Experts Speak
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December 13, 2021
SCO Cyber Security Seminar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)This was the second time India was hosting such a cyber security seminar and first after it took over the Chair of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) Council
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December 2, 2021
Weapons by Private Firms
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Home Ministry held discussions with some 17 private companies for manufacture of arms. It is known that a number of Indian private companies are into defence manufacturing.
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December 2, 2021
Indigenous LCH, Drones and EW Suit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on the occasion of 'Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv' said, “For a long time, we were a nation that was a weapons and defence equipment buyer. Today the mantra is 'Make in India, Make for the World'.”
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November 14, 2021
Is China Readying for a Limited War?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China is hardening its force posture including in Eastern Ladakh; demonstrated by the series of operational and tactical measures it is continuing to take. This is hardly to only intimidate India.
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November 14, 2021
Boosting Naval Power
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Navy hopes to raise its warships strength from the current 140 to 175 by 2027 which may look ambitious but give the government focus should be feasible
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November 2, 2021
China-Turkey Arming Pakistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A China-Pakistan-Turkey triad will be adverse for India both in the conventional and sub-conventional spheres, given that China-Pakistan and Turkey-Pakistan have already been collaborating at the sub-conventional level.
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November 2, 2021
New Russian Autonomous Underwater Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs) can be used for underwater survey missions such as detecting and mapping submerged wrecks, rocks, and obstructions that can be a hazard to navigation for commercial and recreational vessels
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October 27, 2021
Ruckus About AUKUS
By Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd)AUKUS is a military alliance in which sensitive technology will be transferred by the US to Australia which has the potential of tilting the strategic balance in the region
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October 16, 2021
Second Phase Malabar 2021
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The second phase of Malabar 2021 exercise is reflective of the commitment of the participating countries to support a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific as well as a rules-based international order
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October 16, 2021
Deep Sea - Lurking Danger
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are already proliferating and as they grow in size and scope, they will add more complex and capable sonar, AI brains, communications links, and other technologies that will allow them to better monitor enemy submarine movements and attack them when required
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October 6, 2021
QUAD Leaders Summit and AUKUS
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)QUAD can actually be as powerful as AUKUS or even more, in case the capabilities of all members is built up suitably, under the pledge of sharing critical and futuristic technologies
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October 6, 2021
Rocket Force and Theatre Commands
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A committee was constituted that includes Vice Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and representatives of other ministries and departments, to resolve internal differences of Armed Forces, consult external stake holders like the MHA and MoF and look into the structure, composition, nomenclature and reporting channels of the proposed tri-Service commands
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October 6, 2021
Simulators for Armed Forces
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The policy document lays emphasis on indigenous design and development as well as outsourcing of operation and maintenance of simulators to the Indian companies
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October 6, 2021
Prime Minister Modi Meets Global CEOs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The excellent initiative taken by the Prime Minister in meeting with the CEOs of global firms will help improve the technological prowess of India, improve the economy, contribute towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and open up more employment opportunities
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September 16, 2021
India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Both India and Australia agreed to work jointly to realise full potential of the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
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September 16, 2021
Minesweeping Criticality
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Though the deal was supposed to be closed in 2016 but discussions on technology transfer (ToT) reportedly caused delays
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September 16, 2021
Forces Arming for Drone Warfare
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)All the three services of the Indian Armed Forces are moving ahead speedily for the acquisition of Drones and Anti-Drone technologies, mostly indigenous systems that are developed by Indian companies
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September 16, 2021
Landing Platform Docks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)After a lapse of over a decade, MoD now has again revived the project to indigenously build 4 x LPDs for the Indian Navy
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September 6, 2021
Vikrant's Light Signaling System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Navy personnel have been trained by Aerosvet's engineers in installation of light signaling system on INS Vikrant
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September 6, 2021
Light Drone Interceptor
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The terrorist threat to India has gone up with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. The possibility of terrorists using drones has certainly gone up, as is the possibility of CBRN attacks.
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August 21, 2021
Geopolitical Shifts Could Unfold Post T-Afghanistan
By Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd)China is entering this space created by the withdrawal of US troops. It will like to swiftly maneuver in order to gain significant advantage towards solidifying its continental strategy driven by BRI.
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August 15, 2021
US Superpower Image Cracks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the pull-out from Afghanistan, the superpower image of the US has taken a severe hit and that too at a time when Washington may have to deal with China and Russia collectively
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August 15, 2021
Maritime Security to The Fore
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With increasing maritime threats, India is all set to establish a National Maritime Security Coordinator (NSMC). The NSMC will interface between the civilian and military maritime domain with the objective of enhancing security architecture and energy security of India.
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August 6, 2021
Coming - MQ-9 Reapers and Armed Herons
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Once cleared by the DAC, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will need to give its final approval before procurement of the Predator-B armed drones can move forward
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August 6, 2021
Malabar Exercise - Signaling China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)People's Republic of China should be taking cognizance of the global reaction to its belligerent and expansionist territorial claims including its maritime claims in the East and South China seas.
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August 6, 2021
Vikrant on Sea Trials
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Vikrant is also known as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1, or IAC-1. It will be the second ship to bear the name 'Vikrant'.
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July 19, 2021
China's Underwater Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mass deployment of Drones gives a tremendous underwater advantage to Beijing not only for quietly gathering hydrographic data in territorial waters of other countries but also military advantage to the PLA
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July 19, 2021
Procuring Kamov Helicopters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Armed Forces urgently need 498 light utility helicopters to replace their obsolete single-engine Cheetah/Chetak fleets, which have been dogged by a high crash rate and serviceability problems.
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July 6, 2021
Defence Cyber Command
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Government is planning to set up a 'proper' Cyber Command in the hinterland of Madhya Pradesh for providing a fighting edge to the proposed Theatre Commands
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June 22, 2021
Second Negative Import List
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An all around growth of our defence industry is required, not through the DRDO-OFB-DPSUs alone with role of private defence industry and MSMEs relegated to being subcontracted to the governmental defence industrial complex
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June 19, 2021
DAC approves RFP for construction of six submarines
By Lt. General Naresh Chand (Retd)This project envisages indigenous construction of six conventional stealth submarines equipped with the state-of-the-art Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, at an estimated cost of 43,000 crore (about $5.8 billion)
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June 19, 2021
Pearl in the String
By Lt. General Naresh Chand (Retd)Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier had some misgivings on the economic viability of CPEC and that it represents a debt trap but on May 24, 2021, he met China's Ambassador to Pakistan and reiterated the highest priority accorded by his government to the CPEC
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June 6, 2021
Another Chinese Conquest in Colombo
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China getting 220 acres on 99 years lease and 49 acres free-hold in Colombo Port City is a massive strategic victory for Beijing
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June 6, 2021
New Runway in Mauritius
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India is fully financing a new three kilometre long runway on the island of North Agalega to develop the Agaléga islands and resolve infrastructural problems faced by the inhabitants
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May 25, 2021
Navy's Utility Helicopter - A Twist in the Tale
By Lt. General Naresh Chand (Retd)By 2025, Indian Navy will be faced with a major capability gap for Naval Utility Helicopters.
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May 25, 2021
QUAD – Revisited
By Lt. General Naresh Chand (Retd)The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) was an informal strategic forum between India, US, Japan and Australia initiated in 2007
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May 20, 2021
American Sunset in Afghanistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US war in Afghanistan is the longest in which some 2,312 US military personnel have died since their invasion in 2001
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May 20, 2021
Military Officers As Bureaucrats
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Appointment of serving military officers as Additional Secretary and Joint Secretaries in the DMA is not a big deal as is being made out
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May 20, 2021
2-DG Drug Helping COVID-19 Patients
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)DRDO affiliated Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) worked in partnership with Dr Reddy's Laboratories for the clinical trials showing it to be effective in controlling the pandemic
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May 20, 2021
Plugging Armed Forces Criticalities
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Armed Forces are looking at leasing more military equipment and platforms from foreign countries to plug critical operational deficiencies
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May 20, 2021
India-UK Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Modi-Johnson virtual meet and adoption of the India-UK Roadmap to 2030 have opened new vistas for taking the bilateral defence relationship to the next level
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May 6, 2021
Did Beijing Trigger Second Virus Wave?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Within India, Delhi (the national capital), Mumbai (the financial capital) and Bengaluru (the IT capital) are most affected. This creates the impression that akin to 'tactical nukes' China has developed 'tactical bio-bombs'
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May 6, 2021
Indian Navy Getting MH-60R Seahawks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The MH-60R helicopters have been selected by the navies of the United States, Denmark, Australia and Saudi Arabia. Indian Navy will be the latest user
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May 6, 2021
More Teeth for Indian Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The requirement for India is to define its role within its IOR strategy and keep providing more teeth to the Indian Navy in keeping with the expanding threats
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April 20, 2021
Quad Exercise with French Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The latest edition of 'La Perouse' indicates that the Quad is emerging as the fulcrum of like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific
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April 20, 2021
11th India-China Military Talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Unlike the last few rounds of talks, there was no India-China joint statement. This is maybe because China is not for anymore disengagement.
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April 20, 2021
India in China's Cyber Crosshairs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has recently stated that China is capable of launching cyber attacks on large amount of Indian systems
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April 6, 2021
US Secretary of Defence visit to India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Austin said elevating the India-US defence relationship is a priority for the Biden administration while describing the partnership as a stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region
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April 6, 2021
Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook's India Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence and security relations between India and Republic of Korea have been on the rise with regular interactions at multiple levels including at ministerial levels
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March 19, 2021
First Quad Leaders Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The first ever Quad Leaders Summit did give a new signal to China. But the question is whether the Quad will force China to back off?
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March 19, 2021
Missile Tracking Ship
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 15,000 tonne INS Dhruv is one of the largest warships to be built at an Indian yard and was being built under a confidential programme directly under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)
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March 19, 2021
AIP and Nuclear Powered Submarines
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) allows a submarine to remain under water for prolonged periods while also making it quieter. This new technology will add to lethality of Indian submarines.
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March 19, 2021
Coming - Armed Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)For India, the SeaGuardian drones will be vital as they can be fitted with anti-missile and radar components, enabling their readiness for any military operation
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March 15, 2021
QUAD 3.0: Window of Opportunity for India
By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)In the First QUAD Summit, held on March 12, 2021 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Japan PM Yoshihide Suga and Australian PM Scott Morrison met through virtual mode and shared their vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific
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March 8, 2021
The China-Pakistan Threat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In an article published in Pakistani Media, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi explained that China will continue to work with Pakistan to strengthen their iron friendship and that relations between the countries have become a strategic asset that both sides cherish
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March 8, 2021
Colombo offers WCT to India-Japan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Reports have emerged that Sri Lanka after reneging from the MOC signed with India and Japan on the East Container Terminal (ECT) has now offered the West Container Terminal (WCT) located on the other side of the jetty to India and Japan
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March 8, 2021
Boosting India-Maldives Security Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Government of Maldives has signed a pact with India for enhancing the capability of the MNDF and Maldivian Coast Guard
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February 19, 2021
Midflight Missile Interception
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is no doubt that midflight missile interception technology is of great strategic significance and once fully developed, China's midcourse anti-ballistic missile technology could change the balance of power
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February 19, 2021
Growing Defence Exports
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With an aim to increase the current defence exports to $5 billion by 2025, Indian government has drawn an export list covering 85 kinds of equipment encompassing 125 items and 47 sub-systems to boost the defence exports
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February 9, 2021
COVID Speed Breaker of Defence Expectations
By Lt. General Dushyant Singh (Retd)Despite India being at No 3 spot globally with only USA and China ahead of it in defence spending, the gap is huge with China. Chinese expenditure was four times that of India. This is likely to convey an impression of weakness to our primary adversary China in the face of recent happenings in Ladakh.
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February 9, 2021
Defence Allocation 2021
By Major General Yash Mor (Retd)India spends one of the lowest on defence among the top six economies of the world as a percent of the GDP. At a time when the nation is faced with a war like situation with China in the northern borders, it was expected that the defence spending will get a boost.
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February 1, 2021
Defence Budget for FY 2021-2022
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The defence budget for 2021-22 is still less than 2 percent of the Union budget. There were expectations of larger funds to prepare the Armed Forces for a possible conflict with China and a two-front war.
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February 1, 2021
GPS Circle Spoofing and Electronic Attacks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Various events in the recent past have pointed towards GPS disruptions as the cause of the accident. Iran is the first nation to publicly announce it had the ability to spoof GPS signals and appears to have used it to great advantage.
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January 20, 2021
America's Indo-Pacific Plan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Three documents released in Washington DC during January 2021 are notable. One is the fact sheet covering activity of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which leaves little doubt about China's deceit and disinformation about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that has already resulted some two million killed globally and over 10 million infected.
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January 20, 2021
Defence Budget 2021-2022
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget for FY2021-2022 on February 1. There are varied suggestions and expectations.
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January 20, 2021
Pakistani Subterfuge for FATF
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Ahead of the next plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scheduled from February 21-26, 2021 in Paris, which may be held virtually, Pakistan is engaged in playing the usual ruse by taking face saving measures against designated terrorist...
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January 7, 2021
America's Tibet Policy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A new landmark was established in US-China relations when US President Donald Trump signed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) 2020 on December 28, 2020 making it a law. Earlier the TPSA was passed by the US Senate.
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December 20, 2020
SMASH 2000 Plus for Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh in his annual press briefing on the eve of Navy Day in December 2020 has said that the Navy is procuring SMASH 2000 Plus as anti-drone equipment to protect against attacking drones.
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December 7, 2020
India's Message to SCO
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on November 30 chaired the 19th Session of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government held in virtual mode.
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December 7, 2020
BrahMos – Time to Go Global
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)BrahMos missile is one of its own kind supersonic missile having a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (around 3,450 kmph or 2,148 mph) which is difficult to intercept by surface-to-air missiles including because of its immense ability to evade various radars.
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November 20, 2020
The Depsang Tangle
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy created quite a flutter on Twitter with his tweet on November 15 that read: "I asked a national security officer how could the Chinese PLA build such an extensive infrastructure in such short period in Depsang.
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November 20, 2020
Beyond the ASAT Capability
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mission 'Shakti' executed on March 27, 2019, successfully shooting down a low-earth satellite, demonstrated India's anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities. This enabled India to join the elite club of countries having similar capabilities; the US, Russia and China.
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November 7, 2020
Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue – New Chapter?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The third India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held last month in New Delhi between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of India with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper...
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November 7, 2020
Defence against Swarm Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Islamic State used multiple drones on many occasions against the US and Iraqi forces engaged in retaking territory seized by them in Iraq. On January 5, 2018, 13 x GPS guided drones launched more than 50 km away attacked the Russian Air and Naval Bases at Khemmiem and Tartus in West Syria respectively.
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October 20, 2020
Beijing's Continued Logjam
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Seventh Corps Commander level India-China talks at Chushul on October 12 remained largely inconclusive as expected. The joint statement as reported in Chinese media had similar diplomatic scripts as earlier saying...
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October 20, 2020
The Missile Punch
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a signal to China, India conducted a slew of missile tests recently. These included the 400-km extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the Shaurya hypersonic missile, a low skimming subsonic Nirbhay cruise missile, SMART long range torpedoes, and RUDRAM anti-radiation missile.
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October 1, 2020
Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 on September 28, 2020 which is an improvement on the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016.
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October 1, 2020
Boosting Combat Drones Capability
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As China remains hostile with its state media saying China does not recognise the Union Territory of Ladakh, established "illegally" by India, India is going in for boosting its combat drones capabilities.
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September 5, 2020
Defence Minister at SCO Meet
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for a three-day visit to Russia on September 2 for attending the defence ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
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September 5, 2020
2020 India-US 2+2 Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 2020 India-US 2+2 formal dialogue between foreign and defence ministries is likely to take place later this month after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is back from Russia after attending the SCO foreign ministers meet on September 10.
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September 5, 2020
Super Swarm Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It was reported in these columns that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has provided 'Bharat' surveillance drones' produces by the Chandigarh-based Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) to the troops engaged in a standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh.
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August 24, 2020
Aatmanirbhar Reset 2.0
By Lt. General R.K. Jagga (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a clarion call to use these trying times to become Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant). Defence Manufacturing in India has huge potential and can bring a transformative change, but is the industry ready to rise up to challenges and uncover the opportunities therein.
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August 24, 2020
China adopts an aggressive posture against Japan
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)From the aggressive posture that China has adopted in the region, it is clear that focus of her policy is directed against Japan, her most powerful enemy in the region.
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August 20, 2020
Modi-Abe Summit Coming Up
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The India-Japan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe which got postponed last year is scheduled for early next month, the tentative date for which according to sources is September 10.
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August 20, 2020
India's Infrastructure Push in Maldives
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Located about 600 km off the southwest coast of India and 750 km southwest of Sri Lanka, Maldives consists of a double chain of 26 atolls spread over 90,000 sq km of territory.
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August 20, 2020
Make in India Stealth Submarines
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh appears to have egged the government in giving impetus to the Indian Navy's Project 75(I) (P75(I)). Project 75(I)-class submarine is follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian Navy.
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August 20, 2020
ANI should be Andaman & Nicobar Islands (ANI)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On August 10, 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first undersea fibre optics cable project linking Chennai with Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI). The project has been aptly named CANI; Chennai - Andaman and Nicobar.
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August 7, 2020
China-Pakistan Collusive Threat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of July 22 cited Defence Minister Rajnath Singh having asked the Armed Forces to be prepared to respond at short notice as also build and sustain military capabilities to deter any adversary in the long run.
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July 29, 2020
Desperate Quad
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)An isolated China attempts fortifying alliances in frustration
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July 20, 2020
Lessons from Ladakh Standoff
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The norm we follow is to appoint committees after conflict situations whose reports are either buried like Henderson Brooks report of 1962 or lessons forgotten like of Kargil Review Committee.
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July 20, 2020
Landing Platform Docks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With increased Chinese footprints in the IOR, amphibious capability assumes importance for India. India Navy's amphibious capability consists of nine older tank landing ships (LST) of various sizes and capabilities.
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July 20, 2020
Chinese Specter on India-Iran Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to media reports, Iran has decided to exclude India from the 628 km railroad project that links its port in Chabahar to Zahedan on the Afghanistan border, citing delays by the Indian government in funding and starting the project, and has announced that Iran has decided to construct the railway line on its own.
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July 6, 2020
Defence Minister's Russia Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for a three-day visit to Russia on June 22 for holding discussions with top Russian military brass and to attend Russia's Victory Parade at the Red Square on June 24 to commemorate 75th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
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June 18, 2020
India China Stand-off in June 2020
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)The nation needs to be concerned about the overall strategic and economic relations with China which have been in turmoil in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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June 18, 2020
The Galwan Clash
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The news of "at least" 20 Indian soldiers including a Colonel and at least one JCO clubbed to death by the PLA in Galwan on the night of June 15/16 has shocked the nation. Number of injured reportedly were 17.
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June 18, 2020
Indigenous Fighter Jet for Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of June 4 have confirmed that the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Department of Defence Research and Development (DR&D) of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has given the go ahead for the development of a twin engine Made-in-India fighter jet for the Indian Navy.
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June 18, 2020
Revisiting ‘One China’ Policy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)While the PLA is continuing serious monkey tricks in Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Capital witnessed an interesting webinar titled "Revisiting 'One China' Policy" to explore possible options that India can pursue to send strong messages to Beijing.
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June 18, 2020
Oli Steering Nepal into China's Lap
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On June 13, Nepal's Parliament unanimously passed a new map that shows Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas (totaling about 370 sq km) in its territory. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli took this arbitrary decision without discussing the boundary issue with India.
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June 6, 2020
India-Australia Pacts Boost Bonding
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a virtual bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on June 4, India and Australia upgraded...
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June 6, 2020
Gwadar Could Mirror PLAN's Djibouti Base
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, is China's first overseas military base operated by Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Built at a cost of $590 million in 2017, it is strategically situated in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait which separates the Gulf of Aden from the Red Sea and guards the approaches to Suez Canal.
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May 28, 2020
New Direction in Defence Production and Procurement
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Delivering the fourth tranche of the economic package in wake of COVID-19 in a press briefing on May 16, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced three major decision related to defence which will have far reaching effect in boosting the defence sector;
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May 28, 2020
New Amphibious Warfare Craft Commissioned
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On May 15, 2020, INLCU-75 another amphibious warfare landing craft entered the Indian Navy at an official ceremony at Port Blair. The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk-IV class vessel was commissioned by Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General P.S. Rajeshwar.
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May 28, 2020
Modernisation of Military Airfields
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of May 8, 2020 quoting official sources disclosed that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a 1,200 crore ($160 million) contract with Indian company Tata Power SED for the second phase of the military infrastructure modernisation programme to cover 37 of the IAF, Indian Navy and Coast Guard airfields.
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May 10, 2020
Defence MSMEs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As India battles the scourge of COVID-19, the prospects of economic growth have begun to lookbleak. Among various forecasts, Moody is predicting a zero per cent growth.
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May 10, 2020
Chinese Marines in Indian Ocean
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of April 18 indicate that within five years Chinese marines will be operational in the Indian Ocean. In September 2019, China launched its largest amphibious ship—the Type 075, which is roughly like US Navy's 40,000-tonne amphibious ship USS 'Wasp', central to three ships carrying an American Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
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April 26, 2020
Torpedoes for Indian Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On April 13, the Trump Administration notified the Congress of its determination to sell Harpoon Block II air launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million to India.
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April 11, 2020
India-Turkey Fleet Support Vehicles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)News reports of March 23, 2020 have confirmed that India is going ahead with a $2.3 billion (about 15,000 crore) deal to manufacture five fleet support vessels (FSVs) in collaboration with a Turkish shipyard.
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March 21, 2020
Defence Procurement Procedure 2020
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Releasing the Draft Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020, on March 20 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Our aim is to make India self-reliant and a global manufacturing hub...
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March 21, 2020
Deep Underwater Rescue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Navy's first Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) procured from Britain (James Fishes Defence of UK) to meet unique requirements of our Navy completed Sea Acceptance Trials successfully last year in June.
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March 9, 2020
NSUAS for Indian Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on February 24, 2020, for a Naval Ship-borne Unmanned Aerial System (NSUAS) as the Indian Navy (IN) is looking at acquiring 15 naval ship-borne drones for surveillance and reconnaissance roles at sea.
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March 9, 2020
China's Combat Robots
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The use of robots in warfare, which earlier was a topic for science fiction, is increasingly being researched to fight future wars.
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March 9, 2020
Structure of Department of Military Affairs (DMA)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Structure of the newly established Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) heading it as Secretary DMA, has come up with the news of its organisation released through the media in installments.
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February 26, 2020
Visit of President Donald Trump
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US President Donald Trump's maiden visit to India witnessed Indo-US Strategic Partnership transit into 'Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership'.
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February 26, 2020
Changing Dynamics of Indo-Pacific
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Close on the heels of India (in partnership with Australia and Indonesia) organising the fourth East Asia Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation at Chennai...
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February 10, 2020
Defence Budget 2020-2021
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Presenting the budget for FY 2020-2021 in Parliament on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention defence at all, which isn't surprising given her attitude towards the Armed Forces.
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February 10, 2020
Indigenous K-4 and Pranash Missiles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On January 19, 2020 India successfully tested the indigenous K-4 missile of Vizag coast. K-4 is a nuclear capable Intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile developed by the DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines.
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January 20, 2020
Defence Budget – Now and Next
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's defence budget for 2019-20 stands at 3.18 lakh crore. This included a capital outlay of just 1,03,394 crore that is not enough to upgrade capabilities and more money is required to avoid a funding crisis.
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January 4, 2020
India's First CDS – what should be the priorities
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Speaking to reporters India's first CDS General Bipin Rawat has said, "As per the task given to the CDS we have to enhance integration and do better resource management. We have to achieve more synergy and integration. This is the motive. All the three services will work as a team.
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December 23, 2019
Indo-US-2+2 Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)December 18, 2019 saw the Indo-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue at Washington DC; External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from India and the US side represented by Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper.
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December 23, 2019
Maritime Surveillance
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the centre of gravity of conflict veering towards the Indian Ocean, the requirement of maritime surveillance of the Indian Navy (IN) is in more limelight.
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December 23, 2019
India-Australia 2+2 Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The third edition of India-Australia Foreign and Defence Secretaries' Dialogue (2+2) was held on December 9, 2019, in New Delhi.
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December 23, 2019
New Assault Rifles after 15 years
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of December 14 indicate that soldiers deployed on the borders with Pakistan and China have finally started receiving new assault rifles after a wait of almost 15 years.
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December 5, 2019
Visit of Sri Lankan President
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The two-day state visit of Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to India commencing November 29, his first foreign visit after assuming presidency, has signaled a new beginning, contours of which will unfold in coming months.
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December 5, 2019
Boost for Defence Startups
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Speaking at the 'Defence Connect' seminar on November 11, 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Looking at the talent India possesses, I am pretty confident that we can become a $10 trillion economy in the next 10-15 years".
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November 15, 2019
Defence Minister's Russia Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow on November 5 for a three day visit to Russia. This was his first visit to Moscow as Defence Minister.
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November 15, 2019
‘Tiger Triumph’ and ‘Sindhu Sudarshan-VII’ kick off
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Two prominent military exercises kicked off back to back on November 13. 'Tiger Triumph', the Indo-US tri-services exercise under aegis of HQ Integrated commenced on India's eastern seaboard, in the Bay of Bengal and will continue till November 21.
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October 18, 2019
Modi-Xi Chennai Connect
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was held at Mamallapuram (UNESCO heritage) on October 11-12, which Modi termed "Chennai connect".
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October 18, 2019
Seahawks are Coming
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Going by news reports, the Indian Navy is set to acquire 24 x MH60R Seahawk Anti-Submarine Helicopters at a probable cost of $109 million per helicopter – total cost about $2.616 billion.
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October 7, 2019
Visit of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on October 3 on a four day visit. Her first engagement was as Chief Guest in the India Economic Summit by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on October 3-4.
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October 7, 2019
Modi-Trump Bilateral - little gain
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a bilateral meeting on September 24 on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly session.
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October 7, 2019
China's 70th Anniversary
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's 70th anniversary celebrations displayed its military and economic might with the biggest ever military parade on October 1, even as Hong Kong witnessed massive demonstration on the same day with hundreds of youth battling police and locals also out on the street.
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September 17, 2019
Next Modi-Xi Informal Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)As time approached for the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2019, China took the despicable step of orchestrating a closed door meeting of the United National Security Council...
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September 5, 2019
20th India-Russia Annual Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 20th Annual India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit in Vladivostok, Russia and the 5th Eastern Economic Forum as the Chief Guest on September 4-5.
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September 5, 2019
Exchanging Defence Land
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During NDA-1, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharanman's unilateral order to open all 62 military cantonments to public made headlines, with political victory parades led by MPs/MLAs marching through cantonments.
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September 5, 2019
Robot Tank, Robot Warship
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In March 2018, a video from CCTV-7 Chinese military channel, posted by the Chinese streaming platform Sohu, showed a PLA soldier driving the Type 59 from an independent computer terminal with a steering wheel to control and drive...
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September 5, 2019
Kamikaze Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In July 2019, news emerged that the US Department of Defense (DoD) wants to purchase the Hero-120 loitering drone (termed "kamikaze" or "killer" drones) from Israel for operations by US Special Operations Forces (SOF).
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August 22, 2019
CDS Finally Coming
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In his characteristic style, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised the nation on August 15 by announcing India will have a CDS to head the Army, Navy and Air Force.
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August 22, 2019
INS 'Sindhuvir' for Myanmar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India is to transfer INS Sindhuvir, a Kilo-class submarine, to Myanmar later this year after being refitted indigenously.
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August 8, 2019
PM Modi's Bhutan Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bhutan on August 17-18. After assuming the premiership second time, Modi's visit is in line with government's focus on 'Neighbours First' policy; which will further strengthen India's special relationship with Bhutan.
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August 8, 2019
The Chimera of Military Integration
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In 2004, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing the Combined Commanders Conference had said, "Reforms within the Armed Forces involve recognition of the fact that our Navy, Air Forces and Army can no longer function in compartments with exclusive chains of command and single service operational plans."
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August 8, 2019
Defence Exports
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of May 2019 indicated India had relaxed procedures to speed up arms sales to foreign countries.
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July 19, 2019
Japan's US-2i – back on track?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slated to come to India in September-October this year for the annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussion has emerged in the media about India procuring...
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July 6, 2019
First Budget of Modi 2.0 - defence ignored
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Budget 2019 of the new NDA government lead by Narendra Modi in parliament on June 5, 2019, with what she described as a 10-year vision.
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July 6, 2019
Puncturing Disability
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is considerable debate over a Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) circular dated June 24, 2019 saying that tax exemption for disability pension will be "available only to armed forces personnel who have been invalidated from service on account of bodily disability attributable to or aggravated by such service and not to personnel who have been retired on superannuation or otherwise".
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July 6, 2019
Second JAI Trilateral at Osaka
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)During the first ever meeting of JAI (acronym for the Japan-America-India Trilateral coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi using first alphabet of each...
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June 15, 2019
100 Day Agenda of the new NDA government
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Concurrent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government assuming charge, the Niti Ayog has announced on May 29, 2019, that government will consider a slew of proposals over the next 100 days to complete unfinished goals of fine-tuning reforms like the bankruptcy code...
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June 15, 2019
When HAL Went Pauper
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Media reports of May 29, 2019 revealed that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had plummeted to a meager 140 crore by March 31, 2019; lowest since 2004.
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June 15, 2019
Modi's Maldives, Sri Lanka Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Close on the heels of oath taking of Modi-led NDA government on May 30, 2019 attended by heads of BIMSTEC nations, re-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first overseas visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka on June 8-9...
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June 15, 2019
The Education-Radicalisation Connect
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The new NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced it will roll out a plan for modernising madrassa education next month.
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May 31, 2019
BIMSTEC Heads at Modi 2.0 Inaugural
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In a deft move of immense significance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited heads of the Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations to the swearing-in ceremony of his new...
