Indian Army News & Discussions - 11 June 2014

Kritavarman · Post by **Kritavarman** » 17 Dec 2016 22:20

So, Finally we would be seeing CDS soon?

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 17 Dec 2016 22:23

ShankarC wrote:With all due respect, it wasn't right to supercede 3 generals to appoint a chosen one as COAS. This hurts institutional morale and needlessly politicizes the armed forces.

Wrong. It is the government's duty to choose amongst the top commanders. Leaving it to a joining date alone is leaving the issue to bureaucrats and not performing one's duty. Celebrate the fact that the RM applied grey cells to the matter and made a choice.

Ankar · Post by **Ankar** » 17 Dec 2016 23:13

ShankarC wrote:With all due respect, it wasn't right to supercede 3 generals to appoint a chosen one as COAS. This hurts institutional morale and needlessly politicizes the armed forces.

When men who are recruited into Indian Army as soldiers are exploited as personal maids and drivers by the higher ups in the institution is what hurts the moral of the majority in the institution ...not government superseding some to appoint the Army chief.

g.sarkar · Post by **g.sarkar** » 17 Dec 2016 23:29

Ankar wrote:[quotef.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... s?from=mdr
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat to be the next Army chief
Rajat Pandit | TNN | Updated: Dec 17, 2016, 11.06 PM IST
NEW DELHI: In a move that is bound to evoke criticism for junking the long-enshrined seniority principle in appointing service chiefs, the government on Saturday night appointed Lt-General Bipin Rawat as the next Army chief, superseding two Lt-Generals senior to him. he present Army chief will retire on to replace General Dalbir Singh Suhag on December 31.
But the government stuck to the seniority principle in appointment of the next IAF chief by announcing that Air Marshal Birendra Singh Dhanoa will replace Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on December 31.
.....
The Opposition immediately attacked the Modi-led government for "further politicizing" the armed forces, which are justifiably proud of their apolitical and secular credentials, after it first went to town over the "surgical strikes" against terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
...

Gautam

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 17 Dec 2016 23:30

Apart from posting news articles, can we please have CDS, COAS & CAS discussion in the CDS thread?

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 20 Dec 2016 20:55

http://swarajyamag.com/insta/indian-arm ... now-so-far

Indian Armed Forces May Soon Have The First Chief Of Defence Staff. Here’s What We Know So Far

Lt Gen. Praveen Bakshi, the senior most officer in the Indian Army, may soon take over as country’s first chief of defence staff (CDS). The Defence Ministry recently named Bakshi’s junior, Lt Gen. Bipin Rawat, as the next army chief. As we reported earlier, speculations about his appointment as CDS have been rife since then.

According to Livemint, Bakshi will possibly take over as CDS within the next 10 days. Cabinet Committee on Security, which is expected to meet today, may approve the appointment.

“The appointment of CDS is separate from the appointment of the service chiefs. It has to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security. Bakshi is still the senior most in the Army and his appointment may be cleared within the next 10 days, before Gen. Dalbir Singh retires on 31 December,” Livemint quoted Brigadier (retd) Gurmeet Kanwal, an expert with the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), as saying.

The Indian Military currently has a uniquely fractured command, with the three wings - army, navy and air force - acting somewhat autonomously. This acts as a hurdle in joint operations, as seen during the 1999 Kargil war.

Proposed for the first time after the Kargil war, the CDS will function as the joint head of the three armed forces and will act as a link between the forces and the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Defence Minister have both earlier pledged to appoint a tri-service chief.

habal · Post by **habal** » 20 Dec 2016 21:11

Going viral over the internets, any idea what is going on

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 20 Dec 2016 22:57

Habal: Please refer to Shiv's post (in the previous page of this thread)...I am reproducing it here.

shiv wrote:https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/806021463459274752

alexis · Post by **alexis** » 21 Dec 2016 11:03

I am not sure we can question the merit of senior officers; it throws too much subjectivity in appointments.

I am not in support of this decision by the government to supersede senior officers; for those who think this is a correct move, please think whether u would have supported such a move by UPA government.

gaurav_w · Post by **gaurav_w** » 21 Dec 2016 12:00

We have a tendency to treat Military as a Holy Cow in this nation. Same results in questions not being raised regd corruption in top echelons and connivance with political leadership.

Govt elected by ppl in a democracy should have every right to chose the best person as per their best judgement and information available to them. I am sure all 3 respected Lt. Generals are equally capable and Govt chose the best among equals. I have no reason to doubt their intentions.

We can do without insinuations by learned & not so learned experts why a "muslim" should have been chosen/ why a "muslim offr" was overlooked.

Having said that lets not forget we as a nation have seen Navy Chief resigning (almost in protest, nt empowered for even things as "battery replacement" for submarines ) with almost 2 yr service left and the then govt accepted his resignation within hrs so as to protect the then leadership. The same ppl are now raising the most hue n cry.

rkhanna · Post by **rkhanna** » 21 Dec 2016 13:46

Crossposting from CDS thread (courtesy wig)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/commen ... 39438.html

"Military intellectuals Gen Raghavan and Air Vice Marshal Kak and I discussed the pros and cons of selecting a service chief on the basis of seniority, as was the norm, vis-à-vis an open-ended selection. We came to the conclusion that there were more negatives in the latter, as chances of selection based on political, sycophantic and non-professional reasons may become predominant in due course, with professional and character qualities being sacrificed on account of extraneous issues. With such precedence, even appointments of the Army and Corps Commanders may meet such a fate later"

Marten · Post by **Marten** » 21 Dec 2016 17:51

How was the case filed by Lt Gen Ravi Dastane disposed? The plea he filed also included notes about a situation similar to the current situation -- staff college etc. Can someone knowledgeable please shed light?

alexis · Post by **alexis** » 23 Dec 2016 14:10

gaurav_w wrote:We have a tendency to treat Military as a Holy Cow in this nation. Same results in questions not being raised regd corruption in top echelons and connivance with political leadership.

Govt elected by ppl in a democracy should have every right to chose the best person as per their best judgement and information available to them. I am sure all 3 respected Lt. Generals are equally capable and Govt chose the best among equals. I have no reason to doubt their intentions.

We can do without insinuations by learned & not so learned experts why a "muslim" should have been chosen/ why a "muslim offr" was overlooked.

Having said that lets not forget we as a nation have seen Navy Chief resigning (almost in protest, nt empowered for even things as "battery replacement" for submarines ) with almost 2 yr service left and the then govt accepted his resignation within hrs so as to protect the then leadership. The same ppl are now raising the most hue n cry.

gaurav, i dont think any of us opposing the current government decision supported the then UPA government's decision either. it is better to avoid subjectivity in these matters as otherwise COAS will become a political appointment. Just because Modi government made this decision does not make it a good decision. This will act as a precedent.

No more discussion on this thread from me... Over to the CDS debate thread.

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 23 Dec 2016 22:07

Indian Army has less life protecting equipments than Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

United Nations recently said that there is an alarming lack of lifeprotecting equipment available with Indian peacekeepers, informing India that the ability of troops to undertake operations has been impacted in South Sudan.

As per the officials, India in October that its troops stationed there had "inadequate" life-protecting equipment such as bulletproof helmets and jackets. India has about 2,200 troops in South Sudan.

"The situation in South Sudan has been deteriorating. T he UN Secretary-General recently went on record that the country is headed for mass genocide. Still, two months later, the situation with our troops remains the same," an official, who did not wish to be identified, told ET.

Neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also have a better record. "This is undoubtedly making a serious dent to our reputation as a major contributor to UN peacekeeping operations," said an official.

As a result, this has apparently affected the number of operations the deployed troops can undertake.

Even before this, the UN had over the last nine months informed India repeatedly that the serviceability of Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan is barely 60% due to the shortages. This against other peacekeepers deployed in the same area that are much better equipped.China, which has recently increased its contributions to the UN, has an availability rate of 120%, according to the information shared.

The matter is still unresolved even after two months despite several rounds of consultations between the Defence Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs, with officials saying the safety and reputation of Indian peacekeepers are at stake.

"We must recognise that Indian forces are performing well operationally .There have been no complaints on that front," a South Block official, told ET.

India has been requested to provide adequate equipment to the blue berets at the earliest, in what would be one of the first challenges that General Bipin Rawat, who takes over as Army Chief on December 31, will have to face. The officer has an appreciation of the challenges faced in UN peacekeeping missions, having commanded troops as a Brigadier in Congo in 2008. The UN Mission in South Sudan is one of its largest peacekeeping missions with India as the main contributor.

The Indian Army has also been facing shortages of life-saving bulletproof jackets and helmets at home as well, with orders placed for 50,000 jackets only in March this year -a seven year gap when the requirement was first raised in 2009. Even now the jackets ordered are against the full requirement of 1,86,138 that were needed by the Army till 2017.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 24 Dec 2016 00:40

Indian Army Will Soon Have NBC Protection Suits To Counter Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapon
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/12/23 ... ter-pakis/

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 24 Dec 2016 02:00

sunetra chowdary of runditv was discussing the appointment of the new IA chief with a bunch of scruffy susukumar type of "student leaders" who were very predictably going on about the saffron agenda and brahminical oppression.

neither the anchor nor the panel had a clue as to what they were talking about except to blindly parrot by rote their greasy and stale old ideological positions.

This is what passes for "discussions" on rundi tv these days.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 25 Dec 2016 23:41

Carefully planned succession lines of the past are being summarily erased and new ones are being formulated.

sabse bada rupaiya, na biwi na bachcha, na baap.

Men in shadows derailed Bakshi’s chances of becoming Army Chief

Men in shadows derailed Bakshi’s chances of becoming Army Chief

By Shiv Kunal Verma | NEW DELHI | 25 December, 2016

There is evidence to indicate that the move to supersede Lt General Praveen Bakshi, the senior most Army commander who was seen as the natural contender for the post of Army Chief after the retirement of General Dalbir Singh Suhag, started some months ago, with negative stories about the officer being planted through anonymous letters. Four anonymous letters were floated with vague allegations against Bakshi by “men in shadows”, who succeeded in getting a probe ordered into the charges. Nothing emerged from the investigation. But the fact that an investigation was ordered, was used against him for sidelining Lt Gen Bakshi. Eventually, Lt Gen Bipin Rawat was made the Indian Army Chief.

Even Kautilya, the acknowledged master who laid down the guiding principles of statecraft during the era of Chandragupta Maurya, would have been befuddled with what has been happening since the days of the UPA to the Indian state and its relationship with its own armed forces today. The naming of Lt General Bipin Rawat as the next Chief of Army Staff defies convention. The decision, which meant superseding two serving Army Commanders, now is certain to change the very outlook of senior commanders in the armed forces in the future.

From ancient times—going back to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—the epics assert that “a king’s roots are his treasury and his army”. A careful examination of the Mahabharata in particular, when shorn of its myth and poetic fancy, allows us to glean the foundation on which later Indian military theory and practice evolved. In the beginning, the Army was one of the two prakritis (essential elements), but as time went on, more and more elements were added on and the Army sank lower and lower down in the order of importance.

Nevertheless, despite having senapranetras (later known as senapatis), kings retained their supremacy in matters of defence, being the final and ultimate authority when it came to taking decisions. In his superb book, A Military History of Ancient India, Major General G.S. Sandhu writes: “The king, and the other princes, received their early training in niti (politics) and dhanurveda (military science); they were imparted training in both the theoretical and practical aspects of warfare. They were also given intensive training until they gained proficiency in the use of weapons.”

Today, monarchies are long gone, and the people are governed by the state where power is centred in the hands of elected representatives. However, the fact of the matter is that with the reins of power in their hands, the elected head of a democratic government is in a way a modern-day monarch. The main difference from the days of yore, however, is that our decision making officialdom of today know little about armies and what makes soldiers tick, to say nothing of the use of weapons, their deployment, and their use. Since the early 1950s, ever since the political-bureaucratic began to exercise power in Independent India, most of them and those in their immediate vicinity have had little exposure to the armed forces.

The writing was on the wall for Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi three to four months ago when an unseen “dirty tricks department” suddenly became hyperactive. Until then, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, the Eastern Army Commander, being the senior most among those who had the residual service to make the grade, was seen as the natural contender for the top job when the present COAS would hang up his boots. An Armoured Corps officer, Bakshi had an outstanding record of service, and among the rank and file, the reputation of being a no-nonsense dyed-in-the-wool soldier, who would, it was hoped, ensure self-respect in the armed forces.

Four anonymous letters were floated with vague allegations against Bakshi. The “men in the shadows” succeeded in getting a probe ordered into the charges. Interestingly, through his four-year tenure first as Eastern Army Commander and then the COAS, the present incumbent, General Dalbir Singh Suhag had ensured that only his handpicked officers had replaced him as the Corps Commander in Dimapur, Nagaland. It may be remembered that General Suhag had been the 3 Corps Commander for some time and is conversant with that area and its special characteristics. It may also be recalled that it was during this period that he had a DV-ban slapped on him by General V.K. Singh in connection with the Jorhat raid that was reversed by his successor, General Bikram Singh, the moment he took over. Meanwhile, Bakshi’s squeaky-clean image could not be dented and the agencies apparently reported back saying they had nothing to build a case on.

To make matters tricky for the “shadow men”, the Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, initially decided to stick to the existing norms of seniority and suggested Bakshi’s name to the Prime Minister’s Office. Suddenly, out of the blue, anonymous missives appeared, ghost written by the “men in shadows”. The government thereupon went in for a relook.

Coming to General Suhag, throughout his tenure as the Army Chief, he has surrounded himself with Gorkha Regimental officers. Various key appointments have been lying vacant for months altogether, as was the case with the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. The outgoing Army Chief is very close to the National Security Adviser. In the aftermath of the Monand Chandel incidents in May and June 2016, where eight Assam Rifles men and then 22 men from the Dogra Regiment were killed, the NSA had himself supervised the nationally acclaimed retaliatory raid that the then DGMI said took place within Myanmar.

With some sections of the government reportedly keen on picking Lt Gen Bipin Rawat for the job, there was a meeting of common interest between them and the COAS, who too had a high opinion of Rawat, who had been one of his chosen few to command 3 Corps. However, to appoint Rawat, the Ministry of Defence had to go over the head of not just Praveen Bakshi, but also Lt Gen P.M. Hariz, who was the Southern Army Commander in Pune. This, it was then claimed, was done “in national interest”.

The writing was on the wall for Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi three to four months ago when an unseen “dirty tricks department” suddenly became hyperactive. Until then, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, the Eastern Army Commander, being the senior most among those who had the residual service to make the grade, was seen as the natural contender for the top job.

In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, the government informally justified Lt General Rawat’s promotion on the grounds that as an infantry officer he had greater experience in handling counter insurgency scenarios. However, this failed to impress critics who pointed out that Bakshi had earlier commanded 9 Corps and served as Chief of Staff, Northern Command, apart from which he also handled Eastern Command, which was as deeply involved with CI Ops as Northern Command. The same could also be said for Lt Gen Hariz, who, like Bakshi, has had a blemish-less record of service and enjoys a first class reputation amongst his peers and his men. On social media and across forums, there was a divide as the Army split into two—those for and those against, mainly on grounds of their service arm.

According to the same ancient texts that hold forth on the role of senapatis and kings, the role of the soldier is clearly defined, stating “The gods send calamities unto those who forsake their comrades in battle and return home with unwounded limbs”. Led by an able administrator, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government needs to ensure that the “shadow men” are not allowed to prevail with their choices of who will eventually hold the reins of the Army. By manipulating the system for reasons best known to themselves, the “shadow men” may well have prevailed with their choice of who will eventually hold the reins of the Army, but they have also driven a wedge into a system where men at the very top may forsake their comrades in peacetime. For soldiers do not only fight with courage and valour for country and flag, they fight mainly for the man on their left and the man on their right and at the end of the day, they expect fair play from those at the top. It is imperative that the need of the hour is to dispel the influence of these “men in shadows” and their modus operandi of anonymous complaints, which should be treated with the contempt they deserve. It is now up to Prime Minister Modi, whose destiny it is to preside over the various prakritis that hold this country together to ensure that the Army is kept away from these underhand tactics and each soldier is given the respect and honour due to him or her.

Shiv Kunal Verma is the author of the books The Long Road to Siachen: The Question Why (Rupa & Co.) and 1962: The War That Wasn’t (Aleph). The latter, hailed by critics to be the most definitive account of the Sino-Indo conflict, examines in detail the role of the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in tampering with the Army’s hierarchy, which directly led to the debacle against China

GShankar · Post by **GShankar** » 25 Dec 2016 23:47

With respect to news, there is fud and anti-fud. Not really sure what is what.

But, assuming a pecking order has been set that messed with V.K.Singh (or not), if that has to be disturbed then something like this has to be done. May be pigeon is creating a new order? I do hope this time, the decision was taken by people that matter and not the babus.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 02 Jan 2017 08:49

Indian Army partners with IIT Gandhinagar for critical technology requirements
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... aign=cppst

vaibhav.n · Post by **vaibhav.n** » 02 Jan 2017 21:17

Insignia of 17 Mountain Corps, next to 101 Area.

(A celestial weapon Shiva's bow and arrow across Mt kailash outline) i was told.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 03 Jan 2017 00:54

^^^Thanks. And good catch. After Leh based 3 Division, this is second formation sign to feature Mount Kailash.

Avik · Post by **Avik** » 03 Jan 2017 01:02

A celestial weapon Shiva's bow and arrow across Mt kailash outline

Very apt, since afaik, 17 Corps is termed as the Brahmastra Corps

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 04 Jan 2017 01:28

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 04 Jan 2017 05:56

Avik wrote:
A celestial weapon Shiva's bow and arrow across Mt kailash outline
Very apt, since afaik, 17 Corps is termed as the Brahmastra Corps

I would have thought that they would have named it Pashupatastra Corps in the case.

krishna_krishna · Post by **krishna_krishna** » 04 Jan 2017 07:10

^^^ Badass interview by IA chief, good old straight forward no ambiguity. Happy to see we have an assertive chief who would not shy away on stating reality :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeFT8mtWV_Q

Porki Jernails would be browning, if needed we will use force and start digging tunnels for our civilaians too!!!

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 04 Jan 2017 19:52

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new ... 830oI.html

There are times when Parikkar needs to learn to not say anything

His comments on computer can select - just made me shudder

lo and behold - Bakshi goes on leave
grrrrr

ranjan.rao · Post by **ranjan.rao** » 04 Jan 2017 20:12

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 319094.cms

The Army, on its part, is raising the new 17 Mountain Strike Corps, which with 90,274 soldiers will have two high-altitude infantry divisions as well as armoured, artillery, air defence and engineer brigades spread from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, once it is full constituted by 2020-2021. {hain jeeeeeeeee, jingo khush hua, i thought it was shelved due to lack of funds, uphill skiing}
...
While India wants cooperation, not confrontation with China, the new corps will ensure "quick-reaction ground offensive capabilities" on the "northern borders" for the first time. "The raisings for the new corps are underway, while weapons and equipment are also being acquired. The infrastructure is also coming up. There is full support from the government. All adversaries respect strength, which comes from having the capability to strike across the border," said Gen Rawat.{heartening to see that after years of apathy}
....
The Army chief did, however, acknowledge the excruciating slow progress of infrastructure development in construction of 73 all-weather roads along the line of actual control (LAC) with China as well as the 14 "strategic" railway lines on the two fronts. While the rail lines only exist on paper, only 22 of the 73 roads have been completed over a decade after they were first identified.

I dont think it was posted here

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 06 Jan 2017 10:32

x posted from the political thread.

sauce for the goose and all that...................

the congis and the commis are using every stick to beat the BJP with when they themselves have been guilty of the very "crime" they are accusing the BJP of.

MASTER OF SUPERSESSION

MASTER OF SUPERSESSION

Friday, 06 January 2017

In 1983, Lt Gen SK Sinha, who was an outstanding senior officer, was to be appointed as the Army chief to succeed General KV Krishna. However, the then Indira Gandhi Government appointed General AS Vaidya, who was junior to Lt Gen Sinha. The reason given by the Government was that it did not want an officer of Sinha's cadre to be the chief of Army as he lacked active service in operations. However, many believed that the Government was discomforted with Lt Gen Sinha as he had the courage to stand up for soldiers' rights. Eventually, he quit.

In 1991, there was a considerable hand-holding from a newly-installed Narasimha Rao Government for the appointment of Air Chief Marshal Nirmal Chandra Suri. Air Marshal Suri, (number two in the hierarchy) was retiring on the same day as his boss, Air Chief Marshal, SK Mehra. But the latter obliged by demitting office in the forenoon on July 31, 1991. The resultant was that Suri became the Air Force chief, superseding Air Marshal PK De. Thereafter, Suri picked up an additional two years of service which a service chief is entitled to.

More recently, in April 2014, the UPA Government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed Admiral Robin Dhowan as the Navy chief, instead of Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha. The Government came up with a bizarre logic for his supersession: It claimed that under Admiral Sinha as the Flag Officer of Western Command, there had been many accidents, for which he was to be blamed. Admiral Dhowan was six months junior to Vice Admiral Sinha. After facing humiliation, Vice Admiral Sinha opted for voluntary retirement and also suffered a heart attack.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 06 Jan 2017 10:36

Seeds being planted for larger indigenous share of IA's requirement.

http://bharatshakti.in/winning-indias-w ... solutions/

Amid many high profile tragedies and triumphs that the Indian Army underwent in 2016 – suffering high casualties in Uri and Nagrota on the one hand and conducting surgical strikes across the LoC, on the other – it quietly but effectively took up an initiative that is bound to immensely help the 1.3 million force in the long run.

As a force that is deployed across the country in varied climatic conditions and terrains, the Indian Army needs to maintain a wide variety of equipment and is faced with numerous day to day problems in its functioning. However, indigenous solutions for long terms sustenance and life cycle support of equipment have been rather elusive or erratic for the Army.

To overcome this perpetual problem, the Indian Army at the initiative of Lt Gen. Subrata Saha, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (P&S) started an outreach programme called ‘Modernization through Indigenisation’, to connect with indigenous industry and academia across the country. The teams led by Lt Gen Saha conducted 17 bilateral Army-Industry interactions at various industry hubs spread throughout the country. Eight additional trilateral Army–Industry– Academia interactions were held at IISc Bengaluru, different IITs and the PSG Group Coimbatore. The aim of these interactions was clear and simple. As a senior officer pointed out: “We wanted to promote an understanding of the modernization requirements of the Army and concomitantly discover capabilities of the Indian industry. In the trilateral Army– Industry–Academia interactions an additional aim was to discover academic activities that could be aligned to meet future requirement of the Army.”

An underlying inspiration was the realization that Indian army’s requirements are most suited for ‘Make in India’ initiative since the range of requirements of the force is wide and volumes are very high. The cost of equipment/solutions is however lower than required for other more technology-intensive services like the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. For example, at any given time approximately 40 per cent of Indian army’s schemes are valued at less than Rs. 150 crores, enabling wide participation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), who are at the centre of the Make in India campaign. Moreover, technological requirements of army are relatively easier to achieve than the other two services.

Interestingly, during the course of these interactions many requests were received to display the equipment used by the Army particularly the imported ones, for the industry and academia to find indigenous solutions for their sustenance and life cycle requirements. Accordingly three such displays were held; at Ahmednagar for combat vehicles (15 Jul 2016), Coimbatore for infantry and artillery equipment (10 Aug 2016) and Gopalpur for Air Defence equipment (7 Oct 2016). The next two such displays for the academia and industry, combined with firepower demonstrations are planned at Devlali on 9 Jan 2017 and Mhow on 17 February 2017 for artillery and infantry respectively.

In addition, field trips for delegations of professors from IIT and other technological institutes and industrialist’s solutions were organized to Kashmir in June 2016 and to Sikkim in November 2016. The next field visit is planned for the Desert sector and Rann of Kutch in February this year

Similarly, several subject specific seminars have been held in New Delhi through the year: Force Protection on 18–19 February 2016, Artillery systems on 9 Mar 2016, Air and Missile Defence on 25-26 May 2016, UAV on 26-28 Sep 2016, Future Combat Vehicle on 29-30 Nov 2016.

Realising the effectiveness of the initiative, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar suggested that it be institutionalised and therefore approved to setting up an Army Design Bureau (ADB) as an apex body to facilitate research and development efforts and initiate procurements of weapons and equipment required by the Indian army. The ADB was inaugurated by the then Chief of Army Staff Gen Dalbir Singh. A MOU has since been signed on 27 Dec 2016 between the army and IIT Gandhinagar for formalizing this collaboration. A similar MOU is being signed with IIT Mumbai on 8 Jan 2017.

As the first major initiative the ADB in fact conducted an army technology seminar on 5 Dec 2016 in New Delhi on common technologies and advanced materials for land systems: enabling the Indian army 2025 and beyond. In an effort to cast the net wider, Mr Parrikar released Volume I of the compendium of ‘problem statements.’ The compendium lists out commonly faced problems and challenges faced by the Indian Army in different conditions. For instance, some of the problems elaborated in the compendium include the requirement of lightweight alloy for military bridges, compact and ruggedized power supply, smart vest for identification of friend or foe (IFF). The compendium has been circulated both to the academia and industry for them to come up with solutions. The solutions could then be taken up either as technology development projects or as make projects under the DPP. The compendium is also hosted on the army’s website on the ‘Make in India’ page.

Some solutions are already emerging. For example, solutions such as light weight bullet resistant composite material, adaptive flight controls and ad hoc independent mobile 4G Networks have already been offered to the Indian Army. As a consequence, the response to request for information (RFI) for procurement has gone up manifold. Many of the projects under IMPRINT (Impacting research and innovation in technology) programme of the IIT are being aligned to the Army’s modernization requirements.

As a follow up the process and to broaden and deepen the engagement, the Indian Army is seeking to establish an institutional interactive mechanism with the academia and industry. Research cells are being established in IITs and domain specific courses are being created in defence technology and capability development from short technology/management develop programmes to doctoral research in policy management.

Nitin A Gokhale

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 06 Jan 2017 18:57

^^^ this sort of initiative will do more to grow the economy than much else that is going on

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Jan 2017 20:30

India Today Executive Editor Sandeep Unnithan in an extensive interview spoke with India's newly appointed Army chief General Bipin Rawat.

We will cross again'

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Jan 2017 20:31

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 07 Jan 2017 07:26

2017 Wishlist: 10 Things We Wish The Modi Govt Does This Year To Enhance National Security: Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

GShankar · Post by **GShankar** » 07 Jan 2017 20:17

krishna_krishna wrote:^^^ Badass interview by IA chief, good old straight forward no ambiguity. Happy to see we have an assertive chief who would not shy away on stating reality :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeFT8mtWV_Q

Porki Jernails would be browning, if needed we will use force and start digging tunnels for our civilaians too!!!

Somehow seeing this interview, I am reminded of vk singh. Such clarity and articulation. May be they are friends.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Jan 2017 01:55

Tributes to Indian Army veteran who fought alongside the British in World War Two
http://www.nottinghampost.com/tributes- ... AX7t0e3.99

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Jan 2017 01:55

Major reforms in Indian Army in the offing; retirement age to be raised?
http://www.financialexpress.com/india-n ... ed/499341/

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Jan 2017 01:56

India, Pakistan and a Tale of Two Army Chiefs
https://thewire.in/97846/bipin-rawat-qa ... -pakistan/

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Jan 2017 01:58

2015 Myanmar Special Operations: The Inside Story Of How Indian Army Commandos Destroyed Terror Camps
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/01/08 ... ow-indian/

vaibhav.n · Post by **vaibhav.n** » 09 Jan 2017 20:11

Tata Motors concept for the IA LIGHT SUPPORT VEHICLE (LSV) contract. Most likely IA's first foray into US style armoured technicals mounted with crew served weapons. Possibly a replacement for the Mahindra MM550D

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Jan 2017 23:21

'We will cross again'
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lt-g ... 49662.html