Lessons for air power from Ladakh CAPS Air Power Journal Jul 2021 Introduction The Ladakh standoff now appears to be receding after almost nine months of tension. As per the Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen YK Joshi, the occupation of Rezang La and Rechin La on the Kailash Ridge turned the tables. He stated in an interview, ‘A quid pro […]
CAPFs as part of theatre commands CLAWS 12 Jul 2021 The armed forces have projected including select Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), mainly BSF and ITBP, deployed along the LOC and LAC, within the gambit of theatre commands thereby seeking the unity of command and responsibility for securing un-demarcated borders. A similar demand exists from the navy on the […]
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 […]