregularity

Pure witchhunt.

If the government never accused VK Singh of any wrongdoing, what legal basis is there for targeting the careers of officers who worked under him?

In the second place, an officer is duty bound to follow the orders of his chief, unless those orders are illegal. There is nothing to say that the orders issued by VKS were illegal. Government has never accused him of any wrong doing. So why this persecution?

[member_23629]

^^^ Since Gandhi and Nehru time, Congress has been hostile to the armed forces. It considers the military as an unnecessary evil and thinks India will get better served by non violence on the borders.

[raj-ji]

Only thing changed between 1958 and 2013 is that, we had guts (someone would say stupidity) to employ "Forward Policy" then and now we have wisdom (or fear) to remain calm.

Our PM is in Tokyo, pitching (begging) Japanese to forge security ties. Its amazing to see, a nation of 1.24 billions asking the japanese for help.

I wouldn't wonder if in future (distant future), India will allow americans to create permanent bases in india.

Smart money is on no US bases in India. Only more military exercises.

Japanese are more than happy to forge an alliance with India. It is beneficial to both sides.

Best part of this, this will pi$$ off the Pandas no end. Then off to Thailand for more defence related meetings. Indian warships in Japan and Thailand for exercises, is the start. Next some MKIs will be doing exercises with Japanese fighters soon.

Very timely visits and discussions by the PM given the Pandas recent camping trip in India.

[raj-ji]

^^^ Since Gandhi and Nehru time, Congress has been hostile to the armed forces. It considers the military as an unnecessary evil and thinks India will get better served by non violence on the borders.

You know this from first hand experience? I'm guessing not.

Keep the political talk out of a defence forum.

And India would be better served through peace not war. Ask someone who serves in the armed forces which is better peace or war. They are the ones that make the most sacrifices, and pay the biggest price of all.

War is not a video game. If you think that war is necessary and not the last resort, please join our brave soldiers on the front line. We'll see if you think the same after you are shot at once or twice.

[Prabu]

^^^^

There is nothing wrong in Varunkumars post and he is entitled for his own vies. In fact I second that. No one has said war is a video game ! The Chinese border debackle dates back to Krishana memon's era, when probably you were not born at all ! Strength recognizes strength ! It is a very poor show this GOI is putting up in the chinese border. Jai hind !

[ramana]

rohitvats, A historical question. Do you or any one you know*, know about Lord Kitchner's re-organization of British Indian Army that was carried out in the 1890s?

And the subsequent history of those regiments and their deployments till 1947?

* Can you ask your dad?

[rohitvats]

rohitvats, A historical question. Do you or any one you know*, know about Lord Kitchner's re-organization of British Indian Army that was carried out in the 1890s?

And the subsequent history of those regiments and their deployments till 1947?

* Can you ask your dad?

Chief, honest answer is No. I have not read about the same. Also, asking Dad won't be of any help for this is one topic I'm sure even he'd not come across.

But now that you've piqued my curiosity, let me search around and read on the topic. As for deployment of those regiments in 1947, the IA went through massive expansion in 1918 and subsequently during WW2. It would be a challenge to trace the original regiments/battalions through this maze of expansion and renaming.

I will need to read up and find out whether these forces (original battalions) underwent any further change till 1947. Give me some time, I'll revert.

Added later: Read up some stuff on internet and IA did undergo massive expansion...tracing the lineage of original battalions at the time of Kitchner Reforms would be a challenge - except for Cavalry and Arty Units and senior infantry regiments.

However, could you elaborate on the reason behind the question? May be, we can work backwards from 1947 and see if the assumption fits the facts?

Regards,

[ramana]

I think we all will benefit. I have the Battle Honors book and will read the pages for that period and list the battles. It also has regt/bn numbers. So that will give us the deployment patterns.
I know an old soldier from 1950 batch. Will ask him too.

[member_26965]

http://www.stratpost.com/how-the-army-l ... inst-china

How the army lost secret op plans against China

[Austin]

Army's top secret letter leaked, six indicted

[Austin]

India To Speed BMP-2 Upgrades; FICV Stalls

NEW DELHI — Keeping its US $10 billion Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) program on the shelf, the Indian Ministry of Defense instead will accelerate the upgrade of its Russian-made BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles and will issue tenders to buy 2,000 engines for the program, Defense Ministry sources said.

The Indian Army’s more than 1,500 BMP-2s will be upgraded at a cost of more than $1.2 billion in the next three to five years, and the program last month received formal MoD clearance, the sources said. Though this move doesn’t necessarily shut down the homegrown FICV project, it is less likely to see the light of day because the decision has already been delayed, said an Army official.

The tender for the purchase of 2,000 engines to power the upgraded BMP-2 has been sent to domestic auto majors Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Force Motors, Ashok Leyland, Maruti Udyog and Crompton Greaves, and to MTU of Germany, Thales of France and Rosoboronexport of Russia.

The Army requires engines able to generate 350 to 380 horsepower and are easy to maintain and operate in extreme weather conditions. The existing engine of the BMP-2 has 285 horsepower and is not suited for cross-country mobility.

The upgrade will improve observation and surveillance, night-fighting capability and fire control, and will provide an improved anti-tank guided missile system and 30mm automatic grenade launcher.

The Russians last year offered their BMP-3 vehicles to replace the FICV, but no decision was made.

The proposed FICV project would be the first built in the “Make India” category, which means only Indian companies would be allowed to participate.

The project would involve participation by the Indian government and Indian companies. Two short-listed companies would be asked to make an FICV prototype, and after field trials of the prototype, the winning company would produce up to 2,600 FICVs.

After nearly two years of discussions, no final decision has been made about which companies will participate.

The Defense Ministry had selected state-owned Bharat Earth Movers and a consortium of Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra Defense and Tata Power, but former Indian Army chief general, V.K. Singh, questioned the ability of the Indian companies to take on such a big project, MoD sources said.

[Austin]

India Adding 40,000 Mountain Troops at China Border

NEW DELHI — Shortly after new Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visited here, India has decided to proceed with a plan to add more than 40,000 troops in the form of a mountain corps to bolster its strength on the Chinese border.

The Ministry of Defence prepared the plan two years ago and has awaited consideration by the Ministry of Finance, which has given approval. Now, it must be cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security, an MoD source said.

About US $12 billion will be spent to raise the additional troops, and the new corps is expected to be functioning within 10 years, an Army official said. Additional weapons and equipment will be purchased.

“The elite mountain corps will be able to fill this gap in preparedness, thereby adding to the conventional stability in the medium to long term, though in the short term it may be perceived as destabilizing,” defense analyst Rahul Bhonsle said.

Last month, China’s Li visited New Delhi, his first foreign visit after taking office, amid reports that Chinese troops had intruded into Indian territory. The issue was discussed during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, though the point was passed off as “an incident,” an Indian External Affairs Ministry source said.

“The raising of additional troops to be deployed along the border with China is bound to raise tempers in Beijing,” the source said.

Analysts here, however, are unanimous that India and China can ill afford to go to war in the immediate future as both are building themselves economically.

“Given the track record of handling their military and diplomatic showdown ... China and India are not likely to go to war anytime soon,” said Swaran Singh, professor for diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru Univer­sity. “It’s not a strong possibility even in their medium-term trajectories. It is not in their interest and the interest of the international community, which will ensure it does not occur.

“The strongest incentive against war is their historic chance to achieve their peaceful rise followed by greater recognition and participation in world decision-making bodies.”

But Bhonsle said New Delhi must manage the issue carefully.

“India will certainly have to make extensive efforts to manage concerns that may be raised by China; [otherwise], the move will prove counterproductive and will only lead to increases in force levels on both the sides,” he said. “Confidence-building measures on the boundary and greater transparency in raising the force, including the fact that it is being positioned in the interior, should assuage Beijing.”

The Army official welcomed the new, because the service is operating at only 60 percent of its required capability level.

As the troops will be deployed in hilly terrain, new purchases will include light tanks, specialized vehicles, light artillery guns and advanced infantry equipment.

The Army also will buyammunition and small arms, hand-held thermal imagers, UAVs, aerostat-based radar, portable missiles, air-defense artillery and lightweight radar.

The service will establish network-centric warfare systems for the elite troops, including advanced C4ISR equip­ment, and information warfare systems, Army sources said.

On the composition of the weapons required, Bhonsle said, “the weapons and equipment will include the whole gamut from reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition, firepower, tactical and logistics mobility including helicopters, communications and so on. Five years for forming up and almost eight to 10 years for full-spectrum effectiveness may be reasonable to assume.”

The 4,057-kilometer Line of Actual Control is India’s current border with China. The eastern sector, bordering the states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, is the most contentious, where China claims 90,000 square kilometers of territory that India occupies.

[rohitvats]

NEW DELHI — Keeping its US $10 billion Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) program on the shelf, the Indian Ministry of Defense instead will accelerate the upgrade of its Russian-made BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles and will issue tenders to buy 2,000 engines for the program, Defense Ministry sources said.

<SNIP> Though this move doesn’t necessarily shut down the homegrown FICV project, it is less likely to see the light of day because the decision has already been delayed, said an Army official.<SNIP>

<SNIP>

The Defense Ministry had selected state-owned Bharat Earth Movers and a consortium of Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra Defense and Tata Power, but former Indian Army chief general, V.K. Singh, questioned the ability of the Indian companies to take on such a big project, MoD sources said.

This report is as bogus as they come.

The ch@@ts sitting out of MOD are trying to palm off their incompetence with respect to this project by dragging VKS into it...knowing fully well that a single line at the bottom of an innocuous article is hardly to elicit any response.

Here is the real reason for dilly-dallying by MOD on selecting the final two companies for building the FICV (October 2012):

h[url]ttp://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2012/10/setback-for-private-defence-industry.html[/url]

The private sector’s much tom-tommed opening into defence production, via the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV), intended to replace the army’s 2,600 BMP-2s at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 crore, faces an uncertain future. The defence ministry (MoD) is contemplating scrapping the current tender and restarting anew. This comes after sitting for two years on the FICV proposals from three private sector consortia and one public sector entity.

In early 2010, the MoD invited Tata Motors, the Mahindra Group, Larsen & Toubro and the MoD-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to submit proposals to develop an FICV, a lightly armoured vehicle that carries infantry into battle alongside tank columns. After evaluating the four proposals, the MoD was to short-list two “development partners” who would then compete to develop a prototype each. The better of the two would be selected for the army.

But the MoD’s Acquisitions Wing, which must make the short list, now complains that the tender (called an Expression of Interest, or EoI) did not define the criteria by which the winners would be selected. It wants a fresh EoI to be issued, with the criteria specified.

The wing cites the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) of 2008, where Para 22 of the “Make” category, covering the FICV project, says: “The EoI should also lay down the broad parameters of the evaluation process and acceptance criterion for the system under development.”

But the MoD brass realises that cancelling the EoI (drawn up in the ministry) and going back to 2010 would involve a serious loss of credibility. Besides, the “Make” category itself outlines the acceptance criteria, specifying that, “the contribution of the Indian industry in the critical technology areas should be the key criterion in assessment of various proposals.”

[abhishek_sharma]

Coomi Kapoor's Column

Conciliatory chief

Unlike his predecessor General V K Singh, Army Chief General Bikram Singh has few points of disagreement with the Ministry of Defence. Some circles link this to his desire to become the first person to hold the post of permanent chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee, proposed by the Naresh Chandra panel. Singh is due to retire in May 2014. The Chief of Staff Committee post would have a two-year tenure.

[shyamd]

New mountain corps to man China border soon

Shishir Gupta, Hindustan Times New Delhi, June 16, 2013

Prior to his China visit in July, defence minister AK Antony has given his nod to the creation of a new mountain strike corps for the China border at Pannagarh and has sent the proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for a formal approval.


The proposal has already been cleared by the finance ministry.

Top government sources said Antony signed the China Strike Corps file after returning from his maiden official trip to Australia and Thailand on June 6.

The proposal spread over the 12th five year plan and costing about Rs. 60,000 crore to the exchequer, involves raising nearly 90,000 new troops and officers. The tri-services proposal has an army element that involves setting up of two infantry divisions, two armoured brigades for Ladakh and Sikkim and one independent infantry brigade for deployment in Uttarakhand.

The Air Force element involves creation of more air assets and deployment of low-level radars along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The naval element involves setting up of new radars along India’s island territories and additional sea combatants.

The decision to set up China Strike Corps, which will be headquartered in Pannagarh, West Bengal, was approved in principle by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2010. The approval was made after discovering that China, through vastly upgraded infrastructure in Tibet, had developed the military capability of deploying 34 troop divisions — around half a million troops — along the LAC in a high threat scenario.

Although Antony will discuss the new border defence pact with his Chinese counterpart, India is committed not to allow a repeat of troop face-offs like in Depsang plains in March this year and is continuously upgrading its vigilance along the LAC. “We want to make it clear to China that there is no scope for any military adventure on the border and any escalation will be met with equal response. Thus, there is a need for both sides to maintain peace on the border,” said a senior defence ministry official.

[VinodTK]

From The Tribune: India-made trucks may push Tatra out
Will ramp up indigenous production and reduce Army’s dependence on foreign vendors

Considered as the ‘backbone’ of the Indian Army’s rapid response to any attack along the western front for long, the Czech-built Tatra trucks may not be purchased from now on. The reason: India-built trucks have now improved a lot and could be selected for forthcoming expansion drive or replacements for Tatra trucks, resulting in saving foreign exchange and unhinging India’s reliance on foreign suppliers.

Purchase of Tatra trucks had become controversial and the contract of 1,676 high-mobility Tatra trucks was stopped after former Army Chief Gen VK Singh alleged in February 2012 that there was an attempt to bribe him for clearing the deal. The CBI then booked VRS Natarajan, chief of the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), in April last year. The BEML was the Indian partner of Tatra. A retired Army officer and a private individual have also been booked by the CBI.

Now ending Tatra’s monopoly in India, the Army has completed trials for two types of trucks to replace Tatra - the six-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicle and the eight-wheeled-drive high-mobility vehicles. The plan is to buy 1,239 units of the first variety and another 255 of the second variety.

The trials have been conducted for all specified parameters under winter and summer conditions and with truck carrying full load, some times in excess of 20 tonnes. The shift to India-made trucks also falls in line with Defence Minister AK Antony’s policy of ramping up indigenous production while reducing dependence on foreign vendors.

“This was an open tender which was to seek vehicles that can run on mud-paths, deserts, through slushy agricultural field, through small rivers and even river banks while carrying heavy equipment. The trials are complete,” said a senior officer. The Army expects the first set of vehicles to be inducted by the middle of 2014.
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[jamwal]

From a friend:

ODE TO AN ARMY OFFICER
Dedicated to all those unknown unsung and unwept soldiers:

For you contours are easy to read than the city maps ,
You feel comfortable in jungles and get lost in metros.
For you time is in hundred hours, 3' O clock is a direction,
Distance is always in multiples of hundred meters and you keep on loosing North.
When people meet near pubs, cafes and discs.
You meet near water tanks, bridges and survey trees.
For you Kenwood and Motorola are familiar brands of Radio sets
And Apple and Blackberry are fruits.
You never knew cars, mobiles and bikes also had series.
The only series you know is the AK's.
You remember names of all Tanzeems,
but do not know the name of IPL teams.
Stamps on your passport are of Congo and Sudan
where as others go to US, UK and Japan.
You remember the raising days,
but forget the anniversaries and birthdays.
When others talk of CEO and COO,
You only know C with only one O.
For you lol and asap is greek
and you even look for them in Appx 'C'.
When others talk of Pune, Bangalore and Gurgaon
you talk of Poonch, Bimbat and Bongaigaon.
For you, The Safety Honour and Welfare of your Country comes first ,
Always and Every Time
and women will be from Venus and not from Mars,
always and every time.
For you green and blue are own,
Red and pink are danger zones.
For you the choice of arms was more painful than the break up
and chasing girls tougher than the march up.
You will travel 500 miles to meet her ,
But will expect her to walk the last five steps.
You can take darbar of 120 rusty men for three hours,
But will be afraid to speak three magical words.
You will crack any code or language,
But one line message of her's
with few dots and exclamation marks will confuse you.
For all those who thinks he is a flirt,
He will be the last man standing,
True to his vows and words........

[abhishek_sharma]

Pro-Eelam outfit storms Army campus, 120 arrested

[Raja Bose]

From a friend:

ODE TO AN ARMY OFFICER
Dedicated to all those unknown unsung and unwept soldiers:

Ask your friend if it is OK to fwd to others...

[putnanja]

The improbable evacuation of Jungle Chatti

[VinodTK]

US Army Chief to visit India next month

WASHINGTON: US Army Chief Raymond Odierno said he will visit India next month to expand the existing military to military co-operation between the two countries.

Terming the visit to be an "important relationship for the US", Odierno today said that he would meet Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh and other defence officials during the visit.

"We will discuss many issues that we have in common to help each other grow as armies," he said.

Asserting that the US would continue to work and build on areas of common interests Odeirno said, "I will have a chance to go around the visit the Indian army and I am looking forward to that very much".

[Lalmohan]

btw - the speed with which IA and IAF have mobilised for operation rahat, and the close working relationship between them - is of wider interest than just relief operations - bodes well i would say

[jamwal]

Ask your friend if it is OK to fwd to others...

Once it's on internet....
He didn't write it himself either. You are free to share it AFAIK

[VinodTK]

Wife of army jawan killed in Srinagar attack commits suicide

Piu Nandi (21), wife of Asim Nandi, set herself on fire at her residence at Pachmore village, the sources said.


She was rushed to Bankura Medical College Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, they said.

Piu was married to Asim only nine months back.

Asim Nandi was among the eight soldiers killed when militants attacked an army convoy at Hyderpora bypass on the outskirts of Sringar, a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's visit to the state

[VinodTK]

From Time Of India: Flood fury wrecks key road to China border

NELONG (INDIA-CHINA BORDER): A strategic road connecting much of the forward areas of Uttarkashi to the China border has been destroyed in the devastating rains and landslides in Uttarakhand and is expected to remain shut for many months.

The high-altitude road that is several kilometers long and considered the lifeline for reaching the border areas in this difficult terrain has been damaged at various points. At many places, it has just been washed away, at others, big boulders have broken down the road completely.

The ghosts of 1962 war are still dancing in these parts of the border. The treacherous terrain, and the recent landslides, have yet again exposed the extreme folly of not developing the region because of a lopsided fear of Chinese military waves sweeping in through good roads. It was the defeat by the Chinese military that prompted the government not to develop road networks along the China border, but today that decision is haunting the lives of thousands and strategic military posts.

According to local sources, the only way to approach the border posts now is through helicopters, which is also not very easy considering that it is a difficult, high-terrain area. Alternate routes on the treacherous terrain is also very difficult, and not sufficient to carry a large number of Army men or supplies.

When asked for its comments, Army headquarters in New Delhi said the Dharali-Nelong stretch, north of Harsil, has witnessed landslides which are normal there. It said all the roads in the area have been washed away, but "foot movement and connectivity are there".

Officers who were on their way to the post have been stranded and are currently helping in relief and rescue operations at Harsil, one of the last cantonment areas in the region. Sources said while adequate supplies and ration was there at the post, a delay in constructing the road could lead to constraints going forward.

The bad weather in the area and the difficult terrain is expected to make this task difficult, and with the monsoon rains around, not much headway is expected here. With winter setting in thereafter, it gets more difficult as the whole area gets engulfed in heavy snow.

Sources said a team specially brought in to construct bunkers in the border post had also been stranded. These have Army men from the Engineers Corps.

The story of Nelong's single road and its destruction represents the strategic fallouts of deadly rains and landslides of last week. The single most important road on the Badrinath stretch, Rishikesh-Joshimath-Badrinath-Mana road is also broken at various locations. The story isn't very different in other stretches in Uttarakhand. And on the rest of the border with China, it would only take a heavy downpour to expose the poor Indian infrastructure, compared to the sleek connectivity up to the last post on the China side.

[putnanja]

Good article on the army's efforts...

In Death Valley, the beret matters

[abhishek_sharma]

From the Indian Express