defence and security news

Friday, January 09, 2004

Defensenews.com
India To Pay RSK MiG $140M for Gorshkov Aircraft
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

India and the producers of MiG aircraft, Russian Aircraft-building Corporation MiG (RSK MiG), have agreed on the price India will pay for 16 MiG-29K aircraft that will outfit the Admiral Gorshkov, the retired Russian aircraft carrier that India has been negotiating to acquire.
An Indian Navy official told DefenseNews.com that the Indian Defence Ministry and RSK MiG on Jan. 8 signed a memorandum of understanding for India to buy the MiG-29Ks for $140 million, around $6.6 million per aircraft. The Indian Navy official said the $140 million would include integration of additional equipment and training for the Indian pilots.
Indian Defence Ministry officials confirmed Dec. 4 that New Delhi and Moscow, after three years of negotiations, had agreed that India will pay $666.6 million for the retired aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to be refitted by SevMash Enterprise, Severodvinsk, Russia. Russia in 2000 offered the ship to India free of cost provided India paid for its refitting in Russia and bought Russian aircraft. Talks on the carrier deal began 10 years ago.

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With agreements on the MiG-29Ks and the refit price of the Admiral Gorshkov, the deal for India to acquire the aircraft carrier likely will be inked during the Jan. 20 visit of the Russian defense minister to India, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said Jan.8.
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Grant Signals New Military Ties Between India, Sri Lanka
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

In a major improvement in India-Sri Lankan defense ties, India is granting its neighbor $10.86 million to upgrade the Palaly air base in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna area.
The Palaly base is in poor condition following years of fighting between Tamil Tiger guerillas and the Sri Lankan Army. Officials in the Indian Defence Ministry said Jan. 7 the grant would fund infrastructure improvements at the base.
Indian officials added that the grant is a response to a Sri Lankan Defence Ministry proposal. Sri Lanka also has sought Indian military assistance in leasing transport helicopters, disclosed the officials.

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New Delhi increasingly is fostering defense ties with Sri Lanka, as the island nation’s strategic location can help India in securing its interests in the Indian Ocean, added one Indian Defence Ministry official here.
India’s new command in the Andaman and Nicobar islands of the Indian Ocean is regarded as the base of its future rapid deployment and provides a surveillance hub for eyeing Chinese activity in Myanmar’s Coco islands.
Defense ties between India and Sri Lanka have been strained since the withdrawal from Sri Lanka of an Indian peacekeeping force in 1990.
India has also agreed to a Sri Lankan request to train its troops at Indian military training establishments.
Sri Lanka also is seeking warships and speedboats built at Indian shipyards
Defensenews.com
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India to Test Longer-Range Agni Ballistic Missile
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI, India

India will test its longer-range Agni ballistic missile in the next few months, newspapers here reported Jan. 1.
“Agni-111 will certainly be launched in the next few months,” V.K. Atre, chief of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) told reporters here Dec. 31.
The Times of India daily said the flight-testing could be held within four months, but there was no immediate official confirmation of the report.

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DRDO sources say the latest variant of the nuclear-capable Agni (Fire) missile will have a maximum range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,480 miles), making it capable of striking strategic targets deep inside China.
Agni-111’s test was originally scheduled for 2003 but it was deferred because of moves by arch-rivals India and Pakistan to bury decades of mutual hostility, analysts say.
India has already begun the production of its 700-kilometer (434-mile) Agni-1 and the 2,500-kilometer- (1,550-mile-) range Agni-11 after flight-testing both the ballistic missiles several times since 1993.
India, which conducted nuclear weapons tests in 1998, has developed a series of nuclear and conventional missile systems as part of the DRDO’s Integrated Missile Development Program, which was launched in 1983
Defensenews.com
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Indian Plant Assembles First Russian-Built T-90
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

India’s state-owned Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadhi in southern India has completed assembly of the first Russian-built T-90 tank ever put together in the country.
An Indian Defence Ministry official said the plant on Jan. 7 will roll out the tank, which arrived from Russia in a partially disassembled state — lacking a few systems such as the gun barrel, thermal imaging sights and fire-control system, to be attached in India.
Under an agreement signed with Russia’s Uralvagonzavod State Enterprise in 2000, India is buying 310 T-90 tanks for $650 million. Russia to date has delivered to New Delhi about 90 of 100 combat-ready tanks at a cost of $2 million each. The remaining 210 tanks are to be built at Indian facilities under a technology-transfer deal.

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The Defence Ministry official told DefenseNews.com on Jan. 6 that Indian technicians now are preparing to put together other partially assembled T-90 tanks, including many that will require completion or assembly of engines, fire-control and gun-control systems, and other components. The partially assembled T-90 tanks were shipped to India from Russia in early 2003.
After the technicians assemble these tanks, the Heavy Vehicles Factory will start complete production, on a licensed basis, of the remaining T-90 tanks. Heavy Vehicles Factory is India’s only tank manufacturing facility and is controlled by the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board.
The Defence Ministry official added that production of the tanks to be built entirely in India will take another three years as the infrastructure has yet to be set up at the Avadhi factory.
India decided to procure the 310 T-90 tanks after Pakistan acquired T-80 main battle tanks from Ukraine.
Defensenews.com
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Indian Navy Will Face Sweeping EW Upgrades
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

The combat and surveillance capabilities of several Indian Navy vessels have deteriorated to such an extent that the service has been forced to limit operations to the Indian Ocean, prompting the government to review extensive modernization requests.
For the past three years, five Russian-built Kashin-II-class destroyers, one Brahmaputra-class frigate, three Godavari-class frigates, five Leander-class frigates and two Petya-II frigates have had operations restricted due to the poor performance and unreliability of aging electronic warfare (EW) systems, Navy officials said Dec. 16.
Cmdr. Vinay Garg, Navy spokesman, said Dec. 15 that Russian-built EW systems have gone beyond their life cycle and must be replaced. The service initially will procure a few EW systems from Israel and experiment with them aboard Russian-built warships during the next two to three years.

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The Navy has approached Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd., Haifa, Israel, to supply seven Shipborne Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems that can be integrated with the existing combat systems of the warships. The initial contract, for seven EW systems, would be worth $107 million.
For the longer term, the government is considering the Navy’s $500 million EW modernization proposal, a senior Ministry of Defence official said Dec.16.
Building an EW Suite
As part of an integrated EW suite, the Navy wants electronic support measures equipment that can be mounted on its warships as passive prime sensors for long-range tactical surveillance, intelligence gathering, over-the-horizon targeting and threat warning, the service officials said.
The service also is scouting for highly effective radiated power multibeam array transmitters capable of providing coverage against multiple threats. In addition, the Navy will procure dozens of digital radio frequency memory systems capable of digitally capturing, delaying and then replaying an accurate representation — in terms of phase, frequency and pulse width — of the received radar pulse.
Indigenous Efforts
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is focused on developing electronic intelligence from foreign sources, or ELINT, moving away from electronic support measures systems, one Navy official said.
“There is a subtle but important difference between the two. [Electronic support measures] is primarily a tactical tool used by a commander, whereas ELINT provides strategic intelligence such as warning of imminent hostilities,” he said.
The DRDO has developed ELINT systems that can track ships and aircraft passively, the Navy official added.
The agency also has created EW support systems to bolster the war-fighter’s capabilities on the electronic battlefield, but a second Defence Ministry official criticized the agency’s EW efforts as piecemeal. Such projects must be built under a comprehensive plan to achieve complete interoperability of EW systems and other shipborne sensors, he said.
“Apart from developing and mounting new-generation EW systems on the warships, the main task is to devise a closer interaction between the Indian Navy, designers of EW systems, production agencies and DRDO, which is lacking at the moment,” Krishna Arora, an independent defense analyst and retired Indian Navy commander, said Dec. 17
Defensenews.com
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How Musharraf Has Divided the Military in Pakistan?
By Tarique Niazi
SINCE THE DAWN of Pakistan, its military has never fired off missives of protest to opposition leaders whom each government branded as “enemies of Pakistan.” Fifty five years after, the restive rank and file of Pakistan Army, disgusted by their “warlord,” Gen. Pervez Musharraf, took a deep breath and decided to cross that taboo.
This year they began a letter-writing campaign, enlisting the support of the country’s largest-ever movement for democracy, the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), to rid the country of Gen. Musharraf. The letter-writers made two-fold demands: First, a thorough probe should be conducted into the 1999 Kargil war between Pakistan and India, whose ultimate outcome was five more years in power for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India and its fired prime minister, AB Vajpayee; while Pakistan Army was paraded around the world as a “bunch of rogues,” and Pakistan itself was since condemned to live under dictatorship.
Second, the cabal of army generals who committed the lethal violation of the Constitution of Pakistan should be unmasked by an investigation into the October 12, 1999 coup.
Interestingly, the letter-writers did not address the democratic opposition as “opposition.” They instead addressed it with the honorific of “Qaumi Qiadat” (National Leadership), which is represented by Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and their respective parties – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML).
These leaders and their parties present a sharp contrast to Gen. Musharraf’s cabinet of water-carriers, dressed up as ministers and prime minister to front his military dictatorship. None of his cabinet members, who are slave to their personal and parochial interests, has any stake in Pakistan.
Over the past four years, Gen. Musharraf has systematically undertaken the destruction of national politics and national leadership by promoting personalism and parochialism all across the country. As a result, “Pakistan” is today left for only two parties to own it: “Pakistan” People’s Party (PPP) and “Pakistan” Muslim League (PML). There is no other mentionable political outfit in any of the country’s four provinces to prefix or suffix the word “Pakistan” to its name. Not an unremarkable feat just in four years!
This rapid decline in national integration has raised the red flags for the military that turned to the national leadership to help reverse it. The letter-writers used Pakistan Army’s stationery, embossed with the General Headquarters’ (GHQ) monogram, for their letters to lend due authenticity to their contents.
Having received these letters for months, it finally fell to the bravest of the brave Javed Hashmi, who presides over the ARD, to make these letters and their contents public. As soon as he did that, Gen. Musharraf let loose his hounds to have him kidnapped on October 29 from his official residence in Islamabad. He had since been kept incommunicado.
Mr. Hashmi’s guilt is not yet firm in the mind of his captors. Now it is sedition; now it is treason. Sedition implies to “divide the military” (against Gen. Musharraf!); while treason means to bring physical harm to Pakistan. Does “division in the military” make news? I would suspect the patriotism of the military if it is not divided against its abuser-in-chief, Gen. Musharraf, and his treacherous ways to build himself up and build Pakistan down. How could not the military divide against him when he used its raw force to dismantle one institution of the country after another to keep him in power? Bureaucracy. Constitution. Judiciary. Police. Parliament. And now military.
In January 2001 he had the Chief Justice of Pakistan house-arrested? Then, he went on to fire five of his brother judges on the bench, who were suspected of standing up to him for defense of the Constitution. Undeterred still, he again shouldered himself onto the military to invent the farce of April 2002 referendum to elect himself president? He kick started his fraudulent election campaign in military uniform (wearing a look of clown) with his corps commanders in attendance (no past military dictator in Pakistan went that far in his perverse ambitions to prostitute the military for political gains).
All across the country, his rallies were swelled with troops bused in from nearby military encampments. In August 2002, he disemboweled the Constitution with a knife of 29 self-serving amendments, a.k.a., Legal Framework Order (LFO). Yet he stopped the members of the superior judiciary from pledging allegiance to Pakistan and its constitution. Instead, he bribed his way to the judges with a three-year extension in their service on the bench in flagrant violation of the constitution.
He did not limit bribery to the judiciary alone, however; he extended it to the military also. He used bribe and corruption as the glue to firm up what he calls the “unity of command” (read: Pakistan Army). Tens of thousands of military personnel were bought off with lucrative civilian sector employment to quieten down the rumblings in their ranks.
Until December 2001, as many as 20,000 military personnel were posted all across Pakistan to serve as the eyes and ears of Gen. Musharraf’s dictatorship by “monitoring” civil bureaucrats in their respective district headquarters. According to press reports in Pakistan, many of the “monitors” minted millions from their earful and eye-filling work. They would have been making hay to this day, had India not mobilized in December 2001 hundreds of thousands of its troops to amass along the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir.
The 20,000 monitors were then called up to do what they were paid for: Defend Pakistan. Gen. Musharraf’s attempts to corrupt the military had since stirred deep resentment that seeped down to the ranks. It was no coincidence that he was target of an assassination plot thought up and executed exclusively by non-commissioned officers (NCOs), a first-ever example of its kind in the military history of Pakistan!
It doesn’t mean that general officers (brigadiers and above) were hesitant in venting their grumbles and growls at the daily abuse of their institution by a power-mad dictator. They were repulsed, too, and their repulsion was forcefully expressed by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Abdul Aziz, who publicly rebuffed Gen. Musharraf for his insistence to double as Army chief and president. Within days, Gen. Musharraf had to face even worse humiliation at the hands of his corps commanders who ruthlessly grilled him for his “patriotic failings.”
He emerged so deeply scarred from that grilling that he let out a public scream of self-pity: “I shall be traitor to Pakistan if I compromise Pakistan’s interests.” Traitor! Exactly, it was the “T” word with which his commanders shot him in their supersecret sessions held in the depths of their GHQ.
The rank and file of the military has since been kept solidly behind Gen. Musharraf by the force of media-manufactured fibs: That the nation has unwavering faith in their super patriotism, and is willing to swallow “anything in uniform” (including Gen. Musharraf). The bubble of these fibs popped up on three occasions to bare the contrary ugly reality: First, when 20,000 military monitors left their civilian posts to face down Indian troops in December 2001, their civilian victims were widely reported in Pakistan to have breathed a collective sigh of relief with their heartfelt thanks reserved for the terrorists that shot up Indian Parliament and enraged enough India’s prime minister to cast the attack into an “Indian 9/11” (as if it was a badge of honor to show off!).
Second, the farce of April 2002 referendum disgusted the nation so much that the “giants” of the Pakistani press stood on the shoulders of the “gnats” of Pakistani politics to anticipate a “war” between Pakistan and India as “the only way out of Gen. Musharraf’s dictatorship.” If these signals were garbled for the military to read, a police constable’s daring in Lahore to flag a general officer’s car for its tinted windows was too unmistakable a sign of the nation’s loss of faith in the military to miss. The incident painfully showed that Pakistan has run out of patience with its military dictator. Popular outrage impaled the military as an institution across the windscreen of the errant general’s car and in the blood-soaked face of the constable, who was beaten to the pulp. The groundswell of mass support for the constable that flooded from every nook and corner of Pakistan was, however, a “false positive:” It was the pretend hurrah for the constable that masked the tearful outrage against every member of the armed forces.
The masses’ resentment against the military, as evidenced in the above incidents, broke through the lies spun by the media, and had every patriotic soldier thinking hard and long. The letter-writers who have kept their identity secret are the newly awakened members of the armed forces. Mr. Hashmi took upon himself to warn the nation of their concerns and the divisions that run along such concerns. If ignored, these concerns can set off the bloodiest-ever civil war. The guilty party here is not the one who is warning the nation of the danger of divisions in the military, or the divisions themselves, but the Divider-in-Chief – Gen. Musharraf, whose day in court is not far off, if he had not fled the country.
The second charge against Javed Hashmi is that of treason! Gen. Musharraf had all his front men badmouthed Mr Hashmi for “playing into the hands of RAW” (Indian military’s Research and Analysis Wing). I do not suspect Gen. Musharraf’s or his cronies’ “intentions” on Pakistan. It is their “actions” that make me suspect their patriotism. If Gen. Musharraf continues down the path he has followed for the past four years, Pakistan will not need India or RAW to finish it.
Gen. Musharraf already has done to Pakistan what India could not have done in the past 55 years. The only reason for Pakistan to continue to exist is Mr. Hashmi and the millions of its daughters and sons like Mr. Hashmi. A hundred million Musharrafs (that will be 20 billion pounds of garbage) are not worth the ground that Mr Hashmi walks. He is a stake in the heart of the dictator and his dictatorship, which makes him so “dangerous.” But when it comes to patriotism, Mr. Hashmi is the North Star of it to which every member of the armed forces and every citizen of Pakistan looks to soak up its light. Patriotism is defined by his courage and a tale of his endless sacrifices for Pakistan. The difference between Mr Hashmi and Gen. Musharraf is that Mr Hashmi bled for Pakistan, while Gen. Musharraf bled Pakistan for himself.
This contrast brings me to my long overdue advice to the democratic opposition. First, stop second-guessing the divisions in the military. They are real, and do something about them before they begin to be acted out in blood (i.e., get rid of Gen. Musharraf). Second, keep your outrage directed at the Divider-in-Chief, Gen. Musharraf who, like autotroph, is now cutting into the bough he is nesting on – military.
Do not play into his hands by quibbling over Hudood Ordinance, which could be settled after Pakistan is rid of dictatorship, the supremacy of the constitution is upheld, and a democratically elected government is put in place. Third, craft a unified demand for Gen. Musharraf to step down in a given timeline, and call for free and fair elections under a caretaker government. Fourth, if he refuses to step down, resign from national and provincial legislatures and give a nation-wide call to overthrow the dictator and his dictatorship. Anything less than that will be a lease on life for Gen. Musharraf and death knell for the democratic opposition.
SATRIBUNE.COM 9 Jan 2004.
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Is the Trail of Nuclear Transfers to Rogue Nations Leading towards Pakistan
By David E. Sanger & William J. Broad
THE PAKISTANI leaders who denied for years that scientists at the country's secret A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories were peddling advanced nuclear technology must have been averting their eyes from a most conspicuous piece of evidence: the laboratory's own sales brochure, quietly circulated to aspiring nuclear weapons states and a network of nuclear middlemen around the world.
The cover bears an official-looking seal that says "Government of Pakistan" and a photograph of the father of the Pakistani bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan. It promotes components that were spinoffs from Pakistan's three-decade-long project to build a nuclear stockpile of enriched uranium, set in a drawing that bears a striking resemblance to a mushroom cloud.
In other nations, such sales would be strictly controlled. But Pakistan has always played by its own rules.
As investigators unravel the mysteries of the North Korean, Iranian and now the Libyan nuclear projects, Pakistan — and those it empowered with knowledge and technology they are now selling on their own — has emerged as the intellectual and trading hub of a loose network of hidden nuclear proliferators.
That network is global, stretching from Germany to Dubai and from China to South Asia, and involves many middlemen and suppliers. But what is striking about a string of recent disclosures, experts say, is how many roads appear ultimately to lead back to the Khan Research Laboratories in Kahuta, where Pakistan's own bomb was developed.
In 2002 the United States was surprised to discover how North Korea had turned to the Khan laboratory for an alternative way to manufacture nuclear fuel, after the reactors and reprocessing facilities it had relied on for years were "frozen" under a now shattered agreement with the Clinton administration. Last year, international inspectors and Western intelligence agencies were surprised again, this time by the central role Pakistan played in the initial technology that enabled Iran to pursue a secret uranium enrichment program for 18 years.
The sources of Libya's enrichment program are still under investigation, but those who have had an early glance say they see "interconnections" with both Pakistan and Iran's programs — and Libyan financial support for the Pakistani program that stretches back three decades.
Until two weeks ago, Pakistani officials had long denied that any nuclear technology was transferred from their laboratories. But now that story has begun to change, after the Pakistani authorities, under pressure, began interrogating scientists from the laboratory about their assistance to other nuclear aspirants. Two weeks ago, Dr. Khan himself was called in for what appears to have been a respectful, and still inconclusive, questioning.
Responding to requests relayed through associates, Dr. Khan has recently denied that he aided atomic hopefuls. But American and European officials note that in the 1980's he repeatedly denied that Pakistan was at work on an atomic bomb, which it finally tested in 1998.
While American intelligence officials have gathered details on the activities of the creator of the Pakistani bomb and his compatriots for decades, four successive American presidents have dealt with the issue extremely delicately, turning modest sanctions against Pakistan on and off, for fear of destabilizing the country when it was needed to counter the Soviets in the 1980's, much as it is needed to battle terrorism today.
President Bush, who regularly talks about nuclear dangers, has never mentioned Pakistan's laboratories or their proliferation in public — probably out of concern of destabilizing President Pervez Musharraf, who has survived two assassination attempts in December.
"He's been a stand-up guy when it comes to dealing with the terrorists," Mr. Bush said of General Musharraf on Thursday. "We are making progress against Al Qaeda because of his cooperation." He dismissed a question about the vulnerability of Pakistan's own nuclear weapons, saying, "Yes, they are secure," then changed the subject.
Yet when President Bush talks about the horrors that could unfold if a nuclear weapon fell into the hands of terrorists, it is Pakistan's combustible mix of expertise, components, fuel and fully assembled weapons that springs to the minds of American and European intelligence experts. In public, the White House says it has received "assurances" from Pakistan that if there ever were nuclear exports they are finished.
"There is this almost empty-headed recitation of assurances that whatever Pakistan did in the past it's over, it's no longer a problem," said one senior European diplomat with access to much of the intelligence about proliferation. "But there's is no evidence that it has ever stopped."
Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations organization charged with monitoring nuclear energy worldwide, contends that the recent nuclear disclosures show that the system put in place at the height of the cold war to contain nuclear weapons technology has ruptured and can no longer control the new nuclear trade.
"The information is now all over the place, and that's what makes it more dangerous than in the 1960's," Dr. ElBaradei said.
The Crucial Ingredient
The biggest hurdle in making a nuclear weapon is not designing the warhead, but getting the right fuel to create an atomic explosion. One route is to extract plutonium from nuclear reactors and reprocess it to produce more fuel, known as creating a fuel cycle. The other is to extract uranium from the ground and enrich it.
The 1970 treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons was devised to control which countries could possess and pursue nuclear arms. It allowed the United States, Britain, France, the Soviet Union and China to keep all their weapons but required all other signatories to forswear nuclear arms. North Korea, Iran and Libya all signed, allowing I.A.E.A. inspectors limited visits to verify that countries producing nuclear fuel were truly using "atoms for peace." Pakistan and India never signed, nor did Israel.
Aside from inspections, spy satellites and airborne "sniffers" can usually pick out the huge complexes needed to extract spent fuel from nuclear reactors and turn it into bomb fuel. But after North Korea was caught cheating by the United States in the early 1990's and was forced into an agreement to "freeze" its reactor-and-reprocessing complex at Yongbyon, the lesson was clear: to produce bomb fuel, countries needed to take a more surreptitious route.
Uranium enrichment was the most promising, because it could take place in hidden facilities, emitting few traces. And that was the technology that Dr. Khan perfected as his laboratory raced to produce a nuclear bomb to keep up with its rival, India.
The key to the technology is the development of centrifuges. These hollow tubes spin fast to separate a gaseous form of natural uranium into U-238, a heavy isotope, and U-235, a light one. The rare U-235 isotope is the holy grail: it can easily split in two, releasing bursts of nuclear energy.
But making centrifuges is no easy trick. The rotors of centrifuges, spinning at the speed of sound or faster, must be very strong and perfectly balanced or they fly apart catastrophically.
To produce bomb-grade fuel, uranium must pass through hundreds or thousands of centrifuges linked in a cascade, until impurities are spun away and what remains is mainly U-235 . The result is known as highly enriched uranium.
Dr. Khan returned to Pakistan in 1976 after working in the Netherlands, carrying extremely secret centrifuge designs — a Dutch one that featured an aluminum rotor, and a German one made of maraging steel, a superhard alloy. He was charged with stealing the designs from a European consortium where he worked.
"The designs for the machines," said a secret State Department memo at the time, "were stolen by a Pakistani national."
The steel rotor in the German design turned out to be particularly difficult to make, but it could spin twice as fast, meaning it produced more fuel.
Dr. Khan's accomplishments turned him into a national hero. In 1981, as a tribute, the president of Pakistan, Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, renamed the enrichment plant the A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories.
Dr. Khan, a fervent nationalist, has condemned the system that limits legal nuclear knowledge to the five major nuclear powers, or that has ignored Israel's nuclear weapon while focusing on the fear of an Islamic bomb. "All Western countries," he was once quoted as saying, "are not only the enemies of Pakistan but in fact of Islam."
In the years before Pakistan's first test in 1998, Dr. Khan and his team began publishing papers in the global scientific literature on how to make and test its uranium centrifuges. In the West, these publications would have been classified secret or top secret.
But Dr. Khan made no secret of his motive: he boasted in print of circumventing the restrictions of the Western nuclear powers, declaring in a 1987 paper that he sought to pierce "the clouds of the so-called secrecy." Papers in 1987 and 1988 detailed how to take the next, difficult steps in the construction of centrifuges — reaching beyond first-generation aluminum rotors to produce more efficient centrifuges out of maraging steel.
David Albright, a former weapons inspector for the I.A.E.A, said the American intelligence community viewed Dr. Khan's papers as a boast. They proved that Pakistan "knew how to build the G-2," a particularly complex design of German origin.
A 1991 paper by his colleagues at the laboratory gave more details away, revealing how to etch special grooves on a centrifuge's bottom bearing, a crucial part for aiding the flow of lubricants in machines spinning at blindingly fast speeds.
A Pentagon program that tracks foreign scientific publications has uncovered dozens of reports, scientific papers and conference proceedings on uranium enrichment that Dr. Khan and his colleagues published. While federal and private experts agree that the blitz left much confidential — including some crucial dimensions, ingredients, manufacturing tricks and design secrets — Pakistan was clearly proclaiming that it had mastered the black art.
"It was a signal to India and the West saying, `Look, we're not the backward people you think we are,' " said Mark Gorwitz, a nonproliferation expert who tracks the Pakistani literature.
The scientific papers were soon followed by sales brochures. Much of the gear marketed by the Khan laboratory was critical for anyone eager to make Dr. Khan's kind of centrifuges. It included vacuum devices that attached to a centrifuge casing and sucked out virtually all the air, reducing friction around the spinning rotors.
In 2000, the Pakistani government ran its own advertisement announcing procedures for commercial exports of many types of nuclear gear, including gas centrifuges and their parts, according to a Congressional Research Service report published in May. Many of the items, it noted, "would be useful in a nuclear weapons program."
Former American intelligence and nonproliferation experts said the CIA was aware of some, but not all, of these activities, and began tracking scientists at the Khan laboratory.
But at every turn, overt pressure was weighed against strategic interests. In the 1980's, Washington viewed Pakistan as a critical ally in the covert war it was waging against the Soviets in Afghanistan. By 1986, American intelligence agencies concluded that Pakistan had succeeded in making weapon-grade uranium, the sure sign that the centrifuges worked. But that same year, Mr. Reagan announced an aid package to Pakistan of more than $4 billion.
The First Nuclear Deals
What American intelligence agencies apparently did not understand at the time was the pace at which Dr. Khan's team was beginning to help other nations.
It started as a quid pro quo with an old patron: China. A declassified State Department memo, obtained by the National Security Archive in Washington, concluded that China, sometime after its first bomb tests in the mid-1960's, had provided Pakistan technology for "fissile material production and possibly also nuclear device design."
Years later, the flow reversed. Mr. Albright, who is the president of the Institute for Science and International Security, an arms control group in Washington, has concluded that China was an early recipient of Pakistan's designs for centrifuges. China had used an antiquated, expensive process for enriching uranium, and the technology Dr. Khan held promised a faster, cheaper, more efficient path to bomb-making.
But that was just the start. Evidence uncovered in recent months shows that around 1987 Pakistan struck a deal with Iran, which had tried unsuccessfully to master enrichment technology on its own during its war with Iraq. The outlines of the deal — pieced together from limited inspections and documents turned over to the I.A.E.A. in October — show that a centrifuge of Pakistani design finally solved Iran's technological problems. That deal was "a tremendous boost," Mr. Albright and his colleague, Corey Hinderstein, said in a draft report on the Iranian program. "The possession of detailed designs could allow Iran to skip many difficult research steps," they added.
The Iranian documents turned over to the I.A.E.A. make no reference to Pakistan itself; they only point to its signature technologies.
"We have middlemen and suspicions," said a Western diplomat with access to the documents. "There is a Pakistani tie for sure, but we don't know the details."
Iran's program fooled the I.A.E.A., which caught no whiff of it during 18 years of inspections. But Pakistan's role was also well hidden from American intelligence agencies.
"We had some intelligence successes with Iran, we knew about some of their enrichment efforts," said Gary Samore, who headed up nonproliferation efforts in the Clinton administration's National Security Council. "What we didn't know was the Pakistan connection — that was a surprise. And the extent of Pakistan's ties was, in retrospect, the surprise of the 1990's."
The Iranians were hardly satisfied customers. They had gotten Pakistan's older models and were forced to slog ahead slowly for two decades, foraging around the world for parts, building experimental facilities involving a few hundred centrifuges, but apparently failing to produce enough fissile material for a bomb.
If the Iranians were the turtle, the North Koreans proved the hare. Around 1997, a decade after the Pakistani deal with Iran, Dr. Khan made inroads with the government of Kim Jong Il, as it sought a way to make nuclear fuel away from the Yongbyon plant and the prying eyes of American satellites. Dr. Khan began traveling to North Korea, visiting 13 times, American intelligence officials said.
During those visits, North Korea offered to exchange centrifuge technology for North Korean missile technology, enabling Pakistan to extend the reach of its nuclear weapons across India.
Again, American intelligence agencies missed many of the signals. They knew of an experimental program, but it took evidence from South Korea to demonstrate that North Korea was moving toward industrial-level production. Then in the summer of 2001, American spy satellites spotted missile parts being loaded into a Pakistani cargo plane near Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The parts were assumed to be the quid pro quo for the nuclear technology.
Last spring, a few months after the deal was revealed in The New York Times, the State Department announced some sanctions against the Khan laboratory but cited the illegal missile transactions. The State Department said it had insufficient evidence to issue sanctions for a nuclear transfer, a move some dissenting officials suspected was a concession to avoid embarrassing General Musharraf, who had denied that any nuclear transfers ever occurred.
A Congressional report on the Pakistan-North Korea trade notes that over the years "Pakistan has been sanctioned in what some observers deem, an `on again, off again' fashion," mostly for importing technology for unconventional weapons, and later for its 1998 nuclear tests. Those sanctions, which were also issued against India, were waived shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when the United States suddenly needed Pakistan's cooperation.
It is unclear whether the Pakistan-North Korea connection has been cut off. But new evidence suggests that North Korea is still racing ahead. In April, a ship carrying a large cargo of superstrong aluminum tubing was stopped in the Suez Canal after the German authorities determined that it was destined for North Korea. The precise size of the tubes, according to Western diplomats and industry reports, suggested that they were intended for making the outer casings of G-2 centrifuges, the kind whose rotors are made of steel, and that Dr. Khan wrote about.
The CIA estimates that by 2005, if unchecked, North Korea will begin large-scale production of enriched uranium.
But so far, American intelligence agencies say they are uncertain where North Korea's centrifuge operations are. On Friday, North Korea said it would allow a delegation of American experts into the country this week.
Halting Nuclear Trades
Early in 2003, Mr. Bush established a coordinating group inside the White House to oversee the interception of shipments of unconventional weapons around the world. So far, Washington has drawn more than a dozen nations into a loose posse to track and stop shipments, and Germany, Italy, Taiwan and Japan have executed seizures.
But the first interceptions — and the trail of parts and agreements they reveal — have only pointed to the mushrooming size of the secondary market in parts.
Even more worrisome are the kinds of exchanges that do not move on ships and planes, what Ashton B. Carter, who worked in the Clinton administration on North Korean issues, calls "substantial technical cooperation among all members of the brotherhood of rogues."
North Korean engineers have been sighted living in Iran, ostensibly to help the country build medium- and long-range missiles. But the growing suspicion is that the relationship has now expanded beyond missiles, and that the two nations are warily dealing in the nuclear arena as well.
"We're debating the evidence," said one administration official.
The latest nuclear disclosures came after the United States spotted a German-registered ship headed for Libya through the Suez Canal, with thousands of parts for uranium centrifuges. The interception in October of that shipment, American officials say, tipped the balance for the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, forcing him to agree in December to disclose and dismantle his own nuclear program.
Inspectors are still investigating where Libya's components came from, focusing on manufacturers in Europe and what Dr. ElBaradei calls "interconnections" between the Libyan program and Iran's.
The intercepted shipment came from Dubai, a place of great importance in Dr. Khan's secretive world. It was a Dubai middleman claiming to represent Dr. Khan who in 1990, on the eve of the Persian Gulf war, offered Dr. Khan's aid to Iraq in building an atom bomb. And it was a Dubai middleman whom Dr. Khan blamed for supplying centrifuge parts to Iran, said a European confidante of Dr. Khan's who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Ties between Libya and Pakistan go back years. In 1973, when Pakistan was just starting its nuclear program, Libya signed a deal to help finance its atomic efforts in exchange for knowledge about how to make nuclear fuel, said Leonard S. Spector of the Monterey Institute of International Studies' Center for Nonproliferation Studies. From 1978 to 1980, he added, Libya appears to have supplied Pakistan with uranium ore. But Libya appears to have made much less progress than the Iranians had.
Dr. ElBaradei estimates that 35 to 40 nations now have the knowledge to build an atomic weapon. In place of the nonproliferation treaty, which he calls obsolete, he proposes revising the world's system to place any facilities that can manufacture fissile material under multinational control.
"Unless you are able to control the actual acquisition of weapon-usable material, you are not able to control proliferation," he said in recent interview. But Mr. Bush and the leaders of the other established nuclear states are reluctant to renegotiate a stronger treaty because it will reopen the question of why some states are permitted to hold nuclear weapons and others are not.
For now the world is left watching a terrifying race — one that pits scientists, middlemen and extremists against Western powers trying to intercept, shipload by shipload, the technology as it spreads through the clandestine network. Mr. Bush remains wary of cracking down on a fragile Pakistan, for fear pressure could tip the situation toward the radicals.
Some in the administration say they think other nations may follow Libya's calculations and abandon their programs voluntarily. But there are doubters.
"Its a fine theory," a top nonproliferation strategist in the administration said recently. "The question for 2004 is whether the mullahs or Kim Jong Il buy into it."
David Rohde contributed reporting from Pakistan for this article. SATRIBUNE 9 Jan 2004
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posted by promila 8:15 AM

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Israeli Defense Chief in India for Talks on Military Cooperation
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI

The director general of the Israeli defense ministry held talks Monday with Indian officials on arms procurement and other cooperation, an Indian defense ministry source said.
Maj. Gen. Amos Yaron met with the chiefs of the Indian army, air force and navy.
â€œHe is leading the Israeli side in the delegation-level talks. The meeting is focusing on arms procurement, joint military research and industrial cooperation in the defense sector,â€� the source told AFP.

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Yaron will also meet Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes during his two-day visit.
In October India signed a $1 billion deal with Israel to buy three Phalcon airborne early warning radar systems, which rival Pakistan has warned could trigger an arms race in South Asia.
The Phalcon agreement came a month after Ariel Sharon paid a visit to India, the first by an Israeli prime minister.
India, a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause, only established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992. Since then Israel has become Indiaâ€™s second-largest defense supplier, after Russia, with annual sales topping $1 billion.
Separately, Israeli Science and Technology Minister Eliezer Sandberg and Aby Har-Even, director general of the Israel Space Agency, began a three-day visit to India Dec. 22.
They are due to sign an agreement to put Israelâ€™s Tauvex space telescope on Indiaâ€™s GSAT-4 satellite
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India to Gain Holding Fund for Surpluses
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

The Indian government plans to set up a Defence Modernization Fund that could accelerate weapon and equipment purchases.
The fund is the governmentâ€™s response to the Ministry of Defenceâ€™s (MoDâ€™s) failure to spend all the money allocated to it in the last three defense budget cycles. This move creates a permanent account from which the MoD can draw money as needed for defense purchases.
The Defence Modernization Fund will be set up with an initial amount, which a senior Defence Ministry official would not disclose. He said, however, that any unspent money in the future will be put into the new Defence Modernization Fund.

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A senior MoD official said Dec. 15 that the non-expiring fund will be set up after the 2004-05 budget cycle, which begins in February.
In the last few years, the MoD has had to surrender unspent funds for other government needs, as several acquisition projects were delayed.In the last two years, unspent funds totaled about $1 billion each year. During the 2002-03 budget year, $1.86 billion was surrendered by the MoD, which constitutes around 13 percent of the total defense budget of $13.82 billion.
The Defence Modernization Fund could swell to about $5 billion in the next three years, noted another MoD official.
â€œWeapon acquisition would become much easier for the services with the setting up of the Defence Modernization Fund, which will include surrendered funds from the yearly budget. â€¦ In the current system, it is difficult to finalize several acquisition projects in the 12-month cycle,â€� a senior Air Force official said. The services would be less pressured to respond to procurement decisions out of fear of losing available funds.
Sometimes it takes 18 months for equipment to reach the services after a procurement decision is made by the MoD, the Air Force official said. He added that the Air Force urgently needs around 120 aircraft, and that creating the fund offers new hope for the acquisition of used Dassault Mirage 2000-5 aircraft. The MoD is negotiating to buy the combat jets from Qatar
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Panel Pans Delays in Building Indiaâ€™s Arjun Tanks
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

Indiaâ€™s parliamentary watchdog on government expenditures, the Public Accounts Committee, has noted that the delay in producing the indigenous Arjun main battle tank will â€œseriously undermine the entire planning to re-equip and modernize the Army.â€�
â€œThe remarks of the 57th Public Accounts Committee report, released by the Indian Parliament Dec. 16, has given support to the idea among a section of the defense planners that India should rely on off-the-shelf purchases from overseas defense marketsâ€� to acquire tanks and other military equipment, a senior Ministry of Defence official said Dec. 16.
The $5 million Arjun project was launched in 1974 by Indiaâ€™s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with the objective of eliminating the countryâ€™s dependence on foreign countries for military equipment.

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The Arjun tank was intended to enter service between 1985 and 2000, replacing the Armyâ€™s existing Vijayanta and T55 tanks. However, the delay in the production of Arjun tanks at Indian factories has delayed the replacement of the obsolete Vijayantas, an Indian Army official said Dec. 16.
The production of 124 Arjun tanks was awarded in 2000 to the state-owned heavy vehicles factory, Avadhi. The first lot was expected to enter production in 2003. The schedule has been revised to 2007.
Because of the Arjun tank delays, India in 2000 signed an agreement with Russia to acquire 310 T90 Main Battle tanks; deliveries began last year.
The Arjun tank is to be equipped with a 120mm gun; a 1,030-horsepower engine from German firm MTU; an integrated fire control system; nuclear, biological and chemical protection system; and laser warning systems.
The Public Accounts Committee also expressed concern over the steep increase in foreign components used in Arjun prototypes.
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Indian Army Outlines Big Weapon Buying Blueprint
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

The Indian Army has drawn up a blueprint for modernizing the service in what will be the largest procurement effort in decades.
Lt. Gen. Ashok Chaki, the Armyâ€™s deputy chief of procurement, said Oct. 28 the service must upgrade arms, surveillance equipment and command, control and communications systems to maintain an edge over its adversaries.
The 10-year procurement plan, estimated to cost around $15 billion, was submitted to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in October, a senior Army planning official said Nov. 14. The modernization blueprint also envisions a complete overhaul of existing weaponry.

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The Facts:
modernization buys

The Indian Army in the next 10 years wants to buy:
* New advanced command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, and information warfare systems, as well as upgrades to existing systems.
* Nuclear, biological and chemical equipment, such as protective gear, detection and alarm systems, modulators, vaccine agents, bio-agents and radio protectors.
* Agni, Reflex and Kornet surface-to-surface missiles and Igla surface-to-air missiles, and air defense system upgrades.
* Equipment to upgrade the night-vision capabilities.
* Unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostats.
* Various versions of 155mm guns, rocket launchers and other weaponry.
SOURCE: Defense News research

A Defence Ministry official said Nov. 10 that the MoD is considering ways to finance the plan during the next decade. Army officials expect the program to get government approval in December, with bids being solicited in January or February. Deliveries could begin in June, they said.
Arming the Troops
â€œOur foremost priority is to modernize the Infantry and Rashtriya Rifle Units, which are engaged in combating insurgency and cross-border infiltration,â€� Chaki said. â€œThe aim is to enhance their lethality, survivability and surveillance capability.â€�
He said that the equipment procured for these units will include hand-held thermal imagers, short-range battlefield surveillance rad ar, unattended ground sensors, high-resolution binoculars, under-barrel grenade launchers, multiple grenade launchers and sniper rifles with night sights.
To increase troop movement, new high-mobility vehicles are being sought, and the engines of existing ones will be modernized.
Chaki said that emphasis also is being put on boosting conventional warfare capabilities, particularly in procuring thermal imaging sights for tanks, various types of surveillance radar, unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostats

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India to Seek Proposals On 600 Shilka Upgrades
Program Expected to Cost More Than $400M

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

Time and a lack of spare parts have taken their toll on the Indian Armyâ€™s Shilka air defense system, so the government in the next couple of months will solicit bids to upgrade all the Russian-made ZSU-23-4 systems.
The modernization program will be carried out in phases, with 48 Shilka systems to be ugraded in the first round, said a senior Army procurement official Dec. 15.
The Army has about 600 Shilka air defense systems in its inventory slated for upgrades during the next three to five years. The entire effort is expected to cost more than $400 million, a Ministry of Defence procurement official said Dec. 16, with the price tag for the first phase at about $40 million.

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Some critical aspects of the program, the Army official said, include radar and computer replacement, electro-optical control system installation, and engine upgrades for the vehicles that carry the systems.
â€œThe basic aim of the upgrade is to extend the life of the 25-year-old Shilka air defense systems by at least 20 years,â€� he said.
New Detectors, Computers Sought
The Armyâ€™s new requirements for the system include detection of targets as low as 30 meters in altitude; a fire-control computer compatible with fire control systems that are based on radar as well as electro-optical devices; and an electro-optical tracking system, the Defence Ministry official said.
Another requirement pertains to the ability of the upgraded Shilka systems to be functional in temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius to 55 degrees Celsius, and to be able to perform in plains and semi-desert terrain.
The MoD will be very careful in selecting a vendor that can guarantee a continuous supply of spare parts after the upgrades are complete, the ministry official said.
An executive of Russiaâ€™s arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, said Dec. 11 that his company has sent its offer to do the Shilka upgrades for the Army. The proposal includes installation of combat control systems, and a gun with advanced search capabilities and increased fire accuracy, reduced vehicle signature, increased vehicle mobility and improved life support, the executive said.
Another Army official said Dec. 16 that there are more than 1,500 pieces of ZSU-23-4 Quad and L-70 air defense systems in the serviceâ€™s inventory. They are spread across India, yet several are sitting dormant due to lack of spare parts and age, the official said.
E
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India Tests Surface-to-Air Missile Three Times in Two Days
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

India tested its Trishul short-range surface-to-air missile â€” with an upgraded guidance system â€” three times Dec. 18 and 19 at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur. Defense officials said the Trishul was fired from a mobile launcher at a moving airborne target twice Friday and once Thursday. They described the test as a success.
The tests were performed for the Navy version of the missile, an Indian Navy official said.
Under development since 1983, the Trishul appeared on the verge of being scrapped early this year, but the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) reignited the program by incorporating a new guidance system.

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Indian Defense Ministry spokesman Amitabha Chakraborty said Dec.19 that the Trishul met its objective in this weekâ€™s tests, and that more tests are expected in the next few weeks to fine-tune the systems.
Earlier this year, the government said it would continue to build Trishul as a technology demonstrator but that it would not be used by the military. New Delhi later announced, however, that the missileâ€™s guidance system had been upgraded, and a series of tests were conducted in June.
A DRDO scientist said everything is going well and that the missile will be introduced into the defense forces, but he did not specify when.
The Trishul missile was designed for use by all three branches of the Indian defense forces â€” against low-flying aircraft by the Army and Air Force, and against sea-skimming missiles by the Navy. The solid-fuel-propelled missile has a range from 300 meters to 9 kilometers and can deliver a 15-kilogram warhead.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report from Bhubaneswar, India
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Indian Navy Drafts Plan for Industry-Military Partnership
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

The Indian Navy has drafted a plan that calls for local industry to help meet the serviceâ€™s equipment requirements for the next 15 years, an effort the Navyâ€™s chief of materiel calls a win-win situation.
â€œThis would help private domestic industry to conceive and plan production initiatives for meeting naval requirements,â€� Vice Adm. Pramod Chandra Bhasin said, addressing a meeting of the Navy-Industry Partnership here Dec. 3. The meeting was organized by Indiaâ€™s largest lobbying group, the Confederation of Indian Industries.
This does not implement an official â€œbuy Indianâ€� policy, as local companies will still have to compete with international bidders to gain some orders from the Navy.

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The Facts:
Procurement Plan

The new plan, covering 2003-2018, is broken up into five areas:
* Marine engineering
* Electrical engineering
* Weapons and sensors
* Hull materials
* Other naval equipment
SOURCE: Defense News research

But under this plan, the Navy will help domestic companies identify spare parts and systems that they could manufacture for the service in the long run, and the service in turn would show preference to local industry. The Navy also will lend support to industry.
Bhasin noted that while the domestic industry faces stiff international competition to build naval systems, it should be glad to get a slice of the local defense pie, and the Navy for its part would not have to rely on foreign suppliers and the red tape that goes with international contracts.
Bhasin said the new plan, covering 2003-2018, would address immediate requirements as well as future, cutting-edge ideas.
Indian industry now has the chance to benefit from nearly every aspect of naval procurement, from weapons and sensors to maintenance and repair.
Under the first part of the effort, marine engineering, the Navy has invited private firms to pitch ideas for the development and production of propulsion solutions for ships and submarines, machinery control systems, auxiliary equipment and miscellaneous gear, including firefighting equipment, thermal-imaging cameras, protective clothing, acoustic enclosures and infrared separation devices.
For the electrical engineering portion of the plan, the Navy is looking for equipment in areas such as satellite communication systems, satellite navigation, automatic fire-detection systems, navigational radar systems, and command-and-control systems that can be produced locally.
The Indian Navy spends millions of dollars each year on weapons and sensor systems. Under this plan, the funds would bolster local industry and long-term research and development.
The Indian Navy today is completely dependent on steel from overseas sources, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of the cost of a warship, Bhasin said.
He added that the Navy today spends nearly $200 million annually on the procurement of machinery and spare parts alone, and nearly $1 billion each year on replacing equipment and weaponry.
Retired Indian Army Lt. Gen. S.K. Bhatnagar, chief adviser at warship equipment-maker Satish Kumar Bhatnagar TIL Ltd., Calcutta, said the concept of an Indian Navy-industry partnership is not adequate to bolster the local defense trade because, even for local companies, the Indian governmentâ€™s procurement process is still too cumbersome for industry to find much immediate benefit.
Commodore K. Chandra Shekhar, assistant chief of materiel for the Indian Navy, said that bureaucratic hassles and red tape can be reduced through continuous dialogue between the users and the industry.
He said efforts would be made by the Navy to overcome procurement bottlenecks.
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No Final Price Agreement on Russian Carrier, India Says
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

Indian Defence Ministry officials said Dec. 4 that the long-pending deal for the acquisition of a decommissioned Russian aircraft carrier has not been finalized, though New Delhi and Moscow have agreed on the cost of refitting the ship at a Russian yard.
Defence Ministry officials said serious differences on whether to outfit the Admiral Gorshkov with the Russian Kashtan-M missile defense system or with the Israeli Barak system persist.
â€œIt will take months to finalize the price of the MiG-29K aircraft for the carrier and the purchase of missile and anti-missile systems aboard the carrier,â€� one Defence Ministry official said.

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The Navy already has purchased seven Barak systems at around $40 million, and one system for its fleetâ€™s sole aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat.
A Russian diplomat in New Delhi said Dec. 4 that the Kashtan-M system is equal to the Barak system in capability at half the price. The diplomat claimed the Kashtan system can engage four cruise missiles simultaneously.
The Defence Ministryâ€™s announcement clarifies Navy chief Adm. Madhavendra Singhâ€™s Dec. 2 announcement that the two countries at last had agreed that India would pay a total of about $666.6 million for the Admiral Gorshkov. Defence Ministry officials said that price â€” down from Russiaâ€™s earlier asking price of $1 billion â€” covers only the shipâ€™s refitting by SevMash Enterprise, Severodvinsk, Russia.
Russia in October 2000 offered India the Admiral Gorshkov free of cost, but only if India agreed to pay for the carrierâ€™s renovation in Russia
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India Seeks Link with Pakistan via Coast Guard
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

An Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official told DefenseNews.com on Dec. 4 that New Delhi has proposed to Islamabad the establishment of communication links between the Indian Coast Guard and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.
The offer is part of a series of efforts, including a cease-fire that began Nov. 26, directed at improving ties between the two hostile neighbors.
â€œThe communication links could cover matters relating to the humanitarian aspects concerning fishermen of both countries,â€� the MEA official said. Hundreds of Indian fishermen are in Pakistani jails, the official claimed.

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India also has proposed flag-level meetings between the two maritime forces every six months, the official added.
The communication linkage between the two forces would not affect the Indian Coastal Guardâ€™s modernization program, a senior Coast Guard official said. Plans call for the Coast Guard to acquire 30 new offshore patrol vessels and fast patrol vessels, two hovercrafts, six naval surveillance helicopters and an undisclosed number of fixed-wing maritime reconnaissance aircraft in the next five years.

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Nine Nuclear Scientists Slip Out of Pakistan
Special SAT Report
KARACHI: At least nine senior Pakistani Nuclear Scientists have secretly absconded from Pakistan, the latest defection taking place as late as in July 2002, documents from Pakistan's nuclear power plant CHASNUPP, built with Chinese assistance at Chashma in central Pakistan, have revealed.
Eight of the nine absconders were "Senior Engineers" at CHASNUPP and one was an Assistant Engineer. Four of them belonged to the Operations Division of the power plant, two to the Mechanical Maintenance Division and one each to Electrical, Technical and Training Divisions. Many of them are CNS Fellows while others got their fellowship from Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, KANUPP. Six disappeared between February to October 2000, one in April 1997 and two in 2002.
The details about these defections were revealed in an innocent looking memo sent by the engineers of CHASNUPP to their higher authorities warning them that â€œmany moreâ€� nuclear scientists were "planning to runâ€� from the country because they were not getting a fair deal in Pakistan.
The Memo which gave a list of the nine absconders only speculated that these engineers had gone to USA, Canada or Australia but in fact they could have gone to any country as they left without permission or informing the authorities. Click to View List

There are some 250 nuclear engineers and scientists working at CHASNUPP. Most of them are unhappy with their salaries and other benefits and are thus looking for openings to leave the country quietly, as the Government of Pakistan would never allow them to go and work for some other country.
â€œThe working conditions of these nuclear scientists should be a cause for grave concern to everyone as unhappy engineers at nuclear facilities could mean troubles of all kinds,â€� a retired Pakistani nuclear scientist told South Asia Tribune in Karachi.
The situation is ripe for any country needing their services to offer them a reasonable package and most will quietly disappear, traveling on passports which would not reveal their qualifications or experience. Pakistani passports normally do not mention the specific field of employment and it is easy to get replacement passports or even to conceal the real identity.
The engineers were getting so restless that some of them decided to write a detailed Memo pointing out the main problems being faced by them at the remote facility. Copies of the Memo were made available to the SA Tribune in Karachi by some of the relatives of the unhappy employees. Click to View Memo (copy quality not good) Page1 | Page2
A look at the Memo reveals that these engineers are being kept in Chashma as if they were in a â€œdetention campâ€� because they are required to work 11 hours a day, seven days a week. â€œThey work Monday to Sunday from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and sometimes many of them are called for emergency duty,â€� a concerned relative said, handing over a copy of the Office Order issued late in September this year. It confirmed that every one was required to work for 77 hours a week. Click to View Office Order
They are not allowed to keep their families in Chashma and scientists who are below Grade-20 are not being allowed even telephone facilities, the Memo reveals. Almost 90 per cent of the engineers fall in grades lower than 20.
The Memo of the Engineers warns that taking such heavy duty at such a sensitive facility could result in a major catastrophe. â€œAs per IAEA, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and CHASNUPP regulations, (authorities) are bound to implement the 40 hours limit â€¦ Engineers are called for emergency duty and working hours easily touch 90 hours a week,â€� the Memo complains.
â€œDue to these extra abnormal working hours, the safety of the plant is in a dangerous position,â€� it warns reminding the authorities of the Chernobyl and Three-Mile Nuclear disasters in Soviet Union and USA.
There has been no immediate improvement in their working conditions, despite the Memo which shows that Pakistanâ€™s nuclear manpower is now almost ready to disperse throughout the world, even to rogue nations needing their expertise.
The list of senior engineers who left the country for greener pastures mostly includes scientists who had at least two years of training from China and were highly qualified to run the power plant.
The cost of training such an engineer, as estimated by the CHASNUPP scientists themselves is Rs. 9 million per engineer in a 7 to 8 year period. Each person lost is a huge blow to the Pakistani nuclear establishment but working conditions and salaries are not being improved to keep them engaged.
For the rest of the world this is a scary situation as Pakistan could easily become the feeding ground for nuclear activities any where as Pakistani official wage structures are far less than any rich country with nuclear ambitions may offer, specially oil-rich states or organizations like Al Qaeda.
â€œThe scientists of CHASNUPP have sounded the warning bell for the Pakistani authorities. They have to look after this sensitive resource and not push it to the edge. Otherwise it could mean disaster for the country,â€� the retired nuclear scientist warned.
SATribune downlaoded 23 dec03

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US Centcom Reveals Startling Data about Pakistan's Role in Attacks on Afghanistan
By Shaheen Sehbai

WASHINGTON: The US Central Command (Centcom) has provided startling official data of what General Pervez Musharrafâ€™s Pakistan did for the US in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) against Afghanistan, allowing 57,800 US air attacks from Pak soil with the Pakistan economy suffering a staggering loss of US$ 10 billion.
This is the first official estimate of losses suffered by Pakistan, given by the US military high command and analysts say these figures could now be used extensively by the anti-American political forces in Pakistan to pressurize General Pervez Musharraf and his Government to explain his Taliban U-Turn and justify what Pakistan received in return.
With the upcoming visit of General Musharraf to the White House in Washington, or to Camp David in Maryland, as some Pakistani diplomats are now trying, this data will strengthen his case for more US aid as the Afghan situation has not yet fully settled as envisaged by the US. Pakistan's strategic and military help is still a key factor in containing the anti-US elements.
The Centcom figures are far in excess of what Pakistani Government officials and experts have been claiming, the highest claim being US$ 2-3 billion. In contrast, what the US has offered to Pakistan so far, a US$ 1 billion write-off of loans, looks like as spoon of tomato ketchup in place of a full fledged state banquet.
"This is a goldmine of political ammunition for the religious right wing forces, like the MMA, to blast the US and the Musharraf Government," one analyst said.
These figures have been revealed in a detailed review of Pakistanâ€™s role in the operation and are specifically mentioned under the title â€œEffects of Operation Enduring Freedom on Economy of Pakistanâ€� at the US Centcom web site, a huge resource about the US and coalition activities under the Command.
The Web site is still not complete but it gives a list of all the countries which contributed in the international coalition, 51 states named so far. Each country has been assigned a full page and details of that country's efforts and contributions have been listed. After Canada, Pakistan has the most data on the page. Many country pages, including that of Saudi Arabia, are still under construction. The web site is, however, up to date on all other Centcom activities.
â€œOperation Enduring Freedom adversely affected the already fragile economy of Pakistan. Major losses were caused to the civil aviation, tourism, investment and shipping due to rise in the rates of insurance,â€� the Centcom site data says.
â€œBesides this, Pakistani exports also suffered adversely and foreign investments experienced a visible decline. According to a rough estimate, Pakistanâ€™s economy suffered a loss of over US$ 10 billion since October 2001,â€� it adds. Click to View Pakistan Data on Centcom Web site (This page was saved before it was removed from the Centcom web site after SA Tribune broke this story).
But more mind boggling are the other stats revealed by the Centcom about use of Pakistani air

and ground space and facilities provided for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). For instance the Centcom data reveals that:
- Pakistan provided five air bases/airfields. However in emergency planes could land anywhere in Pakistan.
- On the average 400,000 liters of fuel per day was provided to US.
- A total of 57,800 sorties were generated from Pakistanâ€™s air space/soil.
- In order to facilitate launching of air ops into Afghanistan, Pakistan provided 2/3rd of its air space as air corridor to the US/Coalition Forces. By so doing, Pakistan had to reschedule/ redirect many of its commercial flights.
- Pakistan Navy provided landing facility to the US/Coalition ships at Pasni.
- At sea, Pakistan Navy operations/training were curtailed in order to accommodate and facilitate the operations of US/Coalition Naval Forces.
- According to the US Marine Corps Gazette of June 2002, the Coalition Naval Operations at Pasni were the largest amphibious operations in size, duration and depth that the Marine Corps had conducted since the Korean War.
- In all, 8,000 Marines, 330 vehicles and over 1350 tons of equipment/logistic were off loaded at the beach and later flown to Kandahar from Pasni.

Besides these, in the War against Terrorism, according to the Centcom data, up to October 2002, the US side made 2,160 requests (of different nature) to Pakistan of which action on 2,008 was completed. Likewise 99 raids were conducted, 420 foreign nationals were apprehended of which 332 were handed over to the US, 34 were sent to other countries, 38 were released and 16 were under interrogation.
Details of Pakistan Army operations in the Tribal areas of Pakistan have also been provided at the Web site. Some of the data appears to have been provided to Centcom by the Pakistan Government and narrates the compulsions of the Pakistan Army in operating along the Pak-Afghan border.
â€œTora Bora operations provided a window of opportunity to penetrate these areas which was capitalized by quickly moving the Army in Tirah Valley which captured 250 Al Qaida/Taliban fleeing into Pakistan. Later the Pak Army along with FC extended its operations to Miran Shah and Wana.
â€œIn return, tribals have been offered a sizeable development package. The region, being remote and under developed warrants bringing it at par with rest of the country in terms of provision of basic facilities like communication infrastructure, health, education and employment opportunities. Same analogy is being followed in North Waziristan Agency/South Waziristan Agency (NWA/SWA) to prevent slipping in of Al Qaida/Taliban into our territory.â€�
â€œIn spite of ominous threat on Eastern Border, Pakistan is maintaining a sizeable portion of her strategic forces on Western Border. This clearly speaks of our resolve to support coalition operations against Al Qaida/Taliban elements,â€� it says.
The compulsions mentioned include: Shortage of manpower, technical equipment and funds; Threats of war from India due to unresolved Kashmir dispute despite UN resolutions and Indian/international commitments even after 54 years; Constitutional restraint of operations in the FATAs (Federally Administered Tribal Areas); Domestic sensitivity to allow operations within Pak territory by foreign soldiers; and Cultural and religious sensitivities.
Figures of Pakistani deployment of Forces reveal initially two Army corps along with large contingents of FC troops (para military) were deployed along Western border including some of the areas hitherto considered as no go tribal areas. A total of 60,000 regular troops and 55,000 paramilitary personnel were employed on sealing of western border, internal security duties and protection of various bases being used by US/Coalition Forces. Later bulk of the regular formations was shifted towards the eastern border due to Indian Military build up.
Because of very effective security arrangements ensured by Pakistan, not a single breach of security has occurred around the bases in use by Coalition Forces.

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Pakistan
Immediately after 9/11, Pakistan was prompt in declaring unequivocal support to US in its war against terrorism. It expressed its complete solidarity with US in combating terrorism in all forms and, was willing to provide not only moral but also logistical support and its military bases. Details of the efforts and participation of Pakistan and the adverse effects of following this policy are given in the ensuing paragraphs:
Support Provided by Pakistan for OEF. Up till Oct 2002, some of the specific assistance provided by Pakistan for Operation Enduring Freedom is as follows:
Provision of Air Bases / Airfields. In order to meet the requirement of US/Coalition Forces, Pakistan provided five air bases / airfields. However in emergency planes could land anywhere in Pakistan. On the average 0.4 million litres of fuel per day has been provided to US forces as well as all other services on the bases used by them. A total of 57800 sorties have been generated from Pakistanâ€™s air space/soil.
Provision of Air Corridor. In order to facilitate launching of air ops into Afghanistan, Pakistan provided 2/3 of its air space as air corridor to the US/Coalition Forces. By so doing, Pakistan had to reschedule/ redirect many of the commercial flights.
Provision of Naval Facilities. Pakistan Navy provided landing facility to the US/Coalition ships at Pasni. At sea, Pakistan Navy operations/training were curtailed in order to accommodate and facilitate the operations of US/Coalition Naval Forces. According to the US Marine Corps Gazette of June 2002, the Coalition Naval Operations at Pasni were the largest amphibious operations in size, duration and depth that the Marine Corps had conducted since the Korean War. In all, 8000 Marines, 330 vehicles and over 1350 tons of equipment/logistic were off loaded at the beach and later flown to Kandhar from Pasni.
Summary of US Requests. Details of request since 11 September 2001 are as follows:
(1) Requests received 2160
(2) Action completed 2008
(3) Action in process 152
Foreign Nationals Apprehended. Two of the most wanted Al-Qaida terrorists, Abu-Zubaida and Ramzi Bin Al-Shaiba, were arrested by the Pakistanâ€™s law enforcing agencies during well planned and carefully conducted raids and handed over to US authorities. Abu Zubaida was considered Number 2 man in Al Qaida leadership thus his apprehension has given a boost to OEF. Ramzi Bin Al-Shaiba is suspected to be actually involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11. Overall details since 11 September 2001 are:
(1) Total Raids 99
(2) Foreign National Apprehended 420
(3) Handed Over to USA 332
(4) Extradited to countries other than USA 34
(5) Released 38
(6) Under Interrogation 16
ISAF. To facilitate the operations of ISAF in Afghanistan, the Karachi Airport (FMB) and Sea Port facilities along with logistic support have been extended. A MOU in this regard was signed between the Governments of UK and Pakistan. Now that the role of lead Nation has been taken over by Turkey, the same facilities / assistance are being provided to them.
Pakistanâ€™s Operations along Pak-Afghan Border
Measures Taken to Penetrate â€œTribal Areasâ€�. Tora Bora operations provided a window of opportunity to penetrate these areas which was capitalized by quickly moving the Army in Tirah Valley which captured 250 Al Qaida/Taliban fleeing into Pakistan. Later the Pak Army along with FC extended its operations to Miran Shah and Wana. In return, tribals have been offered a sizeable development package. The region, being remote and under developed warrants bringing it at par with rest of the country in terms of provision of basic facilities like communication infrastructure, health, education and employment opportunities. Same analogy is being followed in North Waziristan Agency/South Waziristan Agency (NWA/SWA) to prevent slipping in of Al Qaida/Taliban into our territory. In spite of ominous threat on Eastern Border, Pakistan is maintaining a sizeable portion of her strategic forces on Western Border. This clearly speaks of our resolve to support coalition operations against Al Qaida/Taliban elements.
On 25 June 2002, an operation was launched against suspected Al Qaida/Taliban elements in area Azam Warsak (Wana). During this operation 2 x Al Qaida members were killed, one apprehended whereas 13 x security personnel were killed including 2 x officers. This shows Pakistanâ€™s resolve to not only â€œdrain the swampâ€� but also nab the â€œalligatorsâ€�.
Our Compulsions
Shortage of manpower, technical equipment and funds.
Threats of war from India due to unresolved Kashmir dispute despite UN resolutions and Indian/international commitments even after 54 years.
Constitutional restraint of operations in the FATAs (Federally Administered Tribal Areas).
Domestic sensitivity to allow operations within Pak territory by foreign soldiers.
Cultural and religious sensitivities.
Deployment of Forces
Initial Deployment. Initially two Army corps along with large contingents of FC troops (para military) were deployed along Western border including some of the areas hitherto considered as no go tribal areas. A total of 60,000 regular troops and 55000 paramilitary personnel were employed on sealing of western border, internal security duties and protection of various bases being used by US / Coalition Forces. Later bulk of the regular formations was shifted towards the eastern border due to Indian Military build up.
Because of very effective security arrangements ensured by Pakistan, not a single breach of security has occurred around the bases in use by Coalition Forces.
Current Deployment. In spite of imminent threat of war on our Eastern border and at peril to our security Army till today continues to retain 3 x brigades size regular force along with 40 x FC Wings totalling approximately 45000 troops along Pak-Afghan Border.
On Going Operations. A division (-) size force is operating along Pak-Afghan border with the purpose of eliminating suspected Al Qaida/Taliban elements and regular monitoring.
Effects of Operation Enduring Freedom on Economy of Pakistan. Operation Enduring Freedom adversely affected the already fragile economy of Pakistan. Major losses were caused to the civil aviation, tourism, investment and shipping due to rise in the rates of insurance. Besides this, Pakistani exports also suffered adversely and foreign investments experienced a visible decline. According to a rough estimate, Pakistanâ€™s economy suffered a loss of over US$ 10 billion since October 2001.
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posted by promila 8:14 AM

Monday, December 08, 2003

India Enhances Defense Alliances with Brazil, S. Africa
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI.NEW DELHI

Indian officials this week announced they have signed a defense pact with Brazil and reached agreements with South African officials that will further defense ties with that country.
The accord with Brazil - signed here Dec. 2 by visiting Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Veigas Filho and his Indian counterpart, George Fernandes - will allow the two countries to collaborate on several military aviation programs, including air surveillance systems, an Indian Defence Ministry official told DefenseNews.com on Dec. 2.
“Brazil has a well-developed air defense surveillance system, and there is a good possibility of collaborating in this area,” the official said. “The two countries have also agreed to collaborate in shipbuilding systems and sub systems such as avionics, software and ordnance.”
The Indian defense minister also offered Brazil the opportunity to buy India’s indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopter and Light Combat Aircraft.
Another highlight of the growing Indo-Brazilian defense partnership is the establishment of a working group that will formulate concrete proposals for defense industry and military-to-military cooperation, the Defence Ministry official said.
India already has decided to purchase five Brazilian executive jets for its Air Force VIP squadron at a cost of $162 million. Manufactured by Brazil’s Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A., or Embraer, the Legacy jets will replace aging Avros aircraft in the Indian Air Force’s VIP squadron.
During the fourth meeting of the Indo-South African Joint Committee, held here Dec. 2-3, India and South Africa decided to explore joint development of defense weapons and equipment.
They also agreed on training for Indian troops by South African experts, an Indian Defence Ministry official said.
“India and South Africa discussed the possibility of joint development in field guns, setting up of ammunition factories along with India’s state owned Ordnance Factories,” a senior ministry official said Dec. 3.
India and South Africa have exchanged several defense delegations, and India has bought from South Africa defense equipment ranging from shells for howitzer guns to receivers for the Indian Army’s Samyukta electronic warfare program.
India and South Africa already agreed to establish at Nalanda, in the Indian state of Bihar, a factory to produce 155mm ammunition for self-propelled howitzer guns. Somchem, a subsidiary of South African giant Denel Ltd., will collaborate with India’s state-owned Ordnance Factories Board, Calcutta, to set up the facility.
The two countries’ delegations for the meeting were led by their secretaries of defense - Ajay Prasad of India and JB Masilela of South Africa
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No Final Price Agreement on Russian Carrier, India Says
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

Indian Defence Ministry officials said Dec. 4 that the long-pending deal for the acquisition of a decommissioned Russian aircraft carrier has not been finalized, though New Delhi and Moscow have agreed on the cost of refitting the ship at a Russian yard.
Defence Ministry officials said serious differences on whether to outfit the Admiral Gorshkov with the Russian Kashtan-M missile defense system or with the Israeli Barak system persist.
“It will take months to finalize the price of the MiG-29K aircraft for the carrier and the purchase of missile and anti-missile systems aboard the carrier,” one Defence Ministry official said.
The Navy already has purchased seven Barak systems at around $40 million, and one system for its fleet’s sole aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat.
A Russian diplomat in New Delhi said Dec. 4 that the Kashtan-M system is equal to the Barak system in capability at half the price. The diplomat claimed the Kashtan system can engage four cruise missiles simultaneously.
The Defence Ministry’s announcement clarifies Navy chief Adm. Madhavendra Singh’s Dec. 2 announcement that the two countries at last had agreed that India would pay a total of about $666.6 million for the Admiral Gorshkov. Defence Ministry officials said that price - down from Russia’s earlier asking price of $1 billion - covers only the ship’s refitting by SevMash Enterprise, Severodvinsk, Russia.
Russia in October 2000 offered India the Admiral Gorshkov free of cost, but only if India agreed to pay for the carrier’s renovation in Russia
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India, U.S. Boost Technology Ties
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

India and the United States have agreed to formalize a framework that would enable New Delhi to obtain so-called dual-use technology from the United States.
“The decision can jump-start Indo-U.S. relations to new levels,” a senior official of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.
The decision came at the third Indo-U.S. High Technology Cooperation Group meeting held here Nov. 20. The session was co-chaired by Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and Kenneth Juster, U.S. undersecretary of commerce, the Indian officials said.

The framework on dual-use technology - meaning it has civilian and military applications - can result in allowing India to acquire civilian nuclear, space and other advanced technologies from the United States, an Indian Defence Ministry official said.
“The decision is historic, as it allows New Delhi to acquire cutting-edge technologies from the United States and the West.”
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs revealed that under the framework, Washington has the right to verify end users of the technology.
“India will have to strengthen its export-control laws and educate its private sector about America’s strict regulations to stop nuclear proliferation,” a U.S. diplomat said.
The United States on several occasions has opted not to transfer to India technology Washington deemed too sensitive, which has hampered research programs here. One such program, the Light Combat Aircraft, was stalled because the sale of 40 General Electric engines for the aircraft was blocked. And several Sea King naval helicopters were grounded after the United States denied the shipment of critical components due to sanctions imposed in 1998. Those sanctions have since been lifted.
“We need a number of dual-use technologies for our ongoing important defense programs, such as Su-30MKI combat aircraft program and Lakshaya unmanned aerial vehicle program,” said Nalani Ranjan Mohanty, chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), Bangalore.
Mohanty said that the United States is a pioneer in such technologies and HAL is keen to forge partnerships with U.S. defense companies for such programs.
The MoD official noted that India urgently needs “cutting-edge technologies from the United States and the West to help establish its nuclear command and control structures.”
He also said India is urgently trying to acquire information warfare systems and advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, which could be established only with the help of U.S. and other Western defense companies.
“India would consider technology transfer as an important parameter for a robust military relationship between the two countries,” said Mahindra Singh, an independent analyst and retired Army major general.
The United States enacted the multilateral Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1967, which restricts transfer of nuclear and related technologies.
India conducted its first nuclear test in May 1974 after the deadline for signing on to the treaty had passed. India is not a signatory to the treaty. This stopped the flow of nuclear technologies to India, so the country turned to the Soviet Union for defense technologies.
“India could enter into joint collaboration with the United States in the space program, including the military space program, once the framework on dual use technology is cleared,” the MoD official said.The framework must not be formally approved by officials and Washington before such collaboration can more forward.
E-mail: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com .
India To Maintain Mongolian Weaponry
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

India has agreed to repair and maintain Mongolia’s entire weapon inventory, including the upgrade of its MiG-21 aircraft, said a senior Defence Ministry official here.
The decision was taken Nov. 11 during a meeting between Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes and Jugderdemid Gurragchaa, the visiting defense minister of Mongolia, the same official said. This will be the first time India has ever undertaken the repair and maintenance of another country’s full inventory of weapons.
A large delegation of Indian defense technology experts - including ordnance engineers, infantry and artillery technicians, and aeronautical engineers - will visit Mongolia next month to prepare a feasibility plan for the repair and maintenance of all of Mongolia’s weaponry.

Baljit Singh Menon, deputy spokesman of the Indian Defence Ministry, told DefenseNews.com on Nov.11 that Gurragchaa and Fernandes in delegation-level talks emphasized defense cooperation to promote overall bilateral relations.
During the talks both the leaders explored the possibilities of capacity-building and training in areas including information technology, peacekeeping, and equipment repair and maintenance, Menon said.
The Mongolian delegation evinced a keen interest in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, he said.
India and Mongolia traditionally have had good political and cultural relations which have been expanding since the restoration of democracy in Mongolia.
Gurragchaa, who is in India on an eight-day visit, will return to Mongolia on Nov. 18.
Gurragchaa was accompanied by Maj. Gen. Dash Magsarjav, chief of the Policy Implementation and Coordination Directorate; Maj. Gen. Choijamts Ulaankhuu, air defense chief of chief of the military’s General Staff; Lt. Col. Donrov Ganbaatar, foreign relations specialist; and Zala Ul, a counselor with the Mongolian Embassy here.
India Seeks Link with Pakistan via Coast Guard
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

An Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official told DefenseNews.com on Dec. 4 that New Delhi has proposed to Islamabad the establishment of communication links between the Indian Coast Guard and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.
The offer is part of a series of efforts, including a cease-fire that began Nov. 26, directed at improving ties between the two hostile neighbors.
“The communication links could cover matters relating to the humanitarian aspects concerning fishermen of both countries,” the MEA official said. Hundreds of Indian fishermen are in Pakistani jails, the official claimed.

India also has proposed flag-level meetings between the two maritime forces every six months, the official added.
The communication linkage between the two forces would not affect the Indian Coastal Guard’s modernization program, a senior Coast Guard official said. Plans call for the Coast Guard to acquire 30 new offshore patrol vessels and fast patrol vessels, two hovercrafts, six naval surveillance helicopters and an undisclosed number of fixed-wing maritime reconnaissance aircraft in the next five years.
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Indian Fleet To Add Two Aircraft Carriers by 2010, Navy Chief Says
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

The conclusion of a long-awaited deal for India’s acquisition of a retired Russian aircraft carrier means that the Indian Navy, due to decommission its only existing carrier in a couple of years, will add two to its fleet by 2010, the service’s chief said Dec. 2.
The details of the Navy’s acquisition of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov were concluded last week, with both New Delhi and Moscow agreeing to the price tag of $666.6 million, Indian Navy chief Adm. Madhvendra Singh said. Negotiations for the ship, which will be refitted in Russia, had dragged on for three years due to differences over the price and other terms. The final deal will be signed during an upcoming, but not yet scheduled, visit here by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.
Singh told DefenseNews.com that the warship, armed with a squadron of MiG-29K aircraft, will be ready for induction in four to five years.

The Admiral Gorshkov will increase the Navy’s force multiplier capabilities multifold, and the service will be able to challenge its potential rivals more effectively, Singh said. The ship’s weapons package includes superior missile systems more capable than any Asian navy today, he added.
Singh also disclosed that by 2010, India’s indigenously built aircraft carrier, known as the Air Defence Ship, will be in service, carrying another squadron of MiG-29K aircraft. The Navy’s MiG-29K fleet will provide the service with a strike-fighting edge and enhanced intercepting capabilities.
The government’s defense acquisition council also has approved the 10-year shipbuilding plan, under which the Navy will order 30 warships from domestic and foreign shipyards, Singh said.
He noted the Navy today faces the daunting task of providing security for 2.1 million square kilometers of sea around India’s coasts, including 1,157 islands under Indian control.
With the beginning of a ceasefire at the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir, Singh predicted India now will face insurgency threats from the sea.
Singh said the Navy’s goal in holding joint exercises with foreign navies this year is to gain experience in curbing activities such as terrorism, transportation of weapons of mass destruction through Indian Ocean shipping lanes, and trafficking of weapons, humans and drugs. In the past year, he said, the Navy conducted joint exercises with 13 foreign navies, including those of the United States, Russia, France and Singapore.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report from New Delhi.
Indian Army Outlines Big Weapon Buying Blueprint
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

The Indian Army has drawn up a blueprint for modernizing the service in what will be the largest procurement effort in decades.
Lt. Gen. Ashok Chaki, the Army’s deputy chief of procurement, said Oct. 28 the service must upgrade arms, surveillance equipment and command, control and communications systems to maintain an edge over its adversaries.
The 10-year procurement plan, estimated to cost around $15 billion, was submitted to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in October, a senior Army planning official said Nov. 14. The modernization blueprint also envisions a complete overhaul of existing weaponry.

The Facts:
modernization buys The Indian Army in the next 10 years wants to buy: * New advanced command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, and information warfare systems, as well as upgrades to existing systems. * Nuclear, biological and chemical equipment, such as protective gear, detection and alarm systems, modulators, vaccine agents, bio-agents and radio protectors. * Agni, Reflex and Kornet surface-to-surface missiles and Igla surface-to-air missiles, and air defense system upgrades. * Equipment to upgrade the night-vision capabilities. * Unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostats. * Various versions of 155mm guns, rocket launchers and other weaponry. SOURCE: Defense News research
A Defence Ministry official said Nov. 10 that the MoD is considering ways to finance the plan during the next decade. Army officials expect the program to get government approval in December, with bids being solicited in January or February. Deliveries could begin in June, they said.
Arming the Troops
“Our foremost priority is to modernize the Infantry and Rashtriya Rifle Units, which are engaged in combating insurgency and cross-border infiltration,” Chaki said. “The aim is to enhance their lethality, survivability and surveillance capability.”
He said that the equipment procured for these units will include hand-held thermal imagers, short-range battlefield surveillance rad ar, unattended ground sensors, high-resolution binoculars, under-barrel grenade launchers, multiple grenade launchers and sniper rifles with night sights.
To increase troop movement, new high-mobility vehicles are being sought, and the engines of existing ones will be modernized.
Chaki said that emphasis also is being put on boosting conventional warfare capabilities, particularly in procuring thermal imaging sights for tanks, various types of surveillance radar, unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostats.
India To Upgrade Missile Arsenal
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

India’s sole missile manufacturer has been authorized by the government to upgrade the military’s aging surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, a job expected to be worth about $15 billion over 10 years.
The Ministry of Defence in October authorized state-owned Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL), Hyderabad, to perform life-cycle extension work on all types of missiles that have accumulated in the last 25 years in the inventories of the Army, Navy and Air Force, BDL Chairman Purusthottam Mohandas said Nov. 4.
He said trials on some upgraded Soviet-era SA-6 and SA-8 surface-to-air missiles have begun at BDL factories in Hyderabad and Medak.

Mohandas said BDL hopes to begin serial modernization work on these missiles in January at about 20 percent of their original cost, at several hundred billion dollars.
The Army has about 40,000 SA-7 and SA-14 man-portable missiles; Tigercat missiles; and SA-6, SA-8, SA-9 and SA-11 missiles that have piled up for the last 25 years, a senior Army air defense official said Nov. 10.
Sixty-five percent of these missiles are virtually unusable and require urgent mid-life extension, the Army official said. Upgrades will include replacement of propulsion and guidance systems and new warheads, all of which BDL will manufacture.
The Army’s request in 2000 to the Russian manufacturers of these missiles to conduct the upgrades garnered little interest, the Army official said. Because these missiles cannot be used, the Army’s air defense capabilities have been cut by 50 percent, he said.
Currently, there is no provision in the Army’s 2004 budget of $7.2 billion for refurbishment of the missiles, and special funds need to be allocated for the mid-life extension work, he said.
The Indian Air Force has the largest stockpile of SA-2 and SA-3 surface-to-air missiles, a senior Air Force official said. The service has about 10,000 of these missiles and nearly 80 percent of them are not combat worthy.
The Air Force five years ago submitted a missile refurbishment plan to the Defence Ministry, and the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was asked to begin refurbishing SA-2 and SA-3 missiles. No work has been done to date, the service official said.
A senior DRDO scientist said the agency’s current focus is on developing indigenous missiles, not refurbishing aging missiles.
E-mail: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com .
India Aims To Project More Power
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

By 2020, India wants to be a world power with influence spreading across the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Gulf and the four corners of Asia.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said one big step in realizing this goal will be the coordination of military and civil government agencies.
“War in whatever form can be won only through multiple levers of power,” Vajpayee told the Combined Commanders Conference of the three Armed Forces here Nov. 1.

Strategy in the globalized 21st century requires synergy among security agencies, the military, diplomats and Finance, Commerce, Energy and other agencies, he said.
“As a policy, the present government under Vajpayee has been more open on India’s defense policies and its national aspirations than any government in the past,” Mahindra Singh, a retired Army major general, said Nov. 6.
Singh said that the government feels a need to create a situation where Pakistan is not considered a big nation in South Asia. India should expand its horizons globally, Singh said, to attain greater superiority in matters concerning defense, economics and diplomacy.
During the Nov. 1 conference, Vajpayee asked defense planners to shed their sub-regional mindset and craft instead defense strategies that extend beyond South Asia. He said the country’s security concerns extend from the Arabian Gulf in the west to the Strait of Malacca in the east, from Central Asia and Afghanistan in the northwest to China in the northeast.
So Indian Army, Navy and Air Force commanders are working on ways to project military power to more than 50 nations, senior military officials said. They are seeking more defense and military cooperation with Arabian Gulf and Central Asian nations, as well as India’s friendly neighbors in Southeast Asia. In the past three years, New Delhi has signed memoranda of understanding to share intelligence of terrorist activities and to exchange training of military forces, with most Central Asian republics, one Defence Ministry policy planning official said.
As a next step, India is conducting more bilateral exercises and exchanges and sharing defense advice with friendly nations. The military officials said the contact will help multinational operations.
The end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union jolted many of India’s 50-year-old strategic and security assumptions, Vajpayee said. Defense cooperation with Russia was badly disrupted, and many of India’s other relationships and alliances suffered. While Russia remains a close ally, its willingness to help India now is tempered by Russian dependence on the West, especially the United States.
“The changed circumstances of the Indo-Soviet strategic alliance greatly affected India’s room for diplomatic maneuver in the world,” he said.
India is not developing an offensive military strategy, a Defence Ministry spokesman said. Rather, the emerging global economic power is trying to forge greater military relations with its neighbors and emerging friends across the world.
“India’s concern is to be vigilant about the security environment in these regions, which will have implications on its defense policy ultimately,” said spokesman Amitabha Chakrabarti. “Our aim is certainly not offensive military projections.”
Big Plans
In the next decade, Indian defense planners want to:
* Improve military logistics in Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
* Increase military interaction with Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
* Have more naval interaction with South Africa and other African countries, and Iran, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and other Arabian Gulf nations.
* Extend infrastructure, logistics and material support to Myanmar to contain Chinese activities.
Meanwhile, the three armed forces are preparing to spend up to $100 billion over 15 to 20 years to improve India’s strike capabilities.
Included in that spending plan:
* The Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to spend another $30 billion to add 360 planes, including airborne early warning and control systems, and modernize more than 200 aging combat aircraft, a senior IAF planning official said.
India’s no-first-use nuclear doctrine requires the country to deliver nuclear weapons and prepare defenses against possible incoming nuclear strikes by introducing missile defense systems and upgrading communication and surveillance systems, the official said.
* The Army will spend another $25 billion to buy tanks, air defense systems, radar and 2,000 self-propelled artillery pieces and to upgrade T-72 tanks. Some $10 billion will be spent on ammunition, said one Army planning official.
* The Indian Navy will spend about $20 billion to buy aircraft carriers, submarines, frigates, maritime surveillance aircraft and other ships and gear. The Navy’s 10 principal combatants would be equipped with anti-missile missiles; command, control, communications and intelligence systems; and cruise missile launchers, a senior Navy planning official said.
“India is not aiming to build overseas naval bases, but we are aiming to induct a variety of warships to make a strong presence in the Indian Ocean to make India a force to be reckoned with,” said Navy chief Adm. Madhavendra Singh.
Singh said Oct. 14 that fulfilling India’s dream to have a full-fledged blue-water Navy would need at least three aircraft carriers, 20 more frigates, 20 more destroyers with helicopters, and large numbers of missile corvettes and anti-submarine warfare corvettes.
E-mail: raghuvanshi@defensenews.com.
India’s HAL To Supply 10 Helicopters to U.S. Customs
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

India’s state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has bagged an order for 10 indigenously made Dhruv advanced light helicopters to the U.S. Customs Service.
HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty told DefenseNews.com Nov. 26 that the inquiry for the purchase came through Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), with whom Bangalore-based HAL has a marketing agreement.
Under the agreement, IAI, Lod, Israel, would integrate the centralized avionics package aboard the advanced light helicopter for the international market.

Mohanty said HAL and U.S. Customs would ink the final agreement on the purchase in the next two months. The Dhruv helicopters will be sold to the U.S. agency for about $5 million.
The Dhruv is designed to perform military tasks such as assault, reconnaissance, anti-tank and anti-submarine warfare and is developed in collaboration with Eurocopter, Marignane, France. About 40 percent of its components are made in India.
Weighing about 5 tons, the Dhruv is in the same class as the Mitsubishi MH 2000, Dauphin, EC-155, Super Lynx, S-76, Bell 412, AB 139 and PZL W-3A, a HAL official said.
HAL has delivered close to 30 Dhruv advanced light helicopters to India’s defense forces, which in September placed an order for 50 additional helicopters. The Dhruv is powered by two TM 333-2B2 engines built by Turbomeca of France.
Vietnam To Buy Indian Weaponry Under Defense Accord
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

As part of its effort to increase military alliances in Southeast Asia, India on Nov. 17 agreed to supply a wide range of weaponry to Vietnam.
During a delegate-level meeting here, New Delhi agreed to supply Vietnam with an unspecified number of military communication systems and ammunition for artillery and mortar systems, and to upgrade Vietnam’s 120 MiG-21 aircraft and 100mm and 130mm artillery systems, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said. The talks were co-chaired by Ajai Prasad, India’s permanent defence secretary, and Senior Lt. Gen. Nguyen Huy Hieu, the visiting vice defense minister of Vietnam.
Though the value of the entire package is around $600 million, the Indian Defense Ministry official said Nov. 17, India has agreed to accept only $300 million as a gesture of friendship.

He said the details of ugrading the MiG-21s and artillery systems - including where the work will be performed - have not yet been been decided.
India also agreed to train Vietnamese Navy forces at Indian naval training facilities, the official added.
In August, India also agreed to sell coastal patrol craft to Hanoi on a concessional basis, to train Vietnamese personnel to maintain and operate the vessels and naval weapons, and to help Vietnam build a warship in Vietnam’s Bason shipyard.
India by the end of 2006 will deliver to Vietnam two coastal patrol craft at a cost of $3 million each, to be built by state-owned Goa Shipyard Ltd., the official added.
In turn, New Delhi has sought Vietnam’s help in training Indian Army personnel in Vietnam for jungle warfare.
Baljit Singh Menon, deputy spokesman of the Indian Defence Ministry, told DefenseNews.com on Nov.17 that the further strengthening of bilateral defense cooperation - including increased interaction between the two countries’ navies and coast guards - dominated the talks.
India’s HAL Is Eager For Aviation Ventures
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) wants to forge international joint ventures that will better position the Bangalore-based company to become an aviation industry hub for Southeast Asia.
To that end, HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty is looking for a Western industry partner for India’s ongoing multirole transport aircraft (MTA) program.
Mohanty said the partner would join the program “as an equity partner and provide expertise in the manufacture of avionics and engines.” He declined to discuss the companies being considered, but said a partnership agreement is expected very soon.

HAL in April 2002 signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia’s Irkutsk Aviation Production Association, Irkutsk, and Ilyushin Aviation Complex, Moscow, for joint development of the MTA.
The entire program is worth $350 million and is based on a 50-50 partnership between the Indian and Russian companies.
Mohanty said HAL in October invited Western firms to pick up equity shares in the program, based on individual investment.
HAL is looking for two partners, for avionics and engines, and clearance from the Russian partners is not necessary because the new partners’ shares would come out of HAL’s 50 percent, said one MTA program manager at HAL.
“We are expecting the project report to be finalized by end of this year,” the MTA program manager said, referring to a report HAL will submit to the Defence Ministry that defends the plan devised by the company and its partners.
Regional Aims
HAL is aiming, with such partnerships, to take advantage of India’s vast aeronautical infrastructure and inexpensive skilled labor to build an industry hub to serve Southeast Asia.
The Indian Air Force has projected a requirement of 150 MTAs, while the Russian Air Force has committed to buy 60 aircraft. The MTA also will be marketed to other countries, the program manager said.
Outlining the projected time frame, he said MTA will take its maiden flight in 2008 and go into production in 2009. Four MTA prototypes are slated to be manufactured at HAL’s Nasik facilities.
MTA Features
With an estimated price tag of $13 million apiece, MTA will have an 8-metric-ton cargo capacity. The MTA is being designed for a maximum takeoff weight of 55 metric tons and speeds of up to 870 kilometers per hour.
The flight range of the aircraft would be up to 2,500 kilometers with a 20-metric-ton payload. The range of MTA can be increased up to 6,000 kilometers with a 4.5-metric-ton payload, said a HAL engineer.
The aircraft will be equipped with a digital fly-by-wire system, fully pressurized crew cabin and cargo cabin, and have a rear cargo ramp.
The planned life cycle of the MTA is 60,000 flight hours, 40,000 landings and 30 years of operation.
E-mail: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com .
India Tests BrahMos Cruise Missile
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

India on Nov.9 conducted the fifth successful test of its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in eastern India.
“After achieving the precision guidance capability in the surface-to-surface version from a fixed launcher in its fourth trial on Oct. 29, the missile was test-fired at 12:04 [local time] to check its other parameters,” said a Nov. 9 statement from the Indian Ministry of Defence.
With a range of 290 kilometers, the 8-meter-long BrahMos missile carries a conventional warhead weighing about 200 kilograms. The two-stage missile has a solid-propellant booster and liquid-propellant ramjet system. BrahMos is the first supersonic cruise missile that uses liquid ramjet technology.

The BrahMos system is being developed jointly by India’s Defence Research Development Organisation and Russia’s State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia.
The 3-ton missile can be launched from a variety of platforms, including ships and aircraft India and Russia each have spent $150 million on the design and development of BrahMos since 1999.
Indian Air Force To Expand
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI

India’s Air Force chief said Nov. 7 the service plans to expand to keep pace with India’s move to become an economic super power.
Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy told a press conference in New Delhi that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would go from 39 squadrons to 60 squadrons over the next 10 years.
If India has a vision to become a major world power by the year 2020, “the forces must be capable of taking care of those interests,” he said.

But he said the expansion of the IAF was not intended to be aimed at any country, including traditional rival Pakistan.
“We are not Pakistan-centric ... Pakistan is meaningless to us,” he said.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947 and came close to another last year.
Last month, India and Israel signed a $1 billion deal for the sale of three Phalcon airborne early warning radar systems to the IAF.
Krishnaswamy said recent statements by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that the acquisition of new arms by India, including the Phalcon system, would fuel an arms race in South Asia, were “propaganda of sorts.”
“It is a part of a campaign by our neighboring country,” he said, adding India did not have any territorial or expansionist ambitions. “We are not here to invade any country ... The IAF is more concerned about the proper management and maintenance of its inventory.”
The actual induction of the Phalcon radar system into the IAF would take about three to five years as the technology involved is very complex, he said.
The air chief said there would be a series of exercises with the U.S. and British air forces next year to sharpen the skills of its personnel.
The U.S. Air Force will visit India in February for exercises that will include U.S. F-15 fighters.
In July, IAF personnel will go to Alaska, where four to six of the IAF’s Jaguar aircraft will take part in exercises.
The IAF has also been interacting with its Chinese counterpart. Seventy officers of the Chinese Air Force recently visited India’s Western Air Command, the largest and most important of its operational commands.
The Indian and Chinese navies will next week hold
Russia, India To Sign Aircraft Carrier by December: Official
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, MOSCOW

Russia and India plan to sign the contract for India’s purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov within weeks, a Russian defense official said Nov. 5, according to Interfax.
“All technical and financial issues on the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier have been settled and the contract will be signed by December,” the news agency quoted an unnamed official at the Russian Defense Ministry as saying. “The details of the deal will be clarified during the Moscow visit of an Indian delegation headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.”
Vajpayee is to make an official three-day visit to Moscow starting Nov. 11, Indian diplomatic sources in the Russian capital said Nov. 3.

The Defense Ministry official said the deal would be worth $1.5 billion.
Vajpayee, who will be making his second visit to Russia this year, will be accompanied by a delegation of Indian businessmen.
India is Russia’s traditional ally in southern Asia. The two countries resumed cooperation in the nuclear power sphere following a visit by President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi in October 2000.
Indian Army Plans Massive Upgrade to Infantry Forces
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

The Indian Army plans to modernize its 450,000-strong infantry, a move Army officials called the greatest change in four decades.
Defence Ministry officials promised last month to spend $800 million over three years to make the infantry 10 times more effective by improving firepower, communications and surveillance systems, said India’s infantry chief, Lt. Gen. Krishnamuthry Niagaraj.
The moves, which are intended to help the 1.1 million-troop Army better face low-intensity warfare with Pakistan, are being directed by Army chief Gen. Nimal Vij, who presented his proposals last month, Army officials said.

The Facts:
Modernization plan The plan by Indian Army Gen. Nimal Vij, at right, includes the purchase of about: * 250 Korent-E Anti-tank Guided Missiles, launchers and 2,000 thermal sights. * 300 light bulletproof vehicles. * 1,000 Anti-Material rifles. * 1,500 84mm Mark III rocket launchers* 4,000 new-generation carbines. * 200 anti-tank guided-missile simulators. * U.S. Special Operations weaponry. * 450,000 rounds of multi-purpose ammunition. * Several thousand unattended ground sensors. * Several thousand secure walkie-talkies. * Hundreds of secure very-high-frequency communication systems. * 200 foreign surveillance radar systems. n* 8,000 under-barrel grenade launchers.n 2,000 hand-held thermal imagers.n 1,000 night-vision devices.
The last such overhaul occurred in 1963, in the wake of the war with China, a Defence Ministry official said.
Army leaders believe that future wars in South Asia will be infantry-centric, Niagaraj said.
“Our priority is to augment firepower, night fighting, surveillance capabilities, and give greater mobility and communication skills,” Niagaraj said.
The infantry also is building Ghatak [Deadly] Platoons, which will be equipped with special weapons to carry out special land warfare operations, added Niagaraj.
The new weapons would be lighter but provide a heavy rate of fire with more accuracy, said one infantry officer.
Extra funds also have been allocated to acquire new clothing and other important materials such as sleeping bags, boots, rations and bulletproof jackets, which will allow infantry soldiers to carry only 25 kilograms of supplies, compared with the current level of 50 kilograms, the officer said.
Nagaraj said the U.S. arms would be used for airborne and amphibious operations.
A recently retired Army general said the new weapons would improve knowledge of the enemy, allowing more effective pre-emptive operations.
“This will also work as a deterrent to Pakistani Army and Pakistan-sponsored terrorists,” the general said.
But he also said that the move would put a strain on cash-strapped Pakistan, which would seek more military support from Saudi Arabia and North Korea, ultimately bringing a nuclear arms race to the South Asian region.
The news weaponry, including precision-guided munitions, would definitely degrade the enemy, said Army spokesman Col. Anil Shorey.
SOURCE: Defense News research
Indian, U.S. Set Joint Exercises, Exchanges for 2004
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

Indian and U.S. naval officials during the Nov. 20 meeting of the India-U.S. naval steering group here finalized the 2004 roadmap for cooperation between the two countries’ navies.
Cmdr. Vinay Garg, spokesman for the Indian Navy, told DefenseNews.com Nov. 20 that the schedule of joint activities the sea services will undertake in 2004 includes port visits; officer education exchanges; subject matter expert exchanges; visits of high-level officers; and annual exercises such as Malabar, anti-submarine warfare exercises, search and rescue exercises and explosive ordnance disposal exercises.
Last month , the two navies also sealed a new agreement to increase cooperation through naval personnel exchanges and combined training exercises for U.S. Marines and Indian forces.

The naval cooperation for 2004 was agreed Oct. 13 by Adm. Vern Clark, the U.S. chief of naval operations, and Indian Navy chief Adm. Madhavendra Singh during Clark’s visit here. Singh finalized the roadmap here Nov. 20 with visiting Vice Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet.
Garg said the United States has made an informal request for joint patrolling and monitoring of sea lanes in the Indian Ocean and securing the Strait of Malacca.
The Indian Navy conducts patrols of local seas, including the Strait of Malacca, independently. In specific cases, where there are incidents of piracy, the Navy and the Coast Guard join the navies of other countries in the region for joint operations.
However, the Indian Navy has never carried out joint patrols with a foreign navy.
The Indian Navy official said the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, will have to approve any joint patrols of the Indian Ocean.
Indian Coast Guard Compiles Wish List
Mission Area Expands for Maritime Role

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

With its offshore patrol area increasing to 2.9 million square kilometers, the Indian Coast Guard will need around $700 million for procurement in the next three years to support its expanded mission, service officials say.
Defence Ministry officials here said the Coast Guard will get the funds it needs to meet security demands, including search-and-rescue operations, fishery enforcement and terrorist and crisis response.
“We are expanding multifold in view of greater off-shore security, marine environment security, maritime zone security and marine safety, scientific assistance and national defense,” Rear Adm. Sureesh Mehta, director-general of the Coast Guard, said Oct. 20. The service’s needs for the next 15 years were outlined in a procurement blueprint submitted to the government.

Mehta said the maritime service will be inducting medium-altitude ship-borne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remotely piloted combat helicopters, medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, new advanced off-shore patrol vessels (AOPVs), interceptor boats, advanced light helicopters and pollution-control vessels.
All will be procured within five to 10 years to meet current and new coastal security-related tasks.
Mehta noted that before year’s end, the Coast Guard will have inducted two interceptor boats, one hovercraft, one AOPV, an advanced light helicopter and four Dornier short-range surveillance aircraft. Some of these assets have been paid for; the rest will be paid during the next four years.
These new assets will help the service meet its new security-related responsibilities while rebuilding its capacity for other missions, the planning official said.
Looking Forward
Mehta said the blueprint included a plan for replacing aging aircraft and ships, as well as steps to bolster force levels and shore support infrastructure in the next 15 years.
The Coast Guard also will set up stations along the coast, Mehta said.
As for overall homeland security, the service will strengthen its 25 Operation Centers for more effective security in ports and waterways.
The present Coast Guard fleet consists of 55 vessels, comprising four AOPVs, nine offshore patrol vessels, 10 fast patrol vessels, 13 inshore patrol vessels, 11 interceptor boats, two seaward defense boats, six hovercraft and 43 aircraft. n
E-mail: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com .
China, India Complete Historic Exercise
By BENJAMIN MORGAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, SHANGHAI

China and India on Nov. 14 conducted their first joint naval exercises off the coast of Shanghai as part of a drive to warm frosty ties between the two nuclear-armed Asian powers.
Led by the NS Ranjit, a 5,000-metric ton Russian guided missile destroyer, the INS Kulish, a guided missile corvette, and the INS Jyoti, a tanker, the Indian task force cast off from Shanghai at 9 a.m. local time, an Indian consular official said.
Joined by two Chinese warships, a light cruiser and a supply boat, as well as helicopters, they conducted five-hour rescue, firefighting and anti-piracy maneuvers in the East China Sea before the Indian ships set sail for home.

“The exercises, aimed at ensuring and improving coordination in search and rescue at sea, will be a stepping stone in enhancing inter-operability between the two navies,” India’s Ambassador to China Nalin Suire, was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
The decision to hold the exercise was taken during Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to China in June, when both sides agreed to bolster relations amid recognition of each other’s potentially vast markets.
The drill follows similar Sino-Pakistani war games earlier this month - the first time China had permitted any type of joint naval exercises as it seeks to raise its international profile as a legitimate regional power.
While the maneuvers are militarily insignificant the naval cooperation is seen as deeply symbolic for two countries still mending ties after a 1962 border war.
“Its historic significance lies in that the two countries are beginning to act upon and get to know each other,” R.P. Suthan, Eastern commander of the Indian Navy, told the Chinese government mouthpiece People’s Daily.
Chen Zhimin, a professor of international relations at Fudan University, added that the “the joint exercise signals a marked change to improve the relationship between China and India despite some border issues that have existed between the two countries for a long time.”
Since Vajpayee’s trip, China and India have redoubled efforts to finally demarcate their borders, including between the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, the scene of their war.
Aside from the political symbolism, the exercises reflect China’s need for cooperation in the Indian Ocean, but also concerns about its increased naval activity in the South China Sea, officials said.
“China’s Navy has been moving further south, with heightened activity around the Spratley islands and extending ties as far as Brunei,” said one senior naval officer.
Ahead of the drills, Beijing sought to reassure its long-time ally Pakistan that Sino-Pakistani ties would not be affected, though Pakistan and India are adversaries.
“Both of them are good neighbors of China, and I don’t think the development of China-India relations will affect the friendly relations between China and Pakistan,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Fudan University’s Chen added that China is keen to maintain its cozy ties with Pakistan but also needs to improve its often tense relationship with India.
“China wants to make sure a balanced relationship exists between the three sides,” he said.
Indo-Russian Missile Strikes Target in Sea Test
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI , NEW DELHI

The first Indo-Russian joint venture in missile development reached a new height with the Nov. 23 firing of the BrahMos cruise missile, which successfully struck a target in the Bay of Bengal, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said.
“A prototype of the BrahMos missile for the first time successfully destroyed a designated target at the missile testing center at Chandipur in the eastern state of Orissa,” the official told DefenseNews.com Nov. 24. “The firing was successful and the missile, after flying on its planned trajectory, hit the intended target.”
The test was carried out from two Indian Navy ships, the INS Kalinga and INS Rajput, the official said.

The Nov. 23 test was the sixth for the cruise missile, which is slated for commercial production by next year. BrahMos, also designated as PJ-10, will give the Indian Navy an edge over China in the region’s waters as it is a supersonic cruise missile, one Indian Navy official said.
India’s Defense Research and Development Organisation and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya in 1998 established a joint venture for the development of the anti-ship missile. While the missile’s airframe, propulsion system and warhead are designed in Russia, its guidance system and software is designed at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory in Hyderabad, India.
Launched from a ship, the solid-propellant missile can fly to a height of 14 kilometers at Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound, on a preset trajectory. It carries a 200-kilogram conventional warhead. A sensor mounted on the missile enables a change of course during flight.
Officials here say the PJ-10 missile is being developed essentially to counter Pakistani Harpoon missiles and Chinese Moskit missiles.
Indian Air Force To Expand
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI

India’s Air Force chief said Nov. 7 the service plans to expand to keep pace with India’s move to become an economic super power.
Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy told a press conference in New Delhi that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would go from 39 squadrons to 60 squadrons over the next 10 years.
If India has a vision to become a major world power by the year 2020, “the forces must be capable of taking care of those interests,” he said.

But he said the expansion of the IAF was not intended to be aimed at any country, including traditional rival Pakistan.
“We are not Pakistan-centric ... Pakistan is meaningless to us,” he said.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947 and came close to another last year.
Last month, India and Israel signed a $1 billion deal for the sale of three Phalcon airborne early warning radar systems to the IAF.
Krishnaswamy said recent statements by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that the acquisition of new arms by India, including the Phalcon system, would fuel an arms race in South Asia, were “propaganda of sorts.”
“It is a part of a campaign by our neighboring country,” he said, adding India did not have any territorial or expansionist ambitions. “We are not here to invade any country ... The IAF is more concerned about the proper management and maintenance of its inventory.”
The actual induction of the Phalcon radar system into the IAF would take about three to five years as the technology involved is very complex, he said.
The air chief said there would be a series of exercises with the U.S. and British air forces next year to sharpen the skills of its personnel.
The U.S. Air Force will visit India in February for exercises that will include U.S. F-15 fighters.
In July, IAF personnel will go to Alaska, where four to six of the IAF’s Jaguar aircraft will take part in exercises.
The IAF has also been interacting with its Chinese counterpart. Seventy officers of the Chinese Air Force recently visited India’s Western Air Command, the largest and most important of its operational commands.
The Indian and Chinese navies will next week hold their first joint military exercises off the Shanghai coast.

posted by promila 1:36 AM

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In Nahan, Army gets its cutting edge Saikat Dutta. Indian Express. 28 Oct 03.
A few weeks after Gen N C Vij took over as the army chief, he sent out a letter asking for a comprehensive review of the special forces, their training and the on-hold modernisation. The immediate beneficiary of the initiative was the Special Forces Training Wing. Within months, the Wing was upgraded to a full-fledged school, declared a category A establishment and placed under the Army’s Training Command (Artrac). In fact as Vice Chief of staff, Vij was in favour of modernising the force and then expand in 2007 when the objectives of the 10th plan had been achieved.
Eight months later, the Special Forces Training School, tucked away in the Himalayan foothills on the Himachal-Haryana border, is taking its first tentative steps in that direction. It helps that Artrac’s GOC-in-C Gen J J Singh commanded a strike corps during Operation Parakram and is aware of the strategic role that Special Forces can play in conflicts, conventional as well as unconventional.
Today Col V B Shinde, commandant of the School is busy planning a host of new courses that complement the proposed modernisation. ‘‘Even if we were imparting advanced skill to the special forces men, there is no standardised training for the Special Forces officers like the special forces courses in the US or UK. Some day the school could fill that gap ’’ says a retired senior general. At a point in time, it has also been proposed that the conventional infantry’s ghataks are also trained at the school to ensure a standardisation of the army’s special operations skills.
In the meantime, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) trooping into the School are picking up skills unheard of a few months ago. Through brainstorming sessions and exercises in the School grounds, they learn to be combat leaders in battle and polish their ability to plan and execute operations on their own. ‘‘It makes the teams independent and increases the potency of the special forces’ NCOs to cause damage to the enemy,’’ says an officer.
New surveillance techniques, target designation and other related skills are also finding a pride of place in the School.
Under the aegis of Artrac, NCOs are also travelling to key establishments to understand the strategic role they would have to play when the balloon goes up. ‘‘If they have to hit strategic targets, they must know what is where. Site visits help them appreciate the importance of particular structures and establishments and help them identify vulnerable points that could cripple the enemy,’’ says an officer. Interestingly, if the proposed Special Aviation squadron for the Special Forces comes through, the school will have a larger role to play. Alongside a rigorous fitness regime, the new breed of soldiers at Nahan are also expanding their intellectual horizons, key to the success of any special forces team. The ‘students’ discuss and analyse sharpshooting skills to gauge how to cause the maximum damage through minimum effort.
The Special Forces School is also looking at a substantial increase in funds; the Wing, so long, received an annual training grant.
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Navy reworks personnel policy To induct skilled civilians as short service officers Saikat Duttta Indian Express 29 Oct 03
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 28: The Navy wants a few good men and has reworked its policy to induct them as short commission officers. In an overhaul of its personnel policy, that was ratified at the Navy’s senior commander’s conference today, the Navy is also looking at qualified civilians to be commissioned.
Chief of Naval Staff Madhvendra Singh reportedly initiated the new policy with twin objectives. One, to make up for the nearly 10 per cent officer shortage (about 950 officers). Two, to recruit civilians with special skills for technology-intensive jobs. In this direction, it is desperately looking for people with commercial pilot licences. ‘‘We need them to fly our Dorniers and other aircraft and we are willing to recruit them directly,’’ said official sources.
For the technology-intensive Navy, the smallest of the three services in terms of personnel, the officer-shortage hurts. With new technologies being inducted, the Navy has also worked out a new personnel policy, taking into account its requirements till 2010. It is looking at detailed profiles of its officers and sailors and pen pictures of each person will be available at the click of a button. ‘‘It will be an exercise to help us plan for the next generation of officers and sailors as well as prepare them for the challenges ahead,’’ sources said.
The only time that the Navy had briefly experimented with short service commission officers was in the aftermath of the 1962 border conflict with China. It soon gave them permanent commissions and discontinued with the experiment.
The Navy, with 140 ships, is looking to add another 60 ships, including three aircraft carriers and submarines.
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Test put off for Agni-III, Brahmos takes off Indian Express 30 Oct 03
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 29: Even as the Indo-Russian cruise missile Brahmos was successfully test- fired from Balasore today, Defence officials said the induction of Agni-III surface-to-surface missile has been delayed as further tests have been postponed till next year.
Scientific advisor to the Defence Minister and DRDO chief V.K. Atre said: ‘‘Preparations are in full swing, but the tests will be carried out early next year.’’ Earlier, Defence Minister George Fernandes had said that the 3,000-km range Agni-III will be tested by this year-end.
The Army has already raised an artillery division, under the aegis of the Southern Command, for its missile regiments. While the Prithvi variants are being inducted, the Army will soon take in the 700-km range Agni-I, sources said. The regiments are expected to be operational by 2004-end.
Later, Atre said the DRDO is also planning to revive the Trishul missile project.

India-China naval exercises soon n Fernandes makes references to the proposed exercises while addressing senior naval commanders Indian Express 31 Oct 03
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 30: Indian and Chinese Navies will come together for the first time to conduct joint exercises in the middle of November. Two Indian warships have already been identified and despatched to conduct search and rescue exercises in the Indian Ocean. The Chinese are expected to send similar ships for the exercise, said sources at the Naval Headquarters.
The exercises are a result of Defence Minister George Fernandes’ visit to China. Fernandes made several references to the proposed exercises while addressing senior naval commanders on Thursday morning.
It is understood that the joint exercises are also a result of Beijing’s interest in forging ties with the Indian Navy, in a bid to keep ‘‘extraneous’’ influences out of the Indian Ocean. With the People’s Liberation Army’s focus shifting from land to sea-based forces, China is concerned about
the deepening naval cooper-
ation between New Delhi and Washington.
Both navies conducted 24 joint missions during the war in Iraq and warships from the US Pacific Fleet docked at Indian ports during the Afghan campaign.
China’s energy security, say sources, is another reason behind the Chinese military’s growing seaward outlook.
Addressing the senior commander’s conference, Fernandes appreciated the Indian Navy’s need for more ships and promised budgetary support for the Navy’s 10th plan projections. He also appreciated the progress of Project Seabird, which will serve as the new base for the Navy’s Western Command. The Naval Academy project at Ezhimala, he said, was progressing at a satisfactory pace.

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Short on men, IAF decides to promote JCOs Air chief got survey done; to commission 17 Warrant fficers Indkijan Express 01 nOV 03
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 31: With its officer cadre dwindling and fewer people joining the services, the Indian Air Force has decided to look within. In the past six months, the IAF has closed doors on short service commission officers, bid goodbyes to those willing to leave and started a survey that would be path-breaking in its recent history.
While the sceptics sniggered and a spate of MiG-21s crashed, Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy ordered a survey, took a closer look at the Warrant Officers in the IAF and lobbied with the Government to ensure that those willing to leave would be allowed to do so. ‘‘We said our thank yous and bid our goodbyes,’’ says the Air Chief.
Force adds teeth to maritime patrol
NEW DELHI: The IAF is all set to tone up its capability to patrol maritime boundaries with the induction of the latest versions of the US-30 MKI. While it has at least 28 SU-30s in its fleet, the induction of the two upgraded variants may add another squadron to the force. ‘‘It is a little early to decide whether we will raise a new squadron but when we have the numbers we will,’’ Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy said. During the first induction in 1997, the IAF had raised the Hawks squadron. (ENS)
The nine-month survey looked at the qualifications of the airmen closely. ‘‘We were amazed to find 400 graduates, some even PhDs with brilliant records,’’ says Krishnaswamy.
After further selection tests, the IAF sent 17 Warrant Officers to officer school for training before being commissioned. In fact, the IAF has managed to substantially cut down on its officer-shortage while, at the same time, making it easier for those who would like to quit.
With the IAF looking at cutting edge technology, the service has also done away with excessive red tape to attract engineers. From now on, engineering graduates from IITs will find a pride of place in the IAF as entry-level tests have been done away with.
‘‘It is now a well-paying attractive career and those from the IITs have anyway undergone rigorous testing so we can do away with any entrance tests,’’ says Krishnaswamy.
The ranks are being tapped to impart additional skills to increase the force’s utility. A massive recruitment drive, aimed at unexplored areas, has also paid off. The IAF has picked up 100 recruits from areas such as Srinagar and Tripura.
The aggressive recruitment drive has brought in 44,000 applicants in the past six months and 4,000 have been selected for further tests.
The Air Headquarters has also decreed that air bases across the country be thrown open to the public on certain days. This, say officials, will ensure greater transparency and provide the IAF the publicity it has been seeking for the past few years.

New DG post to synergise Army Indian Express 4 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 3: In a major bid to synergise military operations, the Army Headquarters has created a new post of the director general of Operational Logistics, who will report directly to the Vice-Chief of Army Staff. It is understood that Lt Gen Matthew Mammen, who had served as the director general of Rashtriya Rifles has been appointed to the post.
According to South Block sources, the move was long overdue to improve synergy between the operational branches of the army and the top brass. Earlier, operational logisitics were handled by an officer of the rank of a major general and served under the Quarter Master General (QMG) of the Indian Army. However, the QMG reported to the army chief while the DGMO and the DGMI, being general staff officers, reported to the Vice-Chief.
With increasing operations, especially after Operation Parakram, the army decided to amalgamate the two branches. Sources say, creation of the post has helped the army tackle internal security duties with greater commitment.
The move is significant as it gives more powers to the Vice-Chief and makes him the nodal officer for military operations and an input provider to the Army Chief.

Plans for a leaner, younger Army on hold Saikat Dutta Indian Express 4 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 3: The Army’s plans to be a leaner, meaner and younger service have run aground. It is understood that Defence Minister George Fernandes has suggested that recommendations be forwarded to the Air Force and Navy for their views before the Ministry takes a final decision.
Such a move was already indicated in Fernandes’ written reply in the Rajya Sabha in July. He stated: ‘‘Since the recommendations encompass a wide spectrum of service-related issues, no timeframe for implementation can be indicated.’’ It is learnt that Fernandes had decided to give the issue more thought over concerns at the far-reaching implications the recommendations will have.
A Ministry spokesman confirmed that the Bagga Committee recommendations had been forwarded to the other two services for their views. In the aftermath of the Kargil war, where the Army found senior commanders unable to perform due to a high age profile, the government set up a committee to recommend a cadre restructuring. Set up under the chairmanship of Special Secretary (Acquisition) Ajai Vikram Singh, the recommendations were designed to introduce a younger profile of formation commanders, offer VRS and improve promotional prospects.
South Block, however, seems to have developed cold feet and sought the ‘‘advice’’ of the other two services. It is learnt the IAF and the Navy, still grappling with their own policies, had reservations on the faster promotions for their Army counterparts.
In its review, the committee took into account the Army’s pyramidal structure. With a number of officers being superseded, it was affecting morale. The age profile of the commanding officers of battalions and formation commanders was also on the higher side and had affected conduct of operations during Kargil.
On July 16, 2001, the Defence Ministry set up the committee to examine an Army HQ proposal for restructuring the officers’ cadre. The committee identified two related issues of age profile and cadre stagnation. It suggested several short-term and long-term recommendations for improving promotional prospects, as well as lower the age profile.
Short-term measures included additional deputational vacancies and lateral absorption while long-term measures included exit through voluntary severance schemes and creation of additional appointments. In fact, when the Army Training Command had been set up the Army had been sanctioned only one post for a lieutenant general. With the proposal, the Army hoped to create more posts to facilitate faster promotion.
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IAF all set to upgrade missiles Indian Express 5 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 4: The Air Force’s missile inventory, worth thousands of crore, is slated for a major upgrade adding another 10-15 years to their shelf-life. According to retired Major General P. Mohandas, chairman and managing director of Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), the decision was taken by Defence Minister George Fernandes a few months ago.
‘‘It is difficult for a country like ours to import new missiles. We have developed the capability to upgrade them. Only the US can afford to throw away old missiles,’’ he said. ‘‘We have the technology and will do it at one-third the cost abroad.’’
According to Mohandas, missiles which have completed their shelf-life ‘‘become unreliable and need refurbishing’’. Initially, the surface-to-air missiles Pechora and Osaka and the air-to-air R-60 MK missiles will be upgraded. BDL has also developed counter measures for the IAF, and flight trials will be conducted soon.
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Yes Sir, Yes Sir no more, this is the strike corps Vikas Kahol Indian Express 01 Nov 03
CHANDIGARH, OCTOBER 31: No more sirring in the uniform now. Not if you happen to be in the Army’s 2 Corps, the strike formation. Address a senior officer as ‘sir’ and you will have to pay a penalty-a bottle of beer within six hours of the ‘misdeamenour’. No more late hours at work either. Evenings are for games. And officers found clearing files on Sundays or after the office hours will be declared ‘inefficient’.
These were some of the do’s and don’ts handed out by Lt Gen G D Singh, General Officer Commanding of the Ambala-based 2 Corps, in a DO letter. In one stroke, the General has tried to banish all that he thinks is fallacious in his army.
The edict decrees that all officers will henceforth address their seniors not as ‘sir’ but by their ranks. So, he would like to be called General.
The 19-page letter touches various aspects concerning soldiers. ‘‘It should be ensured that every soldier gets a break of one complete day in a week, and the officers should implement it ruthlessly.’’ Expressing his displeasure at the increasing paperwork, the GOC has ordered a more efficient use of the phone. Orders, he says, should be passed through log book in HQs. The order also calls for making JCOs and NCOs computer savvy.Frowning at the preponderance of danda-wielding guards in cantts, the General has ordered that they be banished at once. And the number of armed guards be reduced to the bare minimum.
General’s commandments • Vehicles: Tinted glasses are out • JCOs: More respect to them • Officers Mess: Ostentatious functions are out, so are entertainment programmes by officers wives • Unit activity: No AC in CO’s office • Leave: Full leave for everyone. • Soldiers: Not to be detailed as helpers to unauthorised persons, or as nannies, caddies or ball boys. • Canteens: No polythene please.
On the use of official transport, his instructions are clear-cut: it should not be be used for going to office, except by the Flag Officers, COs and PSOs who can’t claim transport allowance. Service transport will also not be used for going to club functions, private parties, schools, et al.
And certainly not on Sundays unless it is for collective welfare activity or for families of officers, JCOs, and other ranks while going or returning from leave.
Conceding that implementation will be dificult, the GOC states that officers can point out any lapses to him. In case of laxity in implementation, he would not ask for any explanation from the formation or unit but ask them to deposit Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 in the GOC’s fund from the commander’s fund or regimental fund. This would be an official transaction.
He concludes by asking the senior most officer in each station to help him implement the orders by calling him up on every 1st and 15th of the month.

Army begins putting money where General’s mouth is Rs 1.5 lakh penalty already paid Shishir Gupta 8 Nov 03 Indian Express
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 7: If it’s a Sunday and if it’s the II Corps, you work behind locked doors but loosen the pursestrings.
For defying the no-work-on-Sunday order of Corps Commander Lt Gen G D Singh - first reported by The Indian Express - the strike corps’ formations, stretching from Meerut to Delhi to the home base in Ambala, have already coughed up Rs 1.5 lakh as penalty.
Meerut has paid Rs 110,000 for its “sacrilege” while a Delhi-based formation has deposited Rs 5,000 as fine with the Corps headquarters. Rs 10,000 more as penalty is due. Ambala units will be poorer by Rs 30,000-40,000.
The joke in Army circles is that if the country decides to go to war on a Sunday, the enemy needn’t worry about the II Corps. Because, going by its General’s order, they simply relax on Sundays.
In his letter to all II Strike Corps formations based in Meerut, New Delhi, Ambala, Chandigarh and Patiala, Gen Singh directed that there will be no work on Sundays. Those who do can pay a fine.
Many who have to clear pressing matters have already started working behind locked doors. The penalty money is being deposited in the Corps fund for the welfare of officers and men. Those familiar with General Singh’s style of functioning say he had implemented similar orders in his previous posting as Commander of 31 Armoured Division.
Even the idea of ‘‘no sirring in uniform,’’ they say, first came from the then Army chief General K Sundarji who wanted his men to call him General and not Sir.
General Singh’s code, delivered to formations in September, also mandates that all ‘‘administrative duties’’ be done only on Saturdays and there would be ‘‘no working party’’ until 1.30 pm on working days. In short, if an officer has to move house, he can only do it on a Saturday. If he moves on a Sunday, he will be reported.
When the Army’s comments were sought, a spokesperson in Delhi said it was routine for Sunday to be a rest day and undertaking ‘‘administrative work’’ on Saturday. He confirmed that II Corps had imposed penalties on its formations.
IAF to double its air strike power Indian Express 8Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 7: The Indian Air Force is planning to almost double its strike power, as it is going to seek 30 more combat squadrons in the next 10 years from the government.
‘‘At present, we have 39-and-a-half combat squadrons and are looking at increasing this to 60 squadrons in stages,’’ Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Western Air Command Commander’s conference, he said the IAF has projected a need for increasing its fleet strength to 45 combat squadrons. ‘‘After filling holes in the present fleet, we plan to increase the number of squadrons in stages. We also need to keep in mind that we don’t have the capacity to make too many inductions at the same time,’’ he said.
Krishnaswamy also hinted at greater participation of the IAF in counter-insurgency operations, saying measures have been taken to synergise the Western Air Command with its Army counterparts - Northern and Western Command.
IAF is also looking forward to the early induction of Phalcon radars. ‘‘The design is new and it will take another four to five years before it can be inducted,’’ Krishnaswamy said.
He said IAF pilots have been sent to the US to fly F-16 Falcons, considered the most advanced aircraft inducted by the Pakistan Air Force. While Pak pilots have benefited from exercises in Gulf countries, this is the first time Indian pilots have got the opportunity to fly the US aircraft.
The Air Chief said IAF is also excited about the joint-exercises scheduled for next year. ‘‘In February, we will conduct joint exercises with US F-15s in Gwalior and our Jaguars will fly to Alaska for exercises.’’
Foothold in central Asia: India gets own military base Tajikistan:10 km from Tajik capital, Indian troops, air platforms to be stationed in Ayni; MoD staff work on runway, Rs 50-cr upgrade Shishir Gupta Indian Express 13 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 12: When Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee lands at Dushanbe tomorrow evening, a contingent of the Indian Defence Ministry’s military engineering services (MES) workers will be packing up after a gruelling day of building a runway at an air base that lies 10 km north-east of the Tajikistan capital. Welcome to Ayni, India’s first ever military base in a foreign country-post Sri Lanka.
A Defence Ministry spokesman today confirmed that New Delhi is involved in upgrading infrastructure at the Ayni air base and ‘‘has plans to station its troops’’ and air platforms in the near future to support its energy security interests in Central Asia.
Replying to a detailed questionnaire from The Indian Express, officials confirmed that New Delhi is revamping the Ayni air base as part of the ‘‘deepening India-Tajik defence cooperation.’’ This Tajik base has been lying in a dilapidated condition since 1985 and India is overhauling it at the cost of over Rs 50 crore.
The work involves building a runway that can handle fighter and heavy lift transport aircraft and steeling up existing hangars to house them. The MES will also build accommodation within the base in order to station troops, who will train Tajik forces and keep an eye on Indian interests in Central Asia.
Indian oil major ONGC Videsh Limited has tied up with Kazakhstan government for oil exploration in Alibekmola and Kurmangazi fields. OVL currently has 15 per cent stake in Alibekmola and 10 per cent in Kurmangazi oil fields that straddle the Kazakh-Russia border. Significantly, India and Tajik special forces held joint exercises in February this year.
Although the upgradation of Ayni base was cleared at the highest levels of Indian government, the repair work has begun in the earnest only couple of months ago with Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy playing a key role. Vajpayee gave the green signal, but it was Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Ministry officials who pushed the project towards fruition.
Last April, Fernandes, accompanied by then defence secretary Yogendra Narain and top MEA officials, quietly visited Dushanbe and signed the India-Tajik defence pact. Ministry officials say that Ayni is a symbol of mutual defence relationship between the two countries and sensitivities of Russia and China have been kept in mind.
Moscow, on its part, is eyeing Kulyab air base near the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border and has established its military presence by setting up a base in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan last month.
However, Tajikistan’s neighbour Pakistan is suspicious about the defence cooperation between Dushanbe and New Delhi and believes it is part of the Indian plans to ‘‘encircle’’ Islamabad. It is learnt that Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf raised the air base issue with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmanov before the CICA summit in Almatty last June.
Vajpayee, who is meeting Rakhmanov on November 14, will push for expanding the bilateral relationship with Tajikistan that goes beyond defence and focuses on trade. Even though Ayni is a half-hour drive from Dushanbe, Vajpayee has no plans of visiting the base.

Coast Guard gets right to check borders Saikat Duta Indian Express 17 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 16: Overriding the recommendation of Naval Chief, Admiral Madhvendra Singh, the Centre has decided to appoint the Coast Guard as the Lead Intelligence Agency (LIA) for gathering inputs and keeping tab on India’s maritime boundaries.
The move comes as a set back to the Navy as well as Singh who, as the service chief and chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), was keen that the job come to the Navy. According to sources, the government decided to stick to recommendations by the Group of Ministers which suggested the Coast Guard be the chief coordinator for gathering intelligence in coastal areas.
Two years ago, the GoM had recommended that on all borders, one service be the LIA and coordinate with other agencies that are involved in maritime security.
In accordance with the recommendations, the Home Ministry sent a proposal to the Defence Ministry last August, recommending the Coast Guard be appointed as the LIA to coordinate.

Army learns Parakram lesson, plants smart mines Saikat Dutta Indian Express 17 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 16: Heres' a lesson for the Indian Army from Operation Parakram, the post-December 13 build-up that promises a happy ending: lay fewer mines and make them more ‘‘people friendly’’. For the first time in more than 30 years, the Indian Army is gearing up to make one of the deadliest weapons a little more humane.
A fallout of the 10-month long deployment on the Western borders, an in-depth study conducted by the Engineer-in-Chief’s branch talks of more modern mines that are deadly, yet humane. This, South block sources said, is in keeping with the international agreement on use of landmines ratified by the UN. Strangely enough, the study came out of an internal Army recommendation which said that there was ‘‘excessive’’ mine-laying during Operation Parakram. With more than a million mines laid during Parakram, the Army’s key pivot formations were unable to move forward. After brainstorming, Army top brass realised that the slew of vintage mines was not the strategy for wars of the 21st century.
A study later the Army is talking smart mines - which can deactivate or neutralise themselves, or can be switched off by remote. Not only does this save lives and limbs of military personnel, it ensures civilians’ safety if they drift into minefields.
Arms majors Israel, South Africa, the UK and others have reportedly evinced keen interest in the new mines.
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Navy says no to action against Greenpeace ship Indian Express 17 Nov 03
AHMEDABAD, NOVEMBER 16: The Gujarat Maritime Board’s (GMB) attempt to seize Rainbow Warrior, the campaign vessel of Greenpeace, has fallen through with the Navy turning down its request to act against the vessel.
GMB Port Officer Y.P. Deulkar said he has written seven letters to Navy and Customs seeking their help in seizing the vessel, anchored off the Alang coast in Bhavnagar since the last three days, but to no avail.
Deulkar said the Board was helpless as it did not have a boat to nab them. ‘‘When we chase them, they escape to the safety of international limits,’’ he said.
Board sources admitted on Saturday the Navy had turned down the request to act against Rainbow Warrior because the vessel was not anchored within jurisdiction.
Even Customs said they can’t act against the vessel. But Deulkar said he had notified the vessel’s captain that the ship was violating port limits. Ramapati Kumar, ship-breaking activist aboard Rainbow Warrior, told The Indian Express that the decision was surprising because Greenpeace had only been trying to expose the double standards adopted by the United Kingdom Government which allowed export of Genova Bridge for breaking at Alang while refusing to allow scrapping American ships in the United Kingdom.
Greenpeace said Genova Bridge had not been stripped of its hazardous material, contravening Indian laws and the Basel Convention, an international pact governing movement of hazardous waste. The ship was beached for scrapping at Alang on November 9. Board authorities allege Greenpeace came up with the allegation only after the ship was bought by an Indian ship-breaker.
Asked why GMB was against Greenpeace, Deulkar said: ‘‘They should come through proper channels and pay Customs and port fees.’’ Greenpeace’s Kumar said they had also applied to the Union Ministry of Environment.
‘‘Instead of targeting us, they should act against criminals who are violating laws,’’ Kumar said, accusing the Board of doing little to implement Supreme Court guidelines issued on October 14.
‘‘Clearly there are vested interests at work, when authorities choose to ignore the criminal and go after the witnesses,’’ said Ananthapadmanabhan, Executive Director, Greenpeace India, in a statement.

Hi-tech cooperation group: quartet issues discussed Final agreement likely during Indian official’s US visit Indian Express 21 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 20: India and the US concluded a fourth meeting of their High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) today, but a final agreement is only likely next month when Deputy National Security Adviser Satish Chandra travels to Washington to sign on the dotted line with his counterpart US Deputy NSA Steve Hadley.
US Undersecretary for Commerce Kenneth Juster and Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal continued their discussions in the capital today on the ‘quartet’ issues, namely, civilian nuclear cooperation, space, high technology and missile defence, but neither side was willing to reveal details.
‘‘We are now well into the process of resolving the issues, consistent with our respective laws, national security and international obligations, but entirely in the spirit of the new relationship between our two countries,’’ Sibal said. Even though India is not a signatory to major non-proliferation and missile treaties, Juster said the ‘‘framework of these regimes is of interest to India’’. Short of cooperation in civilian nuclear technology because of its obligations to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Juster indicated that India and the US could
cooperate in areas like nuclear safety.
At the FICCI gathering, Sibal pointed out that the key purpose of the dialogue was ‘‘explore ways in which restrictions and barriers could be overcome’’ on the ‘quartet’ issues. ‘‘The task is not easy, specially because the Indo-US bilateral relationship exists in a broader international context, and there are historical legacies to contend with...Situated as India is, in an arc of strategic proliferation, its understanding of the consequences of proliferation and commitment to preventing it is second to none,’’ Sibal said.
Juster sought to differentiate between sanctions imposed after India’s N-tests in 1998 to licensing requirements of the US government for the sale and transfer of items that could be put to possible dual-use.
Vintage Army mines to make an exit Saikat Durra Indian Express 21 Nov03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 20: While most countries would dispose of their stock of vintage mines periodically, the Indian Army deployed mines dating back to 1934!
It took more than six decades for the matter to come to the notice of Army Chief Gen N.C. Vij who has issued orders, asking the Master General of the Ordnance Branch to destroy all mines of pre-1960 vintage.
‘‘I was on a visit to the forward areas during de-mining operations and I discovered mines dating back to 1934 still in use,’’ said Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta in an exclusive interview with The Indian Express. ‘‘When I discussed this with the Army Chief, he immediately ordered that these be disposed of.’’
Official Army spokesperson Col Anil Shorey confirmed that the Army had a stock of mines dating back years ago. ‘‘The Army Chief issued orders recently to dispose of the pre-1960 vintage mines and the bulk has already been taken care of,’’ he said. Gupta added that the disposal was part of an overall exercise to ‘‘modernise the Army’s existing inventory’’.
The Army sustained a large number of casualties during Operation Parakram due to the faulty design and age of the mines. An in-depth study conducted by the engineer-in-chief’s branch for a new mine-laying policy had severely criticised the faulty design of the land mines employed by the Army and called for a complete overhaul.
South Block sources said that most of the old mines, being metallic, had grown highly unstable, resulting in casualties. The Army, however, resisted a change due to a resource crunch.

Navy to hold joint exercises with US Seals Indian Express 212 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 20: Special forces of the Indian Navy will hold joint exercises with their US counterpart, the Navy Seals, next year. This was decided after a meeting of the Indo-US executive steering group on Thursday.
Vice Admiral S.V. Gopalachari led the Indian delegation which met Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Vice Admiral Robert Willard Commander of the US Navy’s 7th fleet. The focus of the joint exercise will be to improve the efficiency of anti-terrorist operations. So far, both navies have conducted five exercises, and according to Naval Headquarters sources, the exercises will be closer to actual combat conditions. While past exercises have focussed on improving bilateral understanding, future excercises will try and improve inter-operability, they added.
Both sides have planned a joint submarine related search and rescue exercise.
Israeli showpiece anti-missile system fails Navy’s tests, hard work ahead Saikat Dutta Indian Express 23 Nov 03
NEW DELHI,NOVEMBER 22: The Indian Navy’s latest Rs 1000-crore Barak anti-missile defence programme, acquired from Israel, received a setback last week when it failed to hit its decoy target off the Mumbai coast.
Highly placed sources said the Barak defence system was tested twice from the Navy’s indigenous showpiece, guided missile destroyer INS Delhi.
The Barak missiles’ test target was a Russian surface-to-surface missile with a deactivated warhead.
However, rather than destroying the Russian target, the missile is said to have taken off and plunged straight into the Arabian Sea. The same thing happened in the second round of tests.
In reply to a detailed questionnaire from The Sunday Express, the Navy spokesman said: ‘‘We have no comments to offer.’’
But the fact is that Israeli manufacturers Rafael and Israeli Aircraft Industries and Navy officials in Mumbai are working overtime to fix the problem.System fails
The Navy has contracted for at least eight Barak systems at the cost of over Rs 1,000 crore. The proposal for purchase of Barak was moved by then Naval chief Admiral Sushil Kumar and then Western Naval Commander Madhavendra Singh during the Kargil war to boost India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat’s air missile defences.
The only tested Barak system is on the Godavari-class guided missile frigate INS Ganga. The vertically launched Barak is designed to counter sub or missiles such as Exocet or Harpoon (currently in Pakistan’s inventory) within a range of 10 km. The system has an eight-missile launcher, currently used by the Israeli, Singapore and Chilean Navy.
Another problem area the Navy is working on is to integrate the Israeli Barak system with its Russian radars and other systems. Top Defence officials call it a ‘‘temporary’’ problem.

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Ceasefire:Govt for Siachen truce; we’re game: Pak Sishshir Gupta. Indian Express 25 Noiv 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 24: By proposing the extension of ceasefire to the 132 km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Siachen and tagging the infiltration rider, the Vajpayee government has kept in mind the Army’s apprehensions about Pakistan’s Line of Control initiative.
The Army top brass, which today discussed the new initiative by Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, was positive on cessation of firing along the 740 km long LoC in Jammu and Kashmir but wanted this extended to the AGPL, the scene of daily artillery duels.
Hours later, Pakistan said its ceasefire offer extended to the entire Kashmir region which also included the Siachen glacier. Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said he presumed there was no need for a separate ceasefire offer for Siachen as the Pakistan offer included the glacier.At the highest battlefield, the two armies use heavy artillery not for destruction but for effect: it keeps at bay all adventurous designs. With the Army on the Saltoro ridge right up to Indira Col, the Defence establishment fears that Pakistan may use the ‘‘no-firing’’ pact to occupy new positions on the Siachen Glacier. Unlike the LoC, the AGPL is not recognised by the Shimla Agreement.
But the Army top brass welcomed the ceasefire from Sangam to NJ 9842 because they had been receiving reports of militants trying to enter Tangdhar, Keran and Gurez sectors in North Kashmir before snow cuts off the passes. Although the area north of Zozilla Pass has received unusually heavy snow this winter, the passes to its south are expected to close only mid-December. The military operations’ assessment is that the troops will have to maintain vigil in the area south of Pir Panjal - Poonch and Rajouri sectors - so that infiltration does not take place during the ceasefire. The top brass is of the opinion that even if India were to fully reciprocate the Pakistani gesture, it would not hold its fire if there’s visible infiltration on ground.
‘‘While the 15 Corps area (north of Pir Panjal) will be snowed in, our focus will be on the 16 Corps area (to the south) to ensure there’s no infiltration,’’ a senior Army Commander said.
The LoC ceasefire, when it’s effected, will bring peace dividends to farmers in Poonch, Rajouri and Mendhar sectors. Cessation of firing from across the LoC will allow farmers to sow the Rabi crop.

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56 years after birth, MHA hands over Jakli to MoD Indian Express Saikat Dutta 26 Nov 03
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is finally coming home. An order signed and stamped recently has finally brought the regiment - raised as a local milita to keep Pakistani intruders at bay - to the Ministry of Defence nearly 56 years after it was hastily raised to save Srinagar and other parts of the state.
In an order passed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) following several meetings with the Army top brass, the regiment has been officially handed over to the Ministry of Defence.
Though under the operational control of the Army ever since it was raised, the regiment was maintained by the MHA as a historic legacy. The move is also part of an exercise by the government to rationalize the existing force structures keeping the Group of Ministers’ recommendations in mind. While the move is more than ceremonial, for the regiment - one of the youngest in the Indian Army’s history - it also means finding employment at par with the regular infantry battalions of the Indian Army outside the state.
Notes Lt Gen V.R. Raghavan (retd) in his seminal book Infantry in India: ‘‘India’s first Light Infantry regiment was born out of people’s response in 1947.’’ The population of Jammu and Kashmir formed local defence committees to fight the Pakistani tribal invaders and were later organised into militia battalions responsible for specific sectors. Since 1947, the regiment has built up a formidable reputation for operations in subsequent wars fought on the state’s borders, as well as winning a Param Vir Chakra in Siachen. Then Naib Subedar Bana Singh’s herculean effort on the Northern Siachen Glacier in taking out a Pakistani post is the stuff modern military legends are made of. While he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the captured post - considered the highest and the most difficult to maintain on Siachen - has been renamed as Bana Post in his honour. As Raghavan also notes, the regiment has 50 per cent Muslims and the balance are Hindus and Buddhists. The regiment’s soldiers are recruited exclusively from J-K.
Impressed with the hardiness the Ladakhi fighters showed at high altitude, the Army raised two Ladakh Scout battalions from the regiment. Both wings of the battalion performed with elan during the Kargil war.
‘‘The move means a greater confidence in the regiment and it will probably mean that it will now be employed elsewhere outside the state,’’ says Raghavan.
Two battalions were also awarded the Chief of Army Staff’s unit citation after the Kargil War

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India, Russia to sign Gorshkov deal soon Indian Express 29 Nov 03.
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28: India and Russia have decided to ink the deal for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, paving the way for the visit of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov in two months from now.
Defence Minister George Fernandes has written to his Russian counterpart, saying India would be ready to sign the deal in December or January, depending on his convenience. South Block sources said Fernandes had offered two possible dates, December 23 to 26 or January 23 to 26, when the deal could be signed.
Ivanov was scheduled to visit India by November-end but had to postpone his visit as negotiations were not through yet. The acquisition of the Gorshkov and its complement of MiG-29K aircraft has to be cleared by the Cabinet before it can be signed. The Indian government had expressed its inability to clear all procedures before Ivanov’s earlier visit.
Sources at the Naval Headquarters said the price negotiations for the aircraft carrier and the aircraft have been concluded. While the agreed price of the Gorshkov is $650 million upwards, the MiG-29K aircraft would come around $500 million.
Indicating the acquistion was near at hand, Chief of Naval Staff Adm Madhvendra Singh today said at Kochi that the deal would be through by this financial year. The naval chief said the ship would be operational for at least 25 years after it was commissioned.
Between real and imaginary threats Musharraf feels religious extremism is the biggest threat to Pakistan yet he has done little so far to curb it Indian Express 29 Nov 03 Najam Sethi
General Pervez Musharraf has once again surveyed the Pakistani landscape and arrived at some interesting conclusions. One, he feels that there is no serious external threat to the country. If India embarks on a massive arms buying spree, Pakistan will respond in kind to maintain the conventional balance. Two, he believes Pakistan could be seriously hurt by three internal weaknesses: (a) lack of political stability created by the continuing conflict over the Legal Framework Order; (b) provincial disharmony, especially over the water issue in Sindh and the bad law and order situation in Baluchistan; (c) religious extremism and violent sectarianism which is capable of destroying us.
The thrust of General Musharraf’s prognosis seems correct. All these factors form part of the equation representing Pakistan’s state of being. But his ‘‘solutions’’ beg some questions. In General Musharraf’s book, India seems the only possible external threat to Pakistan. But, following 9/11 when the US threatened Pakistan with ‘‘either you’re with us or you’re against us’’, is that realistic? Is it inconceivable that the US might one day pose the biggest threat to Pakistan if Islamabad were perceived to be aiding or abetting Islamic terrorists?
What if there were another big terrorist act in America in which some footprints led to Pakistan? Already, as the President has acknowledged, there are powerful voices in America asking whether ‘‘Pakistan is a friend or foe’’ for much the same reasons. For example, is Pakistan harbouring the Taliban resistance? Did it provide nuclear know-how to Korea and Iran? Is it doing enough to flush out Al Qaeda from its tribal borderlands? But leaving aside such scenarios, we must ask whether the potential threat from India should be met mainly by exploiting the newly generated fiscal and forex space in our economy to maintain the ‘‘arms balance’’.
Can we afford’ this? Wasn’t our nuclear deterrent supposed to rule out precisely such a crippling arms race with India? Shouldn’t the fiscal space be used instead to generate economic growth, jobs, infrastructure, education, health and empowerment of people so that a robust economy rather than a bloated army becomes the central element of national power? Musharraf’s assessment of Pakistan’s internal fissures is also problematic. It is true that the LFO is an impediment to political stability. But the idea that stability can be bought by resolving the LFO only with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal is wrong. The MMA is, by definition, a specific product of the peculiar external circumstances impacting on Pakistan’s border provinces in the wake of 9/11 coupled with the internal political vacuum created by Musharraf to keep the PPP and PMLN out of the reckoning. In other words, the MMA is the product of an abnormal and contrived situation. Hence it cannot be the peg on which to hang solutions for long term, institutional stability. That can only come about via a modus vivendi between the armed forces of Pakistan and its two mainstream political parties.
But on that score, regrettably, Musharraf has nothing original to offer.
His answer to the bad law and order situation in Baluchistan in which nearly 90% of the province’s territory is classified as ‘B’ grade no-go area is: ‘‘We’ll sort them out’’. By ‘‘them’’ he means a clutch of mischievous tribal sardars who are apparently inimical to the ‘‘national interest’’.
How many times have we heard this facile description of the problems of Baluchistan and their solution? General Ayub Khan ordered the bombing of Baluchistan; Z A Bhutto sent 100,000 troops to pacify the province; and General Zia ul Haq tried to buy it off with a few ship building contracts and a sprinkling of jobs in the federal bureaucracy. But the province is as anarchic and backward as ever; and alienation from the central government runs high.
Similarly, the water issue in Sindh cannot be washed away by undertaking some interactive trips to ‘‘explain the issue objectively’’ even as the representative leadership of Sindh is incarcerated or exiled for politically opportunistic reasons.
Musharraf is absolutely right in his assessment of the myriad dangers to Pakistan from religious extremism. But apart from exhorting ‘‘enlightened moderation’’, he has done little to effectively tackle societal intolerance. The problem is not just one of some extremist groups in society who need to be ‘‘sorted out’’ by a combination of better intelligence and select repression. Thanks to General Zia ul Haq it pervades even now. That is why the unfortunate perception is solidifying that Musharraf is playing games whenever he announces yet another ‘‘crackdown’’ on extremist elements in Pakistan.
In short, Musharraf seems acutely aware of the central problems facing Pakistan. But his well-intentioned solutions remain essentially short term survival tactics. What is needed is a longer term visionary strategy for Pakistan. (The Friday Times)

Radiological devices: Anytime, anywhere Joby Warrick Indian Express 01 Dec 03
TBILISI, GEORGIA: When police caught up with him on May 31, Tedo Makeria was headed toward Tbilisi’s main rail station, his lethal cargo hidden in boxes lined with lead so thick his taxi sagged from the weight. The suspicious policeman who halted the cab had barely cracked the trunk when he noticed the boxes and the distinctive labels that warned, ‘‘Danger: Radiation.’’
More police arrived within minutes, and a Geiger counter was produced. As Makeria smoked nervously in the back seat, officers flipped the instrument’s ‘‘on’’ switch and watched the needle leap off the screen. ‘‘At first we were just shocked,’’ Maj. Leri Omiadze, the ranking officer at the scene, recalled later. ‘‘Then we all started backing away slowly.’’ Inside Makeria’s boxes were two capsules of highly radioactive metals - strontium and cesium - of a type that terrorism experts say can be used in a ‘‘dirty bomb,’’ a device that spews radiation but does not trigger a nuclear explosion. A third container held a vial of brown liquid that Georgian police identified as the substance used in mustard gas, one of the earliest chemical weapons.
Only later did police learn Makeria’s role in the affair. He was a courier for criminals trading in components and materials for weapons of mass destruction. In a scheme still not fully understood, Makeria got the boxes from another Georgian, a man with a history of drug offenses. Makeria was to carry the boxes by train from Tbilisi to troubled Adzharia province, on Georgia’s southwestern frontier. Police believe they were then to be transported by other couriers across the border into Turkey or perhaps even Iran, for delivery to an expectant customer, whose identity remains unknown. What is certain is that the Georgians who sought to profit from selling components of a dirty bomb are far from unique.
There have been dozens of cases of trafficking in radiological materials over the past three years, along with what some weapons experts describe as a disturbing new trend. While most sellers of such materials traditionally have been amateurs - opportunists and lone actors in search of easy profits - authorities now see a surging interest among criminal groups.
In a string of incidents that stretch from the Caucasus and Eastern Europe to West Africa and South America, gangs have stalked and stolen radiological devices to sell for profit or to use in crimes ranging from extortion to murder. This new interest by smugglers and criminal networks complicates an already difficult task confronting governments: stopping terrorists from obtaining any of the tens of thousands of powerful radiological sources around the world that are currently in private hands or simply have been discarded.
In Georgia and other unstable corners of the world, radioactive materials are turning up on black markets alongside more traditional contraband such as drugs or Kalashnikov rifles. They are a currency of the global gray zone, a dangerous mixture of failed states, porous borders and weak law enforcement where the tools of terrorism are bought and sold.
The involvement of professional smugglers and criminals only increases the odds that radiological materials will end up in terrorists’ hands, US experts say. Already, the sheer volume of such materials in circulation has prompted scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to conclude, in a study released in September, that a dirty bomb ‘‘attack somewhere in the world is overdue.’’
So serious is the threat that both the Bush administration and the International Atomic Energy Agency have launched major initiatives within the past 18 months to find and lock up abandoned radiological material worldwide. At the Energy Department, Secretary Spencer Abraham has made preventing a dirty-bomb threat to a top priority, on par with long-established programs to secure nuclear stockpiles in the former Soviet Union.
A dirty bomb, or ‘‘radiological dispersion device’’ in the jargon of defence experts, is not a nuclear weapon but rather a crude device that uses conventional explosives or other means to spread radiation over a wide area. Compared to true nuclear weapons or even to biological or chemical weapons, they are technologically simple, and well within the grasp of international terrorist groups, nuclear experts say.
Documents seized from training camps in Afghanistan two years ago by US forces showed that Al-Qaeda leaders there planned to build a dirty bomb and may have begun gathering materials for one. Iraq, which struggled in vain for a decade to master the complexities of a nuclear weapon, built and tested a dirty bomb in the 1980s before abandoning the program on the grounds that it was ineffective against military targets, according to UN weapons inspectors.
Such a bomb would likely unleash panic and trigger economic and social upheavals. Even a moderately sized dirty bomb exploded in a modern city could contaminate large swaths of real estate with radiation, rendering some areas uninhabitable for months or years.(LATWP)
Gorshkov: Price fixed, deal soon Indian Express 3 Dec 03
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 2: India will soon sign a deal for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier with Russia as Naval Chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh today informed mediapersons that the headquarters was through with price negotiations. ‘‘The aircraft carrier had been negotiated at less than Rs 3,000 crore and would be a major addition to the Naval fleet,’’ Singh said addressing a press conference at the Navy Day
According to Singh, the aircraft carrier would be a ‘‘power projection carrier’’, unlike the past ones with the Navy which were ‘‘sea control carriers’’. Admiral Gorshkov can ‘‘take on a land-based air force’’, he said.
The Navy will be acquiring a squadron of MiG-29K aircraft for the carrier, followed by another squadron, he added. He refused to comment on whether the package deal included two Russian Akula class nuclear submarines and nuclear capable Tupolev-22M long-range strategic maritime bombers on lease.
Singh said the Defence Acquisition Council had approved the Navy’s 10-year plan to acquire 23 more warships, including an indigenous air-defence warship.
Russia for own anti-missile system, India sticks to Barak Indian Express 4 Dec 03 Saokat Dutta
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 3: The acquisition of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for the Navy appears to be on course barring Moscow’s insistence that India deploys Russian anti-missile system Kashtan-M on board the carrier instead of the Israeli Barak. According to sources, the Gorshkov contract was finalised on the lines of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Though Russia, sources said, was keen on adding another $ 50 million to the deal, the price negotiating committee had concluded its deliberations.
Over the issue of installing Kashtan-M on the Gorshkov, sources said New Delhi agreed to test the system after the Gorshkov deal was signed. The Kashtan-M is priced around Rs 100 crore a piece and is at par with the Barak that the Navy currently uses on its frontline frigates and destroyers.
The Russian Kashtan combines powerful artillery armament and multirole missiles and can simultaneously engage four cruise missiles. Stated as a challenger to Barak, the Kashtan-M is in serial production and is onboard a number of Russian naval ships.
US Army officers to attend funeral
Indiane Espress 6 Dec 03
CHANDIGARH, DECEMBER 5: The young officer who was killed in sniper fire in Iraq will be cremated here with full US military honours. The funeral of Uday Singh (21) is likely to be attended by senior US officials, including a Brigadier General.
Steven. J. Stoiber, military attache in the US Embassy who will camp here till cremation, said: ‘‘Bringing the body from the UK will take seven to 15 days. Negotiations with the Indian government in this regard are on.’’ The ashes will be buried at Arlington cemetery near Washington DC.
The body will be embalmed after an autopsy, wrapped in a Class A uniform of the US Army and brought here with a US Army escort, he added. On the manner of Uday’s death, Steven said: ‘‘There is no clear-cut sequence of events. He was hit during a routine patrol and died on way to the hospital. The matter is under investigation.’’
‘‘His grandfather Wg Com Karat Singh Tanque (retd) was proud of him. They were close,’’ says Uday’s father, Col P.M. Singh (retd). In 2000, the family went back to the US. ‘‘He told me he wanted to join the US Army. He was selected for the US Marines Recruiting Station and he wanted to join the combat arm. ’’ During training at Fort Knox, he told his father it was tough. ‘‘He topped his batch.” The day he arrived this February, the war started. ‘‘Take care while I go to save the whole world,’’ read his message to the family just before he left for Iraq.
N Korea comes to ask for missile parts, India says pay for ship, forget arms
Indian Express Shsihir Gupta 7 Dec 03
NEW DELHI/DECEMBER 6: New Delhi has asked Pyongyang to cough up Rs 8 crore sovereign guarantee for North Korean ship Ku Wol San, that was ‘‘arrested’’ carrying missile parts and production manuals by the Indian Custom authorities off the Kandla Coast at the height of Kargil War.
Indian officials conveyed the demand during the meeting with North Korean Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Kim Yong Il this week after the latter requested New Delhi to release the seized consignment of 177 tonnes of missile parts and manuals.
While the Government is tightlipped about the meeting, the North Korean Minister apparently impressed upon Indian officials that the consignment was meant for Libya and not Pakistan. Ku Wol San was ‘‘arrested’’ by the Indian authorities on June 25, 1999, but the ship-harboured at Kandla port-was released later that year on sovereign guarantee.
The missile equipment on board Ku Wol San had not been declared, instead the ship was shown to be carrying 13,000 tonnes of sugar. It is only after the consignment was examined by Defence Research and Development Organisation’s top missile experts that it was found that the seized material was for making Nodong I genre of missiles. The next stop of Ku Wol San was Karachi but the final destination was shown to be Malta.
During the meeting, New Delhi made it clear that as the seized material was part of the ongoing legal proceedings there was no question of India releasing the consignment to Pyongyang. The officials clearly conveyed to their North Korean counterparts that New Delhi was embarrassed after the seizure as it was against proliferation of nuclear capable missile technology. Instead of agreeing to Pyongyang’s request for release of consignment, the officials asked them to pay Rs 8 crore sovereign guarantee.
However, the Vice-Minister urged New Delhi to release the equipment saying that even the US had released a North Korean ship carrying a dozen missiles for Yemen. But New Delhi did not budge from its stand at the meeting and reiterated its stance on proliferation of missile and nuclear technology.

posted by promila 1:07 AM

Friday, September 12, 2003

Defense News
Aug 29, 2003
India To Vie for Mirage Fighters From Qatar
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
The Indian Ministry of Defence plans to launch an aggressive bid for 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft being sold by Qatar.
The Indian Air Force wants the aircraft to augment its nuclear weapon delivery system, but also plans to bid to keep the aircraft out of Pakistani hands, a senior Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) official said Aug. 25. He said Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates also are bidding for the aircraft.
India is ready to pay up to $37 million per plane, the MoD official said. A new Mirage 2000-5 costs around $53.2 million.
Qatar bought the aircraft in 1997 from Dassault Aviation, Saint Cloud, France, and the nine single-seat Mirage 2000-5 EDAs and three two-seat Mirage 2000-5 DDAs are “like brand new,” a senior Indian Air Force official said Aug. 25.
See the full story in the Sept. 1, 2003, i

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Defense News
Aug 29, 2003
India Balks at U.S. Demand in Weapons Deal
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
Indo-U.S. defense ties have hit a snag following Washington’s insistence that New Delhi disclose deployment plans for the weapons it wants to buy from the United States.
Indian Ministry of Defence officials here say government leaders have serious reservations on this stipulation, and that warming relations could cool once again as a result. The immediate victim could be the sale of P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, which India plans to buy from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, the officials said.
The U.S. position was made known to India during the joint Defence Policy Group meeting in Washington Aug. 6-7, one senior ministry official said Aug. 26, adding that such a demand will not be accepted by India.
See the full story in the Sept. 1, 2003, issue of Defense News.
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DefensenewsAug 15, 2003
India Eyes British Carrier
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
The Indian Navy is eyeing Britain’s HMS Invincible aircraft carrier, as talks with Russia over another carrier deal remain at a stalemate.
British Defence Ministry officials offered to sell the Invincible to India when naval chief Adm. Madhavendra Singh visited the United Kingdom July 1-3. The offer includes an unspecified number of Sea King helicopters and used Sea Harrier aircraft, said a senior Indian Defence Ministry official, who declined to disclose the cost and the timetable of the possible deal.
A senior diplomat at the U.K. High Commission here confirmed the British government made an offer.
See full story in the Aug. 18, 2003, issue of Defense News.
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Defense News
Sept 03, 2003
India To Set Up Elite Counter-Terrorism Units Within Infantry Battalions
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
India will spend more than 3 billion rupees ($65 million) to set up “lethal units” in its infantry battalions to counter terrorism, Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad announced Sept. 3.
Prasad said the decision was made by the security Cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
“The security Cabinet has also decided to authorize the modernization of battalions with enhanced firepower, state-of-art communication equipment and night-vision capability through hand-held thermal imagers,” Prasad said.
He said the platoons would be carved from the existing battalions of India’s Army and armed with lethal weaponry, part of which will be imported from the international arms bazaar.
“The lethal units will be ready by 2007,” Prasad told a crowded press conference after the security Cabinet meeting.
The Indian Army is spread thin on the country’s borders, having to assign large portions of its combat formations on “internal security” duties, a euphemism for counter-insurgency tasks.
Islamic militancy is steadily bleeding the 1.3-million-strong Army in the Indian zone of troubled Kashmir, where 38,000 people, including hundreds of soldiers, have died in separatist violence since 1989.
Tribal and ethnic insurgencies in six of India’s seven northeastern states also have taken a deadly toll and a general distaste for “internal security” has led to a staggering shortage of 15,000 officers in the military.
Prasad said the Army also will spend an additional 2.9 billion rupees ($62 million) over the next two years to create special units to deal with land mines and other ambushes involving explosives.
“Keeping in view rampant terrorism it has been decided to create special units to neutralize improvised explosive devices used by terrorists,” he said, adding a “sizeable number” of such units will be drawn from the Army’s engineering, infantry and other formations.
“These units in the Army will be able to handle challenges,” said Prasad, in an oblique reference to India’s mounting military casualties in disputed Kashmir.
Most paramilitary organizations in Indian Kashmir have trained, cutting-edge commando units but they often fail to match the massive firepower of better-armed separatists in ground combat.
“It is a good step as the chief of the Army had been asking for better equipment for years,” said V.N. Sharma, former Indian Army chief general.
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Defense News
Sept 08, 2003
India To Produce 30 More Surface-to-Surface Nuke-Capable Missiles: Report
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
India will produce at least 30 more short-range surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, a newspaper report said Sept. 7.
The decision to build more Prithvi missiles, which have a range of 150 to 300 kilometers, was taken last week at the first meeting of the country’s Nuclear Command Authority chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.
The exact number of Prithvi missiles with the armed forces is not known as it is considered classified information.
The new Prithvi missiles would have a new solid propellant instead of the present liquid-fuel motor, PTI said, quoting unidentified defense sources.
The agency said separately that India may test-fire the under-construction Agni III, a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 kilometers, in November.
Defence Minister George Fernandes has said two shorter variants, the Agni I and Agni II, will be deployed sometime this year. PTI said the government gave the nod to the two missiles’ induction.
The report said the cabinet also sanctioned the building of more missile launchers. At present, Army missile battalions are equipped with eight launchers each, it said.
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French Navy Regional Commander To Visit India
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
The naval commander of France’s Indian Ocean deployment, Rear Adm. Richard Wilmot-Roussel, was to arrive in India on Sept. 9 for a two-day trip focused on naval cooperation.
“This visit is a part of the ongoing close Indo-French naval cooperation and will be an occasion for in-depth discussions between the Indian and French navies,” the French embassy here said in a statement Sept. 8. “The Indian Ocean plays a key role in the Indo-French relations.”
The French Navy has permanently stationed 10 warships in the Indian Ocean, which participate in annual joint naval exercises with Indian ships.
A dozen French warships call each year at Indian ports.
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Defense News
Sept 08, 2003
India, Israel To Sign Phalcon Deal in ‘Couple of Weeks’: Israeli Official
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
Israel and India were likely to sign a $1 billion deal for three Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) radar systems within weeks, an official travelling with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confirmed late Sept. 8.
“It will probably be another couple of weeks because of a couple of bureaucratic lapses, things that have to be worked out,” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
He did not explain further, but defense sources hinted it was likely the source of the delay hinged on the issue of the transfer of source code for the system.
The Phalcon is an Israeli-developed long-range radar warning and control system carried in a Russian Ilyushin-76 cargo plane.
The United States, which had been blocking the sale of Phalcons to both India and China, gave Israel the go-ahead last month to sign the AWACS deal with New Delhi.
The Israeli leader arrived here late Monday at the head of a high-powered delegation including chief executives of major Israeli armaments firms.
Indian officials said last week that while the two sides would discuss the sale of Israeli Phalcon AWACS during Sharon’s stay, they would not sign a pact for the systems.
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Defense News
Sept 09, 2003
India, Israel Discuss Billion-Dollar Radar Deal
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
Top military officials from India and Israel met Sept. 9 on the sidelines of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit with their talks focussing on a $1 billion deal for Phalcon radar systems.
Amos Yaron, director-general of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, met Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy, head of India’s Air Force, for talks that lasted for nearly an hour, officials from both countries said.
“The two sides discussed a series of issues, but their talks mainly focussed on our requirement for the three Phalcon AWACS [airborne warning and control systems], for which there are no obstacles now,” an Indian Air Force official said on condition of anonymity.
Yaron’s talks with Krishnaswamy came after an Israeli official accompanying Sharon told reporters here that the long-awaited deal would be signed within weeks.
The Phalcon is an Israeli-developed long-range radar warning and control system carried in a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane.
“It will probably be another couple of weeks because of a couple of bureaucratic lapses, things that have to be worked out,” an Israeli official said on condition that he not be named.
The official did not explain further, but Israeli defense sources hinted it was likely the source of the delay hinged on the issue of the transfer of source code for the system.
The United States, which had been blocking the sale of Phalcons to both India and China, gave Israel the go-ahead last month to sign the AWACS deal with New Delhi.
Sharon arrived here late Sept. 8 at the head of a high-powered delegation including chief executives of nine major Israeli armament firms and on Sept. 9 met his Indian counterpart, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and others.
Indian officials said last week that while the two sides would discuss the sale of Israeli Phalcon AWACS during Sharon’s stay,they would not sign a pact for the systems.
Indian Defence Ministry sources said that Yaron and Krishnaswamy also discussed upgrading India’s crash-plagued, Russian-built MiG-21 fighter jets.
Yaron, heading an Israeli military team comprising Col. Yoash Rubin and Col. Moshe Kravitz also held a 75-minute meeting with V. K. Atre, the Indian Defence Ministry’s chief scientific adviser, the sources said.
“The talks focussed on a possible collaboration between state-owned Israeli Aircraft Industry and India’s Defence Research and Development Organization for joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles,” one source said.
The Israeli military team is set to hold a series of meetings Sept. 10 with Indian military planners, talks that are likely to accelerate the sale of Israeli Travos infantry weaponry for counterinsurgency operations.
Yaron, a retired major general, will hold talks Sept. 10 with India’s Navy chief, Adm. Madhvendera Singh, and Army chief, Gen. N.C. Vij, while Defence Minister George Fernandes will call on Sharon after the day’s negotiations.
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Defensenews.com12 Sep 03
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India, Myanmar Begin Naval Exercises
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
Within a week of the visit by Adm. Madhavendra Singh, India’s Navy chief and chairman of the Chiefs of the Defence Staff, to neighboring Myanmar, two Indian warships reached Yangon on Sept. 10 for joint exercises.
Disclosing their arrival at the Myanmar capital, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official here said the two Khukri-class warships would carry out joint exercises with Myanmar naval ships. The official, however, clarified that the Sept. 10-15 joint maneuvers were planned before Singh’s visit.
“The first joint naval exercise between India and Myanmar will send a strong political signal in the region,” asserted an official of India’s Ministry of External Affairs here.
Chinese naval bases are located in Myanmar, also known as Burma. The joint naval exercises between India and Myanmar are likely to upgrade into defense ties between the two countries, the same official added.
There is no defense cooperation pact between the two countries, but India is favorably inclined to sell weapons and equipment to Myanmar, the Indian Defence Ministry official said. Yangon is looking for spares for infantry systems, ammunition for small and medium arms, grenades, rocket launchers and military clothing.
The Indian Defence Ministry also supports Myanmar’s proposal to send its 10 MiG-29 aircraft, bought from Russia in the last five years, to India for upgrades and maintenance.
Defensenews.com 12 Sep 03
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India Will Not Send Troops to Iraq, U.N. Mandate Or Not: Reports
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
India will not send troops to Iraq even if the United Nations mandates multinational peacekeeping operations in the strife-torn country, the Indian media reported Sept. 12.
Quoting top government sources, newspapers said the line New Delhi is now pushing is that it cannot spare any of its million-strong Army for peacekeeping operations due to security threats within the country and on its borders.
However, the real reason, the reports said, was that national elections are due in India by October 2004 and the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believes it would be politically disastrous if any Indian soldier died in Iraq.
India on July 14 rejected a U.S. request to send 15,000 to 20,000 troops to Iraq but said it would reconsider if there were an explicit U.N. mandate.
Washington has since proposed a U.N. resolution to send a multinational force to Iraq.
However, France, Germany and Russia — which all opposed the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein — have expressed reservations about the U.N. draft resolution.
Most major newspapers Friday quoted the unnamed government sources as saying that U.N. mandate or no U.N. mandate, India will not be sending troops to Iraq.
“It’s for the same reason that we turned down the (U.S.) request to send troops to Liberia,” the Hindustan Times quoted one source as saying. “We said we’re in no position to spare troops because of the situation in our northwest sector [on the border with Pakistan] and the kind of terrorist activity that happens in Kashmir on a daily basis.”
Kashmir is in the grip of a 14-year-old Islamic insurgency which has so far claimed 38,000 lives, according to Indian figures. Separatists put the death toll between 80,000 and 100,000.
India already has committed two infantry battalions for U.N. peacekeeping operations — in Lebanon and along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, the source added.
Diplomatic sources said the BJP had recently taken a firm decision not to send troops to Iraq no matter what — but for internal political rather than logistical reasons.
The Hindu newspaper at the weekend hinted as much when it said domestic political considerations more than anything else were likely to dissuade the BJP, which heads India’s coalition government, from sending its troops.
The Hindu report said the Indian government saw “no particular merit in giving the opposition any handle” for attack.
The Asian Age newspaper Friday quoted Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani as telling former U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill: “What would we say to the nation if our soldiers get killed?”
The report said Advani made the remark when Blackwill, trying to persuade India to commit troops, had expressed concern over American soldiers being killed in the post-Saddam period.
Defense news.com 12 Sep 03
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China Lashes Out at Pentagon’s ‘Distorted View’ of Military Might
By MARTIN PARRY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BEIJING
Beijing on Sept. 11 lashed out at “groundless” conclusions in the United States’ annual report on China’s military power, saying it “wantonly misrepresents” Chinese policy.
In an article published in the state-run People’s Liberation Army Daily, and repeated as the main opinion item in the English-language China Daily, China said the Pentagon got it wrong.
“Based upon Washington’s long-held position that China is a potential challenger to U.S. strategic interests in the Asia Pacific, the report wantonly misrepresents China’s strategic goals and defense policies,” it said.
The annual report to Congress, released in late July, said Beijing was annually adding 75 short-range missiles across from Taiwan and acquiring or developing weapons and tactics aimed at countering technologically superior U.S. forces.
It cited one Chinese military publication, “Junshi Wenzhai,” as claiming China already had a trump card to counter U.S. air superiority in the western Pacific: simultaneous attacks on aircraft carriers with fighter bombers, submarines, anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and mines.
Besides acquiring modern Russian-designed fighter aircraft, destroyers and submarines, China also is taking aim at the United States’ high-tech edge with cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as efforts to develop radio frequency weapons and possibly anti-satellite weapons, the U.S. report said.
The newspapers denied China was bent on building its military capability, saying the country had no tradition of conquest.
“The fact is that China has never desired or developed the kind of military capability necessary for strategic expansion,” they said, adding that such a theory was in marked contrast to China’s primary goals of developing its economy and improving living conditions.
“As a developing nation, China’s top priority is to safeguard national security and create a peaceful international environment for its economic construction,” the papers said.
They blasted the “concocted” report as permeated with a “China threat” theory from start to finish as an excuse to justify expanding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
“For a long time the United States has thought of Taiwan as an important chip to contain China’s clout, and taken the separation of Taiwan from China as a key to realizing its strategic interests in the region,” they said.
The United States remains the leading arms supplier to Taiwan despite shifting its political recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.
Last month, reports said Washington had agreed to ship AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles to the Taiwanese Air Force to ensure military balance in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of China that must be reunified and has repeatedly threatened to invade should the island declare formal independence.
The newspapers, however, insisted China was a “peace-loving nation” and would continue along that path, but warned Washington against rocking the boat.
“A healthy Sino-U.S. relationship is not always welcome to some politicians in the U.S. administration and Congress, thus some of them lash out at China when Sino-U.S.-relations turn better,” the opinion said.
“To push forward a steady Sino-U.S. relationship that benefits the interests of both countries and world peace, the United States should be careful about its groundless conclusions.”
Despite the mutual mud-slinging, China-U.S. relations are considered to be better than they have been in years.
Defensenews.com. 12 Sep 03
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India, U.S. Complete Week of Military Exercises in Disputed Kashmir
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Defense news.com/12 Sep 03
India and the United States on Sept. 12 completed a week of joint military exercises in disputed Kashmir’s Ladakh region, as Washington said it was offering spy aircraft to the Indian Navy.
Indian officials said the joint exercises by special forces from the two countries would continue for another week in the heights of Ladakh’s Himalayas, which overlook both Pakistan and China.
“It is for the first time that battalion-sized contingents from India and the United States are conducting a high-altitude exercise in India,” a Defense Ministry official said without elaborating on the nature of the training.
The U.S. embassy in New Delhi on the eve of the event had said the two-week maneuvers would focus on training for high-altitude operations, including “mountain safety, acclimatization and medical aspects.”
Indian troops, and its Air Force, had previously joined U.S. forces in similar maneuvers in the mountains of Alaska.
The U.S. troops were flown to Ladakh on Hercules transport aircraft on Sept. 5 and then ferried to an undisclosed location for the exercises.
Pakistan, which disputes India’s ownership of Kashmir, on Monday criticized the joint exercises between its South Asian archrival and the United States, its partner in the war on terror.
“This is a territory disputed by neighboring states so exercises [in the area] are not helpful,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said in Islamabad. “It may fuel concerns in the neighboring countries and I think it does not contribute to stabilization of Asia and the region,” he said, adding that Pakistan had not been informed in advance of the military event.
The U.S. embassy, meanwhile, said Friday a high-level team from the U.S. Navy had briefed their Indian counterparts earlier this week on the possible acquisition of P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft by India.
“The acquisition of modern P-3s would enhance India’s maritime patrol capability, as the aircraft can be equipped with a variety of weapons and sensors,” the U.S. embassy in a statement said.
India is considering the purchase of the naval spy planes for its anti-ship, anti-submarine, surveillance and search and rescue operations

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Indian Tests of Israeli Missile System May Lead to Orders
By BARBARA OPALL-ROME and VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defensenews.com 12 September, 2003
Recent Indian Navy tests of an Israeli-made anti-missile system are expected to result in follow-on orders for the supersonic, vertical launch ship defense missile.
In interviews here, Indian and Israeli officials said an enhanced version of the Israeli Barak naval air defense system successfully intercepted two Russian-made missile targets in early September tests by the Indian Navy off the coast of Goa, in southwestern India.
“It was a splendid two-for-two performance. They launched two [Baraks] against two incoming missiles, and they destroyed them head-on,” a recently retired Indian general still associated with military modernization efforts, told DefenseNews.com on Sept. 9.
An Israeli defense official here confirmed the tests, as did representatives of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Ltd., and Rafael Armament Development Authority, partners in development and production of the Barak system. Leading executives of the two firms were accompanying Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon here Sept. 9-11 on the first state visit to India of an Israeli premier since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1992.
“It was a significant test, since the missile was evaluated under particularly rigorous conditions,” an Israeli industry official said.
Defense officials from both countries said New Delhi has agreed to purchase at least eight new systems. The package follows an initial $270 million package concluded in 2001.
The Israeli Barak system is designed to intercept sea-skimming missiles, cruise missiles, or air-launched missiles in daylight, at night and under any weather conditions. It has an intercept range from a minimum of 500 meters to beyond 10 kilometers.
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Indian Analysts Are Asking For Army's Accountability
By Harish Khare
AFTER the recent Mumbai blasts, the time has come to ask a few hard questions of the alleged iron-willed practitioners of our new 'hard state.' The post-blast rituals and post-massacre drills no longer suffice.
The post-violence rituals are only too familiar: The Deputy Prime Minister flies out to the scene of bloody massacre, announces the involvement of the Inter-Services Intelligence and repeats his demand for the "most wanted 20"; the Prime Minister and the President issue messages of condemnation; Foreign Ministers telephone our Foreign Minister, offering condolences and advising restraint; compensation is announced for the kin of those killed; the "martyred" army and paramilitary personnel are given a befitting funeral; politicians engage in blame game; within days, the "master-mind(s)" are arrested; Ministers and Police Commissioners hold press conferences to announce a "breakthrough," friendly and gullible journalists are palmed off "incriminating" evidence to link the arrested men to this or that outfit headquartered in Pakistan, and so on.
After a few days, we move on to other local or national distractions, till there is another outbreak of terrorist-perpetrated violence.
Perhaps these rituals are needed to reassure the apprehensive citizens that they are not helpless, that the "government" is alive to its constitutional duty to provide safety and security to every Indian, that "we" do have the men and the arms to take care of the terrorists, and that our rulers are not insensitive to the plight of the common man.
The therapeutic usefulness of these rituals cannot be overlooked, especially as we all know what happened in Gujarat last year when the rulers in New Delhi and Gandhinagar decided to do away with these rituals.
But surely, a regime that proclaims to have bestowed on India the status of a "nuclear power" ought to be able to do something more than simply wait for another terrorist outrage. The disease is no longer confined to Jammu and Kashmir but has now traveled to "smaller towns."
What is most alarming is the qualitative change in the nature and origin of the potential terrorist: he is home-grown. The terrorist outfits and their ISI puppeteers no longer need to send "Afghanis" to attack targets; they are finding recruits here on the periphery of the national capital.
Pakistan's involvement and its intractable hostility to our safety and security is an old — and tired — song. We cannot keep on wringing our national hands in despair, petitioning the "international community" to do something about Islamabad.
At least this was the promise of the 'deshbhakts' five years ago, when the country was invited to vote for tough men who knew what tough measures needed to be taken to tell our detractors that India was no longer a soft state. It is a different matter that the country is less secure than it was five years ago, and terror has traveled from the Kashmir Valley down to the heartland. It is possible to suggest that some political leaders find that this periodic terror is good for their electoral health. May be.
But the cynical political calculations of a few cynical men cannot be sufficient reason for the failure of the overseers of the Indian state to put in place instruments, procedures and practices that deny the terrorist local support.
Why should, for example, our political establishment go on blaming Dawood Ibrahim for suborning the loyalties of policemen in Maharashtra, Gujarat and other States? After all, Mr. D fled the country more than 10 years ago; Maharashtra, in the meantime, had a 24-carat nationalist government, headed by a Shiv Sena man, for five years; and, since 1998, we have been fortunate enough to have Sardar Patel the Second as our Home Minister.
Yet we continue to believe that the only way to put an end to this criminal-terrorist synergy is to have the "most wanted" 20-odd characters in our custody, without once wanting to know why and how these criminals (now allegedly patronized by the ISI) continue to get the better of police establishments across the country.
In fact, it was 10 years ago — after the first Bombay blasts, in 1993 — that the N.N. Vohra Committee put its finger on the crux of the context which allows foreign intelligence agencies (like the ISI) to play their mischief: "all over India crime syndicates have become a law unto themselves.
Even in the smaller towns and rural areas, musclemen have become the order of the day. Hired assassins have become a part of these organizations. The nexus between the criminal gangs, police, bureaucracy and politicians has come out clearly in various parts of the country.
The existing criminal justice system, which was essentially designed to deal with the individual offences/crimes, is unable to deal with the activities of the mafia; the provisions of law in regard to economic offences are weak; there are insurmountable legal difficulties in attaching/ confiscation of the property acquired through mafia activities."
Have we made any progress in our internal security management since the Vohra Committee alerted us to creeping enfeeblement of our law and order machinery? Admittedly not; and this enfeeblement has provided enough space for our nation's enemies to hand out franchises in the heartland.
Besides the first Vohra Committee report, the country's rulers have also had the benefit of the second Vohra Committee report. The former Union Home Secretary headed the Internal Security task force; it was one of the four groups (besides intelligence, border management, and security) that inquired into the "Kargil" making.
The Internal Security report remains a secret document, but it is well known that its most emphatic recommendation was that a "Federal Law Enforcement Agency" be set up. This recommendation was in tune with the first report, which had suggested a "nodal set-up", which, in turn, could draw on the resources of all intelligence and enforcement agencies, across the bureaucratic turfs.
Nothing came of the "nodal set-up," primarily because the political leadership was preoccupied with survival games and the bureaucrats were unwilling to cede any turf. The proposal was further elaborated in the second report; the idea being that the criminals and terrorists had succeeded in setting up national and even global networks, and that it was only logical that the security agencies should pool their resources.
The Central Government's most glaring failure on the internal security front has been its inability to create such an agency. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, on March 11, 2003, the Home Ministry conceded "there is no consensus on the proposal due to the perception of some of the States that this could impinge upon their spheres of responsibility with regard to the maintenance of public order."
The root of this perception is essentially to do with the entirely partisan political leadership at the North Block. This partisanship has neutralized whatever goodwill the Center has traditionally enjoyed in dealing with the States.
More than this unhelpful partisanship, what has hampered the Union Home Ministry is Mr. Advani's failure to provide the sustained, involved and inspirational leadership to the internal security bureaucracies. A successful Minister is one who looks ahead without getting caught in the smoke and crises of the current battle; ministerial leadership means honing bureaucratic resources to anticipate and meet problems as well as to demand that officers perform.
In this regard, the Union Home Ministry has been singularly unlucky. The Prime Minister needs to ask his Home Minister why he has not been able to sort out the internal security matrix.
A similar failure is evident in the other Ministry across the road. We have had a Raksha Mantri who has made a fetish of traveling to the remotest army posts to be with "the boys," but who has not yet demanded of his generals why they are not able to stop infiltration.
The reason is simple. The Government has devised this clever stratagem of denouncing any demand for accountability on the national security front as an unfair questioning of the "jawan."
This has worked well against an inept Opposition but in the process, the political leadership has lost its capacity and appetite for asking tough questions of the over-pampered generals as to why they continue to make the same mistakes again and again, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, as compared with the other para-military organizations.
And because no show cause notice is issued either to the

SA Tribune 12 Sep 03
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US Officials Skeptical of Pak Crackdown on Taliban
By John Lancaster Saa Tribune 12Sep 03
MOHMAND AGENCY, Pakistan: Until recently, this remote tribal region on the Afghan border was the last of Pakistan's "no-go" areas, a lawless realm of parched mountains and mud-walled villages where not even the army dared to tread. Smugglers operated with impunity here, and so, some say, did the Taliban and al Qaeda.
But this June, Pakistani soldiers moved into Mohmand Agency, one of seven tribal areas that have been brought under government control for the first time in Pakistan's history. The situation is now so tranquil that the army recently organized a helicopter tour for Western journalists, showcasing a well-digging project and smiling villagers bearing trays of ice-cold Pepsi-Cola.
"We don't allow Taliban here," said Mohammed Shah, 45, a wiry-looking laborer who was among the well-wishers in the village of Faqir Wala. "If they come, we will throw them out."
The army organized the tour to counter charges by the US-backed Afghan government that Pakistan is allowing Taliban fighters to use its border areas as a base for stepped-up operations against US and Afghan forces in southern and southeastern Afghanistan. Such attacks, including recent large-scale assaults on police posts, have forced aid groups to curtail some relief and reconstruction efforts and raised doubts about plans to hold national elections next year.
They also are a cause of growing concern in Washington. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said after a visit earlier this month to Kabul, the Afghan capital, that Pakistan was "not doing as much as it can" to secure its border with Afghanistan.
Pakistani officials deny they are aiding the Taliban, saying they are committed to helping the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai while emphasizing the challenge of preventing illegal movement across the rugged frontier, much of which is not even marked.
Some analysts and Western diplomats, however, are skeptical of Pakistan's assurances. They cite Pakistan's historical ties to the Taliban, its animosity toward members of the former Northern Alliance militia who now dominate Karzai's government and its growing anxiety over links between Kabul and India, Pakistan's historical nemesis.
In particular, Pakistani officials accuse India of using newly reopened consulates in the Afghan cities of Kandahar and Jalalabad to stir up tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially along the border. "I would not say the policy has gone to overt or covert support for the Taliban, but there could be a process of benign neglect," said retired army officer Ikram Majeed Sehgal, who retains close links to Pakistan's security establishment as the head of the country's largest private security firm.
"Given the fact that the Northern Alliance has taken over, [Pakistani security forces] would not crack down [on the Taliban] with the same enthusiasm they would have a year earlier," he added. "Now their worst fears have come true. The Indians have planted themselves in Kandahar and in Jalalabad."
A Western diplomat suggested that Pakistani intelligence agents still maintain "lines of communication" with fugitive Taliban leaders, who share Pakistan's hostility toward India and the Northern Alliance. If nothing else, the diplomat added, Pakistani officials perceive such contacts as "an insurance policy" in the event that Karzai's government fails and the Taliban returns to power in some form.
Pakistan's ties to the Taliban date from the early 1990s, when it embraced the movement as a stabilizing force in Afghanistan and -- along with Saudi Arabia -- supplied much of the weaponry and logistical support that underpinned its rise to power. The movement drew its manpower from Afghan and Pakistani students at Islamic seminaries, or madrassas, in the Pashtun tribal belt running through the border regions of North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan.
Many of the madrassas were run by Jamiat-e-Ulema-i-Islami, one of Pakistan's main hard-line religious parties. The JUI is now part of the six-party religious alliance that leads the opposition in Pakistan's parliament and also holds power in the provincial government of North-West Frontier Province, which includes Mohmand Agency.
Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the United States, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, threw his support behind the US-led war to topple the Taliban government and crush al Qaeda with help from the Northern Alliance, which occupied Kabul several months later. Since then, Pakistani security services acting in concert with the FBI and CIA have arrested nearly 500 al Qaeda fugitives in Pakistan.
But Pakistani officials say they make a distinction between al Qaeda members, most of whom are Arabs, and Taliban fighters, who they say are generally undeserving of the "terrorist" label. Pakistani authorities have arrested few, if any, senior Taliban figures, many of whom are thought to have taken refuge in Pakistan.
"Officials knew that using strong-arm tactics against the Taliban would be a mistake," Fazlur Rahman, the head of the JUI, said in a telephone interview. "One can have a difference of opinion with some of their leaders, but the Taliban were pro-Pakistan and would always remain so. My feeling is the army as an institution recognizes that fact."
Afghan officials say they are paying the price for Pakistan's ambivalent attitude toward the Taliban. In Kandahar, Afghan intelligence officials have been allowing Western journalists to interview captured Taliban fighters who describe themselves as recent recruits from madrassas in Pakistan's border areas.
One of them, identified as an 18-year-old Afghan from the central province of Uruzgan, told Reuters that he had been studying at a madrassa in Chaman, near the border with Afghanistan, several months ago when a pro-Taliban cleric invited him to "join the jihad." The captured fighter, Rahimatullah, said he traveled to the Pakistani city of Quetta, where he joined 10 more recruits before taking a taxi to the Maruf district of Kandahar province.
A few nights later he was captured during an unsuccessful raid on the home of a government official. Rahimatullah said he had been paid 3,200 Pakistani rupees, about $55, to join the militia.
A Western military source credited Pakistan with making a sincere effort to stop infiltration, however, noting that the army has established about 300 new outposts in the border areas in the last three months.
Pakistani army officers said they have so far deployed 25,000 men in the tribal areas of North-West Frontier Province. In Mohmand Agency, as in other tribal areas, many are involved in public works projects, such as building schools and roads. Others have been deployed along the border, occupying positions at one-mile intervals on the agency's 42-mile frontier with Afghanistan, according to Brig. Iqbal Harral, the brigade commander in the area.
Gen. Ali Aurakzai, the corps commander in the province, said his field commanders hold regular meetings with their US counterparts across the border and sometimes coordinate operations against pro-Taliban forces with the aid of satellite phones.
"We provided the anvil, and they provided the hammer," he said of one such operation that took place recently.
The writer is Correspondent for the Washington Post in Pakistan

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Musharraf’s Record of Repeated Disasters: Can We Trust His Judgment?
By Shaheen Sehbai SA Tribune 12 Sep 03

LAST FRIDAY, when a moderate and half ambitious but widely-read Urdu columnist, Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, who had attended General Musharraf’s famous Lahore briefing, slapped the General with a brutal, almost discourteous smack in his column, it was clear that Musharraf was now being seen as a case gone astray, even by his sympathizers.
Wrote Haqqani in Daily “Jang” of August 22: “You have put the condition of an “honest and righteous” leadership to eradicate corruption. Excuse Me. You (General Musharraf) are the almighty dictator for the last three and a half years. Look at your own performance first and then open your mouth to advise and lecture others. Have you collected the “honest and righteous” leadership under the umbrella of Mr. Jamali’s coalition? If a philosopher cannot act on his own philosophy, how can he complain about others? One ounce of action is heavier than one ton of words. If you had taken action in the right direction on the conditions (you are laying down today), you would not have felt the need to lecture the nation…” Click to Read Column in Urdu
Strong words but coming rather late in the day. Yet it is now almost clear as a crystal that there has always been a very wide gap between what General Musharraf says and what he actually does. And whatever he does, has almost invariably, turned out not to be the right thing.
We compiled a list of decisions Musharraf took, since he became the Army Chief to the present, and it turns out to be so depressing, one almost loses faith in the ability and capacity of the man to take any, repeat any, correct decision, unless forced on him or when he had no choice. Whether he does it deliberately or whether it is the fault of his training and instincts developed over the years as a commando and a survivor is debatable.
Here are some of the key mistakes he made, as a decision-maker in various capacities:
- As Army Chief, Musharraf rallied all Corps Commanders to take a vow that if the political prime minister tried to assert his authority on the new army chief, as he had done with General Jahangir Karamat, who was forced to resign, the Army would stage a coup d’etat. That laid the seeds of violating the Constitution, even when there was no apparent reason. The conspiracy was already hatched.
- As Army Chief, Musharraf went to Abbaji, the father of the then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, in Raiwind, and asked him to replace the PM with his brother Shahbaz Sharif, who was then Chief Minister of Punjab. That day, he lost the confidence of the PM, for good and was then not to be trusted. (This was recorded by me in an interview with Abbaji, published in Daily ‘Dawn’ in August of 2000.)
- As Army Chief Musharraf refused to obey the Prime Minister and support his peace initiative with India, when Vajpayee was invited to Pakistan for the famous bus trip. That decision signaled to the world that Pakistan was still a banana republic with the power in the hands of the army and civilians were helpless.
- As Army Chief Musharraf launched the Kargil operation which ended in a disaster and killing of 4000 Pakistan Army men (according to Nawaz Sharif’s latest statement made on Aug 14, 2003 at a protest rally in Lahore). Kargil has become the ultimate credibility factor for Musharraf and Pakistan Army as no one trusts him after that.
- After October '99 coup, he made some right sounding noises about a liberal and modern Pakistan, but soon slipped into the mould of a traditional self-perpetuating dictator, negating everything he said earlier. He twisted the Supreme Court judgment in Zafar Ali Shah case to grab powers and extend his tenure.
- In the April Referendum his decision-making power was exposed to the limit as the referendum took away 90 per cent of his credibility as a sincere and honest army commander who, he repeatedly and dishonestly claimed, had been forced into the October coup without ever intending it. The referendum was the beginning of his end as a credible leader.
- He made appointments which exposed his decision-making powers. A Brigadier, illegally promoted as Major General, was made his chief spokesman and all agreed he was a disaster. Maleeha Lodhi was made Ambassador to US, again proving that he could not make a better judgment of personalities. Javed Jabbar was made Information Minister, only to be removed after he ended up with media disaster, specially turning the General’s first UN/US visit in September 2000 into a war between the Pakistani Press and the Army.
- Perverted legal wizard, Sharifuddin Pirzada, was pressed again into service thereby sending the message to Pakistan that further rape and disfiguring of the Constitution was in the works. The LFO which came out proved that was a major disaster, still hanging around the General’s neck.
- His takeover as President, removing the compliant Rafiq Tarar, brought him into a situation which gave birth to the now universal demand for separation of the presidency from the army chief’s post.
- An open and shut case of bribing the top judges of the Supreme Court, by extending their retirement age, brought charges against the Army, but almost crippled the superior judiciary when the lawyers’ community revolted and refused to work with these tainted judges. Nothing could have damaged the Supreme Court more than this one decision.
- Come 9/11 and Musharraf was swept by the force of the strong current into making many decisions, some out of sheer helplessness and some deliberate. His famous U-Turns on Taliban and Jihadis could be justified as he had no choice but his decision to secretly support the religious extremists in local bodies’ elections first and then in October general elections backfired with such ferocity, he is still not able to get out of the mess. To this date the Mayor of Karachi is from Jamaat Islami, the party which refuses to accept Musharraf as a legitimate president in uniform. And everyone knows how Mayors were selected, not elected, by the Army and ISI.
- After the October polls, Musharraf shed all pretence of honesty, ethics and morality in the name of “pragmatism” and started to act like any corrupt politician he so publicly denounced. When a Washington-based journalist asked him recently how he should be judged because the “company he was keeping” was of corrupt and dishonest politicians, Musharraf got very angry.
- How good was his decision to associate the Choudhries of Gujrat, the turn-coats of PPP, the MQM of Altaf Bhai with his regime is now evident. It was his sheer selfishness which forced him into these gross mistakes and the entire Army as an institution is now being made to pay.
- His choice of Mr. Zafarullah Jamali as Prime Minister is now turning out to be another disaster. And he himself says so. He may be thinking of replacing him with another of his more loyal and obedient servants, probably Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. That would be another and a bigger blunder.
- Just in the case of MQM, Musharraf’s interview to the Guardian of London on May 16, 2001 is a classic example of his double talk and capacity to make wrong decisions. Rory McCarthy and Luke Harding had this Q&A with him about MQM as part of their detailed interview:
Q: There is one other Pakistani politician in the UK at the moment, Altaf Hussain, who has just been given a British passport while he is facing several criminal cases in this country. What was your reaction when you heard the news?
A: I certainly wouldn't say that I am too happy about it, because Britain must understand that such political asylums being given to people who may be have worked against or are working against the interest of Pakistan should be given more serious thought before taking such action.
Q: Will you make an effort to bring him back to Pakistan to face trial?
A: I haven't given this a thought really. I don't think he has any place in Pakistani politics. I would like to stabilize the political environment in Pakistan, and in this effort certainly Karachi and Sindh need the stability which is going on at the moment, so I don't want to create waves in the waters at all.
Then, after a political deal, when MQM’s man was appointed Sindh Governor, Musharraf flatly denied there was ever any case against him registered in Karachi. He conveniently forgot that he himself had accused Mr. Altaf Hussain of working against the interests of Pakistan and had categorically stated that Mr. Hussain had any place in Pakistani politics. Now he is a close ally with a central place in that very politics.
- When Musharraf ditched his benefactors, Generals Mahmood and Aziz, under US pressure, it appeared to be a decision which was beyond his powers to resist. But when he started insisting that he would not take off his uniform until all of his Army colleagues including Aziz, his deputy COAS General Yousaf (Joe) and General Tauqir Zia, retire, it became clear Musharraf was now playing games with all of them. The result is that these Generals have started talking to Musharraf’s opponents, secretly sending messages, urging them not to drop the demand that he take off his uniform and give a date. When Musharraf acts in his own selfish interest, others who are below him are expected to do the same. The unity of the Army as an institution goes out of the window.
- This cracking up within the army ranks made Musharraf to demand from his Corps Commanders recently that they issue an unprecedented and highly objectionable political statement assuring Musharraf of their support and asking him to keep his uniform whenever he wanted. The very need for such a statement betrayed the lack of confidence Musharraf had in his junta. Of course when asked by the Chief to issue a statement, who can say no. But within their hearts, many would have felt the need to do something against this dictator who was now dictating to even his own colleagues.
- His decision to agree to revert the retirement age of the Supreme Court judges, against dealt a severe blow to his credibility as a dependable person. These judges went out of their way and risked their name and credibility to give him a lame excuse to remain in power. But the moment Musharraf saw that he could get support of a stronger political forum, the MMA in this case which could legitimize his unconstitutional rule in Parliament, he was ready to dump the judges. Now can he depend on the same judges to get another judgment in his favor, if needed?
- Likewise he has been talking to everyone,including his avowed adversaries like Asif Ali Zardari, to get a supporting hand. Whenever he thinks he may succeed, he sends vibes that others could be ditched. This has made him into a subject of jokes. The latest says if Fazal supports him he would kick Qazi, if Qazi supports him, he would kick Patriots, if everybody supports him, he would kick himself.
- In foreign affairs, his decisions have largely been dictated from abroad, but the ones he took himself, like the Agra summit, he bungled badly. Now after two years he has to eat humble pie and beg for a summit with Vajpayee again in New York. He punctured the Lahore bus in 1999 but had to push start it himself in 2003. How sound then were his judgments in the past?
- His Afghan policy is in a mess with a hostile western neighbor now harassing Pakistan troops amid serious talk that India may send its troops into Afghanistan as part of ISAF. That his secret support to Taliban and the recent activity from Pakistan soil against US troops will ultimately land him into deeper trouble, is just a matter of time.
Dozens of other examples can be quoted here to show that Musharraf as a 'man of vision' is not a dependable person. His vision is flawed. His decision-making powers are below average and his instincts are fatalistic.
The man has proved in these recent years that he is incapable of leading a complex country like Pakistan. If people like Irshad Haqqani have realized this fact, others who will have to face the brunt of his decisions, sooner than later, should realize it as well, and quickly.
How many mistakes can Pakistan afford and what if one blows up everything.
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Is Pakistan's National Defence in Safe Hands?

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By Ayaz Amir Satribune 12 Sep 03
NOT AN inappropriate question to ask on the eve of what, through a process of some self-bluffing, we choose to call the Defence of Pakistan Day (every September the 6th).
The self-bluffing comes from the fiction that the 1965 war was somehow imposed upon us, that a predator enemy, seeking our destruction, launched a war of aggression which we then fought back with amazing skill and bravery. While this makes for riveting if not soul-lifting history, it's not quite how it happened.
We set off on a small adventure in Kashmir which quickly got out of hand and saw us dragged into a full-scale war, a war we had neither sought nor indeed calculated for. We thought the fighting would remain confined to Kashmir and India would dare not cross the international border.
Unfortunately, India chose not to oblige us and -- as a little common sense, let alone Napoleonic insight, might have forewarned us--chose a place and time of its choosing to counter our moves in Kashmir. (Another proof of the adage that wars while easy to start are harder to finish. Ask the Brits and Americans about their adventure in Iraq.)
Our jawans and young officers fought well. (So did the Indian jawans and their young officers.) But that's hardly the point. Our soldiers fought an unnecessary war brought on by the stupidity of their warlords.
What led the nation into this fiasco? Simply put, one-man rule. Ayub Khan was his own commander and his own president. He had installed a yes-man as army c-in-c but it was Ayub with his field marshal's baton--something he had bestowed on himself--who called the shots. When he decided upon the adventure in Kashmir there was no one to stop him. (It's no use blaming Bhutto or anyone else. The buck stopped at the president's table.)
The '65 war ended in a draw. There was no such consolation for us in '71 when the folly of military rule led to abject defeat and surrender in what was then East Pakistan. What was to blame for that disaster? A repetition of the Ayub phenomenon: the fact that the same person was military chief and political ruler.
The Zia decade distorted the spirit of Pakistan and gave us in ample measure a culture of sectarian murder and hypocrisy. What led to this? Again, one-man rule and the destruction of political institutions.As if to prove that learning from history is not our forte, we are going through a similar phase again: another military ruler who is his own pope and Caesar. Echoing the cry of all his military predecessors he says he is indispensable and must remain president and military chief as long as he himself deems fit. In his book no bigger heresy exists than to question this self-proclaimed doctrine of indispensability.
Was national defence safe in the hands of Ayub, Yahya and Zia? The disasters they presided over tell us it was not. They were competent enough soldiers but they exceeded their briefs and stepped outside the circle of their competence. The results could have been predicted. They proved bad soldiers and poor leaders. Is there anything exceptional in our present set of military saviors? What grounds for supposing they can break the cycle of cause-and-effect?
Four years is a long enough time to judge anything. Has Pakistan been put on the road to development? Are the masses shouting for joy? Has military rule delivered better administration, quicker justice? Has it erected monuments to stability?
On any honest valuation, General Musharraf's government would be lucky to score 'average' on any performance chart. On its promise to cleanse the national stables and usher in an era of 'real' democracy it would probably score 'below average'. Well, everyone knows what these kinds of grades get you in the army: early retirement. But when you are your own umpire and examiner and you have the luxury of writing your own annual report, who's to stop you from proclaiming your performance as outstanding?
God knows our democrats too have been crying failures. They had the chance to change national direction, Benazir Bhutto in 1988, Nawaz Sharif in 1997. But they squandered their opportunities and furnished fresh justifications for the military to re-enter the political arena. All the same, Pakistan's salvation lies in democracy not militarism. Democracy can die a hundred deaths, suffer a thousand failures, but it will yet be the only path for us to follow.
If an army is defeated you don't disband it or forswear the use of arms. You raise a fresh army and invest more in weapons and training so that it fights better the next time there is a call to arms. In similar fashion, democracy's failure should not mean the disbanding of democracy but rather the creation of conditions where the chances of going wrong the next time round are minimized.
France was plagued by political instability from 1945 to 1958, the period of the so-called Fourth Republic. General de Gaulle put an end to France's malaise not by discontinuing democracy but by (1) devising a more stable system and (2) providing leadership to his country. The Fifth Republic, his legacy to France, survives to this day.
Yes, Pakistan needs leadership and it needs a stable democracy. But it will get neither the one nor the other from military presidents who think it their divine right to be embalmed in their uniforms - leaders whose outstanding talent, as our history tells us, is for repeating the failed experiments of the past.
Have our military saviors ever considered that when they remove democracy from the equation, or give the notion of democracy a self-serving twist, they are erasing the very raison d'être of Pakistan? Pakistan came into being on the basis of the right of self-determination. The Muslims of India, exercising their free choice, opted for a separate homeland. In other words, Muslim nationhood found political expression through democracy. Remove democracy from the scaffolding and the structure called Pakistan loses both identity and meaning.
True, Pakistan has not been served well by its governing class. Its leaders both military and political have largely failed it. (After Jinnah the only real leader we had was Bhutto. But we hanged him. And since then we have been groping for leadership.) But the solution lies not in raising tin pot figures and hoping that they will work miracles but in returning again and again, no matter how numerous the failures, to democracy.
Bhutto was a protégé of Ayub Khan's but as he moved along the political scale he became a champion of the masses and the father of the 1973 Constitution (not to mention the father of the A-bomb, the pride of our military). Nawaz Sharif was a product of another dictatorship but in his later incarnation he stood up for himself and turned the moribund Muslim League into a mass party. Like it or not, this is how political evolution occurs.
Pervez Musharraf also had a chance to evolve and write himself more than a minor footnote in history by holding honest elections and, if he was so desperate to cling to power, by standing for election as a legitimate president. This would have been the test of greatness for him, his chance to score 'outstanding' on the political scorecard. But he flunked it when he opted for a cooked-up referendum and a comprehensive cooking up of the subsequent elections.
He thought he was taking the safer and shorter route. As many a strongman before him learnt to his cost, often the longest distance between any two points is an illegitimate short-cut. - Courtesy Dawn
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India plumps for British Hawks The Hindu 04 Sep 03
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI SEPT 3. The Government today approved the purchase of Hawks, the advanced jet trainers (AJTs) from Britain, for training Air Force pilots. The approval was among the five decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The proposal will entail an expenditure of Rs. 12,460 crores over several years.
Chaired by the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the CCS decided to induct a total of 66 Hawks.
While 24 trainers will arrive in "fly-away" condition, the remaining will be manufactured in India under a transfer of technology agreement with the makers, British Aerospace Systems (BAe Systems).
Till the aircraft are finally acquired, BAe will train the Indian pilots in the United Kingdom. All the 66 aircraft are expected to be in service within six years. The BAe will be paid Rs. 6,000 crores and Rs. 2,000 crores has been earmarked for creating the required ground support facilities.
"This decision fulfils one of the long-standing needs of the Indian Air Force. The induction of the AJTs will increase the skill levels of our trainee pilots graduating from low speed trainers to advanced high performance frontline fighter aircraft,'' the Defence Secretary, Ajay Prasad, told newsmen. In the absence of the AJTs, such advanced training is now being conducted on operational aircraft like MiG-21 FL and, as an interim measure, the Government bought 27 second-hand MiG-trainers from Kyrgyzstan.
Nod after 21 years
The deal was approved 21 years after a committee headed by a former Indian Air Force chief first made the proposal, which was subsequently reiterated by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, then Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister. An inter-governmental agreement will be signed with the U.K. Government to ensure long-term product support.
The CCS also authorised a Rs. 3,000-crore modernisation for the infantry battalions of the Army.
The equipment will increase the firepower, improve communications and provide night-vision capability through hand-held thermal imagers. This will make the platoons in select formations get lethal firepower, better surveillance equipment and night-time fighting capability. The acquisition will be spread over the remaining years of the Tenth Plan, which end in the year 2007.
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Engine blade 'nicks' in Sukhoi-30 squadron
By Sandeep Dikshit The Hindu 6 Sep 03

NEW DELHI SEPT. 5. The only complete squadron of India's frontline Sukhoi-30K fighters has been effectively grounded following the detection of `nicks' in the engine blades. The Indian Air Force wants the defective parts replaced free of cost but the manufacturers are reluctant because the warranty period has expired. The IAF has threatened to stall a long-term contract for the supply and indigenous manufacture of improved versions of this plane unless its makers advance the servicing schedule for the aircraft, said informed sources.
Other sources in the Air Headquarters admitted to the problem of `nicks' but said the flying had been `staggered' prior to their despatch to Russia for routine checks. "Flying hours have been `staggered down' to conserve the engine frame prior to its scheduled servicing in Russia which will begin only next year."
Each Sukhoi-30K plane has flown an average of 700 hours and only 300 hours of airframe life is left. Planes are regularly checked and `nicks' of a certain size and amount are permitted. Otherwise the blades are changed. According to warranty terms, these planes of `Sukhoi-30K' make are due to be upgraded by 2004.
India currently has 28 Sukhoi planes based at the Lohegaon IAF base at Pune. The first batch of 18 is of Sukhoi-30K make (NATO name `Flanker') and arrived in 1997-98. The remaining 10 of the improved `MKI' make arrived recently. The problem, according to informed sources, is with the first lot comprising the No. 24 Hunting Hawk squadron, the IAF's main high performance fighter fleet. With slight modification, these planes are considered ideal for delivery of nuclear weapons because of their long range. They are certain to find a place in the newly-created Strategic Forces Command, which will oversee all nuclear delivery systems such as warships, submarines, missiles and aircraft.
Informed sources said the rub lies in the fact that the IAF currently has too few multi-role combat planes. The number will increase after 22 Sukhoi-30 MKI arrive from Russia, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) makes another 140 and some French planes are purchased in due course. As a result, the IAF does not want to wait for a couple of years for the scheduled upgrade of these `K' variants to `MKI'.
Other sources, however, were confident that the crisis would blow over.
``Nicks happen all the time but the contract with Sukhoi is for a very long period. Their people have been at hand at the base for some time and will continue to be around till all the three versions of the plane are ready,'' said the sources.
Informed sources point out that the main reason for the selection of Sukhois over competitors such as Mirage-2000 was considerably lower costs, including life cycle costs. Its maker, Irkut, should, therefore, make an exception and take a close look at these aircraft. However, the Russian company has never been busier. Last year, it accounted for nearly one-thirds of total Russian armament exports and this year it began supplying Sukhoi planes to Malaysia, besides the two lucrative tie-ups with India and China.
It appears to be a tough call for both IAF and Irkut.
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'Sukhoi-30s not grounded' The Hindu 7 Sep 03
The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, and the Chief of Air Staff, S. Krishnasamy, looking up as a Su-30 gained height in a flash, traveling at over 800 km an hour and climbed from about 200metres to over 1.5 km at the IAF air show on the Marina. The hour-long show showcased the IAF's prowess and was aimed at motivating youth to join the force.
CHENNAI Sept. 6. The Chief of the Air Staff, S. Krishnaswamy, today denied that the Indian Air Force had grounded a squadron of Sukhoi-30 fighters.
"Those reports are wrong. How would the aircraft have flown (here) today", he countered when presspersons asked him if a squadron of the Su-30s has been grounded. "It is not a significant problem," he said when asked about the engine blade nicks. "There is no problem as is being made out," he said

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Managing the nuclear deterrent Indian Express 03 Sep 03 Jassjit Singh

The announcement about the very first meeting of the National Command Authority more than five years after the country declared itself a nuclear weapons state would naturally raise more questions than it answers. The most crucial element of nuclear strategy is the issue of its credibility.
Transparency is a necessary element in influencing credibility. And announcements like these must be judged in that context. The timing of the present meeting, where little of actual relevance, leave alone substance, was announced, is likely to give rise to some perceptions that this was done in response to the Congress charges of the Government ignoring national security. This may carry conviction with many since the pattern of NSC meetings (that have met only twice since 1998, while the CCS takes all decisions) also give us no clue of the effectiveness of our key national security management institutions.
It appears that we are yet to deploy an operationally reliable mobile ballistic missile for nuclear delivery, and, of course, the submarine-based nuclear deterrent is many years away. Talking about the short range Prithvi missiles in this context is highly misleading. This leaves only aircraft delivery system, and we have a number of credible effective options in the shape of Su-30, Mirage-2000 and Jaguar aircraft available in service. This has been the core of our nuclear deterrent for the past five years since we announced nuclearisation.
These aircraft may not have the ranges finally required. But they would remain the core of our arsenal even after we have the full-range of ballistic missiles on land and at sea. The crux, however, is the mobile survivable ballistic missile. The deployment of an operationally reliable system in adequate numbers is yet to be announced. Such a deployment would automatically convey the signal within the country and outside that we have a credible deterrent beyond the aircraft-delivered arsenal.
But we dont need to rush into building a large missile force, though we need to keep testing them. In fact it is time we started to pay attention to space capabilities for defence since they would have a major impact on the way we can manage not only conventional military capabilities, especially air power, but also on our nuclear deterrent.
The other issue is that of command and control. The alternate chain of command is critical to the success of any nuclear strategy. This would be the simplest and least complicated in case of a strategy of no-first-use, and by implication extremely complex and costly (and susceptible to error and risks of accidents) in case of a first-use strategy. But what we need to remember is that the chain of command would be the priority target that the adversary would seek to destroy with a nuclear strike in an effort to decapitate the arsenal, and crucial for the success of our own strategy. This must, therefore, remain the most tightly guarded secret at all times.
Secondly, in a parliamentary democracy like ours, the Prime Minister holds the authority for nuclear strike. He would designate the alternate chain in case he is incapacitated for any reason. That chain need not follow a protocol-based system.
Incidentally, it is obvious that top political and military leadership must travel in aircraft that have secure communications, command and control infrastructure and reliable fast jets to ensure that they can discharge the functions of nuclear command responsibilities properly. It is surprising, therefore, that we have not yet upgraded our transport aircraft fleet in the Air HQ Communication Squadron which continues to fly the slow obsolescent Avro of the 1960s vintage knowing that there is qualitative change in the nature of transportation and communication needs after a country goes nuclear

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Homework we need to do before we begin flying Air Cmde Jasjit Singh 4 Sep 03 Indian Express

The Cabinet Committee on Securitys decision to acquire the AJT finally opens the door to a crucial capability that the Indian Air Force has been seeking for more than two decades, and which it hasnt had for three. But while the door has been opened, the road to the destination is still a long one.
Military aircraft are not available on the shelf of a super bazaar, except when we buy those already in use somewhere else. The process of getting the full complement of aircraft could take as much as five more years although the IAF would seek interim arrangements which may include the British providing aircraft from their inventories to be replaced by newly manufactured aircraft later.
Fighter flying accidents have focused public attention on the AJT issue. But we must be clear that the AJT by itself is not a panacea. The crux of the reasons for a proper AJT has been the broader issue of better flying training for young pilots entering the fighter stream after basic and intermediate stages. This would help to reduce accidents due to errors of skill. Frontline fighters by definition are not suitable for such a role.
The Hawk has been one of the few aircraft in the world specifically designed for this type of role and has a proven record across the world for its performance. But to draw full benefit of introducing a proper AJT, we would need to ensure that the syllabus and pattern of training is also in consonance with the LaFontaine Committee report and the central logic of its recommendations.
The syllabus recommended by the Committee, accepted by the IAF experts and top brass, and approved by the government at the highest level would have required nearly 160 aircraft in the inventory. This number was apparently cut down in the interest of economy to 103 and then to 66. But this also means cutting the flying training syllabus in half. One can only hope that the final inventory would be planned in harmony with the original figure. This would provide better economies of scale and indigenous production run and product support for the future.
We must make sure that proper infrastructure, including for the AJT training is also set up. Absence of type simulators was a major handicap in the past since no simulators had ever been designed for the MiG-21, Hunter and Vampire aircraft used for this task. What we had were procedure trainers for MiG-21s, and they have their own limitations since they cannot simulate flight conditions of an agile manoeuvrable fighter aircraft.
Hawk simulators would make a major contribution to more effective training, especially for young pilots being initiated to fighter flying. The greatest benefit of the AJT would be to enhance flying skills of fighter pilots of future at lower risk of accidents while producing better combat pilots.
It would be foolhardy to speculate on the effect on future accidents. The impact of new training would take time to take effect and would start to be visible only after five years or more. I for one am confident that the fighter aircraft accident rate in IAF would come to about half in another 10 years.
There are other advantages of the induction of the AJT. We would no longer have to set aside a large frontline force of fighters for lead-in fighter training and they can be reverted to operational roles. The available combat ready force would then be restored to the authorised figure.
At the same time, the AJT fleet would be available for operational deployment in times of crisis. Aircraft like the Hawk would be particularly useful in the Himalayas in situations like that of the Kargil War three years ago.
(The author was the flight safety and flying training expert on the LaFontaine Committee 1982-83 which emphasised the need for proper aircraft at all stages of flying training

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The Hawk has landed After 20 yrs, Govt decides to go for Advanced Jet Trainer; boosts IAF morale, says Air chief

Saikat dutta Indina Express 4 Sep 03

New Delhi, September 3: Filling a glaring hole in the Indian Air Forces fighter-aircraft training programme and ending a debate thats gone on for 20 years, the Government today decided to acquire the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer.
Under the Rs 8,000-crore deal with British Aerospace, India will get 66 aircraft, a fleet that will for the first time help IAF pilots bridge the gap between subsonic and supersonic aircraft. As of now, 17 countries, including the UK and the US, fly about 800 Hawk AJTs.
Hours after the Cabinet Committee on Securitys decision, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy told The Indian Express: It is a timely decision that will boost the IAFs training programme and the morale of the force.
Indias choice of Hawk is a measure of the quality of the aircraft and the value for money it offers, said British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon in a statement. I look forward to a successful contract.
WHAT ELSE WAS OKAYED
Purchase of six VIP jets from Embraer, Brazil
Negotiations with US on a new jet for Prime Minister
Better firepower, possibly Israeli Tavor rifles, hand held thermal imagers and communication equipment for Special Forces and infantry ghatak units
Specialised units to detect, neutralise IEDs
Purchase of 7 ship-borne electronic warfare systems
Besides the AJT, defence purchases worth Rs 4,500 crore were also cleared (see box). This comes days after the Government was under fire in Parliament with the Opposition alleging that the armed forces were being neglected because Rs 9,000 crore was being returned unspent.
This year, however, the Defence Ministry will not only utilise the outlay but, officials said, even seek supplementary grants for advance payments for the deals cleared today.
The CCS, headed by Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, met this morning and decided to go ahead with the AJT after British Aerospace agreed to revise its cost down by Rs 300 crore.
An indication that the AJT was on the agenda came when Air Marshal Raghu Rajan, Deputy Chief of Air Staff and in charge of all acquisitions for the IAF, was invited to brief the CCS.
After the meeting, Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad, announcing the decision, said: There were difficulties (in the deal) which is why the process took so long.
WHAT TRAINEE FIGHTER PILOTS WILL GET FOR RS 8,000 CRORE
What is an AJT?
The British Hawk AJT is a light-attack two-seat trainer. It grooms rookies who dream of becoming operational fighter pilots. The AJT is the vital link between subsonic and supersonic aircraft. A diving Hawk can touch Mach 1.2.
Why do we need it?
IAF cadets are currently at a big disadvantage. Stage I sees them train on the piston-engined HPT-32 Deepaks, Stage II on the HJT-16 Kirans. Stage III takes them straight to the supersonic MiG-21s. AJTs are needed to bridge the gap between the Kirans and MiGs.
This quantum jump from subsonic to supersonic aircraft is one of the prime reasons for accidents involving rookie pilots. Hawks will make more MiGs available for operational duty. Can be readied for combat duty whenever needed.
Why has it taken us so long?
India began scouting for AJTs in the mid-80s on the recommendation of the LaFontaine committee. The CCS okayed AJT procurement in July 1993 but zeroing-in on the right aircraft took considerable time.
Plus price negotiation was a factor. The Hawk deal shut out other AJT contenders like the Czech-Boeing L-159, French Alpha and Russian MiG-AT.
Who else is flying this AJT?
Over 800 Hawks are currently in service with 17 countries. User countries include UK, South Africa, US Navy, Finland, Indonesia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea.
The deal involves outright purchase of 24 aircraft, with the remaining 42 to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. under license. India and Britian will also sign an inter-government agreement to ensure that the AJT fleet receives adequate product support from the original manufacturers and is sanction-proof.
While IAF pilots will move to the UK for training on the Hawk, the whole deal will be completed within six years of signing the contract.
In the running since 1982 when the MoD first sent feelers for an AJT, the Hawk 115Y had been a front-runner. Competition came from the French Alpha, Czech-American L-159B, Russian MiG-AT and YAK AJT, and an aircraft still being manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
In the end, as Prasad put it, This decision fulfils one of the long-standing demands of the IAF for training on the AJT.
It is understood that Defence Minister George Fernandes, who had informed Parliament a few weeks ago that the AJT was likely to come up, was in favour of clearing the purchase in the meeting that was chaired by the Prime Minister. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, ministers Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and Prasad.
The IAF has been bogged down by an alarming rise in accidents resulting in fatalities of its young pilots. In fact, between 1971 and 2003, the IAF has lost 454 aircraft, with 165 attributed to errors committed by the air crew. Ever since the IAF set up the La Fontaine committee in 1982 to investigate air accidents, the acquisition of the AJT has been a key recommendation.
The Committee, which presented its report to Air Headquarters recommended that the AJT would significantly reduce accidents and improve training standards significantly.
The need for an AJT was once again reiterated by the high-powered Committee on Fighter Aircraft Accidents (COFFA) headed by APJ Abdul Kalam also recommended the purchase of the AJT and simulators to reduce accidents.
When the deal comes through India will be the third biggest customer for Hawks after the British Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force

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IAF to get its elite commando wing: Garuda
Saikat dutta. Indian Express 5 Sep 03
New Delhi, September 4: The government has cleared the Indian Air Forces proposal to raise an elite commando force to protect its operational air bases and other strategic assets. Named after the mythological bird Garuda, the force will have nearly 4,800 men drawn from the IAF and trained in unarmed combat and use of close quarter battle weapons.
The proposal to raise the force mooted by Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy was reportedly approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security after clearing proposals to modernise the armed forces. The need for such a force had been underscored by the spate of attacks on air force stations such as Avantipore a few years ago. Terrorists had tried to storm into the air force station sending shock waves through the top echelons of the IAF. The proposed Garuda force will select men from its existing ranks based on their physical fitness and ability to meet the demands of its job. Presently the air force stations are guarded by the Defence Security Corps, a force comprising ex-servicemen and air force personnel.

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Pawan Hans delegation to Moscow for MI-172 spares Indina Express 6 Sep 03 Pranab Dhal Samanta

New Delhi, September 5: As a team of Russian experts gets busy trying to figure out what technical malfunctioning could have caused the MI-172 on ONGC duty to crash offshore at Mumbai, top officials of Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. left tonight for Moscow to streamline the supply of spares for the three MI-172s it has in its fleet of 30.
While two of these choppers are on duty with the ONGC and Arunachal Pradesh respectively, the third one is grounded for want of spares. According to officials, the disintegration of USSR meant that most of the suppliers of various spares now operate from different countries.
This is a big problem for us. For every little requirement we have to issue fresh tenders, go through the bureaucracy in these countries and then negotiate a price. It takes a long time which hits us commercially, says Pawan Hans Chairman and Managing Director N.V. Sridhar who is heading the team to Moscow.
If all goes well, Pawan Hans may end up signing a MoU with Kazaan Helicopter Plant, the original manufacturers of the MI-172. Though initially the company was reluctant to sign a deal on spares, they have agreed after nearly eight months of persuasion.

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US special forces join Indians on Ladakh mountains Saikat dutta 6Sep 03 Indian Express
New Delhi, September 5: Indo-US military cooperation set out on a new road today when Indian and US Special Forces flew into Leh for joint exercises not far from the Chinese border.
While the Army described the exercises as routine, sources say this was the first time that US military personnel had landed in Jammu and Kashmir still a disputed area for Washington to conduct exercises in high altitude, mountainous terrain.
Indian and US special forces had conducted similar exercises in Alaska last year.
A complement of troops from the US Special Operations Command were airlifted from Air Force Station, Agra to begin the exercises in Leh with their Indian counterparts.
Defence minister George Fernandes, while maintaining that the exercises were routine, denied that the joint military exercises were being conducted for political reasons. In the past, we have held such exercises with some Asian countries. We have also done it with European countries. Now we are doing it with the US. Such exercises are carried out so that countries get to know the areas of strength and weaknesses of its military. There is no political reason for such exercises, he said.
It is learnt that Army chief Gen N C Vij was in Leh when the exercises began and would also be visit other forward areas in the sector. Vij left for his four-day tour on September 2 and was slated to visit forward posts in Leh, Ladakh, Machhal, Keran and Tanghdar sectors. While Vij visited troops deployed in the Ladakh sector and reviewed the situation on the Sino-India border, sources said that he would monitor the initial stages of the landmark exercise.
The exercises will go on for two weeks during which US Special Forces would be engaged in manoeuvres that would include tactics, para-jumps and other related activities. Nearly a battalion strength of Indian troops, drawn from various Special Forces units including 9 Para (SF) as well as parachute battalions, are participating in the exercise.
Indo-US exercises, which began in May 2001, have seen both sides take particular interest in each others Special Forces, indicating that they are keen to work together on responding to exigencies which require specialised skills. Indian and US Air Forces have conducted similar exercises, testing eachs ability to lift and air drop cargo as well as paratroopers

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When Sharon takes the stage, in the wings will be defence deals Shshir gupta Indian Express 7 Sep 03

New Delhi, September 6: No bilateral defence agreement is going to be signed during Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharons visit to New Delhi beginning Monday. But that doesnt matter. For, in the sidelines of the first ever official visit of an Israeli prime minister, the issue is defence, defence and defence.
Beginning with the billion-dollar Phalcon airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) deal which will be tied up as a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding already signed in April.
Our shopping list:
the ware in hardware
Ongoing hardware deals between New Delhi and Israeli companies:
Elbit (Israel’s top advance defence electronics firm)
• Helmet-mounted sights for Indian fighters
El OP (World leader in Electro-optical systems and laser)
• Head-up displays for Jaguars and MiG-27s
• Thermal Imagers fire control systems for T-72 tanks
Rafael (Leader in anti-missile defence)
• Barak anti-missile defence for Navy
This deal, which will give Indian fighters air dominance in times of war, involves Russia as well since Moscow will provide three IL (Illyushin)-76 aircraft for installation of the Israeli radar and Indian software for the Phalcon command and control platform.
A date will also be fixed for the signing of the formal tripartite agreement.
With a third of the Sharon delegation comprising big gunsboth public and privatethe Ministry of Defence is also ready with its shopping list: from avionics for the Indian Air Forces Jaguars and MiG-27 fighters to thermal imagers and fire-control systems for the Armys T-72 main battle tanks (see box).
Even though Washington has not yet cleared the sale of Israeli Arrow-2 anti-missile system to India, Tel Aviv has supplied two Green Pine Radarsthe heart of Arrow systemin the past two years. The second Green Pine radar, which can pick up signals 500 km away, is understood to have been supplied in the past year.
Besides the big-ticket Phalcon and Green Pine deals, Israeli companies have tied up with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and other Defence PSUs in upgrading the IAF fighters, Armys tanks and Navys anti-missile capability.
Sources said to maintain this tempo and cut the red tape, Uma Pillai, Secretary, Defence Production and Supplies, will lead an Indian Defence PSU delegation to Israel later this year.
Also to be finalised during Sharons visit will be the date of the annual Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Defence Cooperation. The JWG held its first meeting between September 17-20, 2002 with then Defence Secretary Subir Datta going to Tel Aviv.
New Delhi and Tel Aviv may be downplaying this bilateral defence relationship but India has already conveyed to its Arab friends that just as New Delhi understands their purchasing missiles from North Korea, the purchases from Israel are in the countrys national interest.
To reinforce this case, they point to Tel Avivs track record. At the height of Operation Parakram last June, Israeli Director General Defence Amos Yaron flew to New Delhi following an SOS from the Defence Ministry for urgent defence supplies.

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Seven pillars of wisdom The road map towards a functional, constitutional, Saddam-free Iraq is ready
L Paul Bremer Indian Express 09 Sep 03

Five months ago, the brave men and women of our armed forces were completing the liberation of Iraqs 25 million citizens. It was a tremendous military triumph. Gone are Saddam Husseins torture chambers. Gone are his mass killings and rape rooms. And gone is his threat to America and the international community.
The liberation was a great and noble deed. It is fair to ask: what is next? No thoughtful person would suggest that the coalition should govern Iraq for long. Although Iraqis have freedoms they have never had before, freedom is not sovereignty and occupation is unpopular with occupier and occupied alike.
We believe Iraqis should be given responsibility for their own security, economic development and political system as soon as possible. So, then, how can we get Iraqis back in charge of Iraq?
Elections are the obvious solution to restoring sovereignty to the Iraqi people. But at the present elections are simply not possible. There are no election rolls, no election law, no political parties law and no electoral districts. The current constitution is a Saddam-dictated formula for tyranny.
When Saddam loaded two trucks with money and fled the advancing coalition forces, he left behind a vacuum. Electing a government without a permanent constitution defining and limiting government powers invites confusion and eventual abuse.
So to hold elections Iraq needs a new constitution and it must be written by Iraqis. It must reflect their culture and beliefs. Writing a constitution, as all Americans know, is a solemn and important undertaking. It cannot be done in days or weeks. Nonetheless, the path to full Iraqi sovereignty is clear. The journey has begun and three of the seven steps on this path have already been taken.
The first step came two months ago with the creation of a 25-member Governing Council broadly representative of Iraqi society. These brave men and women have come forward willingly to help build the new Iraq. The second step took place last month when the Governing Council named a preparatory committee to devise a way to write a constitution.
The third and most important was putting day-to-day operation of Iraqi government in the hands of Iraqis. Last week the Governing Council named 25 ministers. Now every Iraqi ministry is run by an Iraqi appointed by Iraqis.
These ministers, who serve at the pleasure of the Governing Council, conduct the business of government. They set policy. Even today, they are preparing the 2004 budget and must operate their ministries according to those budgets. The coalition wants them to exercise real power and will thrust authority at them.
Writing Iraqs new constitution is the fourth step. It begins after the preparatory committee recommends a process for writing a constitution to the Governing Council later this month.
Step five, popular ratification of the constitution, is indispensable. Once written, the constitution will be widely circulated, discussed and debated among the Iraqi people.
All adult Iraqis will have the opportunity to vote for or against it. For the first time in history, Iraq will have a permanent constitution written by and approved by the Iraqi people.
The sixth step, election of a government, follows naturally. Shortly after the constitution is ratified by popular vote there will be an election to fill the elective offices specified in the constitution. The officials in charge of that government will be chosen through universal adult suffrage in an open election.
When that government is elected, Iraq will have a government designed and selected by Iraqis. It will be unique in Iraqs history and will send a powerful message about democracy to other countries in the region.
The seventh step, dissolving the coalition authority, will follow naturally on the heels of elections. Once Iraq has a freely elected government, the coalition authority will happily yield the remainder of its authority to that sovereign Iraqi government.
The process is straightforward and realistic. No doubt there will be bumps on the path, especially as terrorists have decided to make Iraq a key battlefield in the global war on terrorism.
But the Iraqi people, with the support of the administration and its coalition partners, are on the way to exercising full political sovereignty. Iraq faces many problems, including decades of under-investment in everything from the oil industry to the sewer system.
Security issues are a matter of grave concern. There are other problems as well, but knowing how to turn Iraq into a sovereign state is not one of them.
(The author is the US-led coalitions chief administrator in Iraq) (LAT-WP

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Tough one for India: how to vote on friend Irans nuclear programme Jyoti Malhotra Indian Express 12 September, 2003

New Delhi, September 11: India was tonight debating a response to an extremely toughly worded draft resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this afternoon, demanding that Iran give it full access to its nuclear sites, suspend all nuclear activity until all issues are involved as well as sign an additional protocol with the IAEA promising that it would abide by its NPT obligations.
With India being on the 35-member IAEA board of governors, New Delhis response to the draft resolution authored by Canada, Australia and Japan, will signal New Delhis intentions to either ally with the West or, in the face of significant Western pressure, keep its traditional friendship with Teheran.
Highly placed sources here pointed out that even if India took the middle road and abstained, it would confirm a pragmatic trend in New Delhis foreign policy.
The Indian vote will be closely watched in the wake of the visit about ten days ago of Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazzi, seeking New Delhis support of its position at the IAEA.
Highly placed sources here said it was inevitable that the resolution would be put to vote tomorrow in Vienna. But tonight the draft of the resolution was still being worked upon.
The sources said the Non-Aligned group, led by India, South Africa and Malaysia, were in the thick of things seeking a compromise formula which would not only help Iran save face, but also enable it to faithfully answer all the queries raised by the IAEA.
But analysts were mostly dismissive of Teherans threat yesterday to walk out of the NPT, especially if the IAEA vote seriously censured it. This is part of the Kathakali that is a given in multilateral negotiations, especially on nuclear issues, analysts said.
The IAEA vote on Iran comes at a time when six major powers are talking to North Korea over abandoning its nuclear programme. Pyongyang had also walked out of the NPT, accusing Western nations of not doing enough to assist it on its peaceful energy programme.
A member of the NPT, Iran has maintained that it has not violated its NPT obligations and that the contaminated uranium found at its Natanz reactor was only a red herring. Clearly, though, the IAEA today has taken a dim view of Iranian protests. Meanwhile, official sources here said New Delhi had taken full cognisance of Israels worries that any of its knowhow or expertise that it gave India would not be passed on to Iran. During Ariel Sharons visit, Israeli sources had said they had raised this issue with their Indian counterparts and had received satisfactory answers.
Indian officials are said to have explained that their cooperation with Iran was to a large extent to do with its intention to play a significant role in Afghanistan, especially since Pakistan was determined not to allow any Indian goods to cross its land borders

posted by promila 10:09 AM

Tuesday, September 02, 2003

US Nuclear Policy May Trigger Tests by Pakistan, India China
By MR Srinivasan
US PRESIDENT George W. Bush had included North Korea and Iran along with Iraq in the 'Axis of Evil'. The Saddam Hussein regime has been overthrown in Iraq by the US-UK military strike but despite thorough searches, no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have been found. The US leadership, of course, assures the world that they will eventually be found in Iraq.
In the meantime, North Korea has asserted it has some nuclear weapons and has warned the US against threatening its sovereignty. North Korea is technically still at war with the US, although hostilities ceased some 50 years ago. No peace treaty was ever negotiated between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) many years ago. The former Soviet Union supplied North Korea with a research reactor and a small capacity nuclear power unit. The latter can produce plutonium in the spent fuel.
In the 1990s, the US in cooperation with South Korea and Japan agreed to supply two large capacity nuclear power units on the condition that North Korea desisted from making nuclear weapons. The US also agreed to arrange supply of petroleum to meet the energy needs of North Korea; however, relations between Washington and Pyongyang have lurched from one misunderstanding to another over the years. Dissatisfied with the situation, some years ago North Korea notified that it was withdrawing from the NPT. However just a day before the notice period expired it announced that it would suspend the withdrawal notice.
As of now is it unclear if North Korea is bound by the NPT or not. North Korea has claimed that it has reprocessed spent fuel from its reactor and if this were so, it will be in possession of plutonium. North Korea has been cooperating with Pakistan for many years. Islamabad has received missiles from Pyongyang and this has greatly increased the reach of Pakistani nuclear weapons vis-à-vis Indian targets.
Missile technology has also been transferred from North Korea to Pakistan. It is widely believed that North Korea in return received from Pakistan technology for enriching uranium and for making nuclear weapons. US intelligence agencies are fully aware of this two-way exchange. Pakistan's nuclear expert, Dr. A. Qadir Khan, has visited North Korea frequently. If North Korea does have a nuclear weapon, it is quite likely to be derived from a Pakistani design. As is well known, Pakistan itself received substantial help from China on nuclear weapons, including certain items of hardware.
In a strange irony of events, China has now assumed the role of a champion of non-proliferation in North East Asia. China has taken the initiative to arrange a six-nation meeting with the US, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas attending it. Both China, Pyongyang's longstanding friend, and South Korea are in favor of finding a diplomatic solution that does not humiliate North Korea. If North Korea were to conduct a nuclear test and go overtly nuclear, then pressure will build up in Japan to launch a full-scale nuclear weapons program.
It may be recalled that the NPT was devised by the US, the USSR and the UK to prevent Japan and Germany from ever acquiring nuclear weapons. North Korea's economy is in desperate condition and it is too small a state to withstand sanctions if it were to declare itself a nuclear weapon state. The calibrated steps to build the bridges between the two Koreas, in progress in recent years, would also suffer a serious setback in consequence.
Besides, the earlier hostility between the two Koreas would return thus perpetuating the isolation and suffering of North Korea's population. The US must end the state of war, which Pyongyang believes it is continuing, and facilitate North Korea's return to the international community. However, it is clear that North Korea must dismantle all its activities related to nuclear weapons. It has to restrict nuclear activities solely to civilian applications as it undertook to when it joined the NPT.
Iran embarked on a wide-ranging nuclear program. in the days of the last Shah. Many wondered why Iran wanted nuclear power given the large oil and natural gas available to it. As it turned out, by the time the Islamic revolutionaries came to power, some research facilities had been set up and a nuclear power station with two units was under construction at Busher. When Iraq attacked Iran, it also fired missiles at the power station under construction.
Work was suspended for many years and eventually Germany, which was building the project, withdrew. Iran persuaded Russia to take up work on the partly built reactors and one unit is now in an advanced stage of completion. Through the 1990s, the US spread stories that Iran was working on building nuclear weapons. Iran signed the NPT many years ago, when the Shah was in power. It maintains that its programs are entirely for peaceful purposes and that it has abided by the provisions of the NPT.
The US applied pressure on Russia over a long period of time to stop extending assistance to Iran, but Russia argued it was only for civilian power production. Lately a new element has surfaced; Iran is reported to be building a uranium enrichment plant. There are no reliable reports as to who may be assisting Iran in this venture. There is speculation that Pakistan may be providing the technology, which Qadir Khan stole from Holland many years ago. Usually enrichment plants are uneconomic unless they are built with substantial capacity. With Iran building just one or two power units using enriched uranium to fuel its reactors, it could quite easily get the fuel from Russia which is supplying the reactors.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is holding discussions with Iran on the scope of safeguards. The earlier practice was that when nuclear technology was supplied from another country, IAEA safeguards would operate to ensure that no diversion from peaceful to non-peaceful applications took place. After the Iraq episode of the 1990s a more intrusive safeguards regime applied to all nuclear activities of a state party to the NPT has been the norm. The IAEA is discussing with Iran such a regime, which could involve surprise inspections. Since Iran has signed the NPT and reiterates its adherence to the treaty, it cannot develop nuclear weapons or technologies leading to them. However, Iran has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
We are now in a period when the chief sponsor of the NPT has itself jettisoned many of the basic premises of a fragile nuclear equilibrium existing for the past five decades. The US now claims its right to mount pre-emptive strikes on any person or state who in its opinion may pose a threat to it. It has proclaimed it could deploy nuclear weapons even against states that do not possess nuclear weapons.
Specifically it has warned that a chemical or biological threat could be countered by nuclear retaliation. It is seriously considering placing nuclear weapons on space platforms; the justification is that in the Iraq episode it did not get prompt cooperation from Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the use of bases. In future engagements, the US would like to be able to launch attacks from space platforms avoiding the need for bases around the world.
The US is developing a new range of deep penetration nuclear weapons to destroy bunkers, control centers and silos of potential enemies. The US weapon designers are urging resumption of nuclear tests even as early as next year. This could trigger tests by China, India and Pakistan. Given the policies the US is pursuing unilaterally ,whatever equilibrium obtains in nuclear matters will be seriously disturbed and the world will have to prepare itself to face a highly unstable nuclear future.
The writer is a former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India. - Courtesy The Hindu
South Asia Tribune 02 Sep 03
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A Clarion Call For Pakistan's Military Leadership
By Anwaar Hussain SouthAsia Tribune 02 Sep 03

LEADERSHIP IS a human necessity. From the very beginning men have required leaders to guide them through the complex maze of life. People have selected to follow the more gifted ones in the pursuit of various ideals in different walks of life. These leaders have been followed blindly, elevated, worshipped, sometimes humiliated and even murdered for the values they stood for and the systems they defied.
Military, more than any other sphere of human activity requires outstanding leaders. Because it is only in military that men will fight with whatever they have to achieve an aim or die trying for it. As life is the supreme sacrifice that a man can offer, this fighting for an aim cannot then be left to an unruly and chaotic bunch of men. Such groups of men turn out to be pitiable creatures known by numbers and letters, shepherded to the front like cattle and fed into the carnage like gun fodder.
It has been observed that men do not flee the battlefield because they are fighting for an unrighteous cause or attack because their cause is just. It is more often devotion to a single man who has inspired his followers to lay down their lives. Men fight best when they have good leaders. Leaders, who can light the fire in the hearts of their men and lift them to that exalted state of devotion where they will offer the extreme sacrifice without a qualm. Such is the pedestal on which rests the responsibility of military leaders.
Coming battles will be bewildering, complex, fluid and incredibly violent. The technology will be ultra-modern; the psychological stresses on men will be as dreadful and desperate as never before. Weapons have become more efficient and sophisticated, and as a result their lethality and firepower now have a devastating effect on combatants. Sustained operations, the fog of war, physical and psychological fatigue, threat to life and limb, loss of comrades, the sight of dying and wounded men, conflicts of values, isolation from near and dear ones and above all the fear of being killed or maimed will be hanging thick in the air.
Today’s battlefield, in short, will be a ferocious mix of lethality, devastation and complex leadership tasks. The men will be reliant on their leaders as never before. It will require superb military leadership capable of withstanding the heat of such a battle and delivering under fire. These are challenges of a kind which have to be addressed in great seriousness. But the battlefield is not a place for quiet contemplation. From experience and from literature we know that those who came out on top were the ones who maintained their focus on their profession in peace times and did not fritter away their skills in wasteful quests.
To prepare the troops to engage in combat is the fundamental purpose of a military leadership in peace times. Be it war or peace, at the heart of this leadership lies the fact that a good leader must be seen by his men leading from the front and, when the time comes, willing to accept the ultimate sacrifice himself. This, above all, is what differentiates the military leadership from all others. A British soldier in a 2nd World War European battlefield, when asked by war correspondents where his officers were? Replied, “Come time to die, they will be with us.”
War is an art of conflict and military leadership is an expression of that art. A military organization will choke on its superb staff work and staff reports if it is incapable of producing professional leaders able to deliver in the field. Military leadership, therefore, assumes an almost mystical place in the book of military values and most certainly occupies a central place in its code of conduct.
Military profession is unique in that not every one is fit to become a soldier. A man can be selfish, spineless, untrustworthy, false, and morally corrupt in a wide variety of other ways and still be outstandingly good in professions other than that of a fighting man. He can be a superbly creative artist, for example, or a scientist in the very top order, and still be a very bad man. What the bad man cannot be is a good sailor, or soldier, or an airman. Likewise, not every sailor, soldier or airman can be a good military leader. Military leadership of a nation, therefore, forms a rare storehouse of moral supply that should always be a source of strength within the state.
There are very few who are born with it. The rest have to be trained. The dilemma is that no training institute however careful and thorough can substitute for actual combat. No man can be an effective fighting leader before he hears an angry bullet whiz past his head. A fighting leader is always green till he and his men come under fire. Be that as it may, till the time such groups of men actually come under hot fire, the art of soldiery has to be continually honed within the constraints. Towards this end, no amount of time is ever enough. Battlefield is a place where one would be expected to deliver what one has learnt in the interlude. In the ensuing blame game at the end of conflicts, “not enough training” is the standard accusation of the head-hunters. The almost standard counter of the involved leaders has always been…“not enough time”.
How is the Pakistani military leadership doing today? Are they utilizing this “not enough time” to prepare themselves and their troops’ to a pitch that strikes terror in the hearts of our potential enemies? Or is our military busy instead in wasting this precious resource in managing national politics, housing estates, large corporations, financial institutions, factories, huge commercial enterprises, dairy farms, and similar state concerns?
Business, management and politics make a witch’s brew for any fighting force in general and prove a dangerous liaison for its leadership in particular. A military leader cannot be identified with the corporate executive to the point where the functions of leadership are perceived as identical to the functions of departmental management. If the two are confused, the traditional aspects of the military approach will collapse under the impact of new managerial skills, staff-solutions, power-point presentations and computer models of decision making. The next war will then be fought by executives in uniform equipped with the tools of corporate administration held vital to “management” yet bereft of skills necessary to winning a conflict. The “way of the soldier” then will finally be laid to rest.
To be sure, the concept of military leadership does embody in itself a notion of management. But taking it even an iota beyond that is an inherently misleading and ultimately perilous proposition. Yes good management is good leadership. Yet good management does not necessarily provide good military leadership, for a combat leader cannot “manage” his men to death. The management of the business world is best left to those whose job it is. For a military leader’s concern are the enemy forces and not the market forces.
Military leaders are made in peace and tested in war. Such men will give to the selfless performance of their duty and mission the best that effort, thought and dedication can provide. A military leader is not merely a manager of men as would happen in a commercial enterprise. This equation is bogus, deceptive and ultimately dangerous. For it does not recognize that at some point a military leader may be called upon to do his duty and be “faithful unto death”.
Furthermore, for military to indulge in national politics poses gravest of dangers. Inevitably it ends up absorbing the politician’s language, style and eventually their ethics. Whenever that happens, however faintly and gradually, the military ceases to be a true military establishment on which the nation counts so deeply. It rather becomes an army of politicians reacting more to street sentiment than to aggression from across national frontiers.
Let it not be forgotten that the military is a profession of arms and has a long tradition, with a high and exacting standard and inherent nobility derived from the nature of war and the conditions of service. Traditionally, soldiers are expected to possess military virtues in all facets of their lives. This is inherent in the idea that the military is not a job but a way of life. For the military, performance expectations are believed to be higher than for civilians and include the notion that individual soldiers should serve as a symbol of all that is best in the national character.
In true democratic societies, the moral justification for the use of military force for tasks other than that for which it was intrinsically oriented is almost always an issue of profound concern. Not only that, the application of military assets for almost any reason is always a cause for serious debate at the highest strata of national society.
The fact that military force is often used disreputably does not negate the truth that the military is indeed an honorable profession with an ethical purpose. There is a wholly legitimate and honorable purpose for military force - to protect the lives of the citizens of the nation from outside aggression. Nothing less, nothing more. A military leadership indulging in non-professional pursuits, unsure of itself and its standard of conduct, unable to maintain its focus during peacetime and over-managed with briefcase-toting staff is a recipe for disaster. Therein lurks the danger of prostituting the legitimate purpose of military force. In such situations the military force, more often than not, is misused in unscrupulous and non-professional pursuits. More than this, one would not want to pen.
Millions of soldiers have perished in countless conflicts because of fundamental inferiority in strength, tactics and weaponry, poor organization, failed strategies, treachery and adverse weather. If one were to sum up all the factors into one whole, it is none other than repeatedly poor and dismal military leadership. This one aspect is enough to unhinge all the sacrifices of an otherwise first rate fighting force. All factors associated with military decay focus on leadership.
When the dust of war settles we start looking for causatives in the debris that are left behind. Who, what, when, how, where, why are sought in the charred remains. The answers to these questions should be sought now and not then.
The writer is a former Pakistan Air Force officer, now residing in UAE. E-Mail: eagleeye@emirates.net.ae

posted by promila 10:00 AM

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CCS to clear AJT this fortnight

Bangalore, August 20: Defence Minister George Fernandes on Wednesday indicated that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is likely to clear the much-awaited Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) deal within a fortnight.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) plant in the city, Fernandes said the Defence Ministry had sent necessary papers to the CCS, which will take a final decision at its next meeting.
Left wont relent, to continue Fernandes boycott
NEW DELHI: Consequent to the Government’s ‘‘failure to answer’’ questions on the contentious Defence deals, the CPI(M) feels that the entire Opposition should continue the boycott of Defence Minister George Fernandes. Somnath Chatterjee, leader of the CPM in Lok Sabha, said on Wednesday he hoped the presence of the Congress and other non-Left Opposition parties during Fernandes’ speech on Monday was ‘‘only for the non-confidence motion’’. Describing as ‘‘successful’’ the purpose of the motion which was lost in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday night, Chatterjee said the performance of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and Fernandes had exposed the Government’s ‘‘total inability to answer what the country’s people wanted to know’’. ‘‘Going by the performance of the Defence Minister, who could say nothing to disprove charges except proclaiming himself honest, the Left parties will continue to boycott his speeches in the coming days as well’’, he said. —ENS
He did not reply to queries on which manufacturer will clinch the deal and the number of AJTs that will be ordered. That is all part of the Cabinet papers and it is a secret, he said. The Minister was not sure about the delivery schedule.
The top contenders for the AJT are the British Hawk and L159 B of the Czech Republic. The two aircraft were part of the demonstration at Aero India 2003 held in February in Bangalore, during which Fernandes had said the deal was likely to be cleared shortly. When reminded of his earlier statements, he admitted he was not aware of all the manoeuvres. Questioned about the Phalcon radars from Israel, Fernandes said no decision had been taken in the matter.
On cross-border terrorism, he said infiltration continues. It has ups and downs, but it continues. Firing was high in areas like Kargil and an equal amount of fire has been returned, he said. He said several confidence building measures need to be taken to improve Indo-Pak relations.
Fernandes also said the no-confidence motion moved against the Vajpayee Government has exposed chinks in the Opposition. The Congress lacks the kind of resilience needed to put a platform together and it is trying to assemble a coalition which is not sticking together, he said.
Asked if the Congress boycott had given him confidence, Fernandes said he never loses confidence. I am an eternal fighter. I will remain one.
When asked if the defeat of the motion was a setback to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Fernandes said: You may say so if you wish, adding The debate made it clear that the NDA stands firm and there are no hiccups which were found in the early phases.
He said he did try to speak to Jayalalithaa before the trust vote, but she was not available. However, he said he had not called her for any specific issue.

Indian Express 21 Aug 03
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Navy boosted by US offer of direct sales of aircraft parts

New Delhi, August 22: In a sign of growing Indo-US ties on Defence-related issues, Washington has offered direct sales of key spare parts of the Sea Harrier aircraft and Sea King helicopters. The US offer is a boost for the Navy as both aircrafts serve as the backbone of the maritime air strike arm. Both were almost grounded when the US-imposed sanctions in the aftermath of the Pokhran tests.
At the recent meetings between US and Indian military officers, the US has offered online sales of these spares to New Delhi, Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral John Desilva said.
However, New Delhi has expressed concern at the US offer to Pakistan to sell them six C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. So long as Pakistan continues its policy of confrontation with India and so long as it continues to sponsor cross-border terrorism, any accretion to Pakistans military strength, irrespective of the source, would be a matter of concern, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the US offer of direct sales means that New Delhi will not have to wait for routine supplies from the British who would seek clearance from Washington for supplying these spares

Indian Express 23 Aug 03
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HAuLed up Saikat Dutta

New Delhi, August 23: On September 9 last year, two MiG-21s crashed, one in Rajasthan, the other in Ambala. The Indian Air Force, as is the norm, ordered an inquiry but this inquiry is turning out to be far from routine.
Official records accessed by The Sunday Express show that it has led to a severe, unprecedented indictment of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited which maintains the IAFs fighter fleet and is the Governments showpiece for the manufacture of training and combat aircraft.
So strong is the indictment that HAL chairman N R Mohanty has agreed, for the first time ever, to post Russian expert audit teams at HAL sites (Lucknow, Koraput, Nashik) to ensure better quality control in engine repair and overhaul. The first team is expected this month.
Since the IAF probe began, it has lost six more aircraft due to technical defects, all maintained and overhauled by HAL. In fact, of the 315 MiG-21s lost over the last 30 years, 118 were due to technical defects.
When contacted, the IAF spokesperson declined to comment on the exchanges with HAL. But its conclusion that HALs quality control shook our confidence, is based not only on its own probe but also investigation done by a team of experts specially flown in from RAC-MiG in Russia, the original manufacturers.
Consider the sequence of events:
On November 25, 2002, Air Headquarters wrote to Mohanty saying its findings shook our confidence in the quality control at HAL.
Both the September 9 crashes, the letter said, were due to flame-out (sudden seizure) in the engine because of faults found in the Rotary Slide Valve (RSV), the critical component that regulates how much fuel reaches the MiGs engine.
Traces of silica, sodium, calcium, aluminium had jammed the valve causing the accidentmetals not from the valves material. In other words, these impurities sneaked in during cleaning or installation.
Air Headquarters then sent a team of two officers to HAL divisions in Koraput and Lucknow where the MiG engines are assembled. Based on the teams feedback, HAL was told that a lot needs to be done to improve (its) environment and technical practices.
And that actions was required on a war footing to improve deficiency areas...improve the level of awareness at the shop-floor level personnel. On February 25, 2003, Air Headquarters sent a second letter suggesting that a dedicated team of specialists from all HAL divisionsLucknow, Koraput, Nashikcarry out a study to resolve the issue of the (valve) RSV seizure.
In April, Air Headquarters got a team of Russian specialists from RAC-MiG, the original manufacturers, to fly down and visit the HAL division in Koraput as well as the Air Force station in Ambala to investigate the causes of engine seizure.
HAL CHAIRMAN’S
REPLY ON JULY 10
• Problem of seizure viewed with serious concern
• Several initiatives taken in overhaul, testing and fuel management
• Rearrangement of assembly and repair section, daily check of cleanliness
• Russian expert audit teams expected soon
Based on the Russians findings, another letter, dated June 18, 2003, was sent to HAL. In this the indictment was sweeping: 70% of the cases of engine seizure were barely within hours of overhaul; fuel system was contaminated, specified design and technology parameters were being violated. (see box)
It was this that prompted Air Headquarters to suggest to HAL that a Russian audit team (be posted) at the work sites to improve the quality control process.
And on July 10, 2003, HAL chief Mohanty wrote back to Air Headquarters acknowledging that the problem of valve seizure had been viewed with serious concern and a number of initiatives taken in areas of over haul and testing and better fuel management.
According to his letterMohanty was unavailable for commentHAL took several other steps: training of technical personnel, proper flushing of the engines, daily check of fuel cleanliness and internal audits of the respective divisions.
He also agreed with Air Headquarters suggestions to post a Russian team of specialists from RAC-MiG and INKAR, the original manufacturers of the engines fuel pump, in India.
On the problem of lack of cleanliness in the engines, which had proved fatal for the aircraft would be addressed, as suggested in the (Russian) report and units in the assembly line will be checked for cleanliness again after the engines were flushed.

Indian Express 24 Aug 03
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Another question stares at AJT deal HAWK: Defence Ministry all set to put proposal on CCS agenda this week Shishir Gupta

New Delhi, August 24: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) faces a Rs 300-crore question when it takes up the Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJT) proposal for clearance. There is a Rs 300-crore difference between the British Aerospaces final price for 66 Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs) and the purchase offer of the Defence Ministry on the Rs 6,000 crore deal.
While the Ministry is all set to put the proposal on the CCS agenda this week, it is keeping its fingers crossed. The British company has indicated that it has no intentions of lowering the price. It is a take-it-or-leave-it situation, said a senior government official.
Defence Minister George Fernandes indicated the predicament when he announced at Bangalore last week that the deal is before the CCS but refused to comment on whether the decision will be favourable or not.
It is understood that British Aerospace has offered the Hawk jet trainer at around Rs 60 crore per aircraft. The Hawk proposal was approved by the Finance Ministry in June after British Prime Minister Tony Blair raised the issue with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in St Petersburg on May 31. Besides the purchase of 66 aircraft, the deal involves purchase of spares and other ancillary equipment to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.
Giving a go-ahead to the deal means that either the political leadership will have to take the aircraft at the manufacturers "best and final offer" or adjust the Rs 300 crore through some concessions.
However, given the fact that Fernandes is targeted by the Opposition, there is a view in the government that the CCS should postpone the decision as it is the fag end of the NDAs five-year term. Wary of the fact that the Opposition will make defence scams an issue in the forthcoming general elections, there are chances that the CCS may defer the proposal. The AJT has been hanging fire for 16 years, it will not make any difference if the acquisition is held up for some more months, said the official.
Even the IAF, which is keen that the deal is approved, knows that it will have to be a political decision due to the substantial price difference. It is for this reason that the AJT price negotiating committee, headed by then Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal S.G. Inamdar, left the decision to the Government

IndianExpress 25 Aug 03
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MiGs not to be part of airshow Indian Express 27 Aug 03

Chennai, August 26: MIG-21, much described as the flying coffin, will not figure in the list of aircraft participating in the air show on September 6.
Safety concerns of a large number of the public who will gather to witness the event from the sands of the Marina are said to be the reason for this.
IAFs Training Command Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Air Marshal B.K. Pandey said MiG-21s wont be part of the show considering the flight safety implications. He said the aircraft in the air show were twin-engine machines whereas single-engine machines were slow training aircraft
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Indian express 02 Sep 03
India and Israel need each other The multiplier effects of mutual help in terms of security Bharat Karnad
It was only in the mid-1990s that New Delhi, realising how injurious it was proving to national interest, jettisoned its hoary, unbalanced, West Asia policy and brought its close, covert and longstanding ties with Tel Aviv, including in the military sphere, out of the closet. Today India and Israel are frontline fighters against international terrorism and provide the much needed democratic ballast in the extended region Bosphorus to the North China Sea otherwise bereft of human rights and representative government.
In an anarchic world of sovereign states plagued by violence, the glue that binds like-minded countries together is shared threat perceptions and mutual help in the security field. In return for Indias moderating its political stance on the Palestinian issue, Israel shares Intelligence, trains special operations commando and, most importantly, sells top-of-the-line military equipment. As a producer of critical high technology military hardware and electronics, Israel is something of a godsend to the Indian Armed Forces who can now readily acquire tested cutting edge equipment. Inside of a decade, India has supplanted China as the largest buyer of military goods, with the average annual purchases worth $1-2 billion being something of a lifeline to the Israeli defence industry.
As a means of cantilevering the bilateral relationship to a higher plane, Tel Aviv has suggested jointly financing and developing, among other things, a full coverage anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system able to intercept all enemy missiles fired from any quarter. An adviser to the former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, estimated that were the two countries to invest just one per cent of their gross domestic product in the development of a comprehensive ABM system over $12 billion will be available for the project yearly. Tel Avivs interest in partnering India in such projects is straight forward enough. It will spread the financial burden and risk and free it from the shackles the US veto on exports that accepting American money entails.
However, the trouble with a relationship with Israel predicated on Indias off-taking a whole host of military goods and services and engaging in ambitious joint ventures is that, unfortunately, it is all one way with India doing little else but forking out the funds. Over time there is not only the danger of the Indian defence budget reverting to an austerity line thereby drying up arms sales and the relationship, but of India-Israel ties being reduced to a buyer-seller relationship. As a recipe for warm and enduring relations, it falls short.
It is a danger that Tel Aviv seems to be mindful of the reason why it has tried very hard to accommodate the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Bangalore, for instance, by promising to offtake its Lakshya remotely piloted vehicle for use as target drones by the IDF and the Israeli Air Force. Alas, there are not many things the 39-odd Indian ordnance factories with antiquated tools and low productivity norms and the myriad R&D laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, which promise more than they deliver, produce of international quality that Israel would want to buy. Is there a way around out? There is.
India has the territorial space Israel lacks and can provide the Indian landmass, air space and the naval facilities for training the lead fighting elements of the IDF, Israeli air force and navy. More meaningfully, India and Israel can mesh their defence industrial capacities to maximise mutual benefit. This will call for schemes of cross-investments and of coupling the defence science and technology research, design and development centres as also the manufacturing organisations in the two countries.
Israel could contemplate transferring the more basic product lines comprising low to medium technology, like small arms and ammunition, armoured personnel carriers and short range artillery, to India to meet the needs of both the countries and for the international market. Long range guns, self-propelled artillery, etc, could be added to this list. The idea is to wed Indian weapons platforms, perhaps upgraded with Israeli assistance, to high-technology Israeli avionics, fire-control systems, and sophisticated missiles and other weapons in order to obtain high quality armaments and military-use systems. The Indian Light Combat Aircraft, for example, is a natural fit for Israeli aviation technologies.
Further, Indias requirement of some 3,000 Main Battle Tanks (MBT) will be only partially met by the import of the Russian T-90s and the upgrading of the older T-72s. Israel may be obliged by the terms of US military aid to opt for the American Abrams MBT. In this situation, it makes sense for Israel, instead of abandoning its proven Merkava MBT, to transfer its production designs and the manufacturing processes and wherewithal to the Indian complex in Avadi, as a means of providing the Merkava to both the Indian and Israeli armies to meet their replenishment/ replacement needs of their armoured forces and selling this MBT with an excellent operational reputation and track record to interested customers world-wide.
Such imaginative policies linking military, industrial and high technology sectors will firm up India-Israel friendship by creating hefty stakes in each others security. Logically, grand programmes like the Israeli proposal to jointly build an all-aspect ABM system or a matching invitation New Delhi can make to Israel to join in an equally high value project producing, say, nuclear-powered submarines, will be easier to realise if defence industrial collaboration at the lower levels of technology and political-military investment, is first established and momentum generated.
Links in the conventional military field could lead, moreover, to cooperating in the field of nuclear armaments a possibility that could be opened up by Indias offering its nuclear testing site to Israel to validate its weapons designs. The absence of its own test grounds reportedly led Tel Aviv to conduct a one-off fission test in South Africa in 1979.
Strong India-Israel ties could bookend an unstable region rife with Islamic discontent and turmoil and make for stability in Asia. The only obstacle may be the terminal self-doubt afflicting the Indian government and political class, which policy attribute translates into an absence of strategic foresight and vision.
(The writer is research professor, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi
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Choppers sent DGCA rules into tailspin ONGC choppers key unit not overhauled, J&K pilot took off violating all norms Ritu Sarin Indian Express 02 Sep 03
New Delhi, September 1: Serious lapses of omission by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have been traced as investigation goes on into last months two helicopter crashes, one in Jammu and Kashmir that killed five on board and the other off the Mumbai coast which killed 27 on board, including several ONGC personnel.
The preliminary report in the August 5 Bell 407 helicopter crash in Ganderbal shows that DGCA looked the other way as its norms went out of the window. As for the ONGC crash on August 11, accident inspectors have found that the chopper was flying despite violating DGCA rules on maintenance.
DGCA inspectors have reported that the ONGC crash was, in all likelihood, caused by the failure of the tail rotor. Also, the copters servo unitwhich is responsible for maintaining the correct balance of weight in the chopperhad not been overhauled as per regulations. DGCA norms say it should be overhauled every 500 flying hours but this helicopter had clocked some 3,800 hours.
Says a senior official, This was a concession the DGCA gave to the operator (Mescos). The helicopter had been grounded for a year and a lot of rigging had been done to the tail rotor before they were granted the air worthiness certificate. DGCA should have been more vigilant before permitting them to fly.
While the failure of the tail rotor has been backed by the data retrived from the choppers Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, the servo unit is now being sent to an Air Force for examination.
A team of Russian engineers will arrive within the next few days to take part in the investigations of the helicopters mechanical failure. The fact that only one of the twin inflatable floats of the helicopters opened up is also an important aspect of the on-going crash probe.
However, Mescos CEO Natasha Singh says she has no official word on what may have caused the crash. We are not privy to what the critical instruments have revealed and how the probe is progressing. We are sure all the parts of engine were in serviced condition.
In the case of the Bell 407 crash, the preliminary report shows several DGCA regulations were being violated by the operator, the Jammu and Kashmir Government. DGCA officials are now red-faced as they realise the helicopter had done several non-schedule sorties in hilly terrain without a valid permit.
On the ill-fated morning, the helicopter took off half an hour before permissible time when the visibility was just 25 m and DGCAs regulations stipulate a 5-kilometre visibility.
Most shocking is the flight record of the pilot, who investigations reveal, violated DGCAs rules of maximum permissible flying 11 times in the course of a month.
The pilot had been flying continuously without a rest for 43 days before the helicopter crashed (pilots are supposed to have a mandatory rest every sixth day) and had clocked 73 hours in a week instead of the maximum 60 hours.
No proper log books were being recorded or dispatched to the DGCA.
Sources say that since the Bell 407 was being used for VIP sorties, everyone turned a blind eye to the violations. On August 5, the helicopter was ferrying pilgrims in very poor light when it crash in Ganderbal, killing five persons on board

posted by promila 9:43 AM

Sunday, August 17, 2003

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Indian Parliament Panel Demands Smoking-Gun Report From Defense Ministry
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI
An Indian parliamentary panel Aug. 6 attacked the Defence Ministry for concealing a report that purportedly highlights shady arms deals at the height of a near-war with nuclear rival Pakistan in 1999.
Parliament erupted in an uproar after the private Aaj Tak television network during broadcasts cited the report of India’s Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which deals with high-level corruption.
The 22-member Parliamentary Affairs Committee (PAC) told lawmakers that it was unable to launch its own independent probe as the ministry, citing national security, had declined to hand over the now-leaked CVC report.
“In the face of refusal by the Ministry of Defence in supplying the report, the PAC regrets its inability to give their findings on the defense procurement transactions,” the Parliament’s watchdog PAC said.
It flayed the ministry for giving an Indian journalist classified documents on the controversial purchase of unusable coffins in 1999 while denying the PAC access to the latest probe.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government tried to ward off the united opposition’s attack by jamming work in Parliament’s lower house with protests over the leak of the report.
Aaj Tak, citing the purported report, accused unnamed Defence Ministry officials of accepting bribes, and inflating procurement costs of artillery guns, shells and bullet-proof jackets during the conflict four years ago.
India in 1999 launched a full-scale military offensive to dislodge Pakistan-backed forces holding strategic peaks in the Kargil region of Indian Kashmir, leaving some 1,000 combatants dead on both sides.
Within months of the conflict, national watchdog agencies exposed shady arms deals clinched during the Kargil fighting, including the import of unusable coffins.
The developments are likely to put Defence Minister George Fernandes in the eye of yet more political turmoil. Fernandes remains under the cloud of a financial scandal that erupted two years ago. A news organization in April 2001 alleged kickbacks in defense deals, following which the president of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party, Bangaru Laxman, had to resign. Thereafter, Fernandes also tendered his resignation but was again inducted as defense minister eight months later. The probe continues.
The defense minister, the only socialist in Vajpayee’s Hindu nationalist-led government, nearly destroyed New Delhi’s bilateral ties with Beijing in 1998 by dubbing China as India’s No. 1 enemy.
A senior member of the PAC told DefenseNews.com Aug. 6 that the panel also wants to discuss the upgrade of 125 MiG-21 bis aircraft and the purchase of missiles during the Kargil conflict, claiming the costs of both were inflated.
The PAC member said the committee wanted to explore why there was a four-year delay in the MiG-21 bis upgrades when the homegrown Light Combat Aircraft was behind schedule, and noted that the missiles were received months after the Kargil hostilities ended.
A Ministry of Defence official said the PAC report, coming ahead of next year’s general elections and against the backdrop of the 2000 defense scandal, will severely affect progress on several defense procurement programs, such as the advanced jet trainers, the Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, and the $2 billion purchase of Scorpene submarines.

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U.S.-India Group Discusses Military Relations

BY JASON SHERMAN

U.S. and Indian defense officials Aug. 6 kicked off two days of meetings at the Pentagon, aimed at advancing the bilateral military relations.

The third meeting of the U.S.-India Defense Policy Group since 2001 will include discussions between U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Ajai Prasad, India’s permanent defense secretary, according to a Pentagon official.

The two nations in recent years have increased military cooperation, combining naval patrols in the Malacca Strait, resuming arms sales, conducting exercises and inking an agreement to facilitate cooperation in defense technology.

Previous meetings have included discussions on how to enhance prospects for peace and stability in Asia, strengthen counterterrorism efforts and improve the security environment in Afghanistan. The United States is keen for India to send troops to Baghdad, a move India will not consider without a request from the United Nations.

The bilateral policy group is expected conclude its work Aug. 7, according to a Pentagon official.

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India Eyes British Carrier

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI

The Indian Navy is eyeing Britain’s HMS Invincible aircraft carrier, as talks with Russia over another carrier deal remain at a stalemate.

British Defence Ministry officials offered to sell the Invincible to India when naval chief Adm. Madhavendra Singh visited the United Kingdom July 1-3. The offer includes an unspecified number of Sea King helicopters and used Sea Harrier aircraft, said a senior Indian Defence Ministry official, who declined to disclose the cost and the timetable of the possible deal.

A senior diplomat at the U.K. High Commission here confirmed the British government made an offer.

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Interview: Air Chief Marshal Srinivaspuram Krishnaswamy, India’s Air Force Chief Defense news 17 Aug 03
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
Air Chief Marshall Srinivaspuram Krishnaswamy heads the region’s largest air force as it maps its largest modernization program in decades.
During the next dozen years, India’s array of aging combat jets from MiG-21s — which have experienced a string of recent crashes that have exposed Krishnaswamy’s boss, Defence Minister George Fernandes, to criticism — to indigenous fighters will be retired as part of a comprehensive modernization program to field fewer but more capable aircraft.
Another top priority is better electronic warfare capabilities as part of a broader effort to improve the command-and-control structure.
Krishnaswamy is widely recognized as the right man for the job. An accomplished aviator and test pilot with experience in 30 aircraft types, he has helped develop a range of military aircraft and weapon systems, including Indian-built MiG-21s. An expert in weapon development and electronic warfare, he also holds the distinction of starting the first Electronic Warfare Command in Indian Air Force (IAF) history.

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LCA goes supersonic
By Harichandan A. A. The Hindu 02 aug 03
BANGALORE AUG. 1. Tejas, the light combat aircraft (LCA), powered by an American GE 404 engine, made its maiden supersonic flight here on Friday to make Indian aviation history. Wing Commander Vikram Singh, one of three test pilots on Team LCA, took technology demonstrator I to a "targeted'' speed of Mach 1.08, flying at an altitude of 11 km.
"She behaved beautifully,'' the Wing Commander, who has flown much faster than this on other aircraft, told a media conference called to announce the test conducted by the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC), Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). He held the aircraft at supersonic speed for 12 seconds. The flight lasted 35 minutes.
"This is the first time an Indian designed fighter aircraft has been able to accelerate to in a level flight to supersonic speed and hold at that speed,'' said a pleased M.B. Verma, LCA Programme Director ADA. V.K. Aatre, Scientifc Adviser to the Defence Ministry, and N.R. Mohanty, Chairman, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, were present.
Over the coming months, more supersonic flights are planned for technology demonstrators (TD) I and II, and for prototype version I (PV I) which will be rolled out in September, Mr. Aatre said. The Indian Air Force, and possibly the Navy, will each get their versions of the LCA "by the end of this decade''. Kaveri, the indigenous engine for the LCA, "is being developed", he said.
The technology demonstrators have been flown 94 times to date, with the flight duration being increased gradually. Over the next two years "we will concentrate on weaponisation and integration of systems'', Mr. Verma said.
The LCA's first supersonic flight, which came true two weeks later than announced, made everyone at the NFTC-ADA proud. Mr. Mohanty summed it up best. "On July 1, 2001, the LCA made its first ever flight, today within two years, it has made its first supersonic flight... it's a great day for us''.
Tejas, as the Prime Minister named it, was accompanied by a Mirage 2000 and a MiG 21, piloted by Air Commodore Parvez Khoker, Project Director, NFTC, and Squadron Leader Suneeth Krishna, Test Pilot, NFTC, respectively. The three aircraft flew supersonic simultaneously.
Later, Wg. Cdr. Vikram Singh stated that the maximum speed achieved by any aircraft piloted by a human being was Mach 3, that is, three times the speed of sound. An aircraft moving at Mach 1, which is the speed of sound, will cover about 334 metres a second.
Today, Wg. Cdr. Vikram Singh took a 2.5 G turn on the LCA, during which manoeuvre the aircraft and the pilot would have experienced a pull two and a half times that of gravity. He took the aircraft to an altitude of 8 km at sub-sonic speeds, and then climbed to 11 km, preparing for the supersonic flight. Then came the moment to forget theory and trust the aircraft. After months of agonising calculations, computer simulation and wind tunnel testing of wing vibrations and a battery of other tests, for 12 seconds, the LCA — an unstable configuration — made it.

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The Hindu 02 Aug 03
The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, waves from the cockpit after a successful flight on the MiG 21 fighter aircraft, at the Air Force Station in Ambala on Friday . — Photo: V.V. Krishnan.
AMBALA AUG. 1. In an attempt to end what he described as the "misinformed" debate over the airworthiness of MiG-21s, the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, flew for nearly half-an-hour this morning in a 20-year-old two-seater trainer version in overcast conditions.
While the pilot reportedly wanted to head back to base after attaining a height of 5,000 metres and a maximum speed of 750 kmph, Mr. Fernandes, sitting behind him in the cockpit, told him to execute some simple manoeuvres. After a "barrel roll", "stiff turn" and "wing over", admittedly not the stuff to severely test the plane but enough to make a point, Mr. Fernandes returned triumphantly to waiting cameras and fussing technicians.
During the flight, blank shots were fired frequently to scare away birds while a Chetak helicopter kept a vigilant eye on the proceedings. The seating order in the plane was reversed for the Minister and the Western Command chief was at hand to promptly replace the helmeted mask that appeared to give some trouble.
It had been drizzling since Thursday here, at one of the oldest air force bases in the country, and initially it appeared that Mr. Fernandes might have to return disappointed because fighter aircraft normally do not take off in rain. This air base also has a rather dubious history — the first recorded MiG-21 crash took place here 40 years ago and the last crash was recorded in April this year.
The MiGs have been dubbed "flying coffins" for registering over 100 crashes from 1993 till date. Mr. Fernandes took to the skies in one of them to prove to the general public and the air force fraternity that the plane is still the mainstay of the Indian fighter fleet. There had also been insinuations in the media and from a few Parliamentarians that he had flown in the brand new Sukhoi-30 last month, but shied away from "testing" the much older MiG-21s.
In New Delhi, the CPI (M) leader, Somnath Chatterjee, said, "one flight by the Defence Minister does not mean the aircraft is safe".

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Russia raising extra funds to meet IAF’s MiG upgrade target
IndianExpress 06 Aug 03

Vinay Shukla

Moscow, August 5: Russia is raising additional funds to the tune of $18 million to meet the supplies schedule of kits for the upgradation of MiG-21 BIS fighter jets currently in service with the IAF.

Vice-premier Boris Alyoshin said that from September onwards, Russia will remove the ‘‘slippage’’ in supplies of kits for the modernisation and upgradation of IAF’s MiG-21BIS fleet and will fulfil its contractual obligations.

The manufacturer is raising extra funds to the tune of $18 million in private sector to meet its contractual commitments, Alyoshin was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti.

Under the deal, which is already behind the original schedule by three years, Russia was to develop upgradation technology for modernised MiG-21-93 and transfer it to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The upgradation involves the replacement of the original engine with a more powerful one used in MiG-29 fighters, a sophisticated ‘‘kopyo’’ (spear) phased-array radar capable of simultaneously engaging up to nine targets. (PTI)

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‘Let MiGs fly, but safely’

Gadgils’ petition receives President’s ‘personal assurance’
IndianExpress 06 Aug 03

Express News Service

New Delhi, August 5: The Indian Air Force (IAF) today found an unexpected ally in Kavita Gadgil, mother of Flt Lt Abhijit Gadgil who died in a MiG-21 air crash two years ago, who emerged from an hour-long meeting with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to dismiss reports that she was ‘‘anti-IAF or wanted the MiG-21 fleet grounded or replaced.’’

According to her, Kalam also gave them his ‘‘personal assurance’’ to look into their petition. Gadgil, who established the Abhijit Air Safety Foundation after her son’s death, has been at the forefront of a campaign for greater air safety measures. However, she dismissed reports that she was ‘‘anti-IAF’’ and specified that she was neither for grounding the MiG-21 fleet, nor in favour of replacing it overnight. ‘‘That is not practical. All we want is greater safety for young pilots. We want the IAF to implement certain measures such as the induction of Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) among others,’’ she said.

However the Gadgils are upset over a letter they received from the IAF alleging that Abhijit’s records indicate ‘‘that he was weak in certain aspects of flying which was monitored.’’ Rejecting the letter, his father Wg Cdr Anil Gadgil (retd) said the IAF could have grounded Abhijit if they were unhappy with his flying record. ‘‘If they didn’t think much of his capabilities why did they make him a two-aircraft leader? Why did they let him into the cockpit in the first place?’’ he asked after meeting the President. In their petition, the Gadgils have referred to the letter as misleading and ‘‘in poor taste’’. They have also filed an additional petition with the President demanding a fresh inquiry into their son’s accident to re-examine the crash.

During the meeting, the Gadgils presented a voluminous petition with their demands to improve air safety. They have suggested that the IAF carry out a squadron-by-squadron audit of aircraft serviceability by an independent board of experts. They have also demanded good high quality simulators for better training, modern safety equipment for the MiG-21s and want the IAF to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of cannibalisation of the fleet and induct AJTs.

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Don’t shoot down IAF over the MiG myths
IndianExpress 13 Aug 03

A. K. Goel

If there is anything more important for the Indian Air Force than defending the country, it is to ensure cost of such defence is minimum. Thus, while we must train and prepare for perhaps the most demanding profession on Earth, we aim to ensure accidents are kept to the lowest levels.

The reality is since man was never meant to fly, and especially fly in fast and highly manoeuvrable jet fighters that require split-second responses, there are occasions when things go wrong. Many ponderables and imponderables combine to cause accidents.

But if there is anything that hurts the IAF internally is the loss of an aircraft and even more painful, the loss of precious lives. Every loss of aircraft means that one less operational aircraft is available for the country’s defence. As regards loss of life, this amounts to not just the loss of a trained combat pilot, but also a family member.

People like P. Chidambaram (‘‘Where Life is Cheap’’, July 27) who claim the IAF treats life cheap know little about the Air Force, its ethos, traditions, and professionalism. His column may be called Politically Correct but it is not factually correct. Allow me to outline some bare facts.

MiGs are the mainstay of the IAF and have been so for three decades. The IAF has different types of MiGs — the MiG-21, MiG-23BN, MiG-23MF, MiG 25, MiG-27 and MiG-29. There is an unfortunate tendency to club them together.

Most people are not aware that the MiG-21 has 21 variants of which 10 have served in the IAF. These are the Type 74, Type 76, Type 77, Type 96B, Type 96, Type 75, the Bison (upgraded MiG-21), and the two-seater Type 66, Type 69 and the Type 69B.

All these types were inducted into service between 1969-1976. Each one is a modified improvement of the earlier variant, with the last of the aircraft being manufactured in 1989.

Three different types of engines equip these fighters and trainers. Every sub-system and component of the aircraft, including its engine and airframe, has a design life after which it is replaced.

The aircraft and its systems are subject to scheduled maintenance ranging from pre-flight to between flights, daily and weekly inspections, and overhaul at defined intervals. The criteria for airworthiness are the serviceability of the aircraft and its systems within its design life-cycle. There is no arbitrary concept of ‘‘age’’.

The basic truth is an aircraft is either serviceable or it is not, irrespective of age. There is no halfway house in military aviation and this must be clearly understood. Therefore, contrary to what is often conveyed in the media, the IAF does not fly unserviceable, unfit or non-airworthy aircraft.

No air force in the world phases out its aircraft merely because of age. They are periodically refurbished and upgraded. In most cases, phasing out is done either because technologically the aircraft is markedly inferior to its potential challenger, or because it has completed its design life.

The United States Air Force still flies the B-52 aircraft, which is 45 years old. The IAF still uses the Canberra, introduced in 1957.

One has to look at MiG-21 accidents in perspective. The MiG-21 fleet comprises 47 per cent of the total fighter inventory of the IAF and yet accounts for nearly 70 per cent of total sorties flown by the IAF’s fighter fleet. In the absence of an advanced jet trainer, the IAF is compelled to use the MiG-21 as an operational trainer.

Though the MiG-21 technology is of 1960s or 1970s vintage it does not automatically follow that it is unsafe to fly. It is unfair that the sobriquet of ‘‘Flying Coffin’’ has been conferred on a truly versatile flying machine.

In 1999, the aircraft proved its worth as a frontline combat aircraft in Kargil and again when a MiG-21 shot down a Pakistani Atlantique aircraft which intruded across the border.

It is unfortunate that eminent people have publicly questioned the integrity of the IAF. The IAF has in practice one of the most scientific approaches to flight safety. The number of fighter aircraft lost in accidents has been progressively coming down, from 30 per year in the 1980s to 23 per year in the 1990s. It is now 18 per year.

Fighter flying is intrinsically hazardous. Man and machine have to operate at the limit of their capability. In aviation, even a small mistake in judgment or skill could lead to disaster. Human failure, whether at the level of design, manufacture, maintenance or flying, could individually or collectively lead to such mistakes. The goal of the IAF’s flight safety programme is to ensure these errors don’t happen. When they do, it is to investigate the failure and prevent recurrence.

The author is inspector general, air safety, IAF

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India denies troops mobilisation in Dras-Kargil

Press Trust of Indian Express 17 Aug 03

New Delhi, Aug 17: India on Sunday termed as "completely baseless" Pakistan's claims that New Delhi was preparing for military action by mobilising troops in the Dras-Kargil sectors of Jammu and Kashmir and said it was "normal movement at formation level."

Pakistan's official news agency, APP, quoting intelligence sources had reported on Saturday night that India was preparing for military action in the Dras-Kargil sector. There was an increased movement of troops and other related activity, especially in Dras area and restrictions were being imposed on movement of civilians, it said.
India Pak Talks Ram Temple Turmoil SelectGujarat RiotsWar on IraqJ-K MonitorNE MonitorElections 2003India-Pak Face OffGujarat Polls32nd National GamesPM's China VisitIndia's England TourAttack on AkshardhamChampions TrophyIndia-Kiwis seriesCW Games9/11: A Year LaterFIFA WC 2002Budget 2003Budget 2002Parliament AttackBJP's Goa MeetBusan AsiadCricket World Cup

Describing the report as "completely baseless," a Defence Ministry spokesman said, "This was a normal movement of troops at formation level and there were no restrictions on the movement of civilians in the area."

The spokesman said the Srinagar-Leh highway overlooking Dras-Kargil was open to traffic and several tourists were moving along it.

Last week, Defence Minister George Fernandes had denied in Parliament that Pakistani forces were in occupation of an Indian peak in northern Dras.

posted by promila 4:58 AM

Friday, August 08, 2003

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MiGs: President sends a rocket Asks Govt for a report on crashes and on remedial action taken by IAF
Shishir gupta Indian Express 2 Aug 03

New Delhi, August 1: Defence Minister George Fernandes may have dispelled apprehensions over MiG-21 fighters by flying in the Russian plane today but Supreme Commander of the armed forces, President A P J Abdul Kalam, is apparently not convinced.
On July 25the day he completed one year in officeKalam is understood to have taken up the issue of the rising number of IAF crashes with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
While Rashtrapati Bhavan officials say they have no clue as to what was discussed in that meeting, sources said that Kalam asked for a comprehensive report on crashes and remedial action taken by IAF. The report is yet to reach the President.
Once Kalam had proposed,
Govt disposed
Induction of new aircraft simulators for pilot training
Status: Even though upgraded MiG-21s have been inducted, simulators are still in pipeline.
Acquisition of advanced jet trainer
Status: Hanging fire after 17 years.
Upgradation of existing aircraft simulators
Status: Simulators upgraded but far and too few
Procurement of aircraft spares
Status: With Russian spares price hiked, India has to scour CIS countries for vital parts. Russia has phased out Mig-21 and 23.
Kalams request has caused a flutter at South Block and Air Headquarters. The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has asked the MoD to submit a detailed report on the MiG crashes.
It is understood that the Ministry, on the basis of inputs by Air Headquarters, has informed the PMO that no less than 315 MiG-21 fighters have crashed in the past three decades. On an average there have been around 18 crashes including those of MiG-21 in a year.
A day before the Kalam-Vajpayee meeting, Fernandes had informed the Lok Sabha that since 1992, as many as 229 IAF fighter crashes has taken place. Out of these, 101 were lost due to human error, 95 due to technical defect, 20 due to bird hits and 13 for other reasons.
A harried Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy is now contemplating grounding all those trainee fighter pilots whose record reflects a slow learning curve.
It is learnt that Krishnaswamy has even written to the Defence Ministry for permission to release the report of the court of inquiry into the July 14, 2003 MIG-21 trainer crash at Srinagar (involving Squadron Commander R Rastogi and Flight Lt Ganeshan) to prove that there is nothing wrong with the Russian aircraft.
Kalam has a reason to be upset. He was the head of the Committee on Fighter Aircraft Accidents (COFAA) that was set up by the Defence Ministry way back in February 1997 to identify the causes for increased fighter accidents and to prepare a comprehensive action plan to minimize the losses.
In his capacity as Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Kalam had submitted his report in September 1997 that made a string of recommendations including that on an advanced jet trainer

Flying coffins? Dont kill a good aircraft by bad assumptions Indian Express 04 Aug 03

Aircraft accidents in India, by their very nature, put everyone who knows something on the defensive since people who may not know anything about aeroplanes become instant and aggressive experts. The issue of MiG-21 falls squarely in that category. Little do those who happily use the term flying coffin from the comfort and safety of air-conditioned offices realise that they are talking about the aircraft which has been the backbone of the Indian Air Force and defence for more than three decades, including at the heights of Kargil, four years ago; and has a useful life to serve still. People happily seek replacing the 300-odd aircraft in service. This would cost the country upwards of Rs 500,000 crore at an average per unit cost of $40 million that is, nearly eight-times the annual defence budget, while demanding, as Amartya Sen has, a cut in current levels of defence spending!
The air force and the pilots undoubtedly would be happy flying the latest and the best fighter aircraft provided the country could afford them. What we also need to remember is that the air force as an institution is the one group that is most concerned about aircraft accidents since it is a part of that close-knit family that has to bear the brunt of an accident directly. And ours is one of the most professional air forces in the world. For respected, knowledgeable political leaders to claim, therefore, that the IAF considers life cheap is nothing short of gross irresponsibility. This is not to say that accidents should not be reduced to the barest minimum. Unfortunately, the debate in the country has been trivialised or buried under a welter of emotion.
Indian air force pursues one of the most scientific approaches to prevention of flying accidents. It has the choice of continuing with realistic training which naturally carries greater risks, or make flying safer by not undertaking the more demanding flying exercises of the type in which an experienced squadron commander and another pilot got killed at night in Srinagar. We also need to remember that the air force operates at a technological level much higher, even in the old MiG-21s, than that available in India. We need to note that behind every accident there is inevitably a human failure, even if that goes back all the way to the designers. What the air force needs is the public confidence and support to cope with the challenges that it has to face in balancing operational training with safety. Merely criticising the air force without offering practical solutions is hardly the best way to express that confidence

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Delegation to US to discuss defence cooperation Indian Express 06 Aug 03

New Delhi, August 5: A highlevel delegation led by Defence secretary Ajay Prasad and including officials from Ministry of External Affairs, the DRDO and representatives of three services will be in Washington this week to further defence ties.
While India has already received the first batch of Weapon Locating Radars, New Delhi is keen to take discuss acquisition of other weapon systems.

posted by promila 9:49 AM

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India’s Defense Minister Flies in Crash-Prone MiG-21
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, AMBALA, India Defense News downloads 01 Aug 03
Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes Aug. 1 flew a short sortie in a MiG-21 fighter jet in a bid to rid the aging Russian planes of their reputation as “flying coffins.”
The flight near the north Indian town of Ambala lasted around 25 minutes, with 73-year-old Fernandes sitting in the co-pilot’s seat.
The Air Force says 52 Indian MiG-21s have crashed in the past three years and has blamed 24 of the accidents on pilot error, 20 on technical defects and three on bird-hits.
“When I was sitting, I was very comfortable,” Fernandes said after touchdown.
Answering the questions of hordes of journalists who had come to see him fly, Fernandes said that despite the frequent crashes, MiGs were the “mainstay” of the Indian Air Force.
He insisted MiGs were as modern as any other aircraft after midlife upgrades, but said older ones would be “gradually phased out.”
Wing Comdr. N. Harish, who flew the minister, said he took the aircraft to a maximum speed of 750 kilometers per hour and also did a “few maneuvers.”
“It felt like I was flying with one of the pilots of my squadron,” Harish said. “He was totally at home. We did a few maneuvers. When I decided to head back, he said, ‘Can’t we stay in the air a little longer?’ So we stayed a bit longer.”
The flight came after a former junior foreign minister last week taunted Fernandes about the frequent MiG crashes and dared him to ride in the aircraft.
Fernandes immediately accepted the challenge, saying he had already asked Air Chief Marshal S.K. Krishnaswamy, head of the Air Force, for a MiG ride, but his job as defense minister had kept him chained to his desk.
Last month, Fernandes took a ride in a Suhkoi-30 MK fighter jet, almost a year after spending a night inside a submarine.
Parents of several pilots killed in MiG crashes plan to appeal to President Abdul Kalam to ground India’s MiG-21 fleet, which includes planes up to 30 years old.
Experts have blamed the MiG crashes on the delay in finalizing a 20-year-old plan to buy 66 advanced jet trainers worth $1.63 billion, allowing rookie pilots to gain more experience before flying supersonic jets such as the MiG-21

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Defense Minister Says India Will Phase Out MiG-21s
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes told the parliament here July 30 that the Air Force’s controversial MiG-21 aircraft gradually will be phased out.
The government last year decided to eliminate the MiG-23 and MiG-25 from the Indian military’s fleet, but Fernandes’ announcement was the first official acknowledgment that the MiG-21 also will go. The parliament’s standing defense committee in 2002 recommended that the entire MiG fleet should be replaced.
Without specifying the time frame, Fernandes said the older versions of the Russian-built MiG-21 would be phased out first. A senior Defence Ministry official said the Air Force’s 70 MiG-21 MFs and FLs would be phased out beginning in 2004.
The Air Force flies 200 MiG-21s of 14 varieties. The Air Force has lost more than 220 aircraft in the last 10 years, most of them MiGs.
The senior Defence Ministry official also revealed that the ministry has begun to short-list the combat aircraft that could replace the MiG-21. The official indicated that the Indian government would accept the offer from Dassault Aviation, St. Cloud, France, to produce Mirage 2000-5 aircraft under license in India, a deal which could make the French plane the likely choice for the replacement.
The Indian government also is considering a $7 billion offer from Dassault, made in September 2002, for licensed production in India of 100 Mirage 2000-5 multirole aircraft for export to a third country.
The Ministry of Defence said the ongoing upgrades of 125 MiG-21 bis in India will proceed.
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New Panel Aims To Speed India’s Jet Trainer Purchase
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News 01 Aug 03
The government here has created a special committee, led by Defence Minister George Fernandes, to accelerate procurement of advanced jet trainers for the Indian Air Force.
The latest report on recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense, tabled in parliament July 29, said the purchase of trainer aircraft has been delayed due to an impasse in price negotiations.
Pradipto Bandyopadhyay, Ministry of Defence spokesman, told DefenseNews.com on July 29 that a committee, comprising ministry bureaucrats and headed by Fernandes, was established last month. The panel’s purpose is to speed up India’s long-delayed acquisition of trainer aircraft by meeting regularly to thrash out issues related to the jet trainer procurement process, including consideration of new bids.
Such a process at the highest level of the Defence Ministry will enable officials to make speedier decisions about the program, a senior ministry official said July 30.
The committee will evaluate options that have landed on the desk of the Ministry of Defence in the past year. This will help save the government time if the Cabinet Committee on Security{CCS), which must clear all major defense acquisition programs, rejects the BAE deal, the ministry official said.
Fernandes announced earlier that the CCS has two options — to go ahead with final negotiations with BAE SYSTEMS or to examine the whole jet trainer issue afresh.
A Defence Ministry official said the Indian government has asked the British government if the British Royal Air Force has rejected the Hawk 100 advanced jet trainer made by BAE SYSTEMS, London, and is awaiting an answer.
Though the proposal to purchase BAE’s Hawk 100 was cleared last year by the Indian Ministry of Defence, the procurement after seven years of negotiations with the company remains stuck in the CCS.
Meanwhile, the Czech company Aero Vodochody has offered India a deal to buy its L-159B advanced jet trainer at nearly half the price of the Hawk 100. The proposal has made it difficult for the Indian Cabinet to take an early decision ahead of next year’s general elections.
The action-taken report said the Indian Air Force also is in the process of procuring simulators, as an added safety measure, for all its major fighter and trainer aircraft and helicopters. These will include simulators for the MiG-21 Bisons, MiG-27s, MiG-29s, Sukhoi-30s, Jaguars and transport aircraft like Il-76 and Mi-17 helicopters.
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India Spends $16 Million on Missile Tests in First Half of 2003
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Defnese News downloads 01 Aug 03
India conducted 20 tests of seven missiles in the first half of 2003 at a cost of more than $16 million, Defence Minister George Fernandes told parliament July 30.
“All the 20 flight tests have met the mission objectives set for them,” the minister said in a written reply to a question.
Fernandes said the 20 tests, conducted between Jan. 1 and June 30, cost about 750 million rupees ($16.3 million), including the costs of the launched missiles.
He said two variants of the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni, which means “fire” in Hindi, were in the “induction phase.” The Agni I has a range of 700 kilometers and the Agni II has a range of 2,000 kilometers.
Of the Prithvi (“earth”) missile, which has a range of 200 kilometers, Fernandes said the Army’s already is in the service, while the version for the Air Force was being inducted.
India’s missile tests, generally conducted at a testing range in the eastern state of Orissa, have drawn more international attention than usual since last year as they came amid a military standoff with Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have begun to mend ties since April, when Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee offered the neighboring country a “hand of friendship.”
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Indian, U.S. Officials Launch Defense Discussions
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News down loads 01 aug 03
India and the United States have begun talks on improving defense ties between the two countries, and topics likely will include the dispatch of Indian troops to Iraq as part of the U.S.-led stabilization force.
Led by Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. delegation arrived here July 28 and met with Indian Navy chief Adm. Madhvendra Singh, chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and Air Chief Marshall Sriniwaspuram Krishnaswamy, leader of the Air Force.
Myers also will meet with Army leader Gen. Nirmal Vij, Defence Secretary Ajai Prasad and national security adviser Brajesh Mishra.
“There is no fixed agenda for his meetings, and discussions in the next two days will be freewheeling ones where both sides could raise issues of importance,” an Indian Ministry of Defence official said July 28.
Myers’ visit also will set the tone for a defense policy group meeting between the two nations to be held Aug. 6-7 in Washington.
India’s purchase of defense equipment from the United States and the dispatch of Indian troops to Iraq will top the agenda for Myers’ visit and the discussions in Washington, another Ministry of Defence official said. The official added that New Delhi will seek Washington’s nod to allow Israel to sell missile systems like the Patriot and the Arrow-2 to India.
The United States already has approved Israel’s sale of Phalcon radar to be mounted on Indian Air Force Il-76 transport planes that will be used as airborne warning and control system aircraft. The United States also has approved India’s purchase of $190 million in U.S.-made Firefinder weapon-locating radar under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.
“We are hopeful that the purchase of P-3 Orion [aircraft] will be cleared during the Gen. Myers visit,” an Indian Navy official said July 28.
The two countries also will plan more military exercises and evolve an institutional mechanism to interact with the U.S. Central Command, the Navy official said.
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New Delhi Lawmakers Say No U.S. Bases in India
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News downloads 01 Aug 03
The parliament here voted July 24 not to give the United States permanent military bases in India.
Vinod Khanna, the minister of state for external affairs, told the parliament’s upper house July 24 that “recently there have been speculative and misleading commentaries on a report prepared by a private agency for the U.S. Department for Defense”.
A Ministry of External Affairs official told DefenseNews.com July 24 that Khanna’s reaction was to a report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense, that indicated the United States wants Indian bases and military infrastructure.
The April report, “The Future of Indo-U.S. Military Relations,” was prepared by consulting group Booz Allen Hamilton.
Khanna said the report does not represent the official position of the U.S. government.
The report had stated that America would eventually seek access to Indian bases and military structure, adding that India’s strategic location in the center of Asia, astride the frequently traveled sea lanes linking the Middle East and East Asia, makes India particularly attractive to the U.S. military, revealed the External Affairs Ministry official said.
A diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi said July 25 that the report was prepared by an independent consultancy group and there is no official move by U.S. to set up military bases in India.
New Delhi’s denial to military bases comes ahead of the visit of Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, by the end of the month and the next round of meetings of the U.S.-India defense policy group, which sources say has been advanced to the first week of August.

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Indian and Russian Firms Join Forces To Make, Sell Avionics
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News downloads 01 Aug 03
India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), Bangalore, and Moscow-based Aerospace Equipment Corp. have agreed to jointly produce and market new-generation avionics.
HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty told DefenseNews.com on July 23 the two companies have signed an agreement, which includes production of spare parts for MiG-21 aircraft. He declined, however, to give details of products to be made jointly at HAL facilities in India.
HAL has been maintaining and upgrading the Indian Air Force’s MiG fleet alone. HAL is upgrading 125 MiG-21 bis aircraft at its facilities in Nasik.
The new-generation avionics will be incorporated in the MiG-21 bis, as well as India’s Russian-built Su-30 MKI aircraft. HAL has begun licensed production of 140 Su-30 MKI aircraft in Nasik.
Mohanty added that spare parts and kits for the MiG-21 also will be jointly manufactured. In the last year, the MiG-21 has become subject to scrutiny following a series of crashes.
A senior executive of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RSK MiG) in New Delhi said July 23 that Indian air crashes, especially of the MiG-21 aircraft, can be attributed mainly to the use of inferior spare parts from Commonwealth of Independent States and East European countries, a charge HAL has always denied.
The RSK MiG executive said the joint development and production of avionics and aviation equipment by HAL and Aerospace Equipment Corp. will be based on cutting-edge technologies. The products will be exported to other countries, he said.
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Defense Minister: 52 Indian MiG Jets Crashed in Past Three Years
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Defense News dosnloads 01 Aug 03
A total of 52 Indian Air Force MiG aircraft have crashed over the past three years, Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes said.
Twenty-four of the accidents were caused by human error, 20 were due to technical defects, and three of the aircraft struck birds, he said.
“A continuous and multifaceted effort is always afoot in [the] Indian Air Force to enhance and upgrade flight safety,” Fernandes said in a written reply to a question in the upper house of parliament.
A majority of the accidents involved the MiG-21 fighter aircraft.
In the most recent accident, a pilot and co-pilot of a MiG-21 died after their plane crashed at a military airport in Indian Kashmir on July 15.
The Indian Air Force, the world’s fourth largest, has been plagued by accidents that have left about 100 pilots dead since the early 1990s.
A meeting chaired by Fernandes in November decided to phase out the aging Russian-made MiG-21s.
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India’s Homemade SAM Not a Dud, Defense Minister Says
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Defense news downlaods 01 aug 03
Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes on July 23 came to the defense of a jinxed surface-to-air (SAM) missile, saying it was not a dud and that the indigenous program was being revived.
Fernandes told parliament’s upper house that Indian scientists were working on the glitch-ridden Trishul to turn it into the country’s first anti-missile system.
“The program has been currently delinked from user service [mass production] in view of delays due to technological problems,” he said, adding that four flight-tests of the Trishul between June 22 and 25 were successful.
“All the four tests of the missile had achieved all mission objectives, like proving guidance system and operation,” Fernandes said, in a written reply to queries from members of parliament on the missile’s uncertain future.
Fernandes said the Army, Navy and Air Force have been permitted to import similar missiles “to meet their urgent requirements” while scientists work to get Trishul off its launch pad.
The homegrown Trishul, India’s ambitious version of the U.S.-made Patriot, was one of five developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) since 1983.
The missile is powered by a solid-fuel engine and configured to deliver a 15-kilogram warhead up to nine kilometers away.
But V.K. Aatre, scientific advisor to the defense minister and head of the DRDO, earlier this month said the 3 billion rupee ($62.5 million) project was being scrapped.
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U.S. Company Offers India Stratospheric Airships, Eyes Partners
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BANGALORE, India Defense News downloads 01 Aug 03
A U.S.-based firm, headed by the former director of the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative’s 1980s “Star Wars” program, offered India its stratospheric airships July 17 and said it was seeking partners.
James Abrahamson, chairman of Florida-based StratCom International LLC, said Indian state-run and private companies could collaborate for specific research and development programs to apply to the new airships.
“India is potentially a terrific market,” said Abrahamson. “And we are looking for partnerships which can be for building specific applications and also on the technical side.”
Stratospheric airships are unmanned, autonomous solar-powered airships designed to fly at approximately 19,700 meters and to carry payloads ranging from 909 to 1,180 kilograms.
The airships, measuring 150 to 180 meters long and about 55 meters in diameter can be used for both civil and military applications.
“These airships will offer reliable transmission and help in disaster management, mobile data communication in remote and rural areas, and telemedicine,” Abrahamson told reporters in the southern information technology hub of Bangalore.
“Stratospheric airships are extremely cost-effective and offer a range of benefits compared to any other satellite, either for civil or defense applications,” he said.
He said the airships, at a cost of about $20 million each, were well suited for a large country like India.
Civil applications include wireless communications and interactive television and radio broadcasts, while military payloads may carry very high resolution multispectral cameras for observing ground, airborne or space targets.
The U.S. Defense Department has already pumped about $100 million into the project, and the first prototype will be ready by late 2005 or early 2006.
The airship will be designed to hover over a single point on the surface of the earth, autonomously navigating to counter winds, and will be able to navigate over long distances or on a combat patrol.
StratCom was formed to investigate and develop the benefits of stratospheric airships for military purposes and civil telecommunication applications.
The firm has an exclusive arrangement with Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems, under which the high-altitude airship program for defense has been in development since 1998.
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India Seeks Used P-3s
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News Downloads 01 aug 03
The Indian government has told the U.S. government it wants to buy eight used P-3 Orion maritime surveillance planes under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, according to the U.S. Navy.
Defence Ministry officials here said India wants to buy the P-3C version of the aircraft at a cost of about $10 million each.
But the C variant is not available through FMS because of its advanced surveillance equipment, so the U.S. Navy would consider selling B variants to India, U.S. service and industry sources said.
U.S. Navy officials plan to visit India in late summer or early fall to begin more formal talks with the government there about the potential deal, Bob Coble, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., said. In storage since they were removed from the U.S. fleet, the P-3Bs will require refurbishing. If the deal is approved, the U.S. Navy would ask American defense firms to bid for the work, Coble added.
Lockheed Martin, which builds the P-3, has told the Defence Ministry here the company could upgrade the B variants to the Cs, said Jaggi Malhotra, a Lockheed representative in India. Lockheed officials in the United States say the two variants have similar range and payload capabilities.
Gail Kaufman contributed to this report from Washington. See full story in the July 14, 2003, issue of Defense News.
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Indian, U.S. Navies Meet for Search-and-Rescue Exercise
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News downloads
The navies of India and the United States on July 10 began day-and-night exercises expected to last two to three days off the southern Indian coast near Chennai. The joint exercise is the third for the two navies since the United States lifted military sanctions against India in September 2001.
Cmdr. Vinay Gerg, spokesman for the Indian Navy, told DefenseNews.com on July 10 that more than 150 Indian sailors and more than 100 U.S. sailors are participating in the exercises.
India has sent two Indian offshore patrol vessels, two Sea King helicopters and four Chetak helicopters for the search-and-rescue exercise, while the United States has sent one P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and the destroyer USS Curts.
“The current joint exercises are symbolic of the resurgence of Indo-U.S. defense ties,” Gerg said, adding that cooperation between the navies is vital because the strategic lanes from the Arabian Gulf and the Straits of Malacca are important to both countries.
India and the United States held the largest-ever naval exercise in the Indian Ocean in September 2002. The U.S. seventh fleet fielded its Ticonderoga and Spruance destroyers for the two-week exercises. The Indian Navy deployed a Delhi-class destroyer, a Godavari-class frigate, a Shishumar-class submarine and Russian-made Tu-124 maritime surveillance aircraft.

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India Abandons Troubled Trishul Missile Program
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News downloads 01 Aug 03
Continued technical problems have prompted the Indian Defence Forces to scrap the Trishul surface-to-air missile now in development, a move seen by officials here as a serious setback to the nation’s Integrated Guided Missile Development (IGMD) program.
“The decision followed technical snags in the guidance system, leading to the missing of targets,” said a scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which began the design and development of the Trishul missile in 1983 for the Navy, Air Force and Army.
“The Trishul missile has been delinked from induction to the defense forces and will only remain as an experimental missile,” a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said June 30. The official said the ministry already is searching international markets for a short-range missile, noting, “defense companies overseas will be invited in the next month to offer their missiles.”
The contract to equip all three services with short-range missiles within the next two years is expected to be worth $100 million.

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HAL, Eurocopter To Team
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense news downloads 01 Aug 03
Eurocopter S.A. and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) plan to create a joint venture firm for system development, equipment production, helicopter assembly and eventually, helicopter production.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget June 17 by HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty and Eurocopter President Fabrice Bregier.
Guillaume Gasparri, India managing director here for Eurocopter’s parent company, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., Amsterdam, said July 1, “The proposed MoU between the two countries will lay the foundation for creating a large helicopter production base in India, which would not only cater to India’s defense and civil helicopter requirements, but will also be aimed at export markets.”
Gasparri added that the joint-venture relationship would lead to co-production of a particular class of helicopters in India, for which the two companies are currently preparing business plan.
See full story in the July 7

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Chinese Air Force Delegation Visits Indian Airbase
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, JODHPUR, India Defense News Downloads 01 aug 03
A 58-member high-level Chinese Air Force delegation July 2 visited the Jodhpur air base in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, a defense spokesman here said.
The delegation, including eight Air Force major generals, was on a goodwill mission, he said. They toured the ground facilities and held meetings with their Indian counterparts.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visited China last month, giving an impetus to cooperation between the two countries, which fought a brief but bloody war in 1962
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British Warships To Visit India’s Crucial Naval Command Next Week
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Defense News Downloads 01 aug 03
Two British warships will visit India’s key naval command in Port Blair next week to “extend the growing professional interaction” between the two navies, the British high commission in New Delhi said July 2.
Britain’s guided missile destroyer HMS Liverpool and replenishment ship RFA Grey Rover will visit Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands from July 7-9.
“The visit of these two warships represent the largest Royal Navy visit to an Indian port in 10 years,” the high commission said in a statement. “The visit is intended to extend the growing professional interaction between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, as well as renewing historical and goodwill ties between the two navies.”
HMS Liverpool and RFA Grey Rover are returning to Britain after joining Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore in the Five Powers Defence Agreement Exercise — Flying Fish — in the South China Sea.
India and Britain enjoy close political, diplomatic and military ties

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Indian Air Force Campaign Defends Image of MiG-21
By PRATAP CHAKRAVARTY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Defense News Downloads 01 aug 03
The Indian Air Force (IAF) June 25 came out in defense of its MiG-21s, rejecting the nickname of “flying coffins” that some have bestowed on the Russian warplanes.
The IAF, which is the world’s fourth largest air force with 1,200 aircraft, relies mainly on nine variants of the single-engine MiG-21s, some of which date back to 1966.
Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy in a news conference rested his case for the Russian-designed interceptors, arguing the hours flown by the MiGs compared with the number of crashes did not merit the uncharitable tag the planes now have.
“Have a heart! The marriage market of our MiG pilots is coming down and we are angered by this,” he said referring to charts and statistics which boasted the aging jets were even safer than some wide-bodied commercial aircraft.
The reaction came just over a month after an IAF MiG-21 crashed and killed five people on the ground in the northern state of Haryana. The accident was India’s second MiG crash in four days and the eighth in the province in the past year.
“In the past 10 years, MiGs have flown 553,000 sorties and there had been only 98 crashes involving 43 fatalities,” Krishnaswamy said, adding that some 120 of his newest fleet of 200 MiGs have been upgraded to improve flight safety.
“Technical flaws caused no fatalities in the past five years except for in two cases,” he said, adding the period saw 25 crashes due to human error and 18 more from faults in the supersonic jets which have fought in India’s wars with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.
The comments stressed the IAF’s utter desperation for new trainer jets for its graduate rookie fliers, who now pilot under-performing planes with landing speeds of about 86 miles an hour to the MiG’s touchdown velocity of 211 miles an hour.
India has been dragging its feet since 1982 to buy 66 trainer jets worth $1.63 billion and has short-listed the Hawk Advance Jet Trainer built by Britain’s BAE SYSTEMS and the Alphajet trainer of France’s Dassault Aviation, but has not finalized any deal.
The government, plagued by one major defense scandal after another since 1984, is wary of getting bogged down by more such allegations with provincial elections later this year and make-or-break national polls looming in 2004.
But the air chief marshal rejected suggestions of friction over advanced jet trainers between the IAF and the coalition government of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Krishnaswamy said his MiG-21s would continue to fly because the jets were the mainstay of the Indian military, which was “very close to war with Pakistan last year.”
“Retiring aircraft is not simple, and we are not convinced with arguments that resources are the only criteria,” he said, adding the IAF warhorses have a life of up to 40 years, while their engines had a shorter flying life.
“And in their lifetime each of these planes will consume two engines,” Krishnaswamy said of the MiG-21s, which two Indian aeronautical companies now are upgrading and manufacturing under license from Russia.
Besides the MiGs, the IAF’s frontline aircraft includes Russian Sukhoi Su-30s, MiG-29s and French-built Mirage 2000s. India also is locally making British-designed Jaguar bomber jets.
The former Soviet Union accounted for 70 percent of India’s military hardware, but since its breakup, New Delhi has been

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U.S. Relaxes Export Rules for India, Pakistan
By AMY SVITAK Defense News down Loads 01 Aug 03
The U.S. State Department has eased export restrictions on defense goods going to India and Pakistan, a move that some industry observers say will be a boon to American defense and aerospace firms.
“This opens up those two huge markets once again for U.S. aerospace and defense contractors,” said Fred Shaheen, a government contracts attorney with Greenberg Traurig in Washington. “U.S. companies are now going to look at all the major combat systems in Pakistan and ask where they are going to be in five years, and shouldn’t they be thinking about refurbishment or replacement now.”
The regulatory change, published June 20 in the Federal Register, came on the eve of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s June 24 visit to the United States.
After meeting with Musharraf at Camp David, U.S. President George W. Bush announced an aid package for Pakistan that includes $1.5 billion in security assistance over the next five years. The change reflects, in part, an effort to reward Pakistan for its assistance in the war on terrorism. But some industry analysts say the change will do much more than merely normalize U.S. relations with the two countries.
See the full story in the June 30, 2003, issue of Defense News

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India’s Military Seeks $1.5 Billion in Radar Gear
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI Defense News down Loads 01 Aug03
India’s defense forces have submitted to the Ministry of Defence a draft proposal to buy $1.5 billion worth of radar systems. This proposal, along with others submitted by the Navy, Army and Air Force in the last two months, are being favorably considered, a senior ministry official said June 16.
The requirements submitted by the defense forces include battlefield surveillance systems, air defense radar systems, anti-aircraft weapon control systems, low-flying-detection radar systems, land- and ship-based 3-D radar surveillance systems, and multimode fire control radar for military aircraft.
The radar program is expected to officially launch in July, with equipment being purchased in batches during the next three years.
“The demands of the defense forces will be met, as finances for radar over the next three years will not be a problem,” a second senior Defence Ministry official said June 17. He revealed that in anticipation of the $1.5 billion in radar procurements being approved by the Indian government, a number of foreign vendors have offered their radar systems, which are being evaluated
“Once the draft plan is accepted formally and cleared by the government, which is expected any time this year, then formal letters of offer will be sent to select overseas and domestic companies to offer their products,” added the ministry official.
While state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL), Bangalore, has offered its radar systems to meet the demands of the defense forces, a senior Army official said June 17 that these radar are obsolete and of inferior quality compared with the products of overseas defense manufacturers.
A senior BEL official, however, rejected the Army official’s statement, claiming instead that the company can meet all the military’s radar requirements. “BEL is also offering the Indian Navy its latest-developed, low-probability intercept radar that cannot be detected by incoming aircraft and can escape anti-radiation missiles,” the BEL official said.
The second ministry official said overseas vendors that have made offers of airborne radar systems for combat and maritime surveillance aircraft, in anticipation of being invited by the Indian government to bid on the program, include Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Lod, Israel; Elbit Systems Ltd., Haifa, Israel; Beltechexport ZAO, Minsk, Belarus; Russia’s state-owned arms export agency Rosoboronexport, Moscow; and Scientific Production Enterprise Polyot, Nizhni Novgorod, Russia.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md.; Omnipol, Prague, Czech Republic; and Rosoboronexport are eyeing the 3-D radar systems competition for warships and Navy and Air Force bases. Elop Electro-Optics Industries Ltd., Rehovot, Israel, has offered to supply transportable radar systems.
Other companies that have shown interest in the Indian radar market are IAI subsidiary Elta Electronics Industries Ltd., Ashdod, Israel; EADS Deutschland GmbH, Munich; and Thales Nederland BV, Hengelo, the Netherlands.
The demand for radar systems submitted by the Indian defense forces is separate from the requirement for anti-ballistic missile radar systems like the Arrow-2 missile system, the Phalcon radar and the Green Pine radar, all of which India is negotiating to buy from Israel.
India also is negotiating to buy the Patriot air defense system from the United States and an improved version of the S-300 V air defense system from Russia.
“The need to modernize India’s radar system came to be appreciated by the Indian government only in the Kargil battle of 1999, when the Indian Army felt a dire need for weapon-locating radar. … [These] were finally procured from the United States in early 2002,” Nitin Mehta, an independent defense analyst here, said June 17.
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Indian Buy of 22 MiGs for Carrier Moves Forward
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI “Defense News dowlaod 01 Aug 0-3
The Indian Ministry of Defence’s Technical Evaluation Committee has approved a technical proposal submitted by Russian Aircraft-building Corporation MiG for the procurement of 22 MiG-29K fighters to equip the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.
While the formal letter of approval has yet to be sent, a ministry official June 10 confirmed the committee’s decision. The letter is expected within the month.
Several problems still must be resolved, not the least of which is the fact the Indian Navy has no carrier for these planes.
Russia offered to give the Kiev-class aircraft carrier to India, but only if India paid for the ship’s refit in Russia, bought MiG-29K aircraft and leased other Russian weaponry. The cost of the package would be more than $1 billion, which India has said is too high. Negotiations for the carrier began in 1994.
See full story in the June 16, 2003, issue of Defense News.

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Arunachal Pradesh not part of India, says Beijing the Hindu 26 Jul 03
Beijing July 25. Saying that it had ``not recognised'' Arunachal Pradesh as part of India, China today alleged that ``Indian people'' crossed the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control in the north-eastern State and not its forces as claimed by New Delhi.
Denying a report published in a Delhi newspaper that Chinese forces had ``transgressed'' into Indian territory near the LAC when the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, was visiting Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Kong Quan, said China did not recognise that Arunachal Pradesh was part of India.
``We have noted the relevant report. China does not recognise the so-called Arunachal Pradesh mentioned by the Indian newspaper report,'' Mr. Kong said. The External Affairs Ministry spokesman had said yesterday that the Indian Government was aware of the ``transgression'' of the LAC by a Chinese patrol on June 26 in the Asaphila area of the upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh.
This was an area where there were differences in perception of the LAC between the two sides. Mr. Kong said, ``as far as the incident mentioned, after investigations, we have found that the Indian side crossed the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
At the request of the Chinese side, the Indian people who crossed the LAC, returned to the Indian side of the LAC.'' China lays claim to 90,000 sq km of land in Arunachal Pradesh.

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The Hindu 26 Jull 03NEW DELHI JULY 25. The External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, today admitted in the Lok Sabha that there has been a latest incident of incursion across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
This and earlier such incursions could have been avoided if the two countries had a common perception of the LAC, he said.
The Minister told the House that the Government had taken up the issue of the latest incursion with China and a response was awaited. Mr. Sinha was responding to an adjournment motion moved by Ramjilal Suman and Chandranath Singh, both from the Samajwadi Party (SP), in the wake of a furore in the media during the past few days.
Mr. Sinha told the House that the Government was aware of the transgression of the LAC by a Chinese patrol on June 26 in the Asaphila area of Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh.
This, he said, ``is an area where there are differences in perception of the LAC between the two countries''.
The Minister said the Chinese patrol had not observed the specific provision laid down in the 1996 agreement between the two countries that concern situations involving face to face contact between patrols of the two sides.
He said the process of clarification of the LAC is under way. According to him ``the Government regularly took up with the Chinese authorities the violations of the LAC, according to our perception, by the Chinese side through the established mechanism.''
Earlier, speaking on his amendment motion, Mr. Suman said that newspaper reports had mentioned that China did not even recognise Sikkim as being part of India. ``While the Prime Minister was in China, the Chinese were making incursions into Indian territory,'' he said.
Jagmeet Singh Brar (Congress) and Mr. Chandranath Singh referred to the fact that 10 Intelligence Bureau members were interrogated by the Chinese patrol. Both members said the matter was related to national security and urged the Government to take it seriously.
After listening to the Minister of External Affairs, the Speaker, Manohar Joshi, rejected the adjournment motion
India meanwhile responded in a restrained manner to comments made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman that Arunachal Pradesh was not a part of India and that it was the ``Indian side'' which had crossed the LAC in the eastern sector.
In response to questions on the issue, the Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman said that India had made its position clear on the June 26 ``transgression'' of the LAC by the Chinese side. While the spokesman did not offer a detailed response to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's comments today, official sources said there was no exchange of fire during the June 26 incident. They added that the ``encounter'' in Arunachal Pradesh should not be blown out of proportion given the fact that the LAC is a lengthy one. This, again, pointed to the urgent need to clarify the LAC, the sources added.
They said that just because the Chinese had a certain view about the status of Arunachal Pradesh it did not mean that the State was not a part of the Indian Union.

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Differences exist with China on boundary demarcation: PM
By Our Special Correspondent the hindu 01 Aug 03
NEW DELHI JULY 31. While commending his Government's "look ahead" policy in foreign affairs, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today said that his recent visits to China, Russia, Germany and France showed India's growing importance in the international arena.
Replying to a 90-minute discussion in the Rajya Sabha on his last week's statement on his four-nation tour, he said India's importance in global affairs was being realised by everyone. "We have to look to the future, take inspiration from history but do not have to get lost in its labyrinthine structure," he cautioned.
Referring to his China visit and specifically to recent reports of a Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Vajpayee admitted that there were differences between the two countries on boundary demarcation. "The behaviour of Chinese authorities with the Indian patrol in Arunachal Pradesh was not dignified and in keeping with the agreements between us. Everyone is of the view that India and China should work together."
On Tibet, Mr. Vajpayee said India's known position was reiterated and took a dig at some members who sought to rake up a debate on it. "Tibet is a large region and there is an autonomous part within it but I do not want to go in a debate on it."
The Prime Minister was at his oratorial best while replying to references by senior Congress member, K. Natwar Singh, on what he had said on China as an Opposition leader and as Foreign Minister. "Mr. Natwar Singh had in fact sent me a congratulatory letter. I had visited China even before the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and had stressed on keeping peace and tranquility between the two countries. Rajiv Gandhi repeated it," he said.
"Times have changed. Earlier, as an Opposition leader, I used to give expression to public sentiments and colour them as well but now I keep them in mind and see them in nationalist colours," Mr. Vajpayee said.
Alluding to the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China, Russia and India, Mr. Vajpayee said it was taken note of by the international community. "There was no conspiracy. There have been suggestions of a possible China-India-Russia axis."
Pointing out that the international situation was undergoing a change, he favoured a cautious approach in forging bonds of friendship with Pakistan. "We went to Lahore in a hurry and had to face Kargil," he quipped but added that friendship with Pakistan was necessary. But friendly ties with Pakistan would not mean that India should compromise with the menace of terrorism. "We will have to crush terrorism and stamp it out." Winding up his reply, Mr. Vajpayee said India and China were cooperating on several fronts, including support to the World Trade Organisation. "There is enormous potential for expanding trade relations with China."
Earlier, intervening in the discussion, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, described Mr. Vajpayee as a man of peace who was respected in the international fora as the one who was genuinely interested in it. "Let us not indulge in credit-taking and blame game. The fact is that Prime Minister's China visit came after a decade and it produced results that can be described as landmark and path-breaking."
On the Arunachal Pradesh incident, he said such sporadic incidents did take place and it could not have been "pre-meditated". While stating that Sikkim and Tibet could not be linked, he said that the issue of Tibet was to be settled between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government.
Opening the discussion, Natwar Singh (Cong.) sought clarifications as to why Sikkim was not put in the joint declaration and raised the issue of Arunachal Pradesh.
Related

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2 pilots die in copter crash
By Our Staff Reporter The Hindu 01 aug 03
HYDERABAD JULY 31 . Two Indian Air Force pilots, who were on a training sortie in a Chetak helicopter, were killed when the chopper crashed at Mandaipally village of Shameerpet in the outskirts of the city.
The victims were identified as Narayanan, Flight Lieutenant, and Avinash Sharma, trainee pilot, of the Air Force station in Hakimpet.

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MiG victims mother confronts Fernandes Express News Service 28 Jul 03

Mumbai, July 27: The controversy over the airworthiness of MiGs clouded George Fernandes visit to Mumbai on Kargil Diwas yesterday when Kavita Gadgil, who lost her son in a MiG-21 crash, confronted the Defence Minister at a public function.
Gadgil, whose son Flight Lieutenant Abhijit died in a MiG-21 crash two years ago, presented Fernandes with a letter regarding the MiGs upgradation when he reached the venue yesterday evening.
Gadgil, who introduced herself as a representative of all the families who have lost relatives in MiG crashes, told the minister: The MiG is a dangerous aircraft and you should not fly it.
Fernandes responded by saying, Yes, I saw you and I read about you today. Gadgil had called a press conference on Friday immediately after Fernandes announced his intention to fly a MiG-21 in Parliament.
Gadgil then waited on the sidelines when the function organised by the Karnataka-based Jaya Shreekrishna Parisara Premi Samiti began. After several speeches including Fernandess, which was in Kannada, when mediapersons insisted on a break for an interview with the Defence Minister, Gadgil walked up to the stage. Security personnel, however, prevented her from meeting Fernandes.
Gadgil, who started the Abhijit Air Safety Foundation (ASSF) to highlight issues concerning the MiGs airworthiness, later said she wanted to meet the minister to dissuade him from flying the MiG. I wanted to tell him that he is very precious for the nation and he should not fly the MiG which is a dangerous aircraft. He can sit in Delhi and make flying safer for the pilots instead.
Gadgil said on Friday that she had written to the President asking for an appointment on August 5. Thats the day when Flt Lt S.C. Shukla, who had the maximum number of sorties in Kargil to his credit, died after his aircraft crashed near Palam airport, Delhi, in 2000.
A delegation of the victims family is expected to place their demands before the President. Since we now have a President who is also a great scientist, we are sure the matter will get due consideration, she said. The AASF will recommend trainer aircraft/flight simulators and better maintenance of these aircraft, Gadgil said.
Young fighter pilots in old MiGs have been dying without a war, without a cause. But everything appears normal to people who have not lost their flesh and blood, said Gadgil, alluding to what she described as the callous attitude of the authorities concerned.
Gadgil said the minister was treating the matter as if it were a joyride. Can he walk impromptu into one of the airbases and pick a MiG-21 at random and then fly in it? she asked.
Gadgil said the flight data recorders (FDR) of the MiGs, which constitute 50 per cent of the fighting strength of the air force, are so primitive that a realistic assessment of cases of fatal crashes becomes difficult

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On Army run, Jet flies to forward airfield today Pranab Dal Samanta, Indian Express 30 Jul 03

New Delhi, July 29: The Governments open skies policy may still be a dream but on the home front, its time for private airlines to wing to areas hitherto reserved for the national carrier. On Wednesday morning, there will be a new first when Jet Airways operates for the Army a probing flight to Ladakhs Thoise airfield, the crucial link to the Siachen glacier.
Jet has been chartered by the Army its the first time the armed forces are turning to a private airline to ferry troops and material from sensitive locations in Ladakh.
Official sources said a Jet Airways Boeing 737-900 will take off from Delhi at 5.30 am, weather conditions permitting. The start of the main operations will hinge on the success of this trial run.
Located at a height of 10,059 feet, Thoise airfield is a crucial junction for military personnel stationed in Siachen and nearby areas. Only the IAF flies to Thoise. Leh too only allows Indian Airlines and Alliance Air.
Official sources said the first attempt to charter a commercial airliner for Thoise was made by the Army during the Kargil War to pull out wounded troops. Alliance Air was to have operated on the route. Despite a successful trial run, efforts to start regular operations failed to materialise. In case the Jet flights a success, it will operate once every week between Thoise and Delhi. The start of this service, sources said, would provide an alternative to Leh which has been the sole hub for troops deployed on the higher reaches along the Line of Control.
The Army has so far chartered only Indian Airlines aircraft operated these days largely by its sister concern Alliance Air for ferrying its personnel. While Defence officials maintain that services to Leh will carry on unhindered, questions have been raised over the performance of the Alliance Air after two of its aircraft on the Delhi-Leh circuit suffered tyre damage.
The success of Wednesdays trial run, sources said, will also open up the possibility of adding Leh as a stop-over for this flight. It is learnt that the Army top brass has been grappling with ways to improve connectivity to Thoise airfield. With a runway length of 10,000 feet its longer than the Leh runway Thoise apparently meets all operational specifications for a Boeing 737.
But like any high altitude airport, Thoise too has its limitations. Only one direction of the runway, for instance, is available for aircraft to take off. This is because theres no escape for a plane taking off in the opposite direction if one of its engines were to fail.

posted by promila 9:29 AM