With the arrival from the US of the first two M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers, the Bofors ghost has finally been laid to rest. The Indian Artillery had been crying hoarse for modernization over the decades, but the ghost kept raising its ugly head, the UPA government continued reacting and Anthony, as the defence minister, was compelled to turn down all proposals. […]
Employment of air power for close air support missions in operations necessitated planning and coordination in air space management between various agencies. Air defence, artillery guns and rockets, attack and reconnaissance helicopters as also close air support aircraft operated simultaneously in the same limited air space, possibly with different height zones, however a risk of being shot by friendly fire […]
As compared to any other organization in the country, the armed forces are the only ones without a voice. They have no means of venting their unhappiness on government decisions to those that matter, no union to support their demands, nor any right to protest, while wearing the uniform. Their top hierarchy can only raise its voice and request the […]
Lowering the status of the army has been an ongoing process since Independence. At the time of independence, there was mutual dislike between the polity and the army, which was exploited by the civil services. The army had been a tool with the British to curb the freedom struggle, in which all political leaders of post-Independence had been a part. […]
A recent article published on First Post, authored by Parth Satam, quoted figures of suicides in army units, from where he deduced that the army does not care for its soldiers. The article entitled, ‘Menial Jobs, poor rations affect jawans, but army does little to boost morale, says 2007 internal report’ ( http://www.firstpost.com/india/exclusive-menial-jobs-poor-rations-affect-jawans-but-army-does-little-to-boost-morale-says-2007-internal-report-4140977.html) was based on half-truths and complete misinterpretation […]
The recent statement, post the meeting between the Pak foreign minister, Khawaja Asif and the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, included a comment indicating concerns about the future of Pakistan’s government. This announcement was made after inputs began flowing of a growing rift between the polity and the army, which holds sway over the country. The statement aimed to […]
There has been rising discontent within the armed forces on reports of likely degradation in their status as against other central services. There are fears of it being downgraded to Group B services, rather than the Group A service, it presently is. Over decades, governments under influence of a powerful bureaucracy, have been lowering the status of the armed forces, […]
Background The foreign minister of Pak, Khawaja Asif, acknowledged in the US that Hafiz Saeed, Haqqani network and the LeT are liabilities for Pak. He went on to add, ‘Give us time to get rid of them as we don’t have assets to match these liabilities.’ This is not the first time Pak has admitted that it supports terror groups. […]
The increasing trust deficit between Kabul and Islamabad (read Rawalpindi) has been evident in recent times. The address to the UN General Assembly by the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, was clearly directed towards Pakistan, compelling Pak to take recourse to the ‘right to respond’. Similar were his comments during his recent visit to India. India and Afghanistan signed, amongst a […]
I had written an article in ‘The Wire’ on 07Jan 17, entitled, “India, Pakistan and a tale of two army chiefs”, (https://thewire.in/97846/bipin-rawat-qamar-javed-bajwa-india-pakistan/) in which I had stated that the Indian army chief controls only the Assam Rifles, while the Pak army chief controls all para military forces within the country. Thus, the Indian army chief controls forces deployed to ensure […]