Brace yourself for a violent summer  The Statesman 28 Mar 17

Brace yourself for a violent summer The Statesman 28 Mar 17

Afghanistan, India and Pakistan are three states, intrinsically linked, facing varying levels of militancy. Each country blames the other for supporting groups inimical to them. Politically the nations have grown so apart that resolution of any crises appears unlikely. The summer is yet to set in, passes yet to reopen, movement of militants across borders still to commence in earnest, […]

Temporary gains likely from new war on terror The Statesman 07 Mar 17

Temporary gains likely from new war on terror The Statesman 07 Mar 17

Post terror strikes which killed over a hundred innocents in a week, spread across the country, Pak army announced, with much fanfare, the launch of Operation ‘Rad-ul-Fasaad’, its latest in a series of crackdowns against terror groups across the country. The aim of the operation, as announced by their Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), is ‘indiscriminately eliminating residual and latent […]

The tragic consequences of irresponsible, overzealous journalism The Wire 06 Mar 17

The tragic consequences of irresponsible, overzealous journalism The Wire 06 Mar 17

The past few months have witnessed a series of media attacks on the army. It began with the present Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) appointment, moved to the complaint by one jawan of a million plus army and covered the statement made by the COAS on stone throwing and disrupting operations against militants in the valley. Every incident erupted on […]

New military doctrine and joint operations The Statesman 03 May 17

New military doctrine and joint operations The Statesman 03 May 17

The Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), Admiral Sunil Lanba, recently released the new military doctrine in the presence of the other two service chiefs. This doctrine proposes joint training, a unified command and control structure and a tri-service approach for modernization. It also mentions a framework for joint operations across all domains, land, air, sea, space and cyber space. […]

Heed the chief’s warning The Excelsior 01 Mar 17

Heed the chief’s warning The Excelsior 01 Mar 17

The recent comments by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Bipin Rawat, on stern action against those interrupting anti-militancy operations, led to debates in every form of media, with most liberals, activists and politicians from opposition parties, decrying his comments. Articles in magazines and newspapers adversely commented on his statement, suggesting that this attitude would alienate locals and re-incite […]

A US-style unified command would sharpen India’s military edge The Quint 19 Jan 17

A US-style unified command would sharpen India’s military edge The Quint 19 Jan 17

The Prime Minister would be addressing the combined commanders conference in Dehra Doon on the 21st of this month. As per reports the army is scheduled to give a presentation on the establishment of ‘unified commands’ during the conference. This has immense significance for management of defence and national security, as it changes the very nature of the manner in […]

Shekatkar committee and the CDS The Excelsior 18 Jan 17

Shekatkar committee and the CDS The Excelsior 18 Jan 17

The defence ministry had formed a committee under Retired General Shekatkar to recommend measures to enhance combat potential of the army and re-balance defence expenditure. The committee submitted its report in end Dec. It suggested a slew of measures to arrive at cost cutting and reducing manpower. Manpower reduction was recommended not from the military alone, but also from various […]