Armed forces must change in nation’s interest The Statesman 06 Jul 2021 Speaking at a seminar organized by the Global Counter Terrorism Council last week, both the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, and the air chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, spoke on the role of airpower. Their comments, partly contradictory, were blown out of context, […]
How the Army rose to the occasion to help the nation fight COVID-19, but once the crisis is over, a Herculean task awaits the govt Op India 10 May 2021 The Delhi High Court, on 07 May, turned down the plea of the Delhi government asking the army to set up field hospitals in the city. It stated, ‘It […]
Playing with the officer cadre CLAWS 16 Apr 2021 A recent press report stated that the army is considering directly recruiting JCOs to fill vacancies in the officer cadre. They will be eligible for promotion upto the rank of Colonels. To assuage the fear of the current rank and file, the report stated that there would be no impact […]
Are the armed forces serious on theatre commands? CLAWS 15 Mar 2021 Addressing the Combined Commanders Conference, Rajnath Singh stated, ‘We are working towards increasing jointness in the armed forces. The optimal utilisation of our resources and rationalisation of manpower holds the key to jointness and better coordination between the forces.’[1] He added, ‘Our enhanced defence capabilities will allow […]
Northern command as a theatre command test bed CENJOWS 03 Feb 2021 The buzz word, since General Bipin Rawat became the CDS, has been the raising of theatre commands. His initial comments indicated that this would be his priority. Views for and against the concept have dominated writings by national security analysts. There are views that India needs theatre […]
Closure of cantonment boards are necessary 26 Jan 2021 In a recent move, the PMO tasked the MoD for compiling responses from all 62 cantonment boards within the country on their views on closing cantonments and merging civilian areas under them with civic bodies, a demand from civilian residents. Responsibility of running cantonment boards is of the Indian Defence […]
Disabled officer cadets deserve better support 12 Jan 2021 Joining the armed forces is a calling. An article in The Print of 24 March 2020 states, ‘According to available data, approximately 4 lakh people apply for NDA exams every six months, of whom approximately 400 are finally selected, which is 0.1 per cent of the total applicants.’ With a […]
Critics must consider all aspects of Maritime Theatre Command 29 Dec 2020 General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in a recent interview to a magazine stated, ‘We’ve been able to get all the services on board on the issue of integration. It has dawned on everyone that, to be combat-effective, unless we operate together, we won’t […]
The PAGD grudgingly accepts the new status of J and K 11 Nov 2020 The People’s Alliance of the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) was created on 15 Oct, with the intention of restoring the original status of J and K, which was revoked in August last year. The alliance is a grouping of 11 political parties, including arch-rivals PDP and […]
https://epaper.thestatesman.com/2885333/Kolkata-The-Statesman/10TH-NOVEMBER-2020#page/7/2 Pension moves may affect morale of armed forces 10 Nov 2020 An internal communique, dated 29 Oct, from the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), conveyed the intention of the government to enhance service age limits, while reducing pensions to those who seek pre-mature retirement. The memo, possibly deliberately leaked, directs the […]