General Dalbir Singh Suhag Takes Over As New Army Chief ( Copy Right @ The Defence News)

General Dalbir Singh Suhag , New Indian Chief of Army Staff
 ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ Anup ONGC)

General Dalbir Singh Suhag today took charge as India's new army chief, succeeding General Bikram Singh, who has retired.

Lt. Gen. Suhag was appointed chief in May by the outgoing UPA government despite protests from former army chief, General VK Singh, and the BJP.

59-year-old Lt. General Suhag, a Gurkha officer who had participated in the 1987 Indian Peace Keeping Force operation in Sri Lanka, will have 30-month tenure.

He comes from a family of soldiers. 

A village in Jhajjar, Haryana, is celebrating the rise of the boy they knew as fearless.

"He had a sharp brain and worked hard. He has achieved all this because of his hard work. He was fearless," his mother said. Asked if she was happy, she said, "When my son has reached such great heights...of course I am." 

His father Rajpal Singh Suhag is a retired flying officer.

"Generations of our family have been in the army. So he also had the desire to serve the nation. I was in the army, my grandfather and great grandfather were also in the army," the former soldier said with pride, sitting in a room filled with medals and trophies.

Lt. General Suhag was made the Vice Chief of Army Staff in December last year. Before this he was the Eastern Army Commander.

He was at the centre of a controversy after a vigilance ban on him by then army chief General VK Singh in connection with an intelligence operation in Assam.

The ban was removed after General Bikram Singh took over in May, 2012.

General VK Singh is currently a minister in the BJP-led government. The BJP had questioned what it called the UPA's alacrity to appoint Lt General Suhag and had insisted that the matter be left to the next government.

Soon after the BJP took power, however, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said the appointment would not be scrapped.

Lt. General Suhag also commanded 53 Infantry Brigade engaged in counter insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley in 2003-2005.

An alumnus of Sainik School, Chittorgarh, he joined National Defence Academy in 1970 and was commissioned in June 1974.

(Original link to the article: http://defencenews.in/defence-news-internal.aspx?id=URqxnlOeYCA=

India naval drill with Japan, U.S. seen as signal to China ( Copy Right @ The Japan Times)

INS Satpura (F-48) Frigate of the Indian Navy
 ( Image credits-Wikimedia commons/United States Navy)

Traffic at the Maritime Self-Defense Force base at Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, is typically dominated by Japanese and U.S. warships, but in July it saw an unusual variety of vessel. An Indian frigate and destroyer docked en route to joint exercises in the Western Pacific.

The INS Shivalik and INS Ranvijay’s appearance at the port near Nagasaki showed Japan’s interest in developing ties with the South Asian nation as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government faces deepening tensions with China. Japan for the third time joined the U.S. and India in the annual Malabar drills that usually are held in the Bay of Bengal.

With Abe loosening limits on his nation’s military, the exercises that conclude Wednesday showcase Japan’s expanding naval profile as China pushes maritime claims in disputed areas of the East and South China Seas. For newly installed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan’s attention adds to that of China itself, in an opportunity to expand his own country’s sway.

“Modi’s government is seen by the rest of Asia as being able to deliver on its promise of economic growth and reforms and that provides the depth and gives new impetus for strategic relations in Asia,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor in Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. “India’s power in Asia will rise — economic and maritime power related to trade, energy and military. Japan and other Asian countries realize this.”

Japan’s involvement in Malabar underscores its interest in helping secure its trade routes to Europe and the Middle East. The Indian Ocean is “arguably the world’s most important trading crossroads,” according to the Henry L. Stimson Center, a foreign policy research group in Washington. It carries about 80 percent of the world’s seaborne oil, mostly headed to China and Japan.

Inviting Japan to join the annual U.S.-India naval drill fuels an already strained relationship between Japan and China, whose ships and aircraft have been involved in a dispute over an East Asian island chain that has escalated in the past two years. Malabar started in 1992 and has been held annually since 2002. Japan first joined in 2007, when ships from Singapore and Australia also took part.

This year, India sent three vessels to the maneuvers, which included drills to enhance anti-piracy and maritime patrol capabilities.

“It’s very significant that we can do this drill with the U.S. and India, not only with a view to the Pacific Ocean but also the Indian Ocean, where our sea lanes stretch,” MSDF chief Hidetoshi Iwasaki said at a press conference on July 24th, the first day of the exercise.

All three national commanders for the joint fleet denied that the exercise was connected to any territorial dispute.

“We don’t have any drill concerning island defense,” said Iwasaki, adding that the intension is only to enhance combat skill and the ability of the navies to work together.

The U.S. contingent included the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, together with a cruiser and destroyers.

The navies of Japan and India cooperated in a binational exercise from the Japanese port of Sagami in 2012 and the Indian city of Chennai last December. China began its own five-day military drill in the East China Sea on Tuesday, the nation’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on its website.

Japan’s tightening diplomatic ties with India add to a budding economic relationship as Japanese companies seek alternatives to China. In 2012, anti-Japanese protests broke out all over China, damaging factories and shops and boycotting Japanese goods. The protests were sparked by the Japanese government buying some of the disputed islets from a private citizen.

“The Japanese are facing huge political problems in China,” said Kondapalli in a phone interview. “So Japanese companies are now looking to shift to other countries. They’re looking at India.”

There are 1,300 to 1,400 Japanese companies in India compared with 80,000 in China, he said.

India offers one of the best investment opportunities among eight of the biggest markets worldwide, according to the Bloomberg Global Poll this month. Among the so-called BRIC nations, 23 percent of respondents picked India, versus the 12 percent average for Brazil, Russia and China, the widest gap since the survey began in 2009.

Modi is planning to visit Tokyo and will give a joint statement with Abe on Sept. 1, Kyodo News reported on Saturday. A previous scheduled meeting between the two earlier this month in Japan was postponed because of preparations for India’s budget, Press Trust of India reported on July 23.

Original link to the article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/30/national/india-naval-drill-japan-u-s-seen-signal-china/#.U9prp9R515Q

India having space cooperation with 33 nations ( Copy Right @ The Economic Times)

Indian GSLV Launcher ( Image credits-Wikimedia Commons
/ISRO/Author)

India has been working in cooperation with 33 countries in the area of peaceful use of outer space, the government today said. India is pursuing cooperation with other countries on peaceful uses of outer space. Currently, cooperative arrangements are signed with 33 countries including Russia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia, said Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Department of Space in a written response in Lok Sabha. The countries also include Syria, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Norway, Peru, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile and Venezuela. He said that the areas of cooperation include Remote Sensing of Earth, Satellite Communication, Launch Services, Telemetry and Tracking Support, Space Exploration, Space Law and Capacity Building. "To utilise this cooperation to the optimum level, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is pursuing cooperation in advanced areas of space science and technology, including deep space navigation and communication support for space exploration missions, joint realisation of earth observation satellites with advanced scientific instruments, capacity building and Disaster Management Support," Singh added. Original link to the article: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-having-space-cooperation-with-33-nations/articleshow/39301799.cms

Why INDRA matters to Russia and India ( Copy Right @ The Russia & India Report)

Indo-Russian Indra Naval exercises-2014 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Indian Navy)

In April 2011, the Indian Navy’s three most renowned destroyers, INS Delhi, INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay, sailed over 8500 km to the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok for the INDRA joint exercise with the remnants of Russia’s once mighty Pacific Fleet. But when the Indian warships arrived in Vladivostok, the Pacific Fleet was missing. According to the Russian naval brass, their ships were assisting the Japanese with rescue operations at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Even as the Indian warships were returning to Visakhapatnam, the Indian Defence Ministry discovered the Russian warships had sailed out for an exercise of their own. According to some observers, the Russians were showing their displeasure at losing out in the Indian jet fighter competition. But it is highly unlikely the professional Russian military would agree to insult their Indian friends at the behest of some wound up diplomat in Moscow. The more plausible reason is the Russian Navy was in such a poor state that it simply cried off. It’s like you don’t invite anyone inside your house because it is so shabby. With $132 billion earmarked for shipbuilding through 2020, the future Russian Navy could turn out to be a formidable force. But if funds could make a navy, then Saudi Arabia and Qatar would own the leading navies of the world. At any rate, the bulk of Russian funding will go to attack and SSBN (nuclear powered, ballistic missile) submarines. The current reality is that the Russian fleet has a comparatively small number of ships that are able to deploy far from their ports for extended periods. No surprises really. The Russian Navy has always been a submarine focussed force, and its surface vessels are not really in the same class as the US Navy’s. The Russian Navy looks good when compared with its Indian counterpart. With 11 major accidents claiming the lives of 21 officers and sailors between March 2013 and August 2014, the Indian Navy currently ranks among the most dangerous fleets in the world. The shocking episode was the INS Sindhurakshak explosion. On August 14, 2013 while it was berthed in Mumbai harbour, blasts ripped through the attack submarine’s torpedo compartment, killing 18 crew members. Expired batteries were reportedly the cause of the disaster. On March 7, 2014, just weeks before the Indian Navy's most modern destroyer, INS Kolkata, was to be commissioned, Commander Kuntal Wadhwa died after inhaling carbon dioxide leaking from a malfunctioning unit while the vessel was undergoing trials at Mazagon Docks, Mumbai. Both navies not only have a blemished record at sea but also lack the end to end capabilities required to qualify as world class fighting forces. Take the August 2009 Kursk submarine disaster in the Barents Sea. The Kursk was the most lethal and modern hunter-killer sub in the world yet when it sank after a mysterious explosion or collision, it was Norwegian – not Russian – divers who opened its hatches seven days later. Again, it was a Dutch team that raised the hull to the surface a year later. Similarly, five months after it sank, Sindhurakshak was raised to the surface by an American – not Indian – salvage firm. Under such circumstances, joint exercises such as INDRA – derived from India and Russia – are vital for keeping up morale, improving sailing skills, and monitoring the seaworthiness of naval vessels. The Russian and Indian navies cannot train extensively with foreign navies because of the absence of the trust factor. Recently, an Indian warship that docked during a friendly visit to China hosted a Chinese admiral who insisted on entering the ship’s bridge – the commander’s control room. The Indian captain firmly but politely declined. Similarly, it is an open secret that western countries allied to the US have extensive espionage networks in India. They will not lose the slightest opportunity to do on the sly what the Chinese admiral was trying to do openly. US whistleblower Edward Snowden has revealed that American spying on India – including the ruling BJP – has been on the upswing. India knows this very well – when the Indian Air Force trains with the Americans and British, its Sukhoi-30MKI pilots are under orders not to use the aircraft’s radar at any time. INDRA background :: The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that the Russian Navy, especially its mighty Pacific Fleet, which was transformed into a mighty fighting force by Admiral Sergey Gorshkov during the 1970s, was allowed to rust in port because of the economic collapse that followed. The military, which was considered irrelevant during those days of misplaced Russia-US bonhomie, was the first casualty. The Boris Yeltsin era saw steep cuts in defence budgets which led to the collapse in shipbuilding and naval activity in Russia throughout the 1990s. During this period of neglect, the Russian Navy had no presence in the Indian Ocean. The navy that in 1971 threw a cordon sanitaire around India to protect it against an American-British naval attack on Indian cities, was idling – and rusting – at Vladivostok. Such a state of destitution continued until 2001, when a contingent of Russian Navy vessels, docked at Mumbai. In April 2003, nine warships of the Russian navy departed from their bases at Sevastopol in the Black Sea and Vladivostok for the Indian Ocean. These units engaged in a number of exercises with the Indian Navy. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov proposed joint naval exercises to be held later that year. Operational philosophies :: While protection of navigation against pirates and terrorists as well as combat training were key aspects of INDRA-2014, what’s more important is do the two navies have a common operational philosophy? It has been reported that both India and Russia have held discussions in this matter, following the visit of the Russian Naval chief, Admiral Vladimir Vysotskiy, to New Delhi. But do Russia and India have a common enemy or goals on the high seas? The Indian Navy has long given up on its dream of seeing the end of American presence in the Indian Ocean. Its focus is now China, which has swooped down into the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in a big way. Stopping the Chinese from encircling India with bases in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan is India’s priority now. The Russian Navy has a different aim. “Russia has extensive coastlines as well as assets such as off-shore drilling sites to protect,” says a report by the School of Russian & Asian Studies. “Russia's export economy requires that ports and transport routes be protected and gives Russia a substantial interest in helping international efforts to combat piracy.” Future focus Because India and Russia do not have an adversarial relationship, they should ideally train more often. But in fact since 2003, both countries have conducted just five of the INDRA series military exercises between the armies and navies of both sides. On the other hand, India has conducted over 60 military exercises with the United States. As panic buttons are being pressed in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Ukraine and the Pacific, there is the danger that India and Russia will get sucked into a global conflict. In such an eventuality, India may find itself ranged against the very players – the West – with which it trains regularly. On the other hand, by syncing their military forces, Russia and India could gain better synergies. As they say in the military: If you train hard, you fight easy. Original link to the article: http://in.rbth.com/blogs/2014/07/20/why_indra_matters_to_russia_and_india_36831.html

Remembering our brave soldiers on the Kargil Vijay Diwas

Kargil War Memorial ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Mail to Arunjith)

As India celebrates the victory over Pakistan in the heights of Kargil today as the Victory day, it is also the time to honour those who have laid down their lives defending our mother land. It is time we paid our respects to those who had laid down their lives in the service of the nation, who sacrificed their live to protect our freedom. It is time we pay back the dues that we owe these great souls. We should take good care of our soldiers because it is due to them we enjoy our freedom.It is also time for us to think of those families who have lost their son, father, husband or brother who was their only bread winner and who laid down their lives in the service of our motherland. It is time the government took steps for the welfare of such families. Time will forgive us if we do not look after our brave brothers and sisters in uniform and also take care of their families long after they are gone. 

Let us remember the sacrifices made by those brave soldiers and promise ourselves to rededicate ourselves in service of our great nation and promise never to let any country be it big or small do any harm to it. We pledge to safeguard this great country of our's with our soul and also pledge to make her one of the most prosperous and greatest countries in the world.

Vante Mathram 

India’s Space Diplomacy ( Copy Right @ The Diplomat, Author- Vidya Sagar Reddy Avuthu)

ISRO GSLV launcher ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ISRO)

On June 30, India celebrated another successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the workhorse of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). This time, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in attendance. His SHAR speech emphasized the role of technology in aiding development and referenced the humble beginnings of the ISRO. Among the many points he made, two were geopolitically significant. First, he observed that the satellite being launched, SPOT 7, belonged to a developed nation: France. Second, he challenged the ISRO to develop a satellite that would serve the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations. Those thoughts coincide with two of the three major foreign policy issues that confront India, as noted by Shivsankar Menon: its relations with major powers and its need for a peaceful and prosperous neighborhood.

Major Power Relations: France

Cooperation with France in space launches and spacecraft construction represents an improvement in bilateral relations. Contested during the Cold War, the global commons is now increasingly a platform for cooperation, a reflection of the success of the policy of détente. A partnership that began with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) ultimately evolved into one of the largest international cooperative projects, the International Space Station (ISS). An “Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology,” which included space technology, is one of the foremost partnerships the U.S. established immediately after its historic diplomatic recognition of the People’s Republic of China.

The cooperation and collaboration that India has enjoyed with France has been matched perhaps only by its work with Russia. ISRO acquired the use of French launch complexes, received technical assistance in the construction of the SHAR launch complex, and executed contracts with the French Arianespace launchers. This provided the impetus for the 2008 Indo-French framework on joint space missions. The development of Megha-Tropiques, launched in 2011, and the satellite with ARgos and ALtika (SARAL) in 2013 are the results of that framework. While the Ariane launchers have placed into orbit 14 geo-stationary satellites for India, starting with the first communication satellite APPLE, a commercial agreement between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix) and Astrium SAS allowed PSLV to reciprocate by launching the SPOT-6 satellite, in addition to Megha-Tropiques and SARAL.

This long-term relationship has helped India expand its presence into other European countries, including Germany, which flew nine satellites and an instrument onboard Chandrayaan-1, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, and a number of other countries. The latest launch coincided with the arrival of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in India to extradite the Rafale fighter jet deal and others, further strengthening the relationship. India has been able to maintain its independence by balancing relations with Russia in this arena with France. Meanwhile, the ISRO was able to overcome U.S. controls on the export of defense and aerospace technology by establishing an indigenous base for satellite manufacturing and developing launch vehicles. These in turn helped to preserve India’s strategic autonomy.

A Peaceful and Prosperous Neighborhood

A peaceful and prosperous neighborhood is vital if India is to achieve sustained economic growth and true national security. This thinking was evident in Modi’s invitations to the heads of governments of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to attend his swearing-in ceremony. His idea of building a common purpose civilian satellite to be shared by all members of the SAARC and the urge to expand the footprint of Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) to cover all of South Asia suggest plans to offer space services as a high-tech impetus to the development of India’s neighborhood. In fact, Vikram Sarabhai, the man considered the father of the Indian space program, once exclaimed: “We are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society, which we find in our country.”

As such, ISRO programs remained largely civilian in nature. The INSAT program providing telecommunications, cyclone warning & rainfall estimates, and search & rescue services is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems of the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, its remote sensing satellite system providing applications in areas such as agriculture, water resources, urban development, mineral prospecting, forestry, and ocean resources has become the largest civilianremote sensing constellation in the world. The EDUSAT program connected about 56,164 schools and colleges in 26 states and three Union Territories and had a dedicated satellite GSAT-3 for that purpose. India also hosts the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTE-AP).

The ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) operates three international stations in Brunei, Indonesia and Mauritius. The ISRO also established the India-Myanmar Friendship Centre for Remote Sensing in 2001. The heads of ASEAN space agencies met with ISRO officials in June 2012 seeking India’s assistance in developing their own programs. Agreements or memorandums of agreement were also signed with Indonesia in 2002, Mongolia in 2004, Kazakhstan in 2007, among other countries. These represent tremendous potential for space revenue as well as the possibility of establishing strategic partnerships. However, as India’s Research & Analysis Wing documents make clear, India’s indifference towards its neighbors had indirectly helped China to capitalize on the situation.

Meanwhile, China along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and a number of other countries have set up a regional partnership organization called the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, with projects that include sharing data, establishing a space communication network, and tracking space objects. China is helping set up a space academy/satellite ground station alongside the launch of a telecommunications satellite in 2015 for Sri Lankan firm Supreme SAT Pvt. Ltd., and signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka for the purpose. Bangladesh and Maldives were also expected to pursue a similar path. Meanwhile, Pakistan is expected to receive military grade positioning and navigation signals from China’s BeiDou system. These developments have shocked the Indian establishment, but still New Delhi has yet to sign a memorandum of understanding or agreement with any of the other SAARC members. With the support of the new Modi government, ISRO is expected to reverse the trend and be proactive in space diplomacy.

Therefore, the remarks of Narendra Modi do not merely represent a developmental initiative for creating a digital India; they are a signal to enhance national security through neighborhood development and create an incentive to establish a robust foreign policy after the many misadventures seen during the tenure of the previous government.

Vidya Sagar Reddy Avuthu is a postgraduate student in Geopolitics & International Relations at Manipal University, India.

Original link to the article: http://thediplomat.com/2014/07/indias-space-diplomacy/

North Korea’s Asymmetric Submarine Doctrine ( Copy Right @ The Diplomat, Author- Koh Swee Lean Collin)

Type-33 (Romeo Class) Submarine( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ Author)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un made headlines last month when he visited the Korean People’s Army Naval Unit 167, part of the Korean People’s Navy (KPN) East Sea Fleet unit based in the South Hamgyong province. Photographs released by the Korean Central News Agency showed Kim on a rusty green-painted submarine No. 748, toying with the periscope in its control room. Kim also reportedly guided an actual drill onboard.

Many foreign analysts used Kim’s visit to comment on the decrepit state of the submarine he was visiting. For example, South Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesman, Kim Min-Seok, remarked that: “It appears that Pyongyang aims to show off its submarine might, but the submarines that our Navy holds are far superior, as ours do not make much noise and it can stay underwater far longer.”

The Technological Gap

This view is not without merit. From a strictly technical standpoint, submarine No. 748 – a Soviet-era Romeo (or possibly the Chinese Type-033 variant built by North Korean shipyards during the Cold War) – represents a bygone era. The Romeo/Type-033, which displaces 1,800 tons when submerged, traces its roots back to the German World War-vintage U-boat technology that was incrementally improved upon in the 1950s prior to being mass produced by the Soviets. Its combat systems, propulsion and quieting characteristics are considered obsolete by today’s standards.

This stands in stark contrast to the Republic of Korea Navy’s (ROKN) growing stable of modern submarines, including the KSS-1 Chang Bogo and the even more capable KSS-2 Sohn Won-Il, based on the German Type-209/1400 and Type-214 respectively. North Korea’s vessels lack any missile capabilities and can only fire short-range, Cold War-vintage torpedoes. By contrast, ROKN submarines are equipped with the UGM-84C Sub-Harpoon sea-launched anti-ship missiles, which are capable of destroying enemy warships from 60-miles away. They also boast new German-made heavyweight homing torpedoes. The key difference between the two undersea fleets, however, are South Korea’s state-of-the-art combat systems, which are typically comprised of an integrated, digitalized command and control suite, sonar and electronic warfare equipment, as well as quieting features.

Thus, North Korea’s submarine capabilities are a far cry from those of its erstwhile Southern adversary. Moreover, the inter-Korean submarine technological gap will further widen when South Korea’s new submarines, notably the KSS-3, come online soon.

The Rise and Fall of the Korean People’s Navy

The KPN’s golden era was back in the Cold War when it received generous amounts of Soviet military-technical aid. Especially during the 1960s and 1970s, the KPN was arguably one of the strongest navies in the Asia-Pacific region. It was a sizeable force, albeit optimized for coastal patrol and attack duties.

Quantitatively, and in some respects qualitatively, the KPN was superior to the ROKN during the early Cold War when South Korea’s Navy relied mainly on World War-vintage secondhand U.S. equipment. It wasn’t until the early-1980s that the ROKN even inducted its first undersea capability, which were unimpressive Italian-origin mini-submarines. The ROKN’s first full-fledged combat submarine, the Chang Bogo, was inducted only in 1993, almost two decades after the KPN incorporated the Romeo/Type-033 and started to license-build copies of it.

However, as the Soviet Union collapsed and Moscow’s aid to North Korea dried up, the KPN declined precipitously. At the same time, phenomenal economic growth and technological innovations transformed the ROKN into a three-dimensional force, which now stands as one of the most modern navies in the world. Thus, at first glance, the inter-Korean naval balance has increasingly tipped in South Korea’s favor.

Still a Coastal Force  

This view is slightly misleading, however. Some view the KPN as a service that seeks to project force over considerable distances. The Romeo/Type-033, for instance, was initially designed as a long-range patrol submarine. Thus, during wartime, many expect it to be used to interdict commerce traveling through South Korean sea lines of communication en route to Busan.

Such a scenario might be attempted if North Korea mounted a major offensive aimed at bringing about Korea’s reunification. Yet, the KPN would be constrained in its ability to project force beyond its immediate waters due to force structural weaknesses and its lack of long-range air cover. This is reflected in its force structure, which in the post-Cold War era has been heavily dominated by small landing craft (including an expanding fleet of assault hovercraft) and coastal combatants. Wartime surface actions would be borne by missile craft and submarines –the KPN’s only offensive capabilities – backed by a handful of light frigates incapable of operating beyond North Korea’s land-based air defense systems.

Only the Romeo/Type-033 is deemed capable of projecting offensive force along South Korea’s coastal flanks. This might have been plausible back in the 1960s and 1970s based on the prevailing state of submarine and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) technologies. Presently and into the future, the non-stealthy Romeo/Type-033 would stand a minimal chance of surviving if it ever ventured beyond air cover, to say nothing of having any tangible success at interdicting enemy shipping.

In light of post-Cold War realities, if Pyongyang’s strategic objective is regime survival instead of forcible reunification, its military posture ought to be seen as strategically defensive in nature. By extension, therefore, the KPN’s wartime missions would be even more tightly circumscribed within its immediate littoral confines. It was already incapable of projecting force further afield during the Cold War, much less so now and into the future.

The Mini-Submarine Menace

Nonetheless, while many focus on the naval technology gap between the two Koreas, other important aspects of the KPN’s development have been neglected. In fact, the North Korean submarine threat doesn’t even originate from the ungainly-looking Soviet-era boats Kim toured recently, but rather from the KPN’s burgeoning fleet of mini-submarines.

For instance, while the ROKN was busy adding a bunch of ultra-modern submarine capabilities, the ROKS Cheonan was allegedly sunk in 2010 by a KPN mini-submarine. Additionally, North Korean mini-submarines have, from time to time, successfully reached South Korean shores undetected.

In the notorious 1996 Geungneung incident, for example, the KPN Sang-O class mini-submarine landed heavily-armed agents ashore in South Korea. According to the sole North Korean survivor’s testimony, the boat managed to evade a sonar-equipped ROKN warship in getting to the coast. Two years later, a KPN Yugo class mini-submarine was caught in South Korean fishing nets and left adrift some 11.5 miles off of Sokcho on the South Korean east coast. However, the captured logbook from the vessel suggested that the boat had managed to land some North Korean agents ashore before disaster befell upon it.

These incidents happened at the same time the KPN’s technical capabilities were said to have atrophied, and the ROKN was rapidly innovating. As this underscores, seeing no hope of “catching up” with South Korea, North Korea has adopted an asymmetric naval doctrine to counter the ROKN’s growing technological strength. Mini-submarines are a key part of this new doctrine.

The Sea Denial Mission

While the KPN may retain its traditional wartime tasks of providing offshore fire support and facilitating coastal amphibious assaults, its primary purpose during wartime would likely be sea denial against any U.S.-ROK amphibious forces. North Korean defense planners remain haunted by General Douglas MacArthur’s surprise landing at Incheon during the Korean War, and are keen to ensure it is not repeated.

Besides carrying out provocations during peacetime, mini-submarines are well-suited for this sea-denial mission. The KPN’s “wolf pack” of mini-submarines are each physically smaller (typically half the length of the Romeo/Type-033), more concealable and possibly more maneuverable within the numerous bays and inlets dotting the North Korean coast. Furthermore, given their simpler technologies and lower costs, the KPN mini-submarines can be produced in much larger quantities than the more complex ROKN boats. Manned by a highly-motivate and well-trained crew that is familiar with the local littoral geography, the KPN mini-submarine fleet would be highly effective using “hit-and-run” tactics against U.S.-ROK amphibious forces.

Indeed, there are a number of signs that suggest that Pyongyang’s mini-submarine program has been at least reasonably successful. For one thing, Iran has acquired the designs and actual samples of the mini-submarines, and deploys its own versions of them to threaten shipping in the strategically-vital Strait of Hormuz.

More notably, the ROKN has recently made a series of recent acquisitions geared towards enhancing its ASW capabilities, and has also held numerous ASW exercises both alone and in conjunction with the U.S. Navy. The recent South Korean live-firing drill near Dokdo/Takeshima Isles was said to be conducted to strengthen ROKN’s defenses against a possible North Korean submarine threat, not long after the North Korean leader’s submarine inspection.

It has been more than four years since the tragic Cheonan incident, yet it is plausible that Pyongyang could have been buoyed by this tactical success to invest even more in its mini-submarine program, which have so far remained largely an enigma. Given its penchant for being highly secretive especially on military affairs, Pyongyang most likely does not publicize its true combat potential.

As such, the international community should not be misled by the recent KCNA pictures, which could have been published to distract from the Supreme Leader’s real wolf pack of mini-submarines. It would be foolhardy to dismiss the latent, asymmetric potential of the KPN.

Koh Swee Lean Collin is associate research fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, a constituent of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. His research interest encompasses naval affairs in the Asia-Pacific.

Original link to the article: http://thediplomat.com/2014/07/north-koreas-asymmetric-submarine-doctrine/

U.S Intelligence no closer to pinning MH17 downing on Russia ( Copy Right @ The Foreign Policy)

Malaysian Airline Boeing 777 ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ Aero Icarus)

Five days after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, U.S. intelligence officials are still not certain who fired the missile that felled the doomed airliner, nor have they conclusively linked the attack to Russian military forces, according to senior intelligence officials.

"The leading theory" at this point, said a senior intelligence official, is that pro-Russian separatists equipped and trained by Russia fired the deadly surface-to-air missile on July 17, killing all 298 passengers aboard. But U.S. analysts aren't sure whether the shooters were trained directly by Russian military forces or if they learned how to fire the missile while serving in the Ukrainian military, officials said.

In a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, three senior intelligence officials laid out the evidence and showed that the Obama administration is no closer to decisively pinning the blame for the shoot-down on Moscow or Russian President Vladimir Putin. A mountain of circumstantial evidencepoints to the Russian-backed separatists. But "there's no Perry Mason moment" in the intelligence, said one official.

The officials offered little new information about the MH17 investigation, except to say that U.S. intelligence analysts are now persuaded that the jet was downed by accident, likely by forces who believed they were taking aim at a Ukrainian military aircraft. The officials circulated widely available information, including photographs of the suspected missile launcher posted to social media in recent days, and pointed to voice recordings posted to YouTube of separatists acknowledging that they shot down a jet, which they later discovered was a civilian plane. One official stressed that analysts weren't relying solely on social media information, such as tweets and online videos. But nothing in the agencies' classified files has brought them any closer to definitively blaming Russia.

In the days since the shoot-down, President Barack Obama has made clear that he holds Putin responsible for, at the very least, creating the unstable and confused wartime conditions in eastern Ukraine that set the stage for such a tragedy. The president emphasizes Russia's "extraordinary influence" over the separatists, and that he expects Putin to rein them in and force them to negotiate a political settlement with Kiev. "Russia has urged [the separatists] on," Obama said in brief remarks at the White House on Monday. "Russia has trained them. We know that Russia has armed them with military equipment and weapons, including anti-aircraft weapons. Key separatist leaders are Russian citizens."

The senior intelligence officials likewise emphasized Russia's military support to the separatists and said this helped build a case against Moscow as being ultimately responsible for providing the missile launcher that was used to shoot down MH17. The officials showed reporters a satellite photo of what they said was a camp in Rostov, Russia, near Ukraine's eastern border, where separatists have been trained. A photograph taken Monday shows the camp apparently filled with military equipment, indicating that it remains an active training ground. The officials also said that as recently as Tuesday, intelligence showed that as many as 20 military vehicles were moving from Russia into Ukraine, indicating that Russia has little intention of scaling down its activity in the region.

The officials were especially concerned with countering various theories put forward in the Russian press that claimed Ukrainian military forces shot down MH17. Dismissing the stories as "propaganda," the officials spent about half of the briefing debunking claims that a Ukrainian SA-11 battery or an attack plane was the guilty culprit.

One official said the intelligence agencies wanted to avoid a repeat of the Russian invasion of Crimea, in which Russian media dispensed stories that the soldiers who'd occupied the territory weren't really directed by Russia -- a claim that has been widely debunked.

Original link to the article: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/07/22/us_intelligence_no_closer_to_pinning_mh17_downing_on_russia?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Flashpoints&utm_campaign=072214FlashPoints

AncientIndian Contributions to Physics ( Copy Right @ The ancient Indian UFO)

Ancient Indian Achievements ( Copy Right @ The Ancient India UFO/ The Author)

1). Velocity of light = Rig-Veda - Sayan Bhasya (1400 AD) [Western Origin = 19th Century]

2)  Trans – Saturnine Planets =Mahabharata (3000 BC) [Western Origin = 17thCentury]

3)  Another solar system travel =Bhagwad puran (4000 BC) [Western Origin = to be researched]

4)  Tachyon – Faster than light= Mundakopanishan (7000 BC) [Western Origin = 20th Century]

5)  Elliptical order of Planets= Rig-Veda [Western Origin = Johannes Kepler]

6)  Black Holes = Vishwaruchi(7000 BCE) [Western Origin = 18th Century]

7)   Infra red band = Sulohita(1200 BCE) [WesternOrigin = 20th Century]

8)  Robot = SamarangamSitradhara (1050 AD) [Western Origin = 16thCentury]

9)   Electrical Cells = AgastyaSamhita (4000 BCE) [Western Origin = Daniel (1836)]

10)  Monsoon at summer solstice =Rig-Veda [Western Origin = 18th Century]

11)  Nuclear energy = Mundakopanishad-Spullingni(6000 BCE) [WesternOrigin = 19th Century]

12)  Gravitation =Prashnopanishad (6000 BCE) [Western Origin = IsaacNewton (15th Century)]

Original work by The Ancient Indian UFO ( Facebook Community and Vijay Chauksey)

Indra-2014 drills ended successfully in Russia's Far East ( Copy Right @ The Russia and India Report/Itar Tass)

Indra Series Naval Exercises (Pic credits- Wikimedia Commons/Author)

Russian-Indian international naval drills Indra-2014 ended in Russian far eastern city of Vladivostok. “Russian and Indian naval sailors fulfilled all tasks completely,” head of the press service of the Russian Pacific Fleet Captain First Rank Roman Martov told Itar-Tass on Sunday. At the final meeting aboard the guards missile-carrying cruiser Varyag Assistant Commander of the Pacific Fleet Rear Admiral Andrey Ryabukhin noted that interoperability and trust between two fleets reached a very high level. For his part, Commander of the Indian Eastern Fleet Rear Admiral Atul Kumar Jain said at this meeting that naval sailors had acquired a very good experience and were on the way back home with the positive mood. He also praised Russian crews for their high morale and professionalism. Meanwhile, the naval leadership noted well-co-ordinated work of both countries in foil weather. Despite the fact that heavy rain has hit Russia’s Primorsky territory during the active stage of naval exercises all tasks of the naval exercises were fulfilled completely. The farewell ceremony of Indian warships was held after the results of naval drills had been summed up. The active stage of the naval drills was held from July 17 to 19. For this period of time warships of the two countries held artillery gunfire drills, deck aviation drill, air defence drill, detected and destroyed a submarine of a conventional enemy, passed a mocked mine field and have searched through a suspicious vessel. Meanwhile, naval sailors of the two countries gave aid to the ‘damaged’ ship and lifted ‘injured’ people from the water who were made of dummy figures. Guided missile destroyer Ranvijay, frigate Shivalik and supply vessel Shakti were participating in naval exercises from India. Missile cruiser Varyag, big anti-submarine ship Admiral Vinogradov and big amphibious assault ship Peresvet represented Russia at joint naval drills. Maritime aviation was also used in military exercises. Eight warships and vessels, deck helicopters and warplanes of maritime aviation participated in naval drills. Naval exercises Indra are held alternately in Russia and India since 2003. In the autumn of the previous year India hosted these naval drills. Then military forces of the two countries have spotted and destroyed ‘illegal armed units’ in semi-deserted location. Original link to the article: http://in.rbth.com/economics/2014/07/21/indra-2014_drills_ended_successfully_in_russias_far_east_36843.html

Why Australia is choosing old enemy Japan over China ( Copy Right @ The News Australia)

Australia  and Japan have become partners in a “special relationship” that will see both countries join with the US in a powerful military alliance aimed at curbing China’s influence in the region.

During an extraordinary day in the long Australia-Japan relationship, on the 8th of July in Canberra both Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe pledged to create a partnership for “peace, prosperity and the rule of law”.

Fresh from reversing almost 70 years of pacifism embedded in his nation’s post-World War 2 constitution, Mr Abe placed Australia alongside the US at the forefront of Japan’s future defence strategy.

He recently told a special joint sitting of Parliament that Australia and Japan would be “joining hands with the United States, an ally for both our nations”.

“We want to make Japan a country that will work to build an international order that upholds the rule of law ... to make the vast seas from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian, and those skies, open and free,” Mr Abe said.

He said a new defence technology agreement would be the first part of “engraving the special relationship in our future”.

Strategic analyst and head of the Defence and Strategic Studies Centre at the Australian National University Hugh White said Mr Abe’s speech made Australia one of the central planks of Japan’s security plan for the Asia-Pacific region.

“The big question for Australia is whether or not it is our interest to be so close to Japan as its relationship with China grows more bitter,” Professor White said.

“Is it appropriate for Japan to use Australia and the US to bolster Japan’s security against China?

“Japan is trying to build a regional coalition against China but that might not be the best way to deal with China.”
Mr Abbott said Australia welcomed Japan’s push to be a more capable strategic partner in the region and he assured Beijing that the new arrangement was not aimed at any one country.

“I stress, ours is not a partnership against anyone; it’s a partnership for peace, for prosperity and for the rule of law,” he said.
“The lesson of the last century is that the countries of our region will all advance together or none of us will advance at all.”

Labor Senator Sam Dastyari warned that the government was risking links with China by cosying up to Japan. “It’s very important that we, as a nation, not be seen to be taking sides in disputes involving China and increasingly this government is giving the impression that they’re taking sides,” Senator Dastyari told Sky News.

Defence Minister David Johnston took a veiled swipe at China when he said Australia sought positive and proactive defence relations with Japan and the United States based on “common democratic values”.

“Australia is seeking to conduct more advanced trilateral exercises with a focus on improving each country’s ability to enhance maritime security through air, land and maritime cooperation,” Senator Johnston said.

Original link to the article: http://www.news.com.au/national/why-australia-is-choosing-old-enemy-japan-over-china/story-fncynjr2-1226982190395

What Does Indian Defence Get in Military Projects Worth ₹34,260 Crore? ( Copy Right @ The IB Times)

LCA Tejas (  Image credits- Wikipedia Commons/ DRDO)

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday cleared ₹34,260 crore worth projects, including those stuck under the UPA regime, at the first meeting of the Defence Acquisitions Council after the new government came into power.

In the meeting held with the Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, Army Chief Bikram Singh, IAF Chief Arup Raha, Navy Chief Robin Dhowan, Defence Secretary RK Mathur and other secretaries of the MoD, Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) cleared several dealings, in which majority went to the Navy and the Coast Guard.

"There are several projects in the pipeline and we have tried to expedite many of them today. Replacement of Avro jet will be a significant project in which the Indian private sector will play a critical role," The Hindu quoted Jaitley.


Fund Distribution ::

1. Indian Air Force gets 56 new aircrafts to replace old Avro aircraft, which is getting costlier due to the rising maintenance costs. Avro aircrafts were used for transporting troops and materials over short distances.
DAC would issue tender to the private Indian defence companies - Reliance, Tata and Mahindra - who would build 56 aircraft worth ₹15,000 crore, in partnership with foreign firms. The first 16 would be manufactured by the foreign company, who would forward the technology to the Indian partners for the construction of the rest of the helicopters.

2. Air Force has also been provided with 32 HAL-built Dhruv Advanced Light Utility Helicopters - used in troop transport, air assault, ground attack, cargo, etc - worth ₹7,000 crore. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd would supply 16 helicopters each to the Indian Coast Guard and the Navy and would also provide maintenance for the machines.

3. Indian Navy would get five new combat support vessels worth ₹9,000 crore, within eight years. These vessels would be built by the Indian public and private companies. However, India has only one shipyard capable of building large vessels. DAC would also approach private sector companies, such as ABG and Pipavav in Gujarat and Larsen & Turbo with headquarters in Mumbai.

These vessels would reportedly transfer personnel, food, fuel and oil to the battle groups operating across the deep ocean waters away from neighbouring ports. At present, Indian Navy has two carriers in use - the INS Vikramaditya and the INS Viraat, and one under construction at Cochin Shipyard - the Vikrant.

4. The Indian Coast Guard would also get five Offshore Patrol Vessels worth ₹2,000 crore to be built by the Goa shipyard and five Fast Patrol Vessels worth ₹360 crore to be supplied by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Calcutta.
Navy, Air Force and Army would also get equipments needed in search and rescue operations worth ₹900 crore.

DAC cleared projects worth almost one-third of the total allocation of ₹94,588 crore for defence capital expenditure in the Union Budget by Jaitley, according to New Indian Express.

Read more at the this link: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/what-does-indian-defence-get-military-projects-worth-34260-crore-604873