Tag: defence services

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417: NEWS AND VIEWS (NATIONAL)

 

NEWS – 1: Border Issues

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India’s two major borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years.

He was speaking on the occasion of the 59th Raising Day celebration of the Border Security Force (BSF).

 

VIEWS

    • The India-Pakistan Border is 2,290 km long and the India-Bangladesh border is 4,096 km.
    • In places, it has long riverine, mountains, and marshy areas where it is very difficult to erect fences.
    • Border fence alone cannot prevent infiltration, it has to be manned and equipped appropriately.
    • India keeps spending money on erecting, maintaining, and manning the fence. This is a slow bleed to its economy and security apparatus.
    • Also, there is the problem of underground tunnels across the fence.
    • A new dimension is the use of small tactical drones coming across for smuggling and attack with small weapons.
    • Hamas’s attack against Israel has opened a new threat of mass infiltration across the border by sub-conventional aerial platforms.

 

 

NEWS-2: Drone Threat at the Border

BSF director general Nitin Agarwal has disclosed that:-

    • 90 Pakistani drones have been shot down on the border in a year.
    • The number of drone sightings on the India-Pakistan border has increased to 300, compared to 268 in 2022, 109 in 2021, 49 in 2020, and 35 in 2019.
    • These drones were within a range of 2-10 km on the border.
    • These drones carry narcotics, arms, and improvised explosive devices.
    • BSF has seized about 1,000 kg of heroin over the last year.
    • BSF has also deployed a hand-held static and vehicle-mounted anti-drone system to counter the increasing threat of drones on the Indo-Pak border.
    • The seized and shot-down drones are largely made in China.

 

VIEWS

    • This subcon threat is here to stay.
    • It is a grey zone activity that would continue even in the no war no peace scenario.
    • Anti-drone systems would be heavy in demand.
    • Cheap Chinese drones are finding their way into Pakistan.
    • China has also supplied armed drones to Pakistan.
    • Pakistan is also collaborating with Turkey for the development of indigenous drones.

 

 

NEWS-3: India Border Talks with China

    • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India disclosed that a virtual meeting took place under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC). Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, led the Indian delegation. The Chinese team was headed by the director-general, of boundary and oceanic affairs in the Chinese foreign ministry.
    • The MEA statement said that the two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas, and engaged in an open, constructive, and in-depth discussion of proposals to resolve the remaining issues and achieve complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh.
    • Both sides decided to hold the next round of senior military commanders’ meetings at the earliest.
    • They further agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas, ensure a stable situation on the ground, and avoid any untoward incident.

 

VIEWS

    • The situation has been tense after the Galwan clash in Jun 2020. The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a confrontation at certain friction points in eastern Ladakh.
    • As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.
    • The Indian side has been strongly pressing for the resolution of the lingering issues at Depsang and Demchok. There has been no breakthrough so far.
    • “Maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas” are hollow words used by China to delay the process and buy time.
    • China also has mastered the art of confusing the issue with false claims and documents.
    • China cannot be trusted as it continues to keep the pot boiling.

 

 

NEWS-4: Indian Navy Day Announcements About Women Induction

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R. Hari Kumar announced during his speech at a press conference ahead of the Navy Day:-

    • CNS lauded the Agnipath scheme, calling it a much-needed, transformational change.
    • More than 1,000 women agniveers have been incorporated into the Indian Navy. (The first batch of Agniveers graduated from the premier-establishment, INS Chilka, in March this year. And importantly, this batch of Agniveers includes 272 female Agniveer trainees as well. The second batch of Agniveers had a total of 454 women. With the third batch number has crossed 1,000.
    • He asserted that these statistics stand testament to the Indian Navy’s philosophy of all roles and all ranks concerning the deployment of women in the service, both for officers and for personnel below the rank of officer.
    • He also announced appointment of the first woman commanding officer of an Indian naval ship.

 

VIEWS

    • Time will tell about the success or failure of the Agnipath scheme and its long-term effect on the operational preparedness of the forces.
    • Periodic review and midterm corrections are essential for the success of the scheme.
    • This scheme should be extended to paramilitary forces and other central and state government services.
    • Women are being inducted in all three services at the officer level and in other ranks.
    • Army and IAF have already appointed women as commanding officers.

 

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416: INPUTS TO JOURNALIST: RECENT DEFENCE PROCUREMENT

 

NEWS

The defence ministry has cleared acquisition proposals worth ₹2.23 lakh crore for the armed forces, including:-

97 additional light combat aircraft from HAL.

156 light combat helicopters from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

A ₹65,000-crore plan to upgrade the mainstay Su 30MKI fighter jet fleet in service with the air force.

 

Q.  A multi-billion dollar acquisition was approved by DAC. But what is absent is the AoN for MRFA. Do you think the government sees the indigenous LCA Mk2 as a viable option instead of 114 MRFAs??

COMMENTS

  • Over the years the IAF capabilities have enhanced manifold.
  • It is the capacity (war endurance) that needs attention, strength of fighter and combat support platforms.
  • Overall the deterrence capability has not kept pace with the existing threat perception.
  • This aspect needs to be addressed urgently.
  • The government is aware of it and trying to address it.
  • Air platforms of the Air Force are technology-intensive, costly, and take time to procure.
  • While building up the capability and capacity, the most important thing to be kept in mind is that the required minimum deterrence value is to be maintained at all times (either by domestic production or by outside procurement.
  • The lesson from all the recent wars is that self-reliance in defence production is essential.
  • Another major factor to be considered is that a balance is to be maintained between the quality and quantity of platforms.
  • IAF has a drawdown mitigation plan, which is reviewed periodically.
  • The amount of money for defence spending is limited and the wish list is long.
  • The government must have taken a decision keeping all the above factors in mind.
  • They have given preference to the domestic defence industry to build up the numbers.

My recommendations are:-

  • While the domestic production of Tejas would cater to the numbers, there is a requirement for newer-generation multi-role aircraft to maintain a balanced force (till the domestic Tejas MkII and AMCA come up).
  • MRFA aircraft needs to be procured (maybe in the next instalment of defence spending).
  • These should be procured in phases (maybe two to three squadrons at a time.
  • This would spread the expenditure over some time and we would get later and better technology and features.
  • Keeping the diverse inventory of the IAF and the associated challenges it would be prudent to go in for more Rafael aircraft.

 

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409: Aspects Related to Long-Drawn Air War

 

Air war endurance, also known as sustainability in aerial warfare, refers to the ability of an air force or a nation’s air power to sustain prolonged operations and maintain a high level of combat effectiveness over an extended period.

 

Operational Tempo and Intensity. Tempo is the rate at which military power is applied in an efficient manner across part or the entire area of operations. The level of preparation required by the defence forces is determined by the combination of the expected duration of the war and the likely tempo/intensity of operations. Several key factors contribute to air war endurance and affect the duration, effectiveness, and efficiency of air campaigns.

 

Capability and Capacity Development

 

Capability vis-à-vis Capacity. Warfighting capabilities and the capacity to sustain operations are both essential.

 

Aircraft Type and Capability. The type of aircraft being used, their capabilities, payload capacity, and mission versatility significantly affect how effectively and efficiently air operations can be sustained.

 

Diverse Inventory. Indian military air assets have a very diverse inventory of platforms, systems, and weapons.

 

Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Efficient and reliable logistics networks and supply chains are crucial for providing fuel, ammunition, weapons, spare parts, other critical supplies, and resources to sustain aircraft operations.

 

Maintenance and Repair Capabilities. Efficient maintenance operations are essential to ensure the continued availability of air assets for extended periods.

 

Fuel Availability and Consumption. The energy supply chain is the first casualty in any war. Efficient fuel management plays a crucial role in prolonged air operations.

 

Training and Personnel Readiness. Intangible factors like morale, training and tactics are very important for military success and more so in long wars.

 

Protection of Air War Endurance Enablers. This aspect has pronounced relevance in long-drawn wars.

 

Decision Making & Situational Awareness. In long-drawn wars, it is even essential to make the right decisions. The three most important contributing factors are a high degree of situational awareness, a robust and fast, network system for information sharing, and AI-based decision support systems.

 

Unmanned Platforms. The use of unmanned platforms and systems is growing in warfare. Drones of various sizes and capabilities are taking over the tasks of conventional platforms.

 

Employment Philosophy and Airpower Application

 

Clearly Defined Objectives. A clear and practical definition of objectives, at all levels i.e. political, military and air force levels is very important.

 

Integrated Conceptualization and planning.  Warfare has become multidomain in nature, and to optimise resource utilisation, integration of all capabilities is necessary at conceptual and strategic levels.

 

Strategic Planning, Adaptability and Flexibility. In long wars, strategic plans need to allow for adjustments and adaptability in response to changing circumstances or unexpected events during a prolonged air war.

 

Grey Zone Operations/No War No Peace Situations. Grey zone operations are operations in the contested arena somewhere between routine statecraft and open warfare.  These are becoming a norm in modern-day warfare.

 

Airpower Application Strategy. Well-thought-out strategy would have to be employed for the application of Airpower. Relevant aspects would be as follows:-

 

      • Effect-based operations.

 

      • Selective dominance.

 

      • Conservative risk-taking profile.

 

      • Networked air environment.

 

      • Precision and Stand-off capabilities. 

 

      • Sortie generation rate.

 

Larger Vital Aspects

 

Indigenous Defence Industry. Self-reliance is an absolute necessity in long-drawn wars.

 

Infrastructure. Adequate infrastructure is essential to increase the war endurance.

 

Resource Management and Sustainability. Long wars necessitate effective management of available resources, budget, and personnel to sustain a prolonged air campaign without running into shortages or burnout.

 

Economic Sanctions. The effect of the sanctions especially on air war, needs to be factored into the long-term plans.

 

Collective Security. Collaboration and sharing resources with allied nations or coalition partners can extend the endurance of air operations by pooling together expertise, assets, and capabilities.

 

Future Investments. Suggested future investments for the Indian Aerospace power are as follows:-

 

      • Future Technology. Air Force is a technology-intensive service and converting technology into capability is a time-consuming process.

 

      • Loyal Wing Man Concept. The thought process for the next generation of platforms is to harness the advantages of both.

 

      • Hypersonic Weapons. The development of hypersonic weapons is likely to have a significant impact on air strategy.

 

      • New Domains of Warfare. The domains like cyber, space, electronics and information have come into the influence of warfare. China’s formation of a Joint Strategic Support Force (JSSF) as a separate service, with defensive and offensive capabilities, in above mentioned four domains, indicates future challenges. Reorientation is required to deal with these changes.

 

      • Space-Based Capabilities. Space-based systems are becoming increasingly important in air warfare, providing capabilities such as navigation, targeting, communication, early warning of missile launches and space-based surveillance.

 

Coming UP: Detailed article on the subject

 

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