Experts Speak
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Beyond the Surgical Strike
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)
The Indian Army has now been given a free hand to take appropriate action against the enemy operating across the LoC from PoK.
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India Responds to Uri Terror Strike
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
India executed surgical strikes against multiple terrorist launch pads-cum training camps in four sectors of POK on night September 28-29. Post the Uri terrorist attack, Nawaz Sharif had shed the fake mask of friendship...
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Uri Attack — Same story, more lethal
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
In a well planned and coordinated terrorist attack Pakistan struck the army camp in Uri in the early hours of September 18. 20 soldiers are already reported dead and 32 injured.
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The Kashmir Imbroglio
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)
The peace and serenity of Uri, a small town on the banks of river Jhelum in the district of Baramulla in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which is near the Line of Control (LOC), was brutally shattered in the wee hours of the morning of September 18, 2016.
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Indo-Afghan friendship scales greater heights
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's recent visit came at a time when Pakistan's exposure as a generator of terrorism has gained momentum. Not only have countries India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh pointed out Pakistan as the crucible of terror, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent statements...
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Indo-Russian Strategic Partnership — No reset required
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
Signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between India and the US has been a subject of intense debate in the media. Despite it being a logistic exchange agreement a cross section opined...
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Of Helmets and Bullet Proof Jackets
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
According to media reports, "The Indian Army is still nowhere near getting desperately-needed modern helicopters, howitzers and air defence weapons, or even new assault rifles and carbines, to plug its critical operational deficiencies.
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The China-Pak Economic Corridor — Problems galore
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
Raising the issue of Gilgit-Baltistan in POK being Indian Territory and the Pakistani genocide in Balochistan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent tremors across Pakistan.
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OROP and 7th CPC - Course correction required
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is quite apparent that civil-military relations have reached the lowest ebb with the military sick of being sidelined and continuously denigrated. A high point was the Service Chiefs issuing letters that the 7th CPC will not be implemented till the anomalies pointed out by the military are addressed...
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Visit of Nepalese PM — Resetting friendly ties
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The recent four day visit of Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi commencing September 15 has helped in resetting Indo-Nepalese ties and dispel the unease of the past few months.
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PM Modi's Vietnam visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Modi's visit to Vietnam on September 2-3 was special not only because Vietnam is India's strategic partner and an important pillar of India's Act East Policy, but also because it came at time of mounting tensions...
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LEMOA, Balochistan and Chinese infirmities
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A day after India and US signed the LEMOA during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's three-day visit to the US commencing August 29...
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Indo-Myanmar Construct — good signs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In March this year, Myanmar got a democratically elected government after 57 years of military rule. On March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated U Htin Kyaw on being elected as the first civilian President of Myanmar...
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Missing Targets — bane of DRDO
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence generally remains in the news in India for valid reasons. It was reported recently that the government procured Rs 76,000 crores of defence equipment during 2015-2016. Of course this figure does not reflect what percentage of equipment deficiency of the forces was met by this expenditure, especially in the critical segment.
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Strengthening West Asian Ties
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The recent visit to Lebanon, Syria and Iraq from August 17 - 23 by MoS External Affairs MJ Akbar has strengthened India's ties with these countries...
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Triple whammy for Indian bureaucracy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)If one hallmark of US Secretary of State John Kerry's recent visit to India was targeting Pakistan for exporting terrorism, the second was Kerry lambasting the Indian bureaucracy, the joke circulating on social media being that both...
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Kerry's Visit: India, US Focus on Pak Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Deliberations during the recent visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry is being hailed for delivering a blunt message to Pakistan, not to distinguish between good and bad terrorists...
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Signing LEMOA — and RM's US visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During his three-day visit to the US commencing August 29, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, India and US are slated to conclude the logistics...
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Indo-Nepalese Relations — new phase begins
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as 'Prachanda', was sworn in as Nepal's 39th Prime Minister on August 4, 2016 after the CPN-Maoists party withdrew support to the Khadga Prasad Oli government.
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More Chinese Bullying
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a humorous twist of events China, a country that shows focused intent of all around aggression in a bid to become a Great Power, has warned India against deploying BrahMos cruise in Arunachal Pradesh.
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Treasure Troves of PSUs — something amiss?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)How many more shocks Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will suffer at the hands of his bureaucrats, shocking the public in turn is anyone's guess. In March 2015, he made a startling announcement that India was paying the US Department of Defence (DoD) for new weaponry, even though US$ 3 billion...
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China: self-appointed NSG Policeman caught cheating
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China, the self proclaimed Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) policeman has been caught, what may be described as with her pants down, violating NSG rules herself.
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ISIS Threat — don't take it lightly
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Creeping of the radical Wahabi-Salafi culture overtaking the Sufi culture and Kashmiriyat of Srinagar Valley has been a slow but steady affair facilitated by misadministration, corruption, politico-terrorist nexus and intransigence, which lead to the volatile situation of today.
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RM's Independence Day eve broadcast — just routine
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Raksha Mantri Manohar Parrikar's customary message to the Armed Forces on the eve of the 70th Independence Day was broadcast over All India Radio.
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Narrowing the Seas: Security Ramifications of the SCS Verdict
By Bharat KarnadThere's an aspect of China's seeking to acquire dominance in the South China Sea that the verdict on July 11, 2016, by the International Court of Arbitration at the Hague, did nothing to address and, which difficult military problem...
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SAARC Home Ministers Meet — Pakistan's prodigal bash
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Turbulence at the recent 7th SAARC Home and Interior Ministers Conference was but expected simply because it was being hosted by Pakistan...
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DPP — private sector awaits fair share
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)If anyone were to ask whether the Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) has been enunciated, the answer would be yes, but partially.
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Non Lethal Weapons — and the pellet gun furor
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Home Minister told the Lok Sabha recently that government is appointing a committee to recommend alternative non-lethal weapons (NLWs) and that the committee is to submit its recommendations in two months time.
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AFSPA — SC ruling reignites debate
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and its removal come up periodically amongst protests and hot debates. The Act, which provides extraordinary powers of force to soldiers deployed in disturbed areas, has long been a bone of contention between human rights activists...
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Developments in terrorist activities in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)If one were to look at developments in terrorist activities in India, it is obvious that one should look at J&K given the current situation. The killing of Burhan Wani was just a trigger but the phenomenon of mobs consistently attacking police stations and indulging in violence and stone throwing hardly transformed overnight.
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Visit of Japanese Defence Minister boosts ties
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani's recent visit to India came post Malabar 2016 held in Western Pacific recently, in which Indian, Japanese and US Navies participated.
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Burhan Wani killed — ISI stoking fires
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the killing of Burhan Wani, Pakistan was waiting to stoke the fires in Kashmir. Most ironically by default or design, the Mehbooba Mufti led J&K government played into the ISI's hands.
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Dhaka's 26/11 — future portends
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On the night of July 1, 21:20 hours local time, seven terrorists (all Bangladeshi citizens) armed with assault rifles, bombs and a sword attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery-cum-Café in the Gulshan area close to in the diplomatic enclave of Dhaka, Bangladesh firing indiscriminately, lobbing bombs, taking hostages...
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New MR SAM — beefing air defence
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On June 30, India successfully test-fired a new surface-to-air missile, developed jointly with Israel, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, of the Odisha coast. Apart from the missile, the system includes a Multi-Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MF STAR) for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile.
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DCN Unveiled — but how to Talk?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Mohan Parrikar dedicated the Defence Communication Network (DCN) to the nation on July 1, 2016.
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Excalibur Dumped — Army's assault rifle hunt goes on
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As per media reports, the Army has junked DRDO's 5.56mm Excalibur assault rifle. Resultantly, Army's quest for a state-of-the-art assault rifles...
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K9 Vajra-T: maiden private sector artillery
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)K9 Vajra-T is an indigenized version of the Samsung mobile howitzer, which is the maiden artillery gun venture of India's private sector.
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100% FDI in Defence is good move
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Government has announced that FDI in the Defence Sector is permitted to 100% level. Till now, the FDI regime permitted 49% FDI participation in the equity of a company under automatic route.
