There is no way that the Government of India can expedite the acquisition of submarines and anti-submarine assets even if it raids the gold filled vaults of the Thirumalai temple for a one-time payment for all it needs. Events are overtaking it at a very swift pace with the Chinese expanding their presence in the Indian Ocean with special emphasis on Sri Lanka. The Government of India has used the diplomatic channel to convey to… Read More »Chinese submarines in IO

With significant changes in mission requirements spawned by advances in technology and the threat, the role of submarine remains an important multi-mission component capable of conducting covert operations in forward regions. Submarines are a critical element of maritime strategy for modern naval warfare planners. Submarines are significant operational assets. They can contribute significantly in all three areas of maritime operational warfare; sea control, sea denial and maritime power projection. They are a vital element in… Read More »Role of submarines

The regional arms race has brought potent warfare capabilities to many countries that are now eager to either indigenously manufacture or import hi tech and advance military weapons for securing their national interest. As it is predicted that the future war will be mainly in space or water, navies around the world are now trying to strengthen their offensive and defensive warfare capabilities to counter any uninvited or surprise attack. The US has already shown… Read More »Anti ship missile

Given the increasing frequency of Chinese intrusions along the Line of Actual Control and Pakistan’s attempts at infiltration of terrorists along the Line of Control, India will have to review both its mobile and static defences across both frontiers. The fortnight long incursion into Chumar in Ladakh before and after the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping which seemed to have been ordered by someone else in the hierarchy may well be another ploy of… Read More »Managing borders

Amphibious warfare is normally synonymous with a cooperative naval and army operation with the former providing the transportation and the latter using its firepower to capture beachheads, neutralizing sea-facing defences and generally achieving a shock effect that could result in a breakthrough. Not all amphibious operations are successful. Gallipoli during the Second World War was a disaster while the Normandy invasion eventually led to the successful conclusion of the war in Europe with the suicide… Read More »Amphibious warfare

The Indian artillery modernization program has now become a subject of laughing stock in strategic circles. Observers often joke that the program seems to have been jinxed ever since the Prime Minister of Sweden Olaf Palme was killed , though may not be directly related to the Bofors bribery scandal, allegedly masterminded by the then Indian Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi in the mid eighties. Three decades have passed after that most politically sensitive Bofors commission… Read More »Artillery modernization

The modernization of Indian Air Force requires billions of dollars of budgetary support, the lack of which restrains the government from taking swift decisions, which is resulting in diminished combat capabilities of force. But lack of fund is not the sole reason. The policy paralysis in the MoD was also responsible till now, but Modi government has generated new hopes. The IAF has already chalked out grandiose plans for capacity enhancement and the need of… Read More »IAF modernization

Jointmanship of the armed forces was intended to ensure that there would be a commonality of equipment wherever possible and an ability to conduct operations with a togetherness that would overwhelm the enemy. It has been suggested, and largely accepted by the Government that three new tri-Service Commands for Aerospace, Cyber and Special Forces be created with the intention of achieving jointmanship for which a model was created in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in… Read More »Unified command

The Indian Air Force is, in the year 2014, in a state of gradual denudation of its fighter squadrons and rather laborious and painstaking negotiations for replacements for the to-be-decommissioned-by-2017 MiG-21 variants. The MiGs have served the nation well for five decades even as they were falling out of the skies from age-related problems and a younger generation of pilots who made errors while operating this high-performance fighter. Negotiations for the selected replacement, the medium… Read More »Combat platforms

There are guns and there are guns. Depends on what one wants to shoot. If one wants to carry a gun for self-defence (or homicide) then the weapon would be in the category of ‘hand gun” ranging from the automatic pistol to sporting rifle for big game hunting with the close-quarter battle carbine in the middle. In warfare the personal weapons carried by soldiers-rifle and carbine-are called “small arms” inclusive of every type from automatic… Read More »Modern guns