SP's Land Forces 2/2023

www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com

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THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEDICATED TO LAND FORCES

The 61st Cavalry Regiment in the Indian Army still celebrate the battle of Haifa every year on September 23 as ‘Haifa Day’, in the memory of soldiers who laid their lives to liberate Haifa during World War I

Major General Atanu K. Pattanaik (Retd)

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Need for Defence Industries to Join Hands

During his official talks with the Japanese Prime Minister, the Indian Prime Minister talked of the mantra of co-innovation, codesign and co-creation for a deeper and mutually beneficial defence cooperation

Ranjit Kumar

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Need to Root Out Terrorism Collectively & Fix Accountability

The Israeli Indian joint ventures can not only meet huge Indian defence requirements but can also find attractive market in European and Latin American countries but also in African and Asian region also

“PM Modi’s ‘SECURE’ vision reflects India’s commitment towards multi-dimensional welfare of the region”

SP’s Staff Correspondent

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The Global Reset

The world is currently witnessing a great churn in geostrategic alliances resulting in a global realignment of security relations and partnerships

Major General Atanu K. Pattanaik (Retd)

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Lebanisation of Pakistan

Lebanon’s post-war era militia leaders became the political leadership and have kept a lock on power ever since.

Major General Atanu K. Pattanaik (Retd)

PLUS

The Dragon-Bear Hug

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

P.C. Katoch

A Vigorous Bilateral Relationship

 RANJIT KUMAR

ON THE STRONG PILLAR of India-Israel defence ties, the two strategic partners are set to play a bigger role in the Arab World. Buoyed by becoming a part of four nation West Asian alliance

I2U2 (India, Israel, USA, United Arab Emirates), the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen made a fruitful day long trip to India on May 9, 2023. With Israel getting recognition from the Arab kingdoms, the Jewish country is set to mark its presence in the area. As India has already made deep inroads in the Arab world, the two countries can join hands not only for promoting mutual interests, but for the benefit of Arab world also. These were one of the issues that Israeli Foreign Minis-

ter Cohen discussed with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. Besides, Eli Cohen also met the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during which Rajnath Singh asked Eli Cohen to look India as an investment destination in the defence industry and set up joint ventures in the defence sector with Indian companies and sell the product not only to Indian Armed Forces but in the world arms market also.

During these interactions, the Israeli Foreign Minister indicated that his country would be willing to set up defence weapon systems companies in India in joint venture with Indian firms. India, Israel defence ties, which was till now simply having a buyer seller relations, would now develop into a more deeper alliance, with Israeli firms being encouraged by the Israeli govern-

ment to set up joint ventures with Indian private or public sector companies. This will give a huge boost to Indian and Israeli defence cooperation and prove the point that Israel is India’s true defence partner, a relationship which is based on mutual trust. The relations will touch newer heights and pose a challenge to other rival nations having own defence production facilities. Israeli defence companies are already assisting India in the area of cutting edge technologies like Falcon Radar for the Indian anti-missile systems, AWACS development programme, Barak naval missiles, combat drones etc. This new dimension to bilateral defence relations will give an economic relevance to bilateral strategic ties with private and public sector companies collaborating together for setting up Israeli production facilities in India.

India Israel Relations: Founded on Valour

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen calling on Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, during his visit to India on May 9, 2023

IAI and HAL have reached agreement to produce UAVs in India

PHOTOGRAPH: IsraelinIndia / Twitter

A Strategic Partnership for a Secure Future

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The world is at present undergoing a global reset! In these shifting sands of time, World leaders are traversing across continents, mapping their global geostrategic alliances - bilateral, trilateral or even multilateral, keeping in mind their national security interests. In this edition of SP’s Land Forces, we bring some of such recent events, visits, meetings with a

specific emphasis on India-Israel bilateral equation.

In the lead story, Ranjit Kumar covers the recent visit of the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to India on May 9, 2023 where he had constructive meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and others. While a common path for the strategic partnership of the two countries was discussed, especially on the pillars of agriculture, water, defence & security, mutual cooperation for the benefit of Arab nations was also underlined. Buoyed by becoming a part of four nation West Asian alliance I2U2 (India, Israel, USA, United Arab Emirates), both India and Israel are set to play a bigger role in the Arab World.

Major General Atanu K. Pattanaik (Retd) details the foundations of India Israel relations remembering the 61st Cavalry Regiment in the Indian Army that still celebrates the battle of Haifa every year in the memory of soldiers who laid their lives to liberate Haifa during World War I and some other significant moments. Recently, India and Israel marked 30 years of excellent ties and relations between India and Israel have really grown over the last 3 decades and there is a broad consensus between both the countries on further strengthening the bilateral strategic and defence cooperation. The ‘India–Israel Vision on Defence Cooperation’ adopted by both countries to

enhance cooperation on futuristic defence technologies opens up tremendous opportunities to take the Indo-Israel partnership to infinite heights.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) shares a report on the recent three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin that definitely could not go unnoticed especially by the United States, given that America’s Joe Biden administration had “warned” China not to militarily support Russia in Ukraine. The Ukraine war has also seen the NATO membership of Finland being pushed through expeditiously. This is being covered in another report that also includes the realignment in relations taking

place in the Middle East with China playing the mediator. This edition also includes glimpses from the official talks of the Indian Prime Minister with the Japanese counterpart during the latter’s visit to India. The IndiaJapan bilateral strategic relations, is one of the success stories of Indian diplomacy in the first two decades of the 21st century, which the world is watching closely. All this and more in this issue of SPs Land Forces!

JAYANT BARANWAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

After extensive discussions with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and NSA Ajit Doval on bilateral, regional and international issues, besides a courtesy call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Indian external ministry talked in glowing terms about the evolving India Israel defence and strategic partnerships. A MEA statement said, “Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen’s India visit provided further impetus to the bilateral cooperation that has remained on a qualitatively higher trajectory since the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel in 2017.”

India and Israel, which till a few years ago, kept the relations behind the curtains, now have matured to the level that both now openly talk of their deepening relations, irrespective of sensitivities in the Arab world and the minority community in the country.

Post Covid and post Russia Ukraine conflict, the geopolitical alignments will drastically change and will lead to a new wave of militarisation, which offers a golden opportunity to a very unique India Israel strategic and defence partnership for fulfilling the needs of military systems of various friendly countries. From Europe to Africa to Asia, countries are now gearing up to modernise their military systems. This will raise the worldwide demand for new defence hardware. Keeping this in mind, the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the issue with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Eliyahu Cohen, and  acknowledged the cooperation being extended by Israeli companies.

In response to Rajnath Singh’s suggestion, the Israeli Minister affirmed continued cooperation of Israel in India’s endeavour for indigenisation and conveyed the willingness to cooperate & partner in advanced technologies. During the meeting the defence minister Rajnath Singh acknowledged the completion of 30 years of diplomatic rela-

Glad to have met Foreign Minister of Israel @elicoh1. We discussed ways to further deepen bilateral cooperation in priority areas of agriculture, water, innovation and people-to-people ties.

Productive and wide-ranging discussions with Foreign Minister @elicoh1 of Israel this afternoon. The main pillars of our Strategic Partnership - Agriculture, Water, Defence & Security - are taking our ties forward. New agreements in water & agriculture today underline the potential to do more. Noted the progress in I2U2 and cooperation in multilateral forums. Exchanged perspectives on our respective regions, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific. Initialed an agreement in the area of mobility.

Interacted with Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Eli Cohen in New Delhi today. A wide range of issues came up for discussion during our meeting.

tionship between the two countries and looked forward to further strengthening the bilateral ties. Without any reference to changing international dynamics, the Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh asked Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen for coproduction of weapon systems in tune with the ‘Make in India’ policy to promote defence industry in India. This is a relevant proposal as Israeli technology and Indian human resources together can do wonders. An Israeli branded defence product can find easy access in world’s arms market. The Israeli Indian joint ventures can not only meet huge Indian defence requirements but can also find attractive market in European and Latin American countries but also in African and Asian region also.

Besides US, Russia and France, Israel has not only been a major supplier of defence equipment but also transferred some of the most critical defence technologies, which helped India gain self-dependence in many defence systems, which would have either been denied to India or sold at a huge price. India Israel relations which deepened and expanded on the strong pillar of defence, has now been extended to agriculture, economic and trade, education and water conservation etc.

During the visit, both the countries signed a very significant mobility agreement, which will allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in the fields of construction and nursing. While meeting Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, Cohen touched upon various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including connectivity, mobility, academic and scientific research, fintech, agriculture, water, trade, etc, and agreed to further diversify the basket of collaboration. They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, including cooperation under the framework of I2U2, the ongoing conflict in Sudan, developments in West Asia, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, etc. SP

PHOTOGRAPHS: DrSJaishankar / Twitter, PIB

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had productive and wide-ranging discussions with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar (Left) and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (Right)

Narendra Modi @narendramodi

Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh

Dr. S. Jaishankar @DrSJaishankar

India Israel Relations — Founded on Valour

The 61st Cavalry Regiment in the Indian Army still celebrate the battle of Haifa every year on September 23 as ‘Haifa Day’, in the memory of soldiers who laid their lives to liberate Haifa during World War I

 MAJOR GENERAL ATANU K. PATTANAIK (RETD)

THE HANNUKAH LAMP SITTING

on the mantelpiece in my study floods my memory with many indelible visits to Haifa in 2002 from our UNIFIL HQ at Naqoura at the southern tip of Lebanon. The most beautiful and cosmopolitan city of Israel, Haifa stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean to the peak of Mount Carmel and is a confluence of many cultures as the Jews migrated from Poland and other European kingdoms and principalities in the run up to the World War II escaping the holocaust. As the aroma of a steaming cup of green tea poured over a pod of holy basil wafted through the cool sea-side breeze at a Haifa curio-shop, I had wondered about our deep civilisational ties that date back to more than two millennia. India has welcomed Jews for several centuries and their contribution, in turn, has enriched Indian culture. India is known in Israel as an ancient nation with strong cultural traditions and as an attractive tourist destination.

It was in Haifa that a significant battle was fought on September 23, 1918, where the elements comprising mainly of Indian troops of the British Army engaged and defeated the forces of the Ottoman Empire and their German allies. The battle was one

of many fought during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers that took part are now represented by the 61st Cavalry Regiment in the Indian Army and still celebrate the battle day every year on September 23 as ‘Haifa Day’, a memorial service held in the memory of soldiers who laid their lives to liberate Haifa following a dashing cavalry action by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade. The Regiment also sent a contingent to Israel in 2018 to participate in the centenary celebrations and the Israel Post had issued a commemorative stamp in appreciation of Indian soldiers’ role in liberating the city.

Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) and Captain Anop Singh and Second Lieutenant Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross (MC) as recognition for their bravery in this battle. Major Dalpat Singh, widely popular as the Hero of Haifa, was awarded a Military Cross for his bravery. About 900 Indian soldiers are interred in cemeteries across Israel in Jerusalem, Ramle and Haifa. History textbooks in Haifa teach about the story of liberation of Haifa by Indian soldiers. The modern-day relations between the two ancient civilisations were cemented by the valour of these Indian soldiers.

Today, there are approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian-origin in Israel, who are

Israeli passport holders. The main waves of immigration into Israel from India took place in the 1950s and 1960s. The majority are from Maharashtra (Bene Israelis) and relatively smaller numbers are from Kerala (Cochini Jews) and Kolkata (Baghdadi Jews). In recent years, some Indian Jews from the North-Eastern states of India (Bnei Menashe) have been immigrating to Israel. While the older generation still maintains its cultural links with India, the younger generation is increasingly assimilated into Israeli society.

Formation of the Relationship

Israel helped India when both the countries did not even have diplomatic ties. India had curiously voted against Israel’s creation in 1948 but announced its recognition of Israel on September 17, 1950. But even when Israel was facing an arms shortage, the former Prime Minister Golda Meir decided to divert arms meant for Iran to India during the 1971 war. She even sent a note addressed to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asking for diplomatic ties in return for arms, a book by scholar Srinath Raghavan revealed. However, India under Indira Gandhi, held very close ties with Israel’s bete noire, the PLO and its charismatic leader Yasar Arafat. So, it had to wait for another 20 years before regular Embassies were opened in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.

Israeli Weapons Made in India

During Kargil conflagration of 1999, Israel was forced by United States of America and other countries to delay delivery of shipment of arms that were ordered before the intrusion. Israel, however, delivered the order quickly for laser-guided missiles for IAF Mirage 2000H fighters. The precision bombing material then limited the advantage of the Pakistani soldiers based on high position and helped India without violating the orders to not cross LoC.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a historic first ever visit to Israel by an Indian Prime Minister on July 4-6, 2017 during which the relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership. The then Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, who has again returned to power after a brief interregnum made a return visit to India on January 14-19, 2018. India and Israel have established bilateral consultation mechanisms in all sectors of collaboration, including water, agriculture, counter-terrorism, and defence. In 2020, India and Israel also signed an agreement to expand cooperation in cyber-security. Over the past five years, both countries have conducted joint military drills and hosted police and army training and exchange visits. In recent years, the Israeli government has placed great importance on the Indian arms market as its largest and possibly most dependable customer of military hardware.

The Type of Arms India Purchases from Israel

Guided Bombs (LGB)

BILATERAL RELATIONS

Israeli Defence Exports to India

According to weapons monitors, India is the largest purchaser of Israeli-made arms. Though military deals only proliferated once diplomatic ties were established, the countries did have clandestine relations before 1992. Israel provided India with weapons in 1962 and then in 1965 in the wars against China and Pakistan. By the early 1970s, the Indian military establishment was impressed by and enamoured with Israeli technology. Following several interactions between military leaders in the early 1990s, India agreed to assign a Defence Attache to Tel Aviv in 1995.

Between 1997 and 2000, 15 per cent of all Israeli arms exports travelled to India. By the mid-2000s, this had increased to 27 per cent, with India broadening its range of purchases, such as surveillance equipment, drones and surface-to-air-missiles. Between 2000 and 2010, India spent around $10 billion on Israeli arms. According to SIPRI, weapons deliveries to India from Israel increased by 175 per cent between 2015 and 2019. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered office in 2014, around 42.1 per cent of all arms exports from Israel have landed in India, with Azerbajiain (13.9 per cent) and Vietnam (8.5 per cent) and the United States (6.2 per cent) making up the other major customers.

The first purchases India made from Israel were two Super Dvora Mk II fast patrol boats in the mid-1990s. Soon we began importing high-end defence equipment, including Israeli Searcher and Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and armed drones, missile systems, and sensors and electro-optical systems or Tavor assault weapons used by the Indian Army’s Special Forces.

Between 2014 and 2021, India received combat aircraft radar equipment, armed UAVs, anti-tank missiles and surface-to-air missiles, among other hardware from Israel. This includes Israeli Searcher drones, Herons and several Harpy drones, also known as suicide attack drones. In the “surgical strikes” on Pakistan in 2019, India used Israeli-made “Spice 2000” bombs. Last year, during the standoff with China, India leased and finally bought four Heron-TP Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAVs from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).

Made in India, with Israel

As part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, India has

India as a Destination for Israeli Arms (1997-2021)

framework of the plan, Israel was requested to share best practices and know-how and provide capacity building through professional training programmes to be conducted both in Israel and in India. The Centres of Excellence for Agriculture were set up under this in various states across India, including Maharashtra. Farmers in Maharashtra, both small and large farm holdings, have benefitted a lot from these practical know-how centres.

Conclusion

worked with Israel in co-producing weapons. In 2017, Israel Weapons Industries and Indian construction company Punj Lloyd created the first private small arms factory in Malanpur, MP, under the name Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems, or PLR Systems. According to PLR Systems, also a joint venture with Adani Group and the SK Group, the factory produces the Tavor Assault Rifle, X95 Assault Rifle, Galil Sniper Rifle, Negev Light Machine Gun and the Uzi Sub Machine Gun used by the Indian military, including Indian Special Forces.

Later in 2017, Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd (KRAS), a joint venture between Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Systems, began manufacturing Spike anti-tank guided missiles for the Indian army. It was the first private company to produce missiles in India. In 2019, KRAS received an order of $100 million to produce the Barak-8, a long-range surface-to-air missile, for the Indian Navy. In late 2021, the military ordered Skystriker drones. This will now be produced in a joint venture between Israel’s Elbit Systems and Adani-owned Alpha Design Technologies in Bengaluru.

Similar Challenges Lead to Bigger Cooperation

As the barrage of rocket attacks emanating from the Hezbollah controlled South Leba-

The Dragon-Bear Hug

LT GENERAL P.C. KATOCH (RETD)

TO SAY THAT THE recent three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow for a tête-à-tête with Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Washington goosebumps, would be an understatement. America’s Joe Biden administration had “warned” China not to militarily support Russia in Ukraine. This warning, despite the evidence of Russia using Chinese drones in Ukraine, was laughed at by Beijing with China’s foreign ministry responding that Chinese support to Russia would be similar to US support to Taiwan.

Xi Jinping’s peace plan for Ukraine was shot down by Washington as the US simply does not want a ceasefire in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had warned that Xi’s proposal which calls for the respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity but does not condemn the invasion or call for Russian withdrawal from occupied territories could be a stalling tactic. But many American scholars, strategists and former military and intelligence officials have placed on record that Russian special operations in Ukraine were forced by expanding NATO and posing an existential threat to Russia.

The POTUS is a puppet of America’s arms, oil and pharma lobbies of the US. POTUS who cannot effectively change gun laws in his own country must abide by the diktat of America’s ‘deep state’ to wage war against Russia using Ukraine as proxy. Not surprisingly Biden remains high and publicly shakes hands in thin air; while China continues to pump more and more fentanyl in the US.

non on April 6, 2023 demonstrates ad nauseam, Israel faces the same scourge of terrorism as India does. Intelligence sharing is key to fight this menace and informally since the early 1970’s, both country’s intelligence agencies have cooperated closely. The 2008 Mumbai terror attack brought forth the viciousness and deeply entrenched hatred harboured by terror groups towards Israel and India and their burgeoning friendship. Moshe Holtzberg, a Jewish miracle survivor of the 2008 terror attack who lives now in the Israeli city of Afula with his maternal grandfather Rabbi Rosenberg, was barely two years old when his parents were killed at the Nariman House, a Jewish outreach centre in Mumbai. He epitomises the challenges both the nations face and why they need to further tighten their embrace.

While defence cooperation remains pivotal in the Indo-Israeli relations considering the similarity in terror threat that both these nations have to confront, Israel is also a pioneer in dryland farming, greenhouse cultivation and drip irrigation keeping in view its scarcity of water and the desert landscape. Hence the Indo-Israel collaboration in the agriculture field goes a long way. The first stage of the Indo-Israeli Agricultural Cooperation Project started in 2008 following the signing of a three-year Action Plan based on a government-to-government Agreement. Within the

Just to drive home the point, I recollect that I had requested my Indian Army colleague who had come to pick me up from the Beirut airport around midnight of November 8, 2001 to make sure he showed me the Litany River on our drive to the UN base. I had just got deployed there as the Chief Humanitarian Officerat UNIFIL. Frankly I imagined it to be a big river like Satluj or Mahanadi or Cauvery for its water to be so attractive that Israel established a buffer zone south of this river from 1978 onwards till withdrawal in 1998, not only to keep the PLO fighters at bay but also to utilise the waters of this river. When the regulation UN Toyota Landcruiser suddenly stopped, rudely waking me up, all I could see was a short culvert. Getting down with curiosity, I was disappointed to see a river the size of our Upper Ganga canal. It highlights the adversities that Israelis face when they have laboured hard since their founding in 1948 to make the country green and bountiful.

Later, I had the honour to represent the Indian UNIFIL contingent at the Hannukah celebrations in Israel where I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the presence of the then Foreign Minister, formerly Prime Minister and later President of Israel Shimon Peres. In a simple yet sombre ceremony, they commemorated the Maccabean Jews victory over the forces of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphane, regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple in 164 BCE. A culture as ancient as the Jews will instinctively have a great respect and brotherhood with an even more ancient and eclectic culture like India. In the past century, this bonding has been cemented by our gallant soldiers in 1918 which is cast in stone in the war memorial in Haifa. The current generation of soldiers carry forward that torch of Indo-Israeli friendship with grit and determination.

“L’Chaim” - “To Life!” SP

PHOTOGRAPH: en.kremlin.ru

on the basis of its own fundamental interests, prevailing global trends, and China is firm about strengthening strategic coordination with Russia. Putin said that Russia-China relations in recent years have delivered fruitful results in various areas, Russia stands ready to continue to deepen bilateral practical cooperation, step up communication and collaboration in international affairs, and promote world multi-polarity and greater democracy in international relations.

Russia was the first country Xi Jinping had visited after being elected President of China for the first time in 2013. Meeting President Putin now at the Kremlin, President Xi emphasised the profound historical logic for China-Russia relationship reaching where it is today. He said consolidating and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice China has made

Earlier, China had released a document on its position on the Ukraine crisis, advocating the political settlement of the crisis and rejecting the Cold War mentality and unilateral sanctions. Putin said Russia has carefully studied China’s position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue and is open to talks for peace. He welcomes China to play a constructive role in this regard. One document signed by President Xi and Putin states that both parties are determined to “provide strong mutual support in defending each other’s fundamental interests, above all sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and development”.

Continued on page 11...

Official welcoming ceremony - Russian President Vladimir Putin with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping

Need for Defence Industries to Join Hands

During

RANJIT KUMAR

DEEPENING OF INDIA-JAPAN

BILATERAL strategic relations is one of the success stories of Indian diplomacy in the first two decades of the 21st century, which the world is watching closely. The strategic bonhomie, developed over last two decades, is creating ripples in the Indo-Pacific waters. The latest visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on March 20-21, 2023 has further given a new momentum to bilateral defence, security and diplomatic relations. The cordial but low key relations during the second half of previous century has now evolved into a close ally like partnership. The two countries, equally impacted by the aggressive and expansionist Chinese behaviour are formulating joint strategies to counter the threats posed to them and are a part of a grand alliance of four democracies called QUAD.

The latest visit of Prime Minister Kishida has reaffirmed the resolve to not only move forward bilaterally but multilaterally also to jointly protect their national interests. In the changing geopolitical dynamics this unique bilateral partnership called the special strategic global partnership is tilting the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific region.

One of the by-product of this deepening strategic understanding is extensive exchange between the defence forces of the two nations. The level and scope of bilateral defence relations now encompasses joint maritime exercises, joint army exercises and for the first time the two air forces together conducted fighter exercises. Thus, the military interaction assumed a significant new dimension, when last January the two air forces conducted first ever joint air exercise. This reflects growing security cooperation between two countries. The inaugural air exercise included the conduct of various aerial combat drills between two air forces. This was another landmark step in deepening strategic ties and closer defence cooperation. The two air forces undertook multi domain air combat missions in a complex environment. During the exercise both forces learnt from each other their best practices. According to an official of Indian defence ministry the joint air exercise “Veer Guardian” will fortify the longstanding bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces.

Under the directions of the 2+2 dialogue of the defence and foreign ministers, the two countries have expanded the scope of their bilateral defence ties. However, the missing link in India-Japan defence relations is the defence industry cooperation. The technology rich Japan and human resources rich India has much to offer to each other for fruitful cooperation in defence industry not only for each other’s armed forces but for international export also. In the backdrop of increasing Chinese aggression, from land to the sea, not only India but Japan also needs to beef up their armed forces. Japan which calls its armed forces as self-defence forces is now looking outwards to protect it’s strategic and security interests. Hence it was natural for the two prime ministers, Kishida and Modi to discuss ways and means to strengthen cooperation between defence industries of the two nations. During his official talks with the

Japanese Prime Minister the Indian Prime Minister talked of the mantra of co-innovation, co-design and co-creation for a deeper and mutually beneficial defence cooperation. Defence industry experts are of the opinion that India and Japan could cooperate in the field of next generation warfare equipment and systems. Since both India and Japan missed the bus of fourth generation warfare systems as for platforms like advanced fighter planes, howitzers and advanced missiles, both are till now dependent on friendly defence partners, India and Japan could match their resources to take a lead in the fifth-generation warfare systems.

With this aim, during the 2+2 dialogue last September, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation. Rajnath Singh along with his Japanese counterpart Yasukaza Hamada acknowledged the importance of bilateral defence cooperation and partnership and the critical role it will play in ensuring free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

Since India Japan relations are also driven by security issues facing democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, both the countries have taken several initiatives to deepen cooperation in various field. Presently five initiatives are in progress. They are:

l Agreement concerning defence equipment and technology transfer.

l Joint working group on defence equipment and technology cooperation (JWGDETC)

l Cooperative research on Augmentation Technology for Unguided Vehicles (UGV)/robotics

l Japan India cyber dialogue to review policy and strategic planning for security

l MoU regarding space cooperation for surveillance and situational awareness.

The two countries have also entered into a very significant agreement to enable reciprocal provision of supplies and services between two militaries. The agreement known as The Acquisition and Cross Services Agreement (ACSA) between Japan’s Self Defence Forces and Indian military, signed in September, 2020, will drive closer military cooperation and contribute to security in the Indo-Pacific.

Since Japan is revising its national security strategy to stimulate the industrial base and focus on emerging technologies and India has recently opened its private sector for defence industries, both countries can align their policies and plans to bring them together. This will build trust and mutually beneficial partnership. The challenge is to provide a congenial ecosystem for them to work together.

The bilateral relations began an upward trajectory from the beginning of this century, when the then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori visited India and established a very unique Global Partnership between India and Japan. In fact democratic values and respect for human rights and belief in rule of law in International domain brought the two countries further together. As both the Asian giants are facing a challenge and threat to territorial integrity from China, they find a common interest to work together. But China is not the only uniting factor between India and Japan. The deepening friendship between world’s biggest democracy and most prosperous, technologically advanced nation is because of common interests they want to pursue for mutual economic development, peace, security and stability in the IndoPacific region. To jointly work towards this, India and Japan began the tradition of holding annual summits in 2005, with the visit of the then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, which is not only continuing till date, but also expanded the level of political interaction with the initiation of 2+2 dialogue in 2019 comprising of foreign and defence ministers of two countries. In Japan, there is bipartisan support for strengthening strategic and economic relations with India, hence the ties have evolved and matured so fast. When the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid a return visit to Japan for annual summit, the relationship was elevated as “Global and Strategic Partnership” and in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan for the annual summit, the then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe proposed the elevation of the relationship to “Special strategic and global partnership” and when Shinzo Abe visited India next year, the two countries resolved to transform the Japan India special strategic and global partnership into a deep broadbased and action oriented partnership which reflects a broad convergence of their long term political, economic and strategic goals.

Shinzo Abe and Modi, giving a further boost to this deepening relationship announced “Japan and India vision 2025 Special Strategic and Global partnership working together for Peace and Prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and the world, that would serve as a guide post for the new era in Japan-India relations.”

In order to meaningfully transform the special strategic partnerships the two countries have been strengthening cooperation in security fields also. In 2008, when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Japan, the two countries signed the Joint Declaration on security cooperation. To bring this cooperation to visible ground level, the two countries have initiated various framework of security and defence dialogue, which includes the annual defence ministerial dialogue. Under these framework the armed forces of two countries started interacting together through joint exercises and Staff level talks. Japan is also a participant in the four nation Malabar exercises, initially started between India and USA in 1992. Today the two countries have expanded their partnership in the multilateral groupings like G-4, G-20 etc. Japan is also associating India with G-7 through a special invite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

during the Tokyo G-7 summit in May, 2023. SP

The technology rich Japan and human resources rich India has much to offer to each other for fruitful cooperation in defence industry

his official talks with the Japanese Prime Minister, the Indian Prime Minister talked of the mantra of co-innovation, co-design and co-creation for a deeper and mutually beneficial defence cooperation

(Top) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 20, 2023; (Above) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister of Japan Yasukazu Hamada and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi at the joint press statement after the India-Japan 2+2 ministerial dialogue, in Tokyo

PHOTOGRAPHS: PIB

IAI in India –A Time for Transformation

30 YEARS AFTER ESTABLISHING official diplomatic relations between Israel and India, the two countries are situated amid an upward trend that has been achieving great accomplishments for both sides. IAI and India’s defense forces have been through a lot together, and we see ourselves as true friends and partners now and for generations to come.

The growth has been dramatic for IAI, particularly in the past five years, as major programs are reaching maturity and bearing fruit for IAI and its Indian partners. Through the years, IAI has pursued a flexible and adaptive business policy to comply with local policies that require major primes such as IAI to ‘blend in,’ becoming a selfsufficient Indian entity. Today, this strategy is fully aligned with India’s policy shift, particularly under PM Modi’s ‘Self-Reliance’ and ‘Make to the World’ visions.

IAI has established a new company to focus on domestic operations and address these changes. The new executive team is adapting the business infrastructure and operating procedures to support ongoing and new activities within the new realities of the Indian market. The company is pursuing JVs with leading public and private sector companies in India, leverag-

ing programs IAI has been involved in for the past 30 years. These include Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM) air defense systems and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for all services, helicopter avionics integration, radar technologies, and other major systems, where IAI and its local partners have invested great effort and funding in research, development, production, and customer support. Some have already turned into active Joint Ventures (JV).

The new IAI India Group, an Indian holding company, is set to become the center of IAI’s local activities. If and when the authorities commit to their rules, allowing foreign enterprises to join with local partners, IAI would be delighted to participate and will surely become a prominent player in India’s defense and aerospace market. One of the key benefits of the new regulation is allowing a local subsidiary of a foreign enterprise to enter JVs with Indian companies with up to 75 percent ownership. This formation facilitates the rapid indigenization of products and systems, enabling the company to become part of the local industrial ecosystem. As a local company, it will be able to establish joint ventures (JVs) with Indian prime contractors and partners from the public and pri-

vate sectors or establish fully owned local companies to pursue specific opportunities in the Indian Aerospace, Defense, and Homeland Security market.

Examples of agreements that have already been signed include HAL and IAI JV for converting passenger aircrafts into aerial tankers, the current MRSAM programone of India’s largest air defense programs, where IAI is a subcontractor for Bharat Electronics (BEL), and Bharat Dynamics (BDL), the manufacturer of the system’s interceptor missiles. IAI has already begun working with several partners to establish such JVs, pursuing manufacturing radar components, electronic warfare, electrooptics, aircraft, helicopters, UAV modernization, and more.

IAI is also pursuing different forms of JVs with medium size companies that previously joined as subcontractors and supply chain partners. The company will maintain a majority stake in those JVs, to enable the secure transfer of sensitive intellectual property (IP) to the local partnership. This procedure is necessary to address the Indian requirement for technology transfer allowing for local development, manufacturing, and self-reliance. Service and support are becoming another field of activity for the company, assuring Indian customers have

access to ongoing support and an uninterrupted supply of spare parts even in times of crisis. These activities open thousands of employment opportunities for the local workforce, providing customer support to existing and new programs.

Throughout the years, Israel’s defense companies were the first to adapt to new regulations. IAI was among the first to comply with India’s offset requirements fully. It developed a supply chain of over 70 suppliers to meet and exceed its offset obligations within the large-scale programs IAI provided to the Indian military.

While the new regulations pose significant challenges for foreign participants, they also offer great opportunities for those willing to change and adapt. IAI India leverages the experience and reputation its parent company has won through +30 years of activity in India to offer the Indian military the most advanced technologies and establish a business ecosystem engaging local companies across the subcontinent as subcontractors and suppliers. Many companies that have entered this supply chain will now be evaluated to join as IAI’s JV partners, sharing IAI’s ambition to grow and expand in the Indian market. Today, this experience serves IAI well in its move to address India’s strive for Self-Reliance. SP

Stealth Technology for Mechanised Forces

LT GENERAL P.C. KATOCH (RETD)

ON MARCH 14, 2023, the Indian Army signed a contract for procurement of an indigenously developed Integrated Mobile Camouflage System (IMCS) for the mechanised forces with the startup Hyper Stealth Technologies Private limited (HSTPL) which is Delhibased. This is the first ever procurement order by the Indian Army of an ‘Innovations for Defence Excellence’ (iDEX) project as per the revised procedure. According to an official release, the contract was signed in the presence of Lt General J.B. Chaudhari, Deputy Chief of the Army

Staff (CD&S) and Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary, DDP.

IMCS was the first system to be trial evaluated in accordance with the ‘Single Stage Composite Trial’ methodology based on the revised Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. Earlier, the request for proposal (RFP) was issued to the developing agency in September 2022 and within six months, the contract was signed with HSTPL.

iDEX was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during DefExpo 2018 held at Chennai from April 11 to 14. The aim of iDEX is to create an eco-system to foster innovation and encourage technological develop-

(Left) HERON TP UAV; (Right) MRSAM trial in India.

Indian Army has taken a lead in awarding the first ever procurement order of an innovations for defence excellence (iDEX ) project

PHOTOGRAPH: PIB

Need to Root Out Terrorism Collectively & Fix Accountability

PHOTOGRAPHS: PIB

 SP’S STAFF CORRESPONDENT

DEFENCE MINISTER RAJNATH

SINGH has called upon the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states to collectively work towards eliminating terrorism in all its forms and fix accountability on those who aid or fund such activities. Addressing the Defence Ministers of SCO member countries in New Delhi on April 28, 2023, Rajnath Singh asserted that any kind of terrorist act or support to it in any form is a major crime against humanity and peace & prosperity cannot coexist with this menace.

“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others, but for itself too. Radicalisation of youth is a cause of concern not only from the point of view of security, but it is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society. If we want to make the SCO a stronger & more credible international organisation, our topmost priority should be to effectively deal with terrorism,” the Defence Minister said.

Rajnath Singh added that India envisions a robust framework of regional cooperation which mutually respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states by taking care of their legitimate interests. He asserted that New Delhi strives to further bolster trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO as it believes in maintaining peace and security based on the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

Sharing his insights on the vision to ensure collective prosperity, the Defence Minister called for concerted efforts by the SCO member states, so that the region, with limitless possibilities in today’s multilateral world, shifts to the mindset of ‘great gain from win-win paradigm’ from ‘great game of zero sum, win-lose paradigm’. “India has always followed the principle of ‘Let us walk together & move forward together’. Every era has a zeitgeist (defining idea). The zeitgeist of the present era is ‘Win-win cooperation for the great gain’,” he said.

Rajnath Singh also elaborated on the concept of ‘SECURE’ floated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi during the SCO summit in Qingdao, China in 2018. He stated that every alphabet of the word ‘SECURE’ reflects India’s commitment towards the multidimensional welfare of the region.

S - Security of citizens

E - Economic development for all

C - Connecting the region

U - Uniting the people

R - Respect for Sovereignty and Integrity

E - Environmental protection)

Drawing the attention of the member states to various dimensions of ‘SECURE’, the Defence Minister stated that today a large part of the world is passing through a food crisis. He urged the SCO member countries to ensure food security under an integrated plan. This will establish SCO as a role model for the whole world, he said. To deal with the issue of climate change, he called for working on a common strategy, giving priority to mitigation and adaptation. Energy security should be a part of the common strategy, he added.

Rajnath Singh also touched upon the two defence-related activities launched by India, as the SCO chair, to increase interoperability among member states. These are: a workshop on ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)’ and a seminar on ‘defence think-tanks of SCO countries’.

Both the events witnessed enthusiastic participation from all SCO countries.

The Defence Minister voiced India’s commitment towards defence capacity building of SCO member states through training and co-manufacturing & co-development of items. He stated that as security challenges are not limited to any one country, India is moving forward with a collaborative approach in the field of defence partnership, keeping in mind the shared interests.

Rajnath Singh reiterated India’s commitment to play the role of a first responder and preferred partner for any HADR operation in the region. “Be it the COVID-19 pandemic or the recent earthquake in Turkiye, India has always moved forward in line with its spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (Whole world is one family),” he said.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Defence Minister described the SCO as an evolved & strong regional organisation, underlining that India views it as an important entity to promote defence cooperation among member states. He urged the member states to take forward the age-old cultural and civilisational linkages among the nations in line with changing times, emphasising that the ties have enriched the countries economically and culturally for centuries. He called for a

secure, stable and prosperous region that helps in improving the quality of life of the people of each member nation.

At the end of the deliberations, all the SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous. In his closing remarks, Rajnath Singh called for joint efforts to ensure prosperity in the region while dealing with contemporary challenges. He stressed on the need to constantly make the SCO stronger and a more vibrant & resilient organisation in line with changing times. “It is our moral responsibility to start a new journey of development in the region through mutual cooperation, harmony and respect,” he said.

Addressing media persons after the meeting, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane stated that all the member nations arrived at the consensus on several areas of cooperation, including dealing with terrorism, security of vulnerable populations in various countries as well as HADR. He stated that all member states were unanimous in their statements that terrorism, in all its forms, must be condemned and eliminated. He exuded confidence that many areas identified for cooperation will be acted upon in the times to come and India, as the SCO chair, will lead from the front in ensuring a safe and secure future for the region and the world as a whole.

Defence Ministers of China (General Li Shangfu); Russia (General Sergei Shoigu); Iran (Brig General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani); Belarus (Lt General Khrenin VG); Kazakhstan (Col General Ruslan Zhaxylykov); Uzbekistan (Lt General Bakhodir Kurbanov); Kyrgyzstan (Lt General Bekbolotov Baktybek Asankalievich) and Tajikistan (Col General Sherali

Mirzo) attended the meeting. The Ministers discussed issues of common concern including issues of regional and international security under charter of SCO during the meeting. SP

“PM Modi’s ‘SECURE’ vision reflects India’s commitment towards multi-dimensional welfare of the region”

(Above) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers, in New Delhi on April 28, 2023;

(Left) Rajnath Singh chairing the Defence Meeting of SCO

The Global Reset

 MAJOR GENERAL ATANU K. PATTANAIK (RETD)

ON BEING ASKED IN an interview as to why and how suddenly Saudi Arabia and arch enemy Iran reached a Chinese brokered a peace deal to restore diplomatic relations after a history of bitter rivalry, Alastair Crooke, a former British diplomat simply answers, “Because America was not part of the mediation... because America was out of the equation”. That’s a profound, if disquieting, observation coming from someone in the know. The deal itself raises possibilities of a negotiated peace in the war-torn Yemen, raging since 2014 in whichover 1,50,000 people have been killed. It is estimated that another 2,27,000 have died as a result of an ongoing famine and lack of healthcare facilities due to the war and about 4.5 million displaced.

Key powers that have added fuel to the fire, instead of dousing it, are the US and its faithful ally Britain. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the preeminent think tank tracking arms sales, Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest arms importer from 2015 to 2019, the first five years of the Yemen war. Its imports of major arms increased by 130 per cent compared with the previous five-year period. Despite the wide-ranging concerns in the US and the UK about Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, both continued to export arms to Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2019. The US sold some $64.1 billion worth of arms in this period to Saudi Arabia and another $23 billion in advanced weaponry beginning 2020 to the United Arab Emirates which was part of the Saudi-led coalition that was involved in relentless bombing of civilians in Yemen. In essence the war in Yemen is America’s war. Yet another war!

Viewed critically, this means that the US diverted the huge surpluses generated by oil sales by the Gulf countries towards arms supplied to them by its own sprawling military industrial complex. For this to succeed, enmity had to be festered and fuelled for as long as necessary. By logical extension, peace had to be kept at bay.

Reports suggest that Saudi Arabia is also in talks with Syria to reopen its embassy in the war-torn nation for the first time in a decade. One may infer that Russia, which saved the Assad regime from the swirl of the US inspired Arab Spring in 2011 has managed to mediate and bring some calm and normalcy to the MiddleEast as warring Gulf and Arab nations reopen embassies and take a shot at peace. This development is to be seen in the context of Saudi Arabia slowly veering off the American security umbrella to take a

leadership role in the region. This security arrangement going back to 1973 is the cornerstone of the petrodollar dominance that muscles the US hegemony and therefore a reset will surely lead to a swift weakening of the petrodollar as oil producers like Saudi, Iran and Russia use alternate currencies and payment channels outside the SWIFT for oil trade. The BRICS grouping is already working on a BRICS currency which can act as an alternate to the US dollar and once the oil giants like Saudi

Arabia join this bandwagon, it’s curtains for the US dollar.

The swift turn of events that signal a cascading change of the worldview and therefore the beginning of a global reset has been simmering since the 2008 financial crisis but gained fresh oxygen once the US decided to seize the over $600 billion Russian money held in various west controlled central banks after Russia invaded Ukraine. The reliability of holding onto US treasury debt which constitutes about

60 per cent of the global forex reserves became questionable. Even for the Europeans who have been ceaselessly reminded about US generosity through the big rescue act of the Marshall Plan after WW II, this mindless act was a shocker.

As per columnist and researcher Thomas Fazi, in spite of the largesse and generosity usually associated with the European Recovery Program, as the Marshall Plan was officially called, between 1948 and 1951 the funds actually only amounted to about 3 per cent of the combined GDP of the recipient countries. This accounted for a direct increase in GDP growth of less than 0.5 per cent. Taken as a whole, then, the Marshall Plan appears to embody a form of “benevolent imperialism”, through which the US gained control over Western Europe through NATO and cemented its position as a global superpower.

Driving a wedge between Europe (and Germany in particular as the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipeline vindicates) and Russia, and preventing the rise of a Eurasian geopolitical reality, has always been an American geopolitical imperative. The EU nations have begun to recalibrate.

An indicator of how the reset is shaping up is indicated by the fact that just as Finland was admitted to the NATO in a symbolic flag hoisting at its Brussels HQ, its staunch proponent Prime Minister Sanna Marin lost the elections. Does it indicate that leaders have been taking decisions about supporting Ukraine’s war efforts and sending tanks and aircraft, ignoring the sentiments of its citizens and their interests? It would appear so.

Other events have contributed to the transformation underway. One is the response to COVID pandemic in 2020. Even though rich nations represent just 14 per cent of the world’s population, they bought up 53 per cent of the most promising vaccines by December 2020, leaving the global South struggling. On the other hand, Russia and China chipped in, in a major way, though attempts were made by Western Pharma lobby to discredit their efficacy. India supplied billions of doses of vaccines to its neighbouring countries as well to big nations like Brazil and South Arica.

Climate change is another sphere where there is unbridgeable divide as the rich nations refuse to pick up the tab of a minimum $100 billion annual promised in 2013 to compensate the poor nations and help in combating adverse climate impact largely contributed by the energy guzzling industrial west. India has taken a lead with International Solar Alliance.

A congruence of events and the imperious attitude of the west have stirred the global geopolitical landscape. The coming days will tell us if this ‘Samudra Manthan’ delivers a more sustainable, egalitarian, peaceful and progressive multipolar world. SP

The world is currently witnessing a great churn in geostrategic alliances resulting in a global realignment of security relations and partnerships

The BRICS grouping is already working on a BRICS currency which can act as an alternate to the US dollar and once the oil giants like Saudi Arabia join this bandwagon, it’s curtains for the US dollar

(Top) Bilateral meeting and talks between the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia facilitated by China; (Above) Finland membership to NATO was confirmed in record time due to the prevailing security situation in Eastern Europe.

Driving a wedge between Europe and Russia, and preventing the rise of a Eurasian geopolitical reality, has always been an American geopolitical imperative

Lebanisation of Pakistan

Lebanon’s post-war era militia leaders became the political leadership and have

since. The country remains a nation without an effective governing dispensation. Pakistan seems

be going the same way!

 MAJOR GENERAL ATANU K. PATTANAIK (RETD)

ALMOST TWENTY YEARS BACK

and over a month after landing up in Lebanon as the Chief Humanitarian Officer of the UN Interim Force in 2001-02, I got a faint glimpse of how fractured and dysfunctional their society and the polity really was. The Indian Ambassador was hosting an ‘At Home’ on the eve of the Republic Day and it came to my notice that the Lebanese government would be represented by three ministers, one each for the President, the PM and the Speaker. Ipso facto, they would be representing Maronite Christians, Sunnis and Shias respectively as per the confessional system of governance arrangements that the country had adopted. It had just come out of decades of civil war between the largely Christian South Lebanon Army (SLA) and Iran-Syria backed Hezbollah, and Israeli occupation of Shia-dominated South Lebanon, south of the Litany River, from 1985-2000.

As part of my humanitarian projects, I would traverse the length and breadth of South Lebanon which curiously had its own President, apart from the President of Lebanon. The Hezbollah dominated the territory mostly, their ubiquitous yellow flags fluttering on the street poles and photos of martyrs staring at you. The militias use the cocaine and hashish drug trade as well as other “criminal enterprises” to fund their military ventures in Lebanon, while some of their funds do go to education and health assistance for the poor.

Lebanon as a state and its central bank went bankrupt in April 2022. Lebanon’s post-war era militia leaders became the political leadership riddled with corruption and mismanagement, and have kept a lock on power ever since. Yet Lebanon remains a nation state with allied entities and paraphernalia but without an effective governing dispensation. The militias and power brokers of all three dominant sects control their fiefdoms autonomously without having to discharge any responsibilities of a nation-state. As a result, over 82 per cent of the population now lives in poverty, according to the United Nations. Unemployment is estimated at 40 per cent. Beirut, once billed as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’, now stinks of uncollected garbage, its streets lined with beggars.

Understanding ‘Lebanisation’ is relevant to understand the dire situation in Pakistan. Forex reserves is less than $6 billion, barely enough to cover three weeks of import. The IMF bailout talks failed a week back over lack of economic reforms. Inflation is running at over 27.6 per cent but may spike further as the government has been forced to hike taxes on natural gas for household and industrial consumption from 16 per cent to 112 per cent. The exchange rate against the US dollar has gone from PKR 123 in August 2018 to PKR 275 now. Milk costs PKR 210/ litre and petrol PKR 272. The economic meltdown is eerily similar to the happenings in Sri Lanka to some extent, the Chinese debt-trap as a result of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mega infrastructure projects, low tax base and high army/security related spendings being common factors.

Where Pakistan differs from Sri Lanka is its Army which hold all the levers of

power and patronage without attendant responsibilities of running a state. The CIA funded Talibanisation in the eighties to oust the Russians from neighbourhood Pakistan has had long term devastating effects. Crushingly and ignominiously defeated in 1971 Indo-Pak war which gave birth to the state of Bangladesh, it switched to running terror factories which churn out hordes of highly radicalised jihadis for deployment in Kashmir to keep

India bleeding ‘with thousand cuts’ as a low-cost option.

Like the militias in Lebanon, the Army and army backed jihadi militias of Pakistan control a flourishing drug trade emanating from the poppy fields of Afghanistan which is estimated at over $25 billion annually. The political class are best at clamouring for each other’s throats rather than address the pressing issues staring at the country. This greatly suits the “Deep State’, the Army and its various tentacles like the ISI who gulp up over 50 per cent of the country’s budget.

No wonder, out of frustration ex-PM Imran Khan recently called former Army Chief General Bajwa a ‘Super King’.

Will a crumbling Pakistan balkanise and break-up with Balochs, Sindis, the tribes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and GilgitBaltistan declaring independence and cede from a Punjabi dominated Pakistan? For some in India, that brings cheers, with fond hope that PoK will soon return to India without us having to fire a bullet. But such hopes may be illusionary and misplaced. China has invested heavily in the CPEC that runs through the Shaksgam Valley through Gilgit-Baltistan all the way to the Gwadar port in restive Baluchistan.

It is vital to connecting Xinjiang Province in western China for boosting the trade with Europe and securing energy supplies from the Middle East. So, balkanisation is

a fall-out that China can ill afford. Even internally, though Baluchistan and Sind have witnessed separatist movements for long, yet they do not have the appetite for running a functional state. Nor do the tribal warlords of Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Establishing a state entail running institutions and taking care of welfare of its citizens. It means ensuring law and order, something anathema to these belligerents that thrive in lawlessness.

Pakistan already runs a rentier economy, renting its strategic space to the US to wage its war against the Soviet Union in the eighties and against the Al Qaida and Taliban since 9/11 in its global war on terror (GWOT). The US has paid an estimated $33 billion between 2001-2016 towards compensation for providing security to its supply lines and operations. The Trump administration stopped this gravy train to flow but a renewal for other motives cannot be ruled out. The drawn-out IMF negotiations could be a ploy for some key leverage that the ‘Deep State’ within the US may be haggling for. Even its patrons in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia who may be funding its nuclear arsenal as a counter to the Iranian bomb would do all they can to prevent such an outcome. All said and done, balkanisation serves no one’s interest. A more plausible outcome is Lebanisation of Pakistan. SP

kept a lock on power ever

to

The economic meltdown in Pakistan is eerily similar to the happenings in Sri Lanka to some extent, the Chinese debt-trap as a result of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mega infrastructure projects, low tax base and high army/security related spendings being common factors.

PHOTOGRAPH: Wikimedia

BILATERAL RELATIONS / TECHNOLOGY

The Dragon...

Continued from page 5

Western media continued the tirade against Russia during Xi’s three-day visit to Russia. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said, “We hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President (Vladimir) Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis.” This, forgetting that Britain has allied with the US in arbitrarily bombing, invading multiple countries and committing war crimes over the past several decades and is currently pumping mercenaries and weapons in Ukraine to attack civilians in the Donbas region.

Despite the fact that even American air defence systems in Ukraine are ineffective against Russian aerial attacks, America wants to keep Russia engaged in operations because the US is the only country which is benefiting financially and strategically from the war in Ukraine. China is well aware that the US aims to deal with China in similar fashion – indirectly as far as possible though Washington is making noises about getting ready to fight China. The China-Russia military cooperation,

Stealth Technology...

therefore, would necessarily keep building to higher levels. There is also speculation that Russia is maybe helping China build its nuclear arsenal. Russia endorses the “One China Policy” and perhaps also the Chinese claims in the South China Sea. But it has no formal military pact with China perhaps to avoid getting unduly drawn into conflict(s) in the IndoPacific. At the same time, Russia and China have been exercising bilaterally and with allies in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. China’s relations with the US and Europe is dictated by economic and trade priorities and access to markets in the West but this interest runs both ways. This is the reason why European leaders are heading to Beijing with business delegations despite their partnership with the US-led Anglo-Saxon front against Russia.

Concerns have been raised in some quarters over the China-Russia bonding adversely affecting India. But the fact remains that there is an exceptional and long friendship between India and Russia, which has grown even stronger with the conflict in Ukraine. On March 23, 2023, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov dismissed the geopolitical

Continued from page 7

ment in Defence and Aerospace by engaging R&D institutes, academia, industries including MSMEs, startups and individual innovators and provide them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future adoption by the Indian Defence and Aerospace Organisation.

The objective of camouflage in mechanised columns is to disrupt the characteristic shape of the vehicle, to reduce shine, and to make the vehicle difficult to identify even if it is spotted. Patterns are designed to make it more difficult to interpret shadows and shapes. A multi-spectral camouflage system fitted to armoured vehicle reduces visual, infrared (IR) and radar signatures and permits movement. Heavier, more durable mobile camouflage net systems, essentially conformal duvets with thermal and radar properties, provide a degree of concealment without the delay caused by having to spread nets around a vehicle, Active camouflage for vehicles, using heated or cooled Peltier plates to match the IR background, has been prototyped in industry but has not been fully put into production yet.

The Integrated Mobile Camouflage System (IMCS) comprises low emissivity and/or

CAM-IIR coatings and Mobile Camouflage System materials providing the ability to the Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) to merge with the background of the terrain. The Army has said that this new technology will enhance stealth of mechanised and mobile platforms. Integrated Mobile Camouflage System (IMCS) will achieve a reduction in the detection range of AFV when viewed through Hand Held Thermal Imager (HHTI)/Battle Field Surveillance Radar (BFSR) tank-based thermal camera under given environmental and weather conditions and signature management by controlling the Visual, Thermal, Infra-red & Radar Signatures of the object.

The official release covering the contract with HSTPL also states that currently there are a total of 48 projects of the Indian Army as part of the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC), Open Challenges, iDEX4 Fauji and iDEX PRIME scheme which involves handholding of 41 Startups for the development of the latest state of art solutions for the challenges posed by Indian Army. For each challenge, a dedicated Nodal Officer & Establishment as Centre of Excellence from the Indian Army is nominated for hand-

APPOINTMENTS

NEW VICE CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF

Lt General M.V. Suchindra

Kumar has assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on March 1, 2023. Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt General M.V. Suchindra Kumar was tenanting the appointment of Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) at Army HQ. He has experience in intelligence, operations, force structuring, operational logistics and tech infusion in his recent appointments.

The General Officer has held various staff and instructional appointments to include an instructional tenure at Infantry School, Mhow, Senior Operations Officer in the United Nations Sector in Cambodia, Colonel (Policy) in Military Secretary Branch, Indian Army Training Team at Lesotho, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) of a Corps in the Eastern Theatre, Additional Director General Military Intelligence and Director General Military Intelligence at Army HQ.

experts who claimed that the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia will have a negative impact on India-Russia relations. Alipov tweeted: “Profusion of analysis these days of the outcomes of Xi Jinping’s Russia visit. The impression as though various reputable Indian experts almost dream of Russia-China ties harming Russia-India strategic alignment. A wishful thinking - case in point.”

There is no doubt that India-China relations are very strained with the continuing two-year standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) despite both countries interacting in forums like the SCO and BRICS. India even gave China a trade advantage of $100 billion in 2022. But China has designs on Indian Territory and has formed an alliance with Pakistan against India. Notably, Russia has always tried to keep the Russia-IndiaChina (RIC) Dialogue going. Admittedly, Russia cannot stop Xi Jinping from waging war against India but Russia can surely be a soothing influence given the realisation in China that Russia remains the primary supplier of China’s growing energy demands, critical raw materials, food grains, defence supplies and spares. SP

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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Design

Sr. Designer: Vimlesh Kumar Yadav

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holding and providing continuous support in progressing their respective projects.

iDEX is funded and managed by the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) under MoD (DDP). Over the past four years, iDEX under DIO has been able to emerge as a front-runner in establishing the right kind of contact with Startups and Innovators and has gained substantial traction in the Defence Startup Community. A further boost was given to the initiative in April 2022 as the revised methodology for iDEX was approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh which ensures a significant reduction in timelines of procurement to approx 24 weeks.

In addition to the contract signed with HSPTL, there are many other iDEX projects of the Indian Army for which the acceptance of necessity (AoN) have already been accorded. These are presently under finalisation and more contracts would come up in due course. All these would provide further boost to startups and the policy of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Most importantly, this enables exploiting another and perhaps faster avenue for absorbing new technologies into the Indian Army. SP

General Officer Commanding-in Chief, South Western Command of Indian Army

Lt General B.S. Raju takes over as General Officer Commanding-in Chief, South Western Command of Indian Army on March 1, 2023.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command of the Indian Army

Lt General N.S.R. Subramani takes over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command of the Indian Army on March 1, 2023.

Director General of Artillery

Lt General Adosh Kumar assumed appointment of the Director General of Artillery on May 1, 2023. Prior to assuming this key appointment, he was serving as the Director General Land, Works & Environment.

Director General Quality Assurance

Lt General R.S. Reen took over as Director General Quality Assurance on February 24, 2023. A 1986-batch officer, Lt General Reen was a senior faculty at Defence Institute of Quality Assurance, Bengaluru. In addition, the Officer is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and headed the DQA(L) as Additional Director General (Electronics) at HQ DGQA, New Delhi.

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