Experts Speak
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June 1, 2023
G20 Srinagar Meet & Pak Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)G20 Srinagar Meet Shines Spotlight on Kashmir's Progress Amid Security Concerns
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June 1, 2023
Seabed Warfare
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Seabed warfare emerges as a hybrid form of conflict with regional and global implications, necessitating defence upgrades
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June 1, 2023
Border Infrastructure
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's Urgent Catch-Up Game due to Ugly Red Tape
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June 1, 2023
China's Military Assistance to Pakistan, Nepal
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An update on China's military influence, Arms Deals, Geopolitical Alliances, and Controversies in South Asia
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June 1, 2023
Chinese Stealth Radar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China unveils its Stealth Sentinel to unmask covert skies
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June 1, 2023
Electric Planes, Electric Vehicles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Electric Solutions for Aviation and Transportation to Power the Future
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May 23, 2023
Greenland & Taiwan
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The comparison between Greenland and Taiwan may seem superficial at first glance, but it is not entirely incorrect. These self-governing islands experience intense competition between the United States and China, albeit in different ways.
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May 15, 2023
Dantewada Maoists Ambush
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Maoist strikes should be expected to intensify in the run up to assembly elections in November 2023 as well as general elections next year
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May 15, 2023
Indigenous Armed XLUUV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Ministry of Defence (MoD) has initiated a project to design and develop an Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUV). Indian Navy is interested in procuring up to 12 XLUUVs once a prototype is built and clears all trials.
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May 15, 2023
Supersonic Surveillance, Hypersonic Transport
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A leaked US military assessment has said that the Chinese PLA may soon deploy a high-altitude spy drone that travels at least three times the speed of sound
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May 15, 2023
Indigenous Nagastra Kamikaze Drone
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Army has signed a deal for 'Nagastra' loitering munitions with 'Made in India' content of more than 75 per cent
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May 15, 2023
Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir Woos China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)General Munir's visit to China was in the backdrop of mounting pressure, from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on cash-strapped Pakistan towards securing financial commitments from Pakistan's friendly countries to bridge the external payment financial gap
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May 15, 2023
Upgrading Rocket Forces of India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's Rocket Forces would need to incorporate hundreds or rather thousands of subsonic cruise missiles plus ballistic missiles to serve as India's primary instrument of strategic nuclear deterrence, as well as meeting the requirement of long to medium precision strikes
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May 11, 2023
Global Groupings and Groupism
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The UNSC has remained in a limbo since the 2003 Iraq invasion, divisions have further sharpened since the Ukraine war, the G7 has seen its fortunes and influence dwindle giving way to a more credible G20 and now BRICS is steadily gathering winds in its sails with over 40 per cent of the world's population and rich resource and manufacturing base
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May 1, 2023
SCO Defence Ministers Meet
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)“India 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 UN charter” —Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
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May 1, 2023
China's Hypersonic IRBM
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) informed US legislators that China currently outpaces Russia regarding supporting infrastructure and system numbers when it comes to hypersonic capabilities
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May 1, 2023
PSLV-C55 Deploys Singapore Satellites
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)This launch marked the 57th flight of PSLV and the 16th mission using the PSLV Core Alone configuration, the lightest version of the launch vehicle
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May 1, 2023
China's AI-controlled Satellite
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)While the AI was induced from a ground-based station for the experiment, the operation for redeployment of the satellite was autonomous without any human intervention
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May 1, 2023
Caution Time – Terror Redux
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Taking terror threats lightly would be naïve especially when India is in election mode, polarisation is thriving and inimical forces, both internal and external, are trying their best to destabilise India
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May 1, 2023
Naval Interceptor Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully conducted a maiden flight trial of sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile
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May 1, 2023
Salvaging Sudan
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Even before the recent clashes, Sudan was facing social and political unrest with a struggling economy
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April 27, 2023
IAF: An Impeccable Force for Humanitarian Support
By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)Indian Air Force has emerged as a reliable first responder for undertaking aid and rescue during any calamity under HADR operations
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April 18, 2023
G20 in Ukraine's Shadow
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US and the EU want to include Ukraine in the 2023 G20 Summit at New Delhi, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to address the summit
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April 18, 2023
Indigenous SSN
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In 2019, the Indian government slashed the SSN project to just three SSNs citing high project costs. The 48,000 crore project to build 3 x SSNs has been pending Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approval since then.
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April 18, 2023
Exclusive Army Satellite
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The geostationary satellite will considerably enhance the communication capability of the Indian Army by providing mission-critical, beyond line of sight communication to troops and formations as well as weapon and airborne platforms
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April 18, 2023
New Gen Patrol, Missile Vessels
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)These NGOPVs and NGMVs will boost the combat potential of the Indian Navy, albeit their deliveries are scheduled to commence only from 2026 and 2027 respectively and would take seven to nine years to complete
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April 18, 2023
Military Transport Aircraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Military transport aircraft was one of the critical missing links in the entire defence industrial complex chain which has been plugged with the Tata-Airbus joint venture and the development of the defence transport aircraft RAJAS-Rakshan now, to a significant extent
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April 18, 2023
American HSVTOL Aircraft & Russian UGV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US Special Operations Command's has been looking for a new High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) aircraft as a high-speed successor to its current CV-22B Osprey, which is used for Special Operations Forces (SOF)
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April 8, 2023
The Global Reset
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The world is currently witnessing a great churn in geostrategic alliances resulting in a global realignment of security relations and partnerships.
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April 1, 2023
The Dragon-Bear Hug
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Meeting President Putin at the Kremlin, President Xi emphasised the China-Russia relationship reaching where it is today
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April 1, 2023
BrahMos Aplenty
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Navy proposal to acquire more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles is at an advanced stage and is expected to be soon cleared by the MOD
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April 1, 2023
Rafale-M for Indian Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Dassault's Rafale-M outperformed its rival Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet in the evaluation process and it was deemed to be more suitable in meeting the operational requirements and criteria of the Indian Navy
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April 1, 2023
More Teeth for Army, Navy, Air Force
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Chinese aggression during 2020 in Eastern Ladakh has caused the government to sit up and focus on defence, as well as 'Atmanirbhar' or the self-reliance initiative
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April 1, 2023
Stealth Technology for Mechanised Forces
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)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
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April 1, 2023
Swarm of Swarms
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China could employ drones in thousands or lakhs against our frontline troops at chosen points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in conjunction with attacks by bigger drones, which could also be in swarms
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March 15, 2023
India-Italy Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)This was Italian Prime Minister Meloni's first visit to India during which she was accompanied by Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and a high-powered business delegation
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March 15, 2023
Indigenous ATGMs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Army requirements of fire-and-forget man-portable ATGMs would be colossal
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March 15, 2023
Man behind the Machine
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The problems in achieving effective soldier-machine mix are both technical and psychological in nature, especially when dealing with adaptive machines intelligence systems
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March 15, 2023
Army's Offensive Drone Swarm
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Army has ordered offensive swarming drone systems under the emergency procurement (EP) powers and eventually aims at offensive swarm drone capability of 1,000 drones
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March 15, 2023
Indigenous High Altitude Platform
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prototype of an indigenous HAP designed and developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) is likely to be test flown as early as May 2023 to test and validate the onboard equipment
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March 15, 2023
Trainer Aircraft & Training Ships
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On March 1, 2023 the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the deals for 70 x basic trainer aircrafts and the three cadet training ships
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March 3, 2023
Stoking Khalistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Khalistan resurgence is being supported from abroad by countries like the US, the UK and Canada. Hindu temples in the UK, Canada and Australia are being defaced and vandalised to create Hindu-Sikh divide.
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March 3, 2023
Chinese Space Plans
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China is creating a giant satellite constellation consisting of thousands of spacecraft for China's state network to cover the entire planet Earth from space. Without doubt it will be for dual civilian-military use or rather primarily for military use.
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March 3, 2023
Very Short-Range Air Defence
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to the Ministry of Defence, recent developments along the Northern borders requires a focus on effective Air Defence weapon systems which are man portable and can be deployed quickly
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March 3, 2023
Armed USV Swarms
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Navy is using the project to understand and evaluate USV swarm capabilities for practical exploitation. If successful, the order could run into higher numbers.
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March 3, 2023
IAF Exercises in 2023
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Multilateral and bilateral exercises are essential for valuable operational knowledge, experiences and best practices
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March 3, 2023
Modular Bridges
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The indigenously-designed and manufactured modular bridges shall have many advantages over the MGB such as increased span, less time for construction and mechanical launching with retrieval capability
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February 23, 2023
A Year into the Ukraine War
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The narrative about the war in Ukraine is hugely lopsided with the US led west deploying every imaginable form of propaganda, information, disinformation and misinformation
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February 17, 2023
Lebanisation of Pakistan
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Lebanon's post-war era militia leaders became the political leadership and have kept a lock on power ever since. The country remains a nation without an effective governing dispensation. Pakistan seems to be going the same way!
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February 14, 2023
Spy Balloons
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US has accused China of violating its airspace while Beijing has accused America of violating international norms by shooting down the balloon
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February 14, 2023
Export with Care
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)We need to be careful about which countries we are exporting indigenous equipment to and have sufficient safeguards in place to ensure the technology is not passed on to our adversaries
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February 14, 2023
Stealth Vehicles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi is working on developing materials that can be used for developing ‘stealth’ vehicles. The materials being developed can reportedly absorb more than 96 per cent of radar waves in a wide range of frequencies, coming simultaneously from multiple directions.
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February 14, 2023
Private Industry Innovations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying “It is our collective aim to establish India as one of the key partners in global semiconductor supply chains” has increased India’s focus on producing semiconductors
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February 14, 2023
Underwater Terrorism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A new facet of America’s terrorism has been unveiled – underwater terrorism in sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines
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February 14, 2023
Indigenous Tapas-BH & Archer-NG Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Induction of these indigenous drones will give a tremendous boost to the combat potential of our Armed Forces. These would fall much cheaper and cut drone import costs drastically.
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February 10, 2023
A Turkish Tragedy
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Death toll from the earthquake is expected to be very high as thousands of houses and aparment blocks have been reduced to rubble
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February 3, 2023
Republic Day Parade and Atmanirbhar Bharat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Building on the 75th year of Independence celebrated as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Republic Day parade depicted India's growing indigenous capabilities, Nari Shakti and emergence of a 'New India'.
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February 3, 2023
Cutting Army Flab
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Reports are that Army has been asked to reduce its strength by about 1.5-2 Lakh. How much Army manpower should be slashed and what constitutes “flab”?
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February 3, 2023
Navy Exercises for Conflict
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, these exercises provide an opportunity to test the combat readiness of the combined Fleets of the Indian Navy to operate in a multi-threat environment
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February 3, 2023
New-Age Drones, Jet Packs and Robotic Mules
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Army is seeking the above technologies in line with the need to modernise and upgrade its combat capabilities
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February 3, 2023
Western Tanks in Ukraine
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The supply of these modern tanks indicates direct involvement of US-NATO in the war
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February 3, 2023
Humans in Space and Western Fear of China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that Ukraine needs NATO's continued support, because if President Putin wins, the message to Beijing will be that they can achieve what they want with the use of brute force
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February 2, 2023
Defence Budget 2023-2024
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Defence Budget 2023-2024 is 5.94 lakh crore, an increase of about 12.5 per cent over last year
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January 15, 2023
WMD Terrorism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A shipment containing “several kilogrammes” of Uranium was seized at UK's Heathrow Airport, the package originated in Pakistan before landing at Heathrow's Terminal Four
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January 15, 2023
Nyoma Airfield Development
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The decision to upgrade Nyoma ALG should have been taken long back; much before the 2020 Chinese aggression if we had given due thought to Chinese intentions. When this airfield will be completed remains to be seen?
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January 15, 2023
GSP 2022 – Military Ignored
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Geospatial Policy (GSP) 2022 is good for promoting digital economy, private industry, innovations, blue economy, integrating multiple agencies dealing with geospatial data, innovation and the like but the requirements of national security and of the Armed Forces have been totally ignored
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January 15, 2023
Analysing Rajouri Killings
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The twin terror attacks by terrorists, suspected to belong to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in Dangri hamlet of Rajouri in Jammu & Kashmir, left seven people of the minority community, including two children, dead and 14 others injured
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January 15, 2023
Ending Maoist Insurgency
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There are no quick fix solutions in counter-insurgency, it requires a mix of hard and soft options to tackle both the hard core and eliminate the root cause
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January 15, 2023
Missile Systems Procurement
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)All the proposals for procurement of missile systems are under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category
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January 2, 2023
The Catch 22 in Ukraine's Elusive Peace
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US has always used war to benefit economically. Peace is unlikely in Ukraine with Zelenskyy dancing to the tune of the Biden Administration.
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January 2, 2023
Indo-Japanese Air Combat Exercise
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The India-Japan joint air combat exercise 'Veer Guardian' will further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and military interoperability, as also enhance tactical air combat skills of the two sides
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January 2, 2023
Pralay Induction
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The system meets the tactical ballistic missile requirements filling the gap of a conventionally armed ballistic missile that is not hampered by the 'No First Use' nuclear policy
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January 2, 2023
INS 'Vagir' Delivered
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Vagir is a state-of-the-art submarine featuring advanced stealth features and is designed for multifarious missions like anti-surface, anti-submarine, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and mine-laying
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January 2, 2023
End Connectivity of Border Roads
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Without proper and reliable road/track connectivity right up to our frontline posts, we will remain at serious disadvantage at the tactical level
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January 2, 2023
The Downside of SPARSH
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)SPARSH has become the bane of ex-servicemen and veer naris, especially those who are not computer savvy and living in remote areas
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December 26, 2022
China in Southern Nepal
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China has managed to install Prachanda as the third time Prime Minister of Nepal by some deft maneuverings behind the scenes. This is bad news for India.
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December 23, 2022
2022: A Tumultuous Year
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)As 2022 draws to a close, here is a snapshot of the year gone by and the changed geopolitical world that it leaves behind
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December 14, 2022
Egyptian President at Republic Day Parade 2023
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India and Egypt share close political understanding based on long history of contacts and cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues. Both countries were the founding members of the Non Allied Movement (NAM) and have co-operated on multilateral forums.
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December 14, 2022
Tawang Clash-Prelude to Conflict?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The clash happened during a regular border patrol when Chinese troops were intercepted by their Indian counterparts
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December 14, 2022
SpIN and Space
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)SpaceTech Innovation Network (SpIN)will provide tremendous boost to the space entrepreneurial ecosystem through public-private collaboration for start-ups and SMEs in the space industry
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December 14, 2022
Coming – Zorawar Tanks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The proposal is that 59 of the 354 light tanks will be reserved for the tanks developed by the DRDO and the remaining 295 tanks will be manufactured under the 'Make-1' category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)
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December 14, 2022
Modernising Airfields
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)MAFI Phase-II is a good initiative but have we critically examined what features and systems our airfields (including improved infrastructure) must have to cater for possible terrorist attacks
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December 6, 2022
G20: Prospects Beyond Summits
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The presidency gives India a unique opportunity to steer the agenda, showcase its leadership acumen and brandish its rich cultural and archaeological heritage
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December 2, 2022
Weaponisation of Winter
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Russian missile and drone attacks on energy and other infrastructure means that large parts of Ukraine people are now living without light, water, or heating. This is becoming increasingly unbearable as the country begins to face temperatures below freezing.
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December 1, 2022
Zero Covid and Maverick Xi Jinping
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There has been some relaxation in the Covid restrictions but taking these as the weakness of the CCP or of Xi would be wrong
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December 1, 2022
3D Printed Defence Works
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Army is perhaps the first one to create permanent defences using 3D technology and has conducted successful trials
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December 1, 2022
More Milestones in Space & Space Industry
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The successful launch of the Vikram-S rocket has opened up a whole range of options since low cost rockets using 3-D engines and the use of carbon fibre can be used for military applications as well. Moreover, small satellites also permit loading them with multiple functionalities. We are now on the anvil of rapid and tactical space launch capabilities.
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December 1, 2022
Aditya-L1 Mission
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The scope of the mission has been expanded and it is now planned to be a comprehensive solar and space environment observatory to be placed at the L1 point
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December 1, 2022
Turkey-Pakistan Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Turkey-Pakistan defence cooperation is getting stronger. During the recent two-day visit of Pakistan Prime Minister to Turkey, Sharif and Erdogan jointly inaugurated a corvette warship PNS 'Khyber' built by Turkey for the Pakistan Navy under a strategic cooperation project between the two countries
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December 1, 2022
TTP Sheds Gloves
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Pakistan has been facing a serious security situation in its border provinces adjoining Afghanistan because the ‘Durand Line’ was never accepted by the Afghans. The situation has been aggravated because of the border fencing by Pakistan, which is not acceptable to the Afghan Taliban and the TTP.
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November 18, 2022
Ukraine conflict and Paralysed Global politics
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The G-20 summit offered a snapshot of a somewhat paralysed international system, ill-equipped to mobilise around solving major shared challenges
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November 15, 2022
No cold war; Tensions may still flare
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit may cool temperatures for now. But while Washington and Beijing can try to put guardrails on their relationship, sensitivities over Taiwan are high and the risk for misunderstanding acute.
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November 14, 2022
Pakistan – No Postmortem
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The attempted assassination of Imran Khan followed by nationwide protests by the PTI has thrown Pakistan into more chaos. The economic situation remains grim, to which political turmoil is now added. On top is the internal security situation because of increasing attacks by the Baloch separatists and the large number of heavily armed cadres of TTP streaming into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
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November 14, 2022
Canistered Loitering Munitions for Army
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Ammunition (CALM) System is known as a drone that once fired can remain airborne for a period of time and after the target is sighted it can be guided to destroy the target with an explosive payload
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November 14, 2022
New Interceptor Missile for BMD
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On November 2, 2022, India successfully tested its new interceptor missile for Phase-II of its indigenous BMD system, which is capable of intercepting incoming long-range nuclear missiles as well as slow-moving aircraft
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November 14, 2022
CPEC extension into Afghanistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Beijing has Pakistan in its pocket and good relations with the Afghan Taliban to whom it has promised help to rebuild Afghanistan. However, Chinese workers remain under threat in Pakistan, so what will happen in Afghanistan when the CPEC is extended to that country.
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November 14, 2022
India-Armenia Defence Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Taking into account the ancient ties with Armenia and its ongoing conflict with an aggressive Azerbaijan supported by Turkey and Pakistan, India would do well to meet all defence requirements of Armenia as requested by them.
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November 14, 2022
Manik Engine Setback
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The test flight of the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) was unsuccessful because the Manik engine failed. This failure is a big setback for India's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Missile programme.
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October 31, 2022
Make in India C295 Military Aircraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India had sealed the deal with Airbus to procure 56 x C295 transport aircraft for the IAF under a project that entails manufacturing of military transport aircraft in India for the first time by a private company
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October 31, 2022
China Decries Exercise 'Yudh Abhyas'
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China is opposing it by saying it is an interference in the bilateral boundary issue and a violation of agreements between New Delhi and Beijing that no military drill will be held near the Line of Actual Control
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October 31, 2022
ARBEL AI-based Firing System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian policy makers and the military have acknowledged AI as a key component of national security strategy and are focused on AI-based research
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October 31, 2022
Extended Range BrahMos for IAF
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The range of the BrahMos missile has been increased already and with the advantage of being airborne at high altitudes, the missile can travel a longer distance and can hit targets at 800 kms and beyond
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October 31, 2022
India-UK Defence Relations – The Sunak Factor
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With signing of the FTA on the anvil, two-way trade between India and the UK should flourish under Sunak's premiership. India-UK collaboration in defence trade is being supported by a new export licensing arrangement intended for shortening delivery times for defence procurement.
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October 31, 2022
Army Seeks Large Drone Induction
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Army is seeking 1,000s of surveillance copters to be operated in the Himalayas and provide a live feed to the battle commanders. All these UAVs and RPAVs will be sourced from Indian companies.
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October 15, 2022
America's Double Dance
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Recent moves by the Biden Administration indicate that Washington wants to boost Pakistan in order to keep India under check
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October 15, 2022
India Hosting UN CTC Meet
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India is the Chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) for the year 2022 and will host diplomats of the 15-nation UN body along with other member states for the special meeting in Mumbai and New Delhi
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October 15, 2022
SMASH Anti-Drone Weapon Sight
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The SMASH 2000L/3000 is the lightest handheld operated fire control system using artificial intelligence, computer vision, and advanced algorithms making it an ideal hard-kill solution against drones and small UAS
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October 15, 2022
GSLV Mk III Launch
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the GSLV Mk III launching 36 broadband satellites of OneWeb this month, ISRO and the NSIL are on a roll
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October 15, 2022
Indigenous Armoured Vehicles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Kalyani M4 is a Quick Reaction Fighting Vehicle, indigenously developed and manufactured by Bharat Forge Ltd. It offers unprecedented levels of security and protection to the occupants in case of high Kinetic Energy threats, like severe mine blasts and grenade attacks
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October 15, 2022
Unmanned Armed Boats and UW Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China, Russia, France, the UK and the US all have considerable capabilities for seabed operations and underwater capabilities. Indian Navy does lack such capability which is urgently required, especially given China’s escalating incursions into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
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October 3, 2022
Priorities for the newly appointed CDS
By Lt. General Abhay Krishna (Retd)The Nation eagerly looks at General Anil Chauhan, the new CDS, for successfully taking forward the initiatives taken up by the Late General Bipin Rawat
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October 1, 2022
America's L'affaire Pakistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Biden administration has unveiled a $450-million deal to modernise Pakistan’s F-16 fleet without informing India and without any concern this could harm America’s so-called strategic relations with India. Somehow Pakistan remains strategically important to the US administrations over India, no matter the proclamations by America.
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October 1, 2022
Advances in Hypersonic
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The developments in Hypersonic technology no doubt would be potential force multiplier for the Indian Armed Forces when operational, given the expanding China threat
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October 1, 2022
China's FH-901 and Russia's new EW System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The increasing importance of unmanned platforms, loitering munitions and electronic warfare is more that apparent in the Ukraine conflict. India will need to build these capabilities speedily to cope with and win future conflicts.
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October 1, 2022
Infrastructure Projects in Great Nicobar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The vision is the overall development of Great Nicobar Island, with a diverse and robust economy based on maritime services and tourism amongst other economic drivers
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October 1, 2022
Indigenous Loitering Munitions
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Loitering munitions have revolutionised the battlefield in recent years and more of these can be expected to fill up the airspace in future
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September 24, 2022
Lawlessness in a Unipolar World
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)There is worrisome compromise of international institutions, agreements, treaties and arrangements that do not serve the domestic agenda of the US
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September 14, 2022
Army Chief Visits Nepal
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)General Manoj Pande's visit to Nepal was largely ceremonial though it did provide an opportunity to review bilateral defence relations and explore new avenues of cooperation
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September 14, 2022
Development of Tejas Mark-2 Approved
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)DRDO feels that the Tejas Mark-2 fighter aircraft would be in the category of the Rafale class aircraft in terms of avionics and capabilities but lighter in weight
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September 14, 2022
CWG 2022 and ASI, Pune
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Medal winners from the Army have bagged 4 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medal in CWG 2022, which is a commendable feat considering that there were only 18 participants from the Army
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September 14, 2022
Hiccups in Project 75(I)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It remains to be seen whether the foreign OEMs will be satisfied with whatever changes the MoD has made in the tender document and how many will respond by the December 2022 deadline
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September 14, 2022
PP-15 Disengagement is No Loss to China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chinese side has pulled back northeast of PP-17A while the Indian troops have pulled back to PP-17. In between is the no-patrol zone which means that India troops can no more patrol up to PP-15 which was our forward PP in this sector.
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September 14, 2022
Space Affairs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In India, developments in space affairs are occurring periodically at fast pace including more and more private sector involvement
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September 1, 2022
Taliban at Loggerheads with Pakistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Thousands of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadres are undergoing rigorous combat training and also undergoing sea training for naval combat in order to take on the Pakistani Navy. Pakistan-TTP war may break out in the near future and this time Pakistan will likely experience much more instability and violence than before.
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September 1, 2022
Chinese Stealth and UW Technology
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's long-range heat-seeking radar boosts anti-stealth technology. It has also completed the conceptual design work for a small, low-cost nuclear reactor for use in swarming torpedoes that could cross the Pacific within a week.
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September 1, 2022
Indigenous Light Tank – Zorawar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)DRDO is working on a Light Tank named 'Zorawar', fitted with High Altitude Operable Power pack (Engine + Transmission) of 1,000hp and capable of firing multiple ammunition to meet the Army's requirement of light tanks
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September 1, 2022
Western Regulars in Ukraine
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It has become clear that the US and NATO are not only waging a proxy war but also a high-risk secret war against Russia in Ukraine. CIA, MI-6 operatives and Western Special Forces in the garb of mercenaries and civilians continue to operate inside Ukraine.
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September 1, 2022
Loitering Munitions
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Loitering munitions are in a category of their own. They are more akin to a smart missile. Once airborne, the system is designed to “loiter” for an extended time. Loitering munitions are one-time-use weapons designed to find a target and crash into it, “kamikaze” style.
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September 1, 2022
Exercise Vostok-2022
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An Indian Army contingent comprising of troops from 7/8 Gorkha Rifles is participating in a multilateral strategic and command Exercise Vostok-2022 aimed at interaction and coordination amongst other participating military contingents and observers
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August 29, 2022
What Type of Light Tank Does India Need?
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)There is no denying the need of Light Tank but is there prudence in going for a 25 tonne with similar firepower as T-90 and capable of floatation? It would compromise on protection and other basic fighting features, no matter how much you may load it with Artificial Intelligence (AI), surveillance drones and/or loitering munition.
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August 26, 2022
Battle for the skies over the seas
By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)Boeing makes a strong case with their F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III for the Indian Navy's carrier deck based fighter programme
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August 16, 2022
India Arises @ 75
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The gains since 1947 have been massive, keeping in mind that we have also evolved as a strong multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, vibrant and resilient democracy
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August 15, 2022
Indo-Maldives Defence & Security Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Close contact and coordination between India and Maldives in defence and security is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region in the backdrop of trans-national crime, terrorism and drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean
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August 15, 2022
Commissioning of INS 'Vikrant'
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The successful delivery of the indigenous carrier is testimony to the dedicated efforts of a large number of stakeholders within the Indian Navy, shipyard, industry, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and MSMEs for over two decades
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August 15, 2022
India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India became the fourth country after the US, China and Russia to develop and test the hypersonic technology. With this successful test, India will be making its first hypersonic missile in the next five years.
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August 15, 2022
AI Drone and Strategic Bomber
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is working on an AI-driven multi-role, advanced and long-endurance drone for strategic missions in high-altitude areas
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August 15, 2022
Indo-US Military Jointness
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important facet of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between friendly countries
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August 15, 2022
Indigenous Laser Guided ATGM
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)SAMHO, the all-indigenous laser guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) employs a tandem high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat explosive reactive armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles in ranges from 1.5 km to 5 km
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August 10, 2022
The Choppy Waters of Taiwan Straits
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's stop in Taipei is the first time that a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years and has fueled US-China tensions
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August 2, 2022
Chinese Muscle Flexing
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chinese fighter jets, including J-11, have been flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over past few weeks, in direct violation of the 10-km Confidence Building Measures (CBM) mutually agreed with India
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August 2, 2022
Navy's Fighter – Rafale or F/A-18?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Tests of the French Rafale and the American F/A-18 Super Hornet took place from late May to June at the Indian Navy's test site at Hansa Air Base in Goa
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August 2, 2022
Meeting China's LAC 5G Challenge
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The need for provisioning of telecom connectivity with high-speed internet capability to the Armed Forces must be given high priority including forward deployments along the LAC because of China’s aggressive moves and the era of drones and missiles giving little reaction time
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August 2, 2022
Joint Theatre Commands
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is no escaping the military logic of creating suitably constituted Integrated Theatre Commands and Functional Commands for the Armed Forces as a whole
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August 2, 2022
AI Enabled ATV and QRFV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Collaborative work done in the field of AI is being done by the three Services, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), iDEX start-ups and the private sector
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August 2, 2022
Navy Gets MH-60R Helicopters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The induction of MH-60Rs will significantly boost the integral Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability and the capability to conduct a range of operations in all weather conditions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The addition of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters will also help boost the combat power of the Indian Navy.
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July 21, 2022
Leaderless Not Rudderless
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The 'Janatha Aragalaya' or people's struggle that booted out the Rajapakse's does not have a distinct leadership but has exhibited a distinct direction. The Aragalaya has remained to a great extent, a movement launched by a combination of a large number of youth groups which are independent of party politics.
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July 14, 2022
16th Corps Commander-level Talks in Ladakh
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)While our insistence may make China relent for the 16th or more rounds of talks, we are naïve not to acknowledge that there will be no more pull back of troops by China. China holds all the aces, so why would it pull back? In fact, China is using the talks to consolidate its positions in the intrusion areas.
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July 14, 2022
China's 5G Along The LAC
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China has rolled out a 5G network on their side of the LAC in Ladakh, which has created a problem in radio communications of the Indian Armed Forces deployed in the border areas
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July 14, 2022
The Territorial Army
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)TA units were actively involved in military operations in 1962, 1965 and 1971. The Terriers have also participated in Operation 'Pawan' in Sri Lanka, Operation 'Rakshak' in Punjab and J&K, Operation 'Rhino' and Operation 'Bajrang' in the northeast.
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July 14, 2022
The Race for Navy's Fighter Aircraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The French Rafale and the American F-18 are engaged in the process of operational demonstrations to the Indian Navy, preceding the all-important trials. The Navy will then have to decide what numbers are required in the interim period before the TEDBF is inducted.
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July 14, 2022
High-speed Expendable Aerial Target
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On June 29, 2022, the DRDO successfully tested an indigenously-designed High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) named 'Abhyas' from the Integrated Test Range (ITR). Programmed for a completely autonomous flight, Abhyas can be launched by the military anywhere using a laptop.
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July 14, 2022
Safran Expands in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Safran inaugurated three new production sites in India and announced the construction of a new major facility by 2025. These announcements represent more than $200 million of investment, opening new job opportunities for Indians.
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July 11, 2022
A POEM in the Space for Indian Spacetech Start-ups-Digantara and Dhruva Space
By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)They are first set of space start-ups to receive the authorisation from IN-SPACe, heralding the commencement of private sector launches within the country
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July 5, 2022
India's Third Aircraft Carrier
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India must take a call on the third aircraft carrier if we need to be counted as a regional power not only in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) but also in the Indo-Pacific
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July 5, 2022
Maiden Flight of ALH-Dhruv (Wheeled Version)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The prototype helicopter was built with 'Segmented Pre-Cone MRBs' and 'Pre-Cone MRH'. The two-segment MRBs and the pre-cone configuration have been developed to address the stringent stowage dimension requirement specified by the Indian Navy
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July 5, 2022
Indigenous Stealth Drone
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The development of Remotely Piloted Strike Aircraft (RPSA) and its successful induction into the Indian Armed Forces will provide India with considerable air supremacy since the RPSA, with its small size, stealth capabilities...
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July 5, 2022
American and British Somersaults
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In October 2019, the US backed off from a proposal for collaboration on jet engine technology under the India-US Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). Now the US has again offered to collaborate with India for critical jet engine technology.
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July 5, 2022
Indigenous Loitering Munitions, UAS Drones, ATGM
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)These are all good developments which need quick follow up actions. 25 per cent of the domestic capital procurement budget (amounting to 21,149 crore) has been earmarked for acquisitions from the domestic private industry this year. This needs to be fully utilised with necessary prioritisation.
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July 5, 2022
Indigenous Next Generation Corvettes – and more
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The DAC accorded AoN for procurement of the Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) to be built at an estimated cost of 36,000 crore by an Indian shipyard and constructed based on new in-house design of the Indian Navy using latest technology of ship building
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June 20, 2022
Defence Minister's Vietnam Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Both India and Vietnam shared views on the significance of maintaining peace, stability, maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes through peaceful measures according to global norms, UNCLOS, and need to reach an efficient Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea
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June 20, 2022
Catch 22 in Talking to Maoists
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Maoists have caught on to the technicality of the Chhattisgarh Home Minister promising ‘unconditional’ talks and Chief Minister Baghel reiterating that Maoists should first declare allegiance to the Indian Constitution
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June 20, 2022
Chinese Base in Cambodia
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The new secret Chinese military base in Cambodia ought to wake up America’s political class, including the US Navy brass, to what is fast becoming a global Chinese challenge
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June 20, 2022
China's AI-Powered Drone-Ship and Super-Carrier
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The world's first AI-operated drone carrier Zhu Hai Yun is capable of launching surface and sub-surface drones that would be invaluable for data collection...
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June 20, 2022
Pakistan Remains in FATF Grey List
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)FATF will now conduct an on-site visit to “check” that the reforms undertaken by Islamabad are “in place” and “can be sustained into the future”
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June 20, 2022
Naval Ships 'Surat' and 'Udaygiri' Launched
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 'Surat' and 'Udaygiri' warships have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at the Mumbai-based MDL. In the coming days, India will not only cater to its needs in the arena of shipbuilding, but will also take care of the requirements of others.
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June 5, 2022
QUAD is Not another NATO
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)QUAD lacks any worthwhile muscular policy and the US will likely continue to sit on the fence and let others do the fighting
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June 5, 2022
India’s Venus Mission
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)After the success of the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions, India is all set to join the race with the US and many other countries to go to the Venus
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June 5, 2022
Border Infrastructure Management Authority
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Border Infrastructure Management Authority (BIMA) plan is reportedly being prepared for integrated infrastructure development considering that the people living along the LAC be considered as strategic assets
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June 5, 2022
China’s Second Bridge on Pangong Tso
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The fact that China is constructing the second bridge simultaneously from both the north and south banks of Pangong Tso indicates the urgency that is being accorded to it by the PLA
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June 5, 2022
Astra Mk-2 Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Astra Mk-2, which uses dual-pulse solid rocket motor for extended reach and better kinematics during the kill phase, is likely to be tested shortly and will restore the air-to-air combat superiority of the IAF over the PAF
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June 5, 2022
India-Japan Defence Collaboration
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indo-Japanese defence relations have witnessed an upsurge in recent years which includes joint bi-lateral and multi-lateral exercises. The next 2+2 Indo-Japanese Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting is to be held in Japan at the earliest.
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May 26, 2022
Pakistan Support to Taliban Backfires
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a militant group also known as the Pakistani Taliban or the TTP has launched more than 124 terrorist attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Pakistan (including suicide attacks) from bases in Afghanistan
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May 23, 2022
The QUAD – Way Ahead
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The QUAD must prove that it can be an effective body, both to demonstrate its utility to its own members and to show to the regional community that it is capable of solving regional problems
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May 16, 2022
Boosting Indo-French Strategic Partnership
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence will likely continue as the cornerstone of the India-France Strategic Partnership, which has been further cemented through the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron
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May 16, 2022
The WMD Birds
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chinese military and government agencies had been using Dove drones and related devices in recent years. Possibly, these drones are also augmented as assassination weapons with built-in face recognition software, akin to the US. These drones pose a new angle to terrorism and assassinations, especially if launched in swarms.
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May 16, 2022
Offsets and Strategic Partnerships
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The offset clause in Inter-Government Agreements (IGA) was removed pursuant a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in Parliament, which said several offset contracts built into multiple defence deals had failed to bring in high-end military technology into the country
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May 16, 2022
Spike ATGMs and Sig Sauer Rifles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have both begun to induct ATGMs. The Army is inducting Spike LR2 launchers and missiles, while the IAF is integrating its Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopters with Spike NLOS (nonline of sight) missiles
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May 16, 2022
ATAGS User Trials Completed
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The user trials this summer have just been successfully completed at the Pokhran field firing ranges. Reliability of both the guns was proven by firing multiple rounds in various, including bursts, intense and sustained modes.
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May 16, 2022
Pakistan's Proxy War Continues
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Pakistan’s proxy war against India will continue under their new Prime Minister with fresh impetus from Pakistan’s DG ISI Lt General Nadeem Anjum. With Pakistan having an inexhaustible supply of terrorists, it is for India to continue in the defensive mode or transport the proxy war into Pakistani territory.
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May 5, 2022
De-conflicting Eastern Ladakh is Passé
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)We may continue military-to-military talks but any progress is unlikely unless China wants and we agree to shift our positions more west by couple of kilometres, calling them no-patrol-zones
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May 5, 2022
Beyond The Moskva Sinking
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The threat to naval platforms comes primarily from aircraft and torpedoes but technological advancements in surveillance capabilities, that are networked with missiles based on air, land, and sea platforms, have certainly increased the vulnerability of surface naval assets
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May 5, 2022
Of Lasers and UAVs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There are good developments but the need is of speed, given the technological developments globally, particularly in China
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May 5, 2022
India-UK Defence Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated their commitment to boost the defence and security cooperation under the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and enhance engagements in support of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific
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May 5, 2022
Drone Making in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The government has announced easing of rules for registration and operation of drones in the country, as also the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth 120 crore to boost indigenous manufacturing of drones
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May 5, 2022
Toxin Hand of Friendship
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There was speculation about a possible change in stand of the new Sharif-governed Pakistan towards India. However, the fact that he was chosen for the post of Prime Minister by Pakistan’s Army Chief General Bajwa, should put an end to speculation what India-Pakistan relations will be under Sharif.
