Experts Speak
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November 15, 2017
Joint Training Doctrine
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As a follow up to the ‘Joint Doctrine, Indian Armed Forces - 2017’ in April this year, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) has now issued...
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November 15, 2017
Nirbhay-BrahMos Combo — Nemesis of adversaries
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)December 21, 2016 was bad for India when the trial test of the nuclear-capable ‘Nirbhay’ long-range cruise missile failed for the third time. According to DRDO officials, “The booster engine in Nirbhay’s first stage started working. The missile lifted off from its launcher.
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November 15, 2017
The Doodle of Indo-Pak talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Much speculation is in the air that Indo-Pak talks are round the corner and that foreign pressure will make Pakistan slowly come around. Nothing could be farther from the truth despite Pakistan’s sweet pill of granting wife of Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet him.
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November 8, 2017
Different rifle for infantry and others?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Going by media reports, the Army is going in for equipping infantry soldiers with a world-class assault rifle, while non-infantry soldiers would get a cheaper, "less effective", indigenous rifle.
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November 8, 2017
Downing drones - Russian style
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a previous issue in these columns it was brought out how seriously the US is tackling the menace of drones, having contending with their onslaughts in the fight with the Islamic State.
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November 8, 2017
The tunnel threat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On September 30 this year, the BSF discovered a 14-foor secret tunnel (below the border fence) in Arnia Sector of Jammu. This was the second big tunnel detected by the BSF aside the international border over the last seven months, previous one being in the Ramgarh Sector in Samba region.
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November 8, 2017
Afghanistan via Chabahar — Strategic move
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran in May 2016, The trilateral engagement between India, Iran and Afghanistan was historic, expanding avenues of trade for India with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia through the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).
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November 8, 2017
Army’s image building
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has received considerable flak on social media for having told the media that he agreed to build three foot over bridges in Mumbai for building the image of the Army.
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October 23, 2017
Defence Minister's Diwali in Andaman & Nicobar Command
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's two day visit to the Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC), and spending Diwali with the troops and families was a nice gesture.
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October 23, 2017
Sham hostage rescue gets Pakistan kicked
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is becoming quite apparent that the recent marathon nine-hour conference that Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistani army chief had with his corps commanders included plans how to continue befooling the US; aim being to convince the Americans that Pakistan was sincere in cooperating with them in fighting terrorism.
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October 23, 2017
Combating Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On 13 October 2017, the Taliban claimed downing a US drone in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan.
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October 23, 2017
Swati Weapon Locating Radar - Good development
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As Pakistan plunges more into the dungeons of terrorism and toss morals and ethics aside, its military is targeting more and more villages in cross-border...
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October 23, 2017
Modular bunkers - Define priorities first
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to media reports the Army is looking for Lego-like modular, portable, bullet and blast-proof bunkers to replace stone-mud-log and steel shelters as it secures the nation's frontiers against China and Pakistan.
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October 17, 2017
Visit of James Mattis — And Indo-US Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US Secretary of Defence James Mattis arrived on a two-day visit at New Delhi on September 25 to hold talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He is the first cabinet rank official under the Trump administration to visit India.
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October 17, 2017
The Rohingya Challenge
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The latest wave of Rohingya terrorist violence began on August 25, 2017, with multiple police and army posts targeted in Myanamr. According to one report in the early hours of August 25, 150 armed Rohingyas attacked 24 Police Stations and an Army Base in Mangdu district of Rakhine State of Myanmar that left 71 dead.
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October 17, 2017
The FICV Project — delayed inordinately
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Army's quest for the indigenous future infantry combat vehicle (FICV) is in the news again with the US offering India development and production of armoured...
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October 17, 2017
China’s Airborne Brigades
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the recent 15-day competition of the International Army Games 2017 held in China during July-August this year, Chinese airborne troops won first place in 11 of the 12 events, winning the overall championship in the platoon level airborne competition.
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October 17, 2017
Border Rejig, Infiltration and Terroristan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Recent media reports headlined 'Army changes tack, puts tanks at Akhnoor' describe deployment of tanks and armoured vehicles in Chammb-Jaurian sector of J&K that had witnessed pitched battles during 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.
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September 20, 2017
Modi's Myanmar visit – And the Rohingya issue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Myanmar on September 5 for a two–day visit on his way back from the 9th BRICS Summit at Xiamen in China.
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September 20, 2017
Border infrastructure – Execution is the key
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Doklam standoff has brought into focus once again the poor infrastructure that India has. As on date, only 27 roads' (963-km) of the 73 strategic roads approved for construction (totaling (4,643-km) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over 15 years ago have been completed.
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September 20, 2017
Parrying ToT – US Defence firms spoof Make in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is well known that US firms Lockheed Martin and Boeing are bidding to enter the 'Make in India' initiative for supplying combat jets and military equipment to India.
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September 20, 2017
Indo-Japanese Strategic Partnership boosted
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indo-Japanese relations have always been special. Even during the recent Doklam standoff, it was Japan's envoy to India Kenji Hiramatsu who said there should be no attempt to change the status quo on the ground by force; categorizing the crisis...
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September 20, 2017
Wonder Gun ATAGS – And charge of importomania
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The DRDO-indigenous private industry Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) has arrived on the scene with a bang. The ATAGS is a 155mm, 52-calibre gun-howitzer being developed on two parallel tracks – one prototype in partnership with Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division) and another with Bharat Forge.
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September 20, 2017
Indo-Russian defence ties – Waning is misnomer
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Even as the armies of India and US are engaged in joint military two-week exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2017' to hone their skills in counter insurgency and counter terror operations under a joint brigade headquarters at a military base in Washington...
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September 13, 2017
No Nonsense Approach of the New Defence Minister
By Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)So while the enthusiasm of the Defence Minister to interact with the Service Chiefs is most welcome and is praiseworthy, we recommend that she should pay more attention to the Department of Defence Production, the Ordnance Factory Board...
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September 12, 2017
Various challenges facing the new Defence Minister
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mrs Sitharaman holding independent charge of Ministry of Commerce & Industry did have an overview of the pathetic state of equipping of the military; the chapter on defence on official website of Ministry of Commerce & Industry in 2014...
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September 4, 2017
Lady at the Helm of Affairs
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The challenges before the new Minister of Defence are formidable. Given her track record, the Indian armed forces are full of hope for better days ahead!
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September 4, 2017
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman as Raksha Mantri
By Rear Admiral Sushil Ramsay (Retd.)Appointment of Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, September 03, 2017 as the Defence Minister of India was welcomed as a refreshing news.
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September 4, 2017
New Defence Minister
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman has been appointed as the next Defence Minister. She is not the first lady holding this appointment since Indira Gandhi also held this portfolio, same as Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh Today. But she certainly is the first 'full-time' lady Defence Minister of India.
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September 4, 2017
President Trump's Af-Pak Policy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Pakistan's has been playing the double game successfully all these years despite US and NATO military commanders in Afghanistan pointing out what the ground situation was; implying terrorist sanctuaries inside Pakistan must be destroyed.
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September 4, 2017
Visit of Nepalese PM amidst Doklam standoff
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's four-day visit to India commencing August 23 was his first foreign visit since assuming office in June 2017.
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September 4, 2017
Selective Military Reforms – Why not holistic?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Based on recommendations of the government-appointed Lt Gen D B Shekatkar Committee "Enhancing Combat Capability and Rebalancing Defence Expenditure of the Armed Forces", government has approved 65 of the 188 Committee recommendations mainly pertain to Army that included redeploying 57,000 personnel.
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September 4, 2017
Ignoring the Foot Soldier – Chronic malady
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to media reports, the Army is slated to get the advanced medium-range-surface to air missile (MRSAM) capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, fighter jets...
