SP's Land Forces Issue 1 - 2018

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ROUNDUP

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The ONLY magazine in Asia-Pacific dedicated to Land Forces

>> Lead story

In This Issue

illustration: Anoop Kamath

Page 5 Assault Weapons and Assault Rifles

Assault weapons are guns/fire arms that fire one round each time the trigger is pulled.

They are not assault rifles or machine gun.

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd) Page 6 Infantry Modernisation Neglected The modernisation of infantry has lagged behind due to complete neglect and apathy on part of military, bureaucratic and political leadership to speed up the process of modernisation of the Indian Army.

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd) Page 7 Trijicon — Pioneer in Aiming Solutions Personal weapons of the soldiers must have the latest technologies inbuilt for counter terrorist and counter insurgency missions including day/night vision solutions.

Rohit Srivastava Page 8 Special Forces – More Focus Required

Defence Budget: Assured Allocations to Achieve the Goals Delays in replacing the legacy weapons system with the more modern systems have hampered the operational readiness of armed forces. It is time to look for measures to mitigate the shortfall.

Special Forces are being used strategically world over to further national interests of their countries. Their employment is actually an extension of their foreign policy.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Page 10 India Enters Wassenaar Arrangement Membership to the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group would give India a chance for a closer interaction with member states and also hold up its credentials, despite not being a signatory to the NonProliferation Treaty.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Plus News in Brief

11

 Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd) and Rohit Srivastava

I

ndian defence is in need of substantial investment to replace its legacy systems, which are facing obsolescence. Most of the systems can’t be further upgraded, and thus require replacement with more modern systems to confront rapidly modernising adversaries like China. In last few years, number of acquisition programmes that have been postponed or cancelled thus adversely affecting the modernisation of the armed forces. In addition, many programmes are running years behind their schedule, leading to substantial cost escalation. This has a negative impact on modernisation and availability of funds for other programmes.

It would not be out of place to mention

that in any future conflict, India would be using three to four decades old weapon systems. This is a disturbing scenario for our armed forces.

Budget Trend As the data suggests (see tables), the availability of money for capital acquisition, in real terms, has shrunk. The modernisation budget during the 2007-17 shows that in 2007 the modernisation budget was $7.5 billion which became $10.75 billion in 2017-18. This was not enough even to mitigate the inflation over a ten year period. Defence inflation is always higher than the general inflation. Unlike equipment, ammunition is procured from the revenue budget and the critical shortages reported in the media from time to time are due partly to reduction in the budget for

“stores”. In last ten years, the percentage of pay and allowance in the revenue budget of Army, the most manpower intensive service, has increased from 54 per cent in 2007-08 to 75 per cent in 2017. Similarly the other two services have also seen their pay and allowances increasing from nearly 30 per cent to over 50 per cent of their allocations. This obviously has an effect on the other heads under the Revenue Budget.

Defence expenditure as a percentage of central government expenditure, in last decade, has remained unchanged and hovers around 12 per cent. But in terms of per cent of GDP, from 2009-10 when it peaked to 2.1 per cent, it has seen a downward trend and was 1.5 per cent in last financial year. In the current financial year, `2.95 lakh crore have been earmarked for defence which accounts for 12.10 per

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>> Lead Story

During the UPA regime (UPA I and II) the situation with regards to modernisation and replacement of old equipment had deteriorated considerably and it was widely acclaimed that the new Narendra Modi Government which took over the reins of the country in May 2014 would rectify the situation.

While the then technology savy Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, who took over in November 2014, did bring dynamism into the bureaucratic functioning of the Defence Ministry, but with his departure to Goa as

Chief Minister in March 2017, it became business as usual. Arun Jaitley who was dual- hatted, and brought back to defence ministry once again, could not be expected to handle two vital ministries both of which required fulltime attention of its Minister.

Nirmala Sitharaman, took over as India’s first full-time woman defence minister on Thursday, 7 September 2017. Her dynamism to get things done was seen as a positive development by the Services she was seen actively pursuing her goals, however nearly two decades of neglect will not be easy to overcome in a short period.

The army has been the greatest sufferer with regard to modernisation because it needs replacement of nearly all its weapon systems starting with the assault rifles, carbines, air defence weapons, towed, mounted and self propelled howitzers for the mountains, plains and desert terrain respectively, reconnaissance and observation helicopters which are

cent of the government expenditure and is around the lowest figure as a ratio to overall government expenditure since 1950. One third of the total allocation approximately has been earmarked for the capital expenditure of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Capital allocation for Ministry of Defence under BE 2018-19 is 33.1 per cent of the total Central Government Expenditure on Capital Account, which is `3,00,441 crore.

The total allocation for defence for 2018-19 represents a growth of 7.8 per cent if BE figures are taken and 5.9 per cent if RE figures are taken. It is not enough to even cater for the likely inflation.

Thus bearing in mind the requirement of the Services and the economic woes of the country, it would be advisable to hold a holistic review of the defence budget to decide on the future course of action. The respective strengths and weaknesses of each service should be taken into account to decide upon the capabilities required and focal areas of expenditure of the overall Capital budget allocated to the three Services and priorities should be fixed accordingly.

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Threat Scenario India is likely to face four types of threats and challenges in the future including traditional threats from China and Pakistan; contemporary threats in the form of terrorism; internal challenges; and out of area contingencies. This implies that India faces a two front threat as far as conventional conflicts are concerned and these may be large scale conflicts or even border wars under the nuclear shadow. The other challenges are in the form of international terrorism, home grown terrorism and insurgencies aided and abetted by some of our neighbours, and the out of area challenges whose contours are hazy at present. This is what is referred as the two and a half front war.

Most analysts feel that conventional conflicts in the present circumstances when the region has become nuclearised are unlikely, however Kargil type border wars cannot be precluded, considering that we have unresolved borders in the form of 740 km of Line of Control (LoC and 110 km of AGPL) with Pakistan and 4052 km of Line of Actual Control (LAC), unresolved border, with China. The fact is that there is no assurance that the border wars will not escalate into larger conflicts involving more

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SP’s Land Forces 1/2018

in an atrocious state, surveillance assets such as unarmed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their combat variant, and various categories of missiles, night fighting capability for our tanks and infantry weapons, and various categories of ammunition to build up the stocks of war wastage reserves to fight a war of a given duration in the future. This is the state at a time when we are possibly facing a two front scenario with Pakistan in the west and China in the north and east.

On January 16, 2018, we were informed by the media that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, met and cleared procurement of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines on fast track basis for `3,547 crore.

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared `15,935 crore worth of proposals including the one to procure 7.40 lakh ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ assault rifles

at a cost of `12,280 crore for the three services. This clearance also included light machine guns & sniper rifles.

A major doubt arises is regarding the various proposals.

Are the proposals of January 13, 2018 and February 13, 2018 going to be merged or will two different procurements be made and if that be so then the army will have three types of rifles namely the rifle of January 16, proposal, the rifle of February 13, proposal and the current INSAS rifle to be replaced by the improved version of the INSAS by the DRDO! Has any thought been given to the logistic problems of repair, maintenance and the ammunition? Will the ammunition be common to all three?

The announcement of February 13, 2018, follows the terror attack on the army family quarters at Sanjuwan, Jammu, on February 10, 2018, after which it seems the poor state of weapons in the infantry has suddenly dawned upon the hierarchy where as if we go back

in time, it is a clear case of neglect by the government.

A similar case was regarding the cancellation of the negotiated USD $500 million deal with Israel for the Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). As per reports, the deal was to be inked soon and in anticipation the Israeli company, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, had even set up a missile sub-systems manufacturing unit near Hyderabad in partnership with the Kalyani group. After Putin’s visit the fate of this deal hangs in balance.

Why are our governments, political leaders, bureaucrats and the senior military hierarchy so indecisive? We leave the judgment for our readers.

Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

Defence Expenditure as a % of GDP 2.300 2.189

2.200 2.100

2.029 1.980

2.000 1.900

1.956

1.838

1.828

1.800

1.812 1.757

1.700

1.651

1.600

1.633

1.578

1.500 1.400 1.300 07-08

08-09

09-10

10-11

11-12

12-13

13-14

14-15

15-16

16-17 RE 17-18 BE

Source: Group Captain Vinay Kaushal (Retd), IDSA

than one sector. This creates an uncertainty in operational planning, in force levels required and in capability enhancement because confronting two adversaries simultaneously on two widely separated fronts is a daunting challenge which has a direct impact on the above issues and our budgets have to be aligned accordingly.

Thus we could state that should there be another war it will be of ‘Hybrid’ nature and it may involve fighting two enemies simultaneously on two widely separted fronts, in varying terrain, at the borders, while simultaneously countering terrorism and/ or insurgency in the hinterland.

This two and a half front ‘Hybrid’ war will require the internal security apparatus, including the central armed police, intelligence agencies of centre and state and also the technical institutions safe guarding our cyber and communication networks to operate closely and in an integrated fashion.

This coordination at the national level has never been practiced.

Doklam like situations are likely to arise in the eastern theatre along the LAC where China’s strategy seems to be to claim and

nibble away territory to acquire tactical/ strategic advantage in various sectors.

Doklam is only a manifestation of this strategy. Thus we will have to keep such situations in mind against a rapidly modernising adversary with a larger force in the North and East with a capability to muster larger forces at short notice in the future. His infrastructure developments point towards such capabilities.

In the Western sector, we are witnessing increase in the cross border firing both on the international border and along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

This could be a prelude to some adventurism on part of Pakistan if they come to the conclusion that we are indecisive politically and weak militarily as was the case during Kargil. The fact that Pakistan is closely supported by China makes us more vulnerable unless we prepare for this scenario.

The time has come for the government to seriously consider the transformation of the Indian military for the future, through technological improvements coupled with new joint operational doctrines and innovative Operational Art along with joint opera-

tional training. This is vital for ensuring overall economy, and judicious expenditure of Defence Budget to preserve India’s sovereignty and furthering its national interests.

Following the establishment of the Modi Government with the strongest mandate ever, a lot was expected by the armed forces regarding the hastening of the modernisation process. However, the expected change has so far not manifested itself on the ground and the army is the worst off as far as the modernisation is concerned because it needs replacements for nearly every weapon and equipment that it currently has in its inventory starting with assault rifles and carbines to heavier infantry weapons such as light and medium machine guns, sniper rifles, anti material rifles, antitank guided missiles, long range artillery and air defence weapons, including night fighting equipment, surveillance devices, and a new helicopter fleet comprising various categories of helicopters, just to name a few.

In last one decade, because of the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission and One Rank One Pension, the salary component in the three services revenue budget has

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>> Lead Story Defence Expenditure as a % of Central Govt. Expenditure 14.00

13.84

12.92

12.77

13.05

13.15

7.90

7.89

7.98

5.21

5.00

5.07

13.10

7.69

5.18

12.61

12.31

12.22

8.22

8.15

8.37

8.19

4.92

4.46

3.94

4.03

12.00 10.00 8.00

7.51

6.00

5.26

8.85

8.29

4.63

4.99

08-09

09-10

4.00 2.00 0.00 07-08

10-11

11-12

Rev Exp as a % of CGE

12-13

13-14

14-15

Cap Exp as a % of CGE

15-16

16-17 RE 17-18 BE

Def Exp as a % of CGE

Source: Group Captain Vinay Kaushal (Retd), IDSA

13-14

14-15

9.39

8.82 7.02

7.51

10.75

12-13

9.49

10.74

11-12

11.02

10-11

10.78

11.77

Modernisation in Billion USD

Way Forward In last two decades, Indian Army has raised a few new divisions of infantry and artillery using the war wastage reserves. Now, it is imperative for the government to not only replenish the war wastage reserves but also to cater for the long delayed modernisation.

At present, Army is equipped with legacy systems in all branches of the Army and there is an urgent need for replacement of all its these systems. In last one year, Army has procured a large quantity of various category of ammunition to increase its reserves to the levels required for future conflicts. However the modernisation of Army requires a consistent and an ongoing modernization plan spread well over the next 15 years with assured allocations in the Capital budget of the Army to overcome the current situation. This needs to be addressed at the earliest if we are serious about the long delayed modernisation of the Army.

Our recommendations are: l Assured allocations to the Army (as indeed the other two Services as well) to fulfill its modernisation commitments as per the Long Term Plan drawn up by the Army , coordinated by the Integrated Defence Staff and approved by Government. l Carry over the unspent portions of the Capital Budget so as to ensure that the

12.89

12.87

11.72

increased as is the case in all departments of the government. This has caused an overall distortion of revenue to capital budget and thus a short fall in Capital Budget for modernisation and procurement. The expenditure on maintenance of the current force levels including procurement of ammunition which is bought from the revenue budget is also impacted. This shortage is well known and until more allocation is made the situation is not going to improve and will continue to affect operational readiness of the Services especially the army which is a manpower oriented force. Our procurement procedures despite DPP 2016 continue to be cumbersome. Thus no worthwhile upgrade of weapons and equipment has taken place in the last two decades or more.

As regards to ‘Make in India’, the Government has notified the strategic partnership policy (SPP) focusing on selecting an Indian strategic partner for all major defence procurements by the Government in key segments like helicopters, submarines, armoured fighting vehicles etc. This policy is an integral step towards indigenization and capability development. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, if properly implemented, the policy may result in revolutionary changes in domestic defence production and the creation of an ecosystem for defence manufacturing. However, the progress on the ground is excruciatingly slow.

07-08

08-09

09-10

15-16

16-17 RE 17-18 BE

Source: Group Captain Vinay Kaushal (Retd), IDSA

requirements of the annual acquisition plan (AAP) which is a subset of the five years Services Capital Acquisition Plan (SCAP) which in turn is a part of the 15 year Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) which covers three SCAPs of five years each, is achieved and budgetary support is not an obstacle to achieve the modernisation goals set forth in the plan. l Officers connected to a modernisation projects are, technically qualified or are from technological background, and are given viable tenures to ensure continuity and success of the projects. l An oversight committee within the army to monitor the progress of all projects of the Army.

l Non achievers must be sent out of the

project management teams to ensure that they do not suffer for lack of enthusiasm of the members.

Procurement of new weaponry and equipment in all countries is a long, complex, arduous and time-consuming process.

Multiple agencies have to perform vital functions, both concurrently and sequentially.

Despite the fact that India’s acquisition regime has been subjected to numerous reviews, it has still not matured. No major deal is getting concluded in an open competitive environment under the provisions of the procurement procedure (DPP of 2016).

Invariably, the government has resorted resort to government to government deals to procure urgently required equipment.

All expert committees constituted to suggest reforms have also limited themselves to minor procedural changes. They have lacked courage to suggest radical overhaul of the system, fearing its outright rejection by the decision makers. In the absence of a strong will to transform, India continues to flounder in the labyrinths of bureaucratic indecision while the national security suffers – the armed forces are not getting the required equipment in time and the indigenous defence production is languishing.

Mere promises and tall claims are not going to help the nation build a worthwhile military capability. Let us be serious about building capabilities to deter our opponents. SP

Salary Component of Revenue Budget (2007-2018) Total Rev Exp of Army, Navy & Air Force as a per cent of total Def Rev Exp

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Army

Navy

Air Force

Rev Exp as a per cent Share of column 1

P&A* as a per cent of column 2

Rev Exp as a per cent Share of column 1

P&A as a per cent of column 4

Rev Exp as a per cent Share of column 1

P&A as a per cent of column 6

2

3

4

5

6

7

07-08

87.86

65.24

54.01

13.55

27.64

21.21

28.01

08-09

85.89

68.63

62.54

11.24

38.35

20.13

36.94

09-10

86.18

71.06

72.11

10.72

47.41

18.22

48.95

10-11

87.63

70.94

67.26

11.02

41.95

18.04

47.12

11-12

88.09

69.74

68.50

11.78

42.17

18.48

44.90

12-13

88.12

71.38

64.78

10.75

44.57

17.88

47.79

13-14

86.94

71.61

70.58

10.73

43.82

17.66

49.57

14-15

87.32

73.39

70.30

10.08

48.07

16.53

53.35

15-16

87.66

73.27

69.72

10.30

46.96

16.43

53.69

16-17 (RE)

87.03

73.19

72.89

10.58

51.59

16.23

57.16

74.79

10.53

53.24

16.23

58.94

17-18 (BE)

86.92

73.24

Average over the above period

87.24

71.72

Source: Union budget document and DSE Vol I Source: Group Captain Vinay Kaushal (Retd), IDSA *Pay & Allowances

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SP’s Land Forces 1/2018

10.82

17.46

>> Infantry Weapons

Assault Weapons and Assault Rifles Assault weapons are guns/fire arms that fire one round each time the trigger is pulled. They are not assault rifles or machine guns.

Photograph: US Army

 Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

T

he term “Assault Weapons” as such is not defined in the dictionary and each word of the term is defined seperately. The Cambridge dictionary defines the word “assault” as a violent attack and “weapon” as an object used in fighting or war such as gun, bomb and knife, etc. So if we combine the two the sense that we get is that an “assault weapon” is a weapon for unleashing a violent attack.

Dictionary.com defines assault weapon as – “various automatic and semiautomatic military firearms utilizing an intermediatepower cartridge, designed for individual use.” This definition is also misleading because as we will see later in the article automatic and semiautomatic weapons are grouped in separate categories.

Oxford dictionary also does not define the term “assault weapon” but it does define an assault rifle which it defines as - A lightweight rifle developed from the sub-machine gun, which may be set to fire automatically or semi-automatically.

In the United States, an assault weapon is a term used to define some types of firearms. The definition varies among regulating jurisdictions, but usually includes semi-automatic firearms with a detachable magazine and a pistol grip, and sometimes other features such as a flash suppressor or barrel shroud. Some firearms are specified by name. At the time that the now-defunct Federal Assault Weapons Ban was passed in 1994, the US Justice Department said, “In general, assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.” The origin of the term has been attributed to legislators, gun control groups, the media, and the firearms industry itself. It is sometimes equated with the term “assault rifle”, which refers to selective-fire military rifles that can fire in automatic and/or burst mode but this equation is incorrect. Thus drawing from US federal and state law definitions, the term “assault weapon” refers primarily to semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns that are able to accept detachable magazines and possess one or more other features. Some jurisdictions define revolving cylinder shotguns as assault weapons. Legislative definitions do not include fully automatic weapons, which are regulated separately as Title II weapons under US federal law.

Common attributes used in legislative definitions of assault weapons in the US include: l Semi-automatic firearm capable of accepting a detachable magazine. l Folding or telescoping (collapsible) stock, which reduces the overall length of the firearm. l A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon l Bayonet lug, which allows the mounting of a bayonet l Threaded barrel, which can accept devices such as a flash suppressor, Suppressor, compensator or muzzle brake

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arms. It is a political term, developed by anti-gun publicists to expand the category of “assault rifles.”

If an assault weapon is not an assault rifle, what is an assault rifle?

It is like the M4A1 carbine, a US military service rifle. It is also an assault rifle.

The M4A1 is fully automatic. This means it fires multiple rounds each time the trigger is pulled. The M4A1 can fire up to 950 rounds per minute.

Like the majority of firearms sold in the United States, the AR-15 is semi-automatic.

This means it fires one round each time the 3:44 PM trigger 3:44 PM is pulled. The AR-15 can fire between 45 and 60 rounds per minute depending on the skill of the operator. This rate of fire is comparable to other semi-automatic firearms, but pales in comparison to fully automatic assault rifles, some of which can fire more than 1,000 rounds per minute.

M4A1 Carbine

Continued on page 9...

l Grenade launcher. l Barrel shroud, which prevents burn-

ing of shooter’s arm or hand as a safety device.

The firearms industry itself introduced the term “assault weapon” to build interest in new product lines. Phillip Peterson, the author of Gun Digest Buyer’s Guide to Assault Weapons (2008) wrote: The popularly held idea that the term ‘assault weapon’ originated with antigun activists is wrong. The term was first adopted by manufacturers, wholesalers, importers and dealers in the American firearms industry to stimulate sales of certain firearms that did not have an appearance that was familiar to many firearms owners.

The manufacturers and gun writers of the day needed a catchy name to identify this new type of gun.

The term “assault weapon” is sometimes conflated with the term “assault rifle”. According to the Associated Press Stylebook, the media should differentiate between “assault rifles,” which are capable of fully automatic firing, and “assault weapons,” which are semiautomatic and “not synonymous with assault rifle.” Civilian ownership of machine guns (and assault rifles) has been tightly regulated since 1934 under the US, National Firearms Act and since 1986 under the Firearm Owners Protection Act. C

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Differences Between Assault Weapons and Assault Rifles The AR-15 rifle, is the most popular rifle sold in the United States today. Millions have been sold to American citizens since 1963.

The AR-15 is the most common example of what are sometimes called ­ assault weapons. But what does this term actually mean?

First, it is important to understand what an assault weapon is not. The terms “assault weapon” and “assault rifle” are often confused. According to Bruce H. Kobayashi and Joseph E. Olson, writing in the Stanford Law and Policy Review: Prior to 1989, the term “assault weapon” did not exist in the lexicon of fire-

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>> Modernisation

Infantry Modernisation Neglected The modernisation of infantry has lagged behind due to complete neglect and apathy on part of military, bureaucratic and political leadership to speed up the process of modernisation of the Indian Army Photograph: SPSC

 Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd)

early-2017. NG7 became the frontrunner.

The proposed LMG’s were aimed at replacing the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-designed 5.56x45 mm LMG that was inducted into IA service in the 1990’s, but found to be inefficient.

On February 13, the Defence Acquisition Council, presided over by the Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared `15,935 crore worth of proposals. This clearance also included `1,819 crore worth of Light Machine Guns which will also be procured through the fast-track procedure to meet the operational requirement of the troops deployed at the border.

T

he past decade and a half or so has severely degraded the war fighting capabilities of the cutting edge of Indian Army, namely the Infantry due to complete neglect and apathy on part of the of the, political, bureaucratic and military leadership, to speed up the process of modernisation and procurement of vital equipment and munitions in the Army. The sorry state of affairs as far as procurements of “small arms” for the Infantry which includes assault rifles, carbines, light machine guns, sniper rifles, anti – material rifles and other infantry weapons for the army, will be clarified as we go along in this article. Let us first deal with the overall issue of modernisation of the infantry.

Conclusion

F-INSAS The Future Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) project was mooted in 2005 and it aimed at deploying a fully networked, all-weather, and all-terrain infantry, with enhanced firepower and the mobility to operate in the digitalized battlefield. This involved a mix of imported and locally developed systems, to equip all battalions of infantry and Rashtriya Rifles with a modular, multi-calibre suite of weapons and body armour.

The entire capability desired includes target acquisition means, communications, and portable surveillance equipment – including third-generation night-vision devices, as well as computers capable of transmitting and uploading voice, data, and video clips on wrist displays for soldiers and clipboards for commanders. Additionally, integrated ballistic helmets with head-up displays (HUDs), miniature radios, global positioning systems, and portable power packs complete the F-INSAS makeover. The concern is that not even a single part of the project has made any progress.

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Assault Rifles Army was on the lookout for assault rifles (AR) to replace the INSAS 5.56 mm rifles with technologically superior weapons. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued the tender for 66,000, 5.56 mm multi-calibre assault rifles (with interchangeable barrels of 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm calibers) out of a total requirement of assault rifles in November 2011 to 43 overseas vendors. Five vendors responded positively. However all five vendors comprising Italian manufacturer Beretta’s ARX160, the Czech Republicbased CZ’s 805 BREN, Israel Weapon Industries’ (IWI’s) ACE, and US-based Colt’s Combat Rifle were rejected by the army following field trials in the western Rajasthan desert and in high-altitude regions.

The above request for proposal (RFP) for the assault rifles was scrapped in May 2015 because of the Army’s overambitious experiment to induct rifles with interchangeable barrels, with a 5.56x45 mm primary barrel for conventional warfare and a 7.62x39 mm secondary one for counter-terrorism proved to be impractical.

The issue that was discussed in April 2016 during the Army Commanders’ conference was whether the force required a 7.62 mm rifle that could kill the enemy or a 5.56

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SP’s Land Forces 1/2018

Indian Army soldiers in action

mm rifle that could incapacitate the enemy soldiers and the decision was in favour of the former caliber. The Army Commanders unanimously opted to import the more powerful 7.62x51 mm rifle for its infantry battalions and its100 odd counter-insurgency units (both Rashtriya Rifles and Assam Rifles).

On January 16, 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman, met and cleared procurement of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines on fast track basis for `3,547 crore to enable the Defence Forces to meet their immediate requirement for the troops deployed on the borders.

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council, presided over by the Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared `15,935 crore worth of proposals including the one to procure 7.40 lakh ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ assault rifles at a cost of `12,280 crore for the three services.

In the meanwhile the DRDO has produced Excalibur as an upgraded version of the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle. The INSAS was rejected by the army in 2010 for being “operationally inadequate”. Excalibur, the gasoperated, fully automatic rifle has a foldable butt, a picatinny rail for sights, sensors, and bipods, and its polycarbonate magazine is superior to that of the INSAS rifle, known to frequently crack in extreme hot and cold climates. The Excalibur’s barrel is 4 mm shorter than the INSAS model and its hand guard is smaller. The DRDO is also designing a second version of the Excalibur, the AR-2 that fires 7.62x39 mm rounds used by AK-47. The AR-2 will be offered as an alternative to the AK 47, Russian origin, assault rifle. Till the new assault rifle becomes a standard weapon it was rumoured that the Excalibur may be used in the interim to replenish stocks.

Carbines For over seven years the Indian Army has operated without a CQB carbine, a basic infantry weapon, essential to a force which claims to be among the best in the world, ever ready to take on any challenge.

India’s MoD cancelled the December 2010 tender for 44,618, 5.56 mm close

quarter battle (CQB) carbines and 33.6 million rounds of ammunition on 29 September 2016. Official sources said the MoD now aims to ‘fast track’ the long-delayed CQB procurement for the Indian Army.

The original procurement, for which Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) ACE carbine was shortlisted along with the rival Italian Beretta’s ARX-160 model following the 2011-14 trials, was terminated following differences over the weapon systems sights and irregularities in the evaluation process.

The MoD’s Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) had certain objections which scuttled the procurement process.

On January 16, 2018, the DAC has cleared the procurement of 93,895 carbines on fast track basis along with the above stated 72,400 assault rifles.

Light Machine Guns On August 9, 2017, MoD terminated its threeyear old global tender to procure 9,462 light machine guns (LMGs) of caliber 7.62x51 mm for the Indian Army. It was reported that the tender was cancelled after Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) emerged as the ‘sole vendor’ with its Negev NG7 model of the LMG. There were two contenders in the field namely the NG7 of IWI and the LMG fielded by Bulgaria’s Arsenal in user trials between 2015 and

On January 16, 2018, the DAC cleared procurement of 72,400 assault-rifles and 93,895 carbines for `3,547 crore for the army.

On February 13, the DAC cleared ‘Buy and Make’ procurement of 7.40 lakh assault rifles for `12,280 crore for three services.

India’s Defence Procurement Procedure has been revised on various occasions. The Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP 2016) was unveiled by the former Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on the sidelines of the Defexpo-2016 which was held in Goa. The DPP 2016 replaced the Defence Procurement Procedure 2013 (DPP 2013) and has come into force on April 1, 2016.

In a major departure from the earlier DPPs, DPP-2016 has allowed the procurement process to continue in certain situations where only one bid is received in response to an RFP. The continuation of the process is, however, subject to the approval of the DAC, which must certify that there is no scope for change of the RFP conditions.

Notwithstanding the proposals now sanctioned by the DAC on January 16 and February 13, the cancellation of the global tenders to procure LMGs, assault rifles and close-quarter battle carbines after completion of trials showed that the government was not serious about its own proposals.

Such decisions would certainly not send positive signals to the soldiery of frontline infantry units and global equipment manufacturers who bring their weapons for trials on their own expense. Moreover the elaborate process which mandates firing and maintenance trials in all types of terrain existing in our country involving extensive movements and arrangements across various theatres of operations and involving a large amount of manpower, and over a long period of time and therefore scrapping tenders after the trials only wastes precious time, energy and money of the vendor and the government.

We wonder why the single vendor issue could not be tackled under the dispensation of the above clause of the DPP-2016.

Infantry is indeed the most vital combat arm of Indian army whose roles range from countering terrorism and insurgencies in peace and in war, conducting defensive and offensive operations in the mountains, plains, and deserts and when required be an important part of an out of area contingency force. And last but not the least, it aids civil authorities which includes tackling natural and manmade disasters for which the civil authorities are certainly not shy in seeking this assistance if only to hide their own weaknesses and incompetence. Hence, depriving this indispensable arm of the army from its basic weapons which it needs to fulfill its missions is not only shocking but may prove disastrous for the nation in the future. SP

>> Technology

Trijicon — Pioneer in Aiming Solutions Personal weapons of the soldiers must have the latest technologies inbuilt for counter terrorist and counter insurgency missions including day/night vision solutions PhotographS: Trijicon

 Rohit SrivastavA

tions Forces and Marine Corps for medium distance engagement, Trijicon ACOG® (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) enables the user to shoot with both eyes open by using the the Bindon Aiming Concept. It comes in seven different magnifications from 1.5x to 6x. Till date over one million ACOG have been produced by the company. It comes with warranty of 15 years for Tritium lamp on fiber optics scope and 10 years on non-fiber optic scopes. It also features a multi-coated lens which provides superior clarity and lightgathering capabilities with zero distortion and the whole system is ruggedized for all kind of operational conditions.

W

orld over every military is investing heavily in acquiring aiming solutions to enhance the fighting capabilities of its soldiers. Most of the wars being fought across the world are sub-conventional wars. The nature of the sub-conventional conflicts is such that it requires the military to have a capability to fight in all kinds of terrain existing in their operational environment. This may include dense urban centres, semi-mountainous/ mountainous terrain, jungle terrain, semi desert and desert terrain. This capability also requires an ability to operate in all weather conditions both by day as well as by night. . This poses serious challenges for the military who not only have to eliminate the adversary but also have to simultaneously ensure minimum collateral damage which in turn precludes the use of heavy weapons including area weapons thus laying more emphasis on individual/personal weapons and the individuals skill at arms.

Since, the sub-conventional conflicts involve non-state actors who adopt guerilla tactics to achieve their missions, the numbers involved are invariably small. They use the population centres to scatter and hide themselves while remaining concealed and undisclosed in the area of operations thus providing no target for the military to engage with conventional weapons. Thus counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations which are a part of sub conventional conflicts require basic soldierly skills plus additional skills of personal nature for countering the insurgent/terrorist and hence a greater emphasis on the use of individual/personal weapons.

These personal weapons must have the latest technologies inbuilt for counter terrorist and counter insurgency missions including day/night vision solutions for operating in all weather conditions by day as well as by night.

Trijicon VCOG®: The VCOG® (Variable Combat Optical Gunsight) is a rugged variablepowered riflescope designed for extreme durability with magnification range to accommodate both close and long distance target acquisition. The VCOG has military specification grade optic with an LED-illuminated first focal plane reticle suitable for any application.

They have undergone series of US Department of Defence approved tests achieving MIL STD-810G. VCOG allows user to rapidly acquire target across magnification range.

TARS ®: For the long range shooting demands of the infantry, Trijicon offers TARS (Tactical Advanced Rifle Scope) – a rugged, variable-power riflescope, with 10 illumination settings, adjustable for longrange shooting demands. This allows the user to zero on a target at any distance.

TARS can survive water level upto 20 meters and comes with a warranty of five years from the date of the manufacturing.

Reflex Sights

(Top) Trijicon AccuPower; (above) Trijicon ACOG.

Trijicon Established in 1981, the Michigan based Trijicon offers cutting edge state-of-the-art thermal imaging and aiming solutions for infantry soldiers. The company manufactures variety of optical sights like thermal imaging sights, magnified optics, reflex sights, iron sights, spotting scope and significant military equipments like image intensifiers. Each product line has range of products for specifically designed for different types of hand guns and for various operational contingencies.

Thermal Products Trijicon offers four types of thermal optics products for four different uses.

Thermal Riflescope IR-Hunter: Designed for hunting, it is considered as one of the most advanced thermal hunting scope. The user-friendly design and advanced infrared technology of the Trijicon IR-HUNTER® comes with two different specification of MK2 with 20x digital magnification and MK3 with 36x digital magnification.

It also features ‘Edge Detect Mode’ where only the edge of the target is marked out in IR. This

uses only a fraction of the brightness of other modes so that eyes are not as prone to night blindness from the screen.

REAP-IR®: Specially designed for demanding shooting where speed and accuracy are equally required, REAP-RI is a small, light, ruggedized, weatherproof thermal riflescope with multidirectional thumbstick control which can engages targets in any light. It has a smart built in sighting system which gives 8x zoom with Digital Contrast Enhancement and Digital Focus Control.

day sight and gives a clear imagery even in pitch-black darkness. The Trijicon SNIPE-IR is optimized for use with a 4x day optic. It provides with enhanced situational awareness for detection and target acquisition. It comes in clip-on and hybrid versions and gives flexibility to choose the system as per the operational requirement.

Magnified Optics Trijicon compliments its thermal sights with range of magnified optics.

IR‑Patrol: During any night operation, searching for a suspect or securing any military position needs situational awareness and IR-Patrol is a perfect solution for such situations. It is a light and ruggedised multipurpose thermal imaging monocular which gives a sharp image through its MicroIR™ 640 x 480 12 Sensor and 640 x 480 digital OLED Display. It is available in handheld, helmet-mounted and rifle-mounted versions.

Trijicon AccuPower: The Trijicon AccuPower® is a versatile, variable-powered riflescope with an electronic-illuminated reticle.

Featuring a high-quality lens system with full multi-layer coatings, the AccuPower provides an incredibly clear sight picture.

It comes with eleven brightness settings with an “off ” feature between each brightness setting. The lens system of AccuPower comes with full multi-layer coatings and it can survive in 10 feet of water.

Snipe-IR: It is designed to work with optical

Trijicon ACOG®: Used by the US Special Opera-

RMR®: The Trijicon RMR® (Ruggedized Miniature Reflex), a rugged miniturised red dot sight, made from 7075-T6 aluminum to military standards, durable, comes in LED, Adjustable LED, or Dual-Illuminated (fiber optic/tritium) versions and can illuminate in any light condition.

MRO®: The Trijicon MRO® (Miniature Rifle Optic), designed for mounting on all kinds of small arms ranging from rifles, carbines to shotguns and helps in rapid target acquisition. For a better situational awareness, the MRO, considered as the next level in mini reflex design, comes with large aperture and tapered light path which maximises the viewing area. It is fully sealed, waterproof in hardanodised forged housing.

MGRS™: The Machine Gun Reflex Sight (MGRS™) is a non-magnified optic that mounts to both the M2 and M240 machine guns. The Trijicon MGRS is intended to aid the machine gunner in rapid target acquisition and engagement that will allow keeping “both eyes open” from a natural shooting position.

Accuracy is enhanced by use of the machinegun-specific, interchangeable range dials, and performance is assured with a strong 7075T6 forged-aluminum housing. SP

1/2018 SP’s Land Forces

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>> Special Forces

Special Forces – More Focus Required Special Forces are being used strategically world over to further national interests of their countries. Their employment is actually an extension of their foreign policy.

Photograph: Indian Army

 Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

www.spslandforces.com

T

he recent terrorist attack on the Sunjwan Army Camp on February 10 saw employment of Special Forces (SF) of the Army from more than one unit. Not only was this particular camp large, the terrorists had managed to get inside the family quarters. It then required systematic clearing of these quarters numbering some 150, after the occupants were evacuated. The operation required multiple room interventions in backdrop of ambiguity of the exact number of terrorists and which quarters were occupied by them especially after firing ceased. It is not that the infantry is not capable of undertaking room intervention, but the Special Forces are better trained and equipped. Logically, the infantry, especially their Ghatak Platoons, should be fully trained and equipped for such tasks. However, this focus is not to the required level because the Special Forces whose primary tasks should be across the borders are mainly being employed own side of the border, and hence are available. In J&K, most of the incidents where terrorists managed to get inside buildings, the SF are in the vanguard in operations. This also suits Pakistan’s lowcost proxy war, because if Indian SF begin undertaking covert operations on sustained basis ‘inside’ Pakistan in conjunction with Afghanistan to fan Pakistan’s fault-lines, Pakistan may find the instability becoming uncontrollable.

The surgical strikes by our Special Forces in POK on September 28, 2016 were effective but were unfortunately politicized. Covert operations must be kept under wraps in the interest of security of future operations. The US disclosure of the raid by Seal Team 6 to kill Osama bin Laden being publicized was a different issue because US don’t need to undertake a second strike Abottabad, whereas our Special Forces may have to repeat similar operations many times over. It is also significant to note how many years the US kept under wraps building intelligence for locating and planning the killing of Osama bin-Laden, rehearsing mechanics of the raid, suppression of Pakistani air defences and the like. Compare this to our irresponsible media recently broadcasting that India had put its Special Forces on alert for possible intervention in Maldives — similar to what India did in 1988 under Op ‘Cactus’. There were televised debates on how to launch Op Cactus 2.0 by India — with possible mechanics of intervention being discussed threadbare. Even in the case of the ‘surgical strikes’, some enterprising TV anchors wanted to know details of all types of weaponry and equipment our Special Forces hold. Some having heard Special Forces had been employed, talked of paradropping, combat free-fall and even helicopters landing across the across the LoC albeit these surgical strikes were just about few km across the LoC and being on foot could have been executed by regular infantry as well. Pakistan denied any strikes had taken place but the SP of Mirpur in POK when contacted by a media house on telephone

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Special Forces in action

posing as his DIG revealed that multiple surgical strikes by India had indeed taken place and in his location alone five Pakistani army men and number of terrorists had been killed, and while he did not know how many terrorists were killed and injured, some 12 bodies were taken away in vehicles.

Strategic Employment Special Forces are being used strategically world over to further national interests of their countries. Their employment is actually an extension of their foreign policy of the concerned country. Leading nations employing Special Forces proactively transfrontiers are perhaps the USA, Russia, UK, China and Israel. US Special Forces (USSF) are operating in over 100 countries. This is in addition to almost all diplomatic missions in foreign countries having USSF presence.

China has already positioned PLA troops in her development projects globally included Pakistan, POK, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Maldives in India’s neighbourhood, besides other countries in garb of workers and technicians of development projects. So, we can safely posit a sizeable section being Chinese Special Forces. Pakistan has employed the SSG actively in Afghanistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Nepal and Bangladesh, and is forging links with extremist/terrorist organisations in India. Significantly, Ata Ullah, leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Asim Umar, leader of the Al Qaeda’s South Asia Branch (AQIS) are both Pakistani nationals.

Strategic Asymmetry The four broad divisions in the spectrum of conflict comprise the nuclear, conventional, sub-conventional and cyberspace.

China has advanced capabilities in all four

divisions. As for cyberspace, India and Pakistan are still taking initial steps. But what should be of serious concern to us is that while both China and Pakistan are employing pro-active sub-conventional capabilities, we are drastically lagging behind in this sphere, and we cannot think of employment of Special Forces beyond direct action type of tasks like surgical strikes. In absence of such deterrence against irregular warfare, simply telling Pakistan that talks and terrorism cannot go together cannot suffice.

Talks anyway to be optimized from a position o strength. Successive governments have failed to not only not build effective deterrence against Pakistan’s proxy war but have compounded the strategic asymmetry by degrading even the conventional muscle.

It is also not understood that pro-active subconventional deterrence cannot be effective with mere surgical strikes.

Our Special Forces We have large number of Special Forces (Army’s Para (SF) battalions, Marine Commandos (MARCOS) of Navy, Garud of Air Force, Special Action Groups (SAGs) of NSG, and Special Groups (SGs) of Special Frontier Force), almost the number of US Special Forces, and we did employ then three parachute (commando) units as part of IPKF in Sri Lanka. But beyond that, unfortunately there is no thinking of their employment abroad other than in conventional war, UN missions, and short distanced physical or direct type of actions executed on a unit/sub unit basis. Their potential in asymmetric wars to further national security objectives is not understood by the hierarchy. Special Forces should be central to our asymmetric response, which does not necessarily imply operating in units/sub units. In most case, such a Special Forces response does not

even automatically relate to physical attack, physical attack being only the extreme and potentially most dangerous expression of asymmetric warfare. The key lies in achieving strategic objectives through application of modest resources with the essential psychological component. These are issues that the national hierarchy needs to examine, in order to streamline employment of our Special Forces.

Equipping Special Forces equipping must cater for not only room intervention tasks but all weather, all terrain operability and survival capacity for strategic tasks including surveillance and target designation in areas of strategic interest, shaping asymmetric and conventional battlefield to Indian advantage, deterring opponents exploiting our fault lines, controlling fault lines of adversaries, undertaking information/psychological operations and unconventional warfare, anti hijack, building partner capabilities with friendly countries.

Military’s Vanguard. Special Forces of modern armies are the vanguard for induction of futuristic weapons, equipment and technologies into the rest of the armed forces. They have inbuilt R&D facilities that not only undertake research but are capable of customizing available off the shelf weapons and equipment to Special Forces needs and in some cases even for specifically individual Special Forces mission — not different from Q’s set up in James Bond movies.

Indian Special Forces do not have such concept. The concept of ‘support elements’ and integral or dedicated insertion/extraction means is also missing.

Packaged Equipping. Special Forces must have is ‘packaged’ equipping; if an assault squad is authorized ‘X’ weapons

>> Special Forces / Infantry Weapons and ‘Y’ equipment, all of them have to be provisioned together if the expected mission outcome and combat capability is to be achieved. For example, hand-held laser target designators have been authorized to army’s Special Forces since last 16 years but have not been provisioned yet. The army has also had the problem of re-supply/ replacement of imported special equipment since concurrent action of ‘introducing’ the equipment into service has not been taking place. The absence of corner shots with the NSG employed during the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack was conspicuous although this equipment was held with the Special Group of the SFF for past few years.

Weapons. Army Special Forces are authorized Tavor assault rifles but due to rapid expansion, units are left holding mix of Tavor and AK series of assault rifles, which is not good. Special Forces of modern armies are holding ‘silence’ version of small arms, which includes pistols, carbines and rifles, however, in the case of our Special Forces it is limited to imported carbines. The MoD has recently approved import of new 8.6mm sniper rifles, which will also replace the 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifles held by Army Special Forces.

Battlefield Information and Management. A major void exists in the provision of a battlefield information and management that would enable multiple Special Forces detachments operating wide spread over long distance deep inside enemy

territory communicating with a special operations command post at the parent battalion headquarters, Corps level FMCP and directly to the air-force net for calling airstrikes, as also armed UAV’s. A separate case for exclusive system for Army Special Forces was merged into the Battlefield Management System (BMS) for the Indian Army.

Ironically, the BMS project was recently foreclosed due to lack of funds despite pursuing it for a decade plus, and despite China’s PLA going full speed for digitization. Army’s Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS) too is progressing at snail’s pace. Compare this to the US Marine Corps, which is on the cusp of further integrating a touch screen tablet and smart-phone technology that will aid Marines calling in accurate air artillery strikes: Drones and UAVs. Special Forces must experiment and optimizes backpack UAVs and all types of commercial drones including for tasks like surveillance, monitoring, attacking, cyber, wall climbing and the like.

EW. Many Special Forces exploit the use of hand-held EW guns in counter insurgency as well as inside enemy territory.

Organization Split between various organisations with varied channels of command and control.

The government-appointed Naresh Chandra Committee in its recommendations submitted in August 2017 had recommended establishment of a Special Opera-

Well manned, well equipped, well trained and psychologically motivated Special Forces capable of projecting a nation’s power is one of the major currencies of future power play. Hence, they must be well nurtured for full conflict spectrum capability. tions Command but six years have gone by.

During the Unified Commanders’ Conference during July 2017, the Defence Secretary announced Special Operations Division (SOD) will “soon” become reality. According to media, SOD will collate Special Forces of the Army, Navy and IAF, for supporting offensive and defensive operations.

Given our peculiar environment and structures, what India needs is Special Forces optimization in two tiers: One, a National Operations Division (NOD) under the Prime Minister (Special Forces missions

of politico-military nature in most countries are controlled and executed by political authority without reference to military due to their sensitivity) for employment of Special Forces at strategic level on politicomilitary missions to continuously shape the environment in India’s favour, and; Two, Strategic Operations Division (SOD) under CDS/Chairman COSC for supporting military operations through the spectrum of conflict. Strategic sense dictates SOD should also integrate relevant elements of NSG and SFF. Elements of NOD must be deployed in all areas/regions of our strategic interests.

The SOD must have theatre specialization and include specific task-based irregular complement, where required. It must have 100 per cent manning, separate budget, provision of state-of-the-art ‘packaged’ equipment, integrated plan for advanced and joint training including IT and cyber, integrated special operations squadron (s), Cyber Cell and R&D element to customize weapons and equipment.

Conclusion Well manned, well equipped, well trained and psychologically motivated Special Forces capable of projecting a nation’s power is one of the major currencies of future power play. Hence, they must be well nurtured for full conflict spectrum capability. Their equipping certainly requires much greater focus. They should be the cutting edge for strategic force projection. SP

Assault Weapons... continued from page 5 Photograph: Wikipedia

So-called assault weapons are not machine guns or assault rifles. According to David Kopel, writing in The Wall Street Journal: What some people call “assault weapons” function like every other normal firearm—they fire only one bullet each time the trigger is pressed. Unlike automatics (machine guns), they do not fire continuously as long as the trigger is held. ...Today in America, most handguns are semi-automatics, as are many long guns, including the best-selling rifle today, the AR-15, the model used in the Newtown shooting. Some of these guns look like machine guns.

Therefore assault weapons are guns/ fire arms that fire one round each time the trigger is pulled, however due to the menacing looks of weapons like the AR-15, people often confuse them with automatic, assault rifles.

Indian Assault Rifles Some of the assault rifles which are in use in Indian armed forces are given below: l INSAS – This is the mostly used assault rifle in Indian Armed Forces and was originated in India. It also has a light machine gun variant. It has its basic design similar to AKM but has some points of difference too. This rifle is being used by Nepal, Bhutan and Oman military. But some issues of jamming, cracking ofthe magazine and semi-automatic mode were scars on it. But its variants have eradicated these drawbacks. l Multi calibre individual weapon system (MCIWS) – It is also an indigenously developed rifle by India which is expected to replace the INSAS assault rifle. It has got some special feature that deserves appreciation and its induction into the army will improve the fighting skills of soldiers. l AKM – This Assault rifle is used in Indian Armed Forces, which has a basic design as that of AK-47 rifles. AKM is a modernised form of famous AK-47. It has a firing rate of 600 rounds per min-

increase in depth. It has different shaped bullets and has good range and accuracy as compared to ordinary bullets. l FN F2000 – This is an Assault rifle by Belgium and used by a Special Protection Group of India. The rifle can fire at a swift speed of 850 rounds per minute.

The gun is fully automatic with NATO box magazines and is currently used by many countries. l SG 551 – It is the assault rifle made in Switzerland and exclusively used by National security guards, which has a major part of the Indian army. It is based on SG550 and has shorter length than SG 551 with firing speed of about 650 rounds per minute. The rifle is being used by France, Canada Brazil, Germany and many other nations.

All the above assault rifles being automatic weapons cannot strictly be termed as assault weapons which are semi automatic, single shot weapons.

Procurement of new Assault Rifles and Carbines Indian Army Para Commandos with Tavor assault rifles

ute and comes with semi-automatic and fully automatic modes. Named as Avtomat Kalashnikova, AK series is automatic rifles that were found a hit among soldiers after its invention. l AK103 – Apart from AKM, Indian Armed Forces use AK 103 from AK family. AK 103 is also a variant of AK 47 additionally having side folding stock.

It is also used by special forces of Indian Navy i.e. MARCOS. l T91 assault rifle – It is a Taiwan made rifle and is used by Special Forces of Indian Army and Garud of Indian air force. The rifle has got firing speed of about 800 rounds per minute. This rifle is based on T86 assault rifle with features of M16 and AR-18 rifles. It has 4

firing modes i.e. safe mode, semi-automatic mode (1 bust), 3 burst mode and fully automatic mode. l IMI Tavor TAR-21 – This rifle is also used by Special Forces of Indian Armed Forces. This Israeli made rifle having selective firing system (semi and fully automatic modes). The rifle’s birth was aimed to build a reliable and durable rifle, which needs low maintenance. This makes it step ahead of carbine rifles. l APS amphibian rifle – The APS amphibian/underwater rifle is used by MARCOS by Indian navy. This underwater assault rifle originated in the Soviet Union and has firing speed of 600 rounds per minute. The effective firing range of this rifle decreases with an

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman, met on January 16, 2018, and cleared procurement of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines on fast track basis for `3,547 crore to enable the Defence Forces to meet their immediate requirement for the troops deployed on the borders.

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018, Indias Defence Acquisition Council, presided over by the Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared `15,935 crore worth of proposals including the one to procure 7.4 lakh ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ assault rifles at a cost of `12,280 crore for the three services. This clearance also included `1,819 crore worth of Light Machine Guns which will also be procured through the fast-track procedure to meet the operational requirement of the troops deployed at the border. Additionally the clearance includes 5719 sniper rifles for the Indian Army and Air Force at an estimated outlay of `982 crore. SP

1/2018 SP’s Land Forces

9

>> non-proliferation

India Enters Wassenaar Arrangement Membership to the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group would give India a chance for a closer interaction with member states and also hold up its credentials, despite not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty Photograph: PIB

 Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

should be non-discriminatory solution applicable to all non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory countries.

I

ndia was admitted to the Wassenaar Arrangement on December 8, 2017. Following completion of internal procedures for joining the Arrangement, the plenary meeting of the WA held on December 6-7, 2017, decided to admit India, making India the 42nd Participating State. The Wassenaar Arrangement is one of the key export control regimes that deals with non-proliferation.

Road Ahead

The Wassenaar Arrangement The Wassenaar Arrangement was established in December 1995 through an agreement amongst 41 nations. The 41-member group was established in December 1995 and has since become a measure to coordinate and harmonize policies governing exports of arms, dual-use equipment and sensitive technologies. Its regulations are implemented following two lists: l Munitions List. This list tracks conventional weapons. l Dual-Use Goods and Technologies List.

As the title suggests, this list tracks dualuse goods and sensitive technologies producers and to whom these are being sold.

There are specific criteria for admission of new members to WA. The criteria also examines applicant countries which produce/export arms or associated dual-use goods and technologies, their national policies that restrict sale of arms and sensitive technologies to countries of concern, and adherence to non-proliferation regimes. WA member states meet periodically in Vienna where the Wassenaar Arrangement has established its headquarters and Secretariat. All member states regularly exchange information and report arms transfers/ denials on a six-monthly basis (shorter time-frames are applicable in some cases) to ensure transfer risks are understood by all – a primary responsibility of WA. A number of guidelines, elements and procedures have been put in place for decision making by the WA even as the transfer or denial of transfer of any item remains sole responsibility of individual State. The Plenary is the body that takes decisions on WA connected issues including admission of new members.

www.spslandforces.com

Run-up to Plenary Session and India’s Admission into WA In May 2017, Germany had already voiced its support for India’s membership saying, “Germany welcomed India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime.

Germany also welcomes India’s intensified engagement with the other export control regimes (the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement) and expresses its support for India’s early accession to these regimes.” A month later, in June 2017, the US expressed its support for India saying, “As global nonproliferation partners, the United States expresses strong support for India’s early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group.” Prime Minister Mark Rutte of Netherlands had also assured Prime Minister

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The Wassenaar Arrangement is important and an acknowledgement of India’s growing role in the world

Narendra Modi of Netherlands’ support for India’s membership to the WA agreement.

Earlier in 2017, India approved SCOMET (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies) items, mandatory under the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Through the revised list of items, India also sought to send a message about its larger commitment to non-proliferation.

A day before the WA Plenary Session (December 6, 2017), Sergey Ryabkov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister acknowledged India’s strong candidature to WA and Russian support by saying, “If everything goes as expected, I keep my fingers crossed on Thursday we may see a decision of accepting India into the Wassenaar arrangement, which is also very important export control regime.” Before the Plenary Session began, Russia, France, Germany and the US were considered to be strongly supporting India’s entry into the WA. How the voting went at the Plenary Session is not known but it is unlikely any nation would have voted against India, given India’s impeccable nonproliferation record and China not being a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Admitting India to the WA at the plenary, the official statement read, “Wassenaar Arrangement participating states reviewed the progress of a number of current membership applications and agreed at the plenary meeting to admit India which will become the Arrangement’s 42nd participating state as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the WA are completed.”

Welcoming the move, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the WA membership was expected to “facilitate high technology tie-ups with Indian industry and ease access to high-tech items for our defence and space programme.” French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler noted that entry into WA was recognition of India’s growing role in today’s world.

Non-Proliferation Regimes The four non-proliferation regimes are as under:

l Missile Technology Control Regime

(MTCR). This regime keeps a check on transfer of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of carrying a payload of at least 500 kg over a range of at least 300 km. India became a member of the MTCR in 2016. The membership gives India access to highend missile technology from across the world, allows India to purchase top-ofthe-line missile systems, and has paved the way for India to export its supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles developed jointly with Russia. l Wassenaar Arrangement (WA).

This export control regime has been explained above, to which India has gained entry. This would bolster India’s non-proliferation credentials as well as access to high-technology in the fields of space and defence. Members of the group are not bound by any treaty, but they exchange information on their transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods to countries that are not part of the arrangement. l Australia Group. This group restricts trade in materials used to make chemical and biological weapons. It was formed in 1985 prompted by Iraq’s use of chemical weapons during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) for placing checks on development of chemical weapons; international export controls on chemical weapons and precursor chemicals.

Its focus was subsequently expanded to include chemical production equipment/technologies and measures to prevent proliferation of biological weapons. l Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).

This group controls export of nuclear material and technology by focusing on stemming the proliferation of nuclear weapons. India’s attempts to join the NSG have been repeatedly stonewalled

by China using terminologies like India’s membership bid to the NSG has become “more complicated” under “new circumstances” and insisting that there

To start with, India wanted entry into all the four non-proliferation regimes as a package, not incremental, but that was not to be because of China, despite the US supporting entry of India in all four, as also in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The Wassenaar Arrangement is important and an acknowledgement of India’s growing role in the world. While continuing to bid for the NSG membership, India should be getting the membership of the Australia Group next. A team of the Australia Group had visited India in the last week of April 2011 and interacted with Indian officials and experts working on export controls. Now India has fulfilled all the criteria but putting additional items of the Australia Group in its export controls policy and approving SCOMET (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies) items, mandatory under the Wassenaar Arrangement in early 2017. Membership to the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group would give India a chance for a closer interaction with member states and also hold up its credentials, despite not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

However, getting membership of the NSG will continue to be difficult for India because of the ‘dog in the manger’ attitude

by China. China’s reference to India not being signatory to the NPT is just an excuse because despite being signatory to NPT, China’s record of nuclear proliferation has been atrocious. China also knows that despite her best efforts, in no way Pakistan can be admitted to these regimes. Besides, China is also smarting under the fact that it does not have membership of the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group – denied to China with valid reasons. But the real reason for China blockading India’s entry into the NSG is because China views India as the only country that can stand up to it in South Asia and India’s entry into all four non-proliferation regimes would end decades of denial of high end technology to India, allow India to import high-level technology from the US and other countries, enabling capability building and becoming apposite counter-weight to China. Hence, China has been actively lobbying with few other countries to oppose Indian entry into NSG. Referring to India’s NSG membership bid, Sergey Ryabkov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister hit the nail on the head when he recently said the issue been ‘unfortunately politicized’ (obvious reference to China) and that India’s application should viewed on merit. As for opposition to India’s entry to UNSC by China, India is itself the blame for having passed on UNSC membership to China on two earlier occasions.

Which way India’s quest for NSG and UNSC will go in future is anybody’s guess, even as India’s stature is set to grow on the world stage while the world is likely to witness increased aggressiveness by China. SP

>> News in Brief RM appoints panel to accelerate defence capital acquisition To expedite the capital acquisition for Indian armed forces, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 7, constituted a 13-member advisory body to undertake independent review and status check of critical projects. The Raksha Mantri’s Advisory Committee on Ministry of Defence (MoD) Capital Projects (RMCOMP), comprised of experts from military, bureaucracy and industry, will give its first report

by March 31, ministry said in a statement.

RMCOMP will review “ongoing critical capital projects above 500 crore including ‘Mission Mode’ projects, ‘Make’ projects, ‘Buy (Indian), ‘Buy (Indian – IDDM), ‘Buy and Make’ and ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ projects as well as ‘Design and Development’ projects under the Ministry.” It will also assess the physical and financial progress of these projects.

Modi invites Israeli investment in defence sector Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on January 15, made a call to the Israeli defence firms to get into partnership with Indian firms to make defence product here. “In defence, I have invited Israeli companies to take advantage of the liberalised FDI regime to make more in India with our companies,” Modi said, while delivering his press address during the visit of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to India. Addressing the press with his Israeli counterpart, Modi said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu and I promised each other and our people to build a strategic partnership: of hope and trust and progress of diverse and cutting-edge cooperation, and of joint endeavours and shared successes.” Netanyahu, on January 14, arrived in New Delhi for a six-day visit to India and he is also to visit Gujarat and Mumbai. Later during the day on January 15, the two leaders attended the India-Israel Business Summit.

India test fires nuclear capable ICBM Agni-5

Most of the Eurasian land mass falls within its 5,000 km range.

With this test, Agni-5 has achieved validation and is ready for mass production and inclusion in Indian arsenal.

First tested on April 19, 2012, Agni-5, in addition to launching nuclear weapons, is also capable of launching battle field satellites which can provide real time information of the battle field from the lower earth orbit.

The three propulsion stages and the Composite Rocket Motors are indigenously developed by DRDO and signify India’s complete self-reliance in this complex propulsion technology.

India employs both road and rail missile launchers for its Agni series of missiles.

Agni-5 in future is expected to have Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRVs). It can then carry 2-10 warheads in each missile with different targets to hit.

BEL showcases capabilities at Defence Industry Development Meet Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) displayed its solidarity with the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and intent to partner with the private industry to achieve the goal of self-reliance by participating in the two-day Defence Industry Development Meet, which was inaugurated

by Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai yesterday, January 18, 2018.

BEL also showcased its strengths and capabilities in the area of strategic electronics at an exhibition which was organised on the sidelines of the meet, which aimed at “Forging New Partnership With Industry For Defence Production”. Raksha Mantri visited the BEL stall at the exhibition on the first day and was briefed by Gowtama M.V., CMD, BEL, about the components and sub systems BEL has successfully indigenised through the private industry.

BEL has been striving to achieve its cherished goals of self-reliance by supporting the Government’s initiative on ‘Make in India’.

BEL recognises outsourcing as one of the strategic tools to achieve cost benefits and also complement the strengths of the private sector to build a strong industrial base.

Australia approves $1.06bn battlefield command system project

India on January 18 successfully tested its nuclear capable Intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-5 from a canister on a road mobile launcher. This is the fifth consecutive successful test of the missile and third from a canister.

The three stage nuclear capable missile was tested for its full range at around 10 a.m. from Dr Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.

>> Show Calendar 12–14 March Future Soldier Technology Copthorne Tara Hotel, Kensington, London, UK www.smi-online.co.uk/defence/uk/futuresoldier-technology 11–14 April Defexpo India 2018 Arulmigu Nithyakalyana Perumal Temple, Thiruvidanthai, Thiruporur Taluk, Kancheepuram, East Coast Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India www.defexpoindia.in 16–19April Defence Services Asia (DSA 2018) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.dsaexhibition.com

The Government of Australia has approved a A$1.4bn ($1.06bn) project to procure a new battlefield command system for the nation’s army. The system allows commanders to plan, monitor, direct and review operations in real time, according to Australia Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne. Under the Land 200 Tranche 2 project, Elbit Systems of Australia will improve the battle management system software delivered under Land 200 Tranche 1. Harris Communications Australia has been selected to deliver the tactical communications network, including encrypted radios, as part of the project.

With this project, Harris’ Australian workforce is expected to increase by 70 to 120 positions in Brisbane and another 15 new positions will be established by its major subcontractor, Boeing Defence Australia. Elbit’s Australian workforce to support Land 200 will grow by 70 to 122, with 67 in Brisbane and 55 in Melbourne. The Australian industry is expected to invest around $215m in the acquisition, which is expected to nearly double to around $400m during project sustainment.

Remotely driven vehicles: The human in the loop While the technology behind fully autonomous vehicles capable of advanced decision-making in genuinely uncontrolled, real-world environments remains in its early days, remotely driven vehicles (RDVs) at the other end of the robotics spectrum are increasingly proving their worth.

Like UAVs before them, RDVs offer a bridge technology allowing all the benefits of cost-cutting and life-saving of driverless ‘Last Mile’ supply to be achieved, with the human still kept in the loop, but a safe distance away. The effectiveness of this approach was demonstrated in Michigan, using a remotely operated Polaris MRZR 4×4 all-terrain vehicle. Equipped with Light Detection and Range (LiDAR) technology, an advanced sensor system, cameras and GPS, the joint UK-US trials team were able to tele-drive it around the trial ground and successfully complete its simulated mission tasks using an adapted Xbox controller.

However, it is not only governments that are getting in on the act. With autonomous and tele-drive technologies shaping up to be an area of ever-growing military interest, the defence industry is gearing up to marry commercial innovation in vehicle autonomy with existing ground vehicle systems.

Russian Army To Conduct Trials of Future Soldier Uniform The Russian Army announced its intention to start trials of a future, high-tech soldier system in April 2013. The military equipment sets, dubbed Ratnik, completed preliminary testing at the Alabino Shooting Range in Moscow, Russia, in September 2012. The infantry soldier system comprises of more than 40 components, including firearms and body armour, as well as optic, communication and navigation devices. The system is expected to be available in both summer and winter variants, while also catering for regular infantry, rocket launcher operators, machine gunners, drivers and scouts.

Russia’s Defence Ministry had initially negotiated sale of Sagem-built Felin future infantry system with France for evaluation purposes in December 2011, but later decided to pursue domestic development, as part of the soldier military equipment (BES) programme.

Russian MoD plans to procure mine clearance robots The Russian Ministry of Defence revealed plans to deploy robotic systems for munitions disposal and mine clearance operations in the battlefield, taking soldiers away from dangerous situations. The MoD issued an invitation to tender, requesting the production of new types of weapons and military hardware, including robots. Currently being considered is the procurement of civilian robotic equipment, including snow and swamp-traversing vehicles, Yel-10 and Yel-4 firefighting complexes and LUF-60 tracked firefighting support units. Robotisation of critical military missions is not only expected to protect soldiers, but also results in RUR75bn ($2.4bn) as cost savings to the ministry between 2012 and 2014.

UN Peace Keeping Training to Myanmar Armed Forces by Indian Army A four member Indian Army Delegation arrived at Naypitaw in Myanmar to imparting training on UN Peacekeeping Operations to Myanmar Army. The training will be conducted over two weeks from 05-16 Feb 2018. This is the fourth edition of such training event. The two weeks capsule aims at covering nuances of United Nations deployment and operations, with an objective to enhance Myanmar Army’s capacity towards undertaking United Nations assignments in near future. In the recent past, conduct of joint training has been a major event of initiatives aimed at fostering better ties with countries in India’s immediate neighborhood. The Indian Army’s rich experience as part of United Nations Force, spanning almost seven decades and its professional approach in UN peacekeeping brings in quality and value to such training. SP

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal Editor Lt General V.K. Kapoor (Retd) Senior Editorial Contributor Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Senior Technical Group Editor Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) Assistant Features Editor Arpita Kala Principal Correspondent Rohit Srivastava Contributors India General V.P. Malik (Retd), Lt General Vijay Oberoi (Retd), Lt General R.S. Nagra (Retd), Lt General S.R.R. Aiyengar (Retd), Major General Ashok Mehta (Retd), Major General G.K. Nischol (Retd), Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd), Brigadier S. Mishra (Retd), Rohit Sharma Chairman & Managing Director Jayant Baranwal Executive Vice President (Planning & Business Development) Rohit Goel Administration Bharti Sharma Asst-Admin, HR & Infra Pooja Tehlani Creative Director Anoop Kamath Design Vimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht Research Assistant: Graphics Survi Massey Sales & Marketing Director Sales & Marketing: Neetu Dhulia General Manager Sales: Rajeev Chugh SP’s Website Sr. Web Developer: Shailendra P. Ashish Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.

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