Army compelled to re-prioritize The Statesman 03 Apr 18

Army compelled to re-prioritize The Statesman 03 Apr 18

Post the furore created over the presentations of the vice chiefs of the three services to the Parliamentary Committee and their submitted report on poor allocation of the defence capital budget, the army chief has been constantly seeking to convey that the army’s preparedness would not suffer, despite lack of funds. In fact, in every interaction with the media, this […]

Towards Joint Commands The Excelsior 30 Mar 18

Towards Joint Commands The Excelsior 30 Mar 18

The defence ministry recently announced new directions to enhance functioning of the two joint commands of the Indian armed forces, the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) and the Strategic Forces Command (SFC). These commands comprise of personnel from the three services who till now operated under their respective service rules and under directions of their respective service Headquarters (HQs), while […]

The myth of the Bajwa doctrine The Statesman 27 Mar 18

The myth of the Bajwa doctrine The Statesman 27 Mar 18

Press reports emanating in Pak and western newspapers mention the Bajwa doctrine (credited to the Pak army chief, General Bajwa) now being adopted by the state. It was initially enunciated by the Pak Director General Inter Services Public Relations in a press conference earlier this year. Subsequently, it was highlighted when General Bajwa spoke to select journalists. However, since the […]

Misconceptions when Generals speak The Excelsior 26 Mar 18

Misconceptions when Generals speak The Excelsior 26 Mar 18

In a recent seminar on ‘Geo-strategic manifestations in Pakistan and implications for India’ at the Punjab University Chandigarh, army commanders of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) and Western Command shared their perspectives. The army commander ARTRAC stated, ‘Peace on the border is difficult to achieve at the tactical level alone. Restoring ceasefire requires statesmanship not brinkmanship.’ On the other hand, […]

Stop these attacks on the Indian army Daily O 23 Mar 18

Stop these attacks on the Indian army Daily O 23 Mar 18

In an article in the Business Standard yesterday, Abhijit Iyer Mitra commented that while the budget this year has little for modernization, the fault lies with the army. He defended his argument with examples, most of which were misplaced and ill-founded. In fact, the entire piece appeared to be written without any tactical or strategic knowledge, inputs based on incomplete […]