June-July 2012 Volume 9 No. 3 `100.00 (India-Based Buyer Only) SP’s AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION TREASURE HOUSE visit: www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET 23_InhouseInside back Cover_MYBAd.indd 23 TREASUR AD.indd 1 13/01/1223/08/11 1:526:26 PM ROUNDUP IN THIS ISSUE The ONLY journal in Asia dedicated to Land Forces PAGE 6 >> COVER STORY Build Capacity, Strengthen Interoperability While the Indian Army is continuously Photograph: SP Guide Pubns working on bettering its C4I2SR capabilities, there is need for more focus and acceleration of capacity building in this context. Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PAGE 8 India to Get 145 M777 Ultra Light Howitzers from BAE The Ministry of Defence on May 11, 2012, cleared the `3,000-crore deal to buy 145 M777 ultra light howitzers from the US defence manufacturer, BAE Systems. Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor PAGE 9 Demilitarising Siachen? Will demilitarisation of Siachen increase the chances/avenues of conflict between China- Pakistan and India? An arbitrary political decision to demilitarise Siachen will be suicidal. Preparing and Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PAGE 11 India’s Strategic Deterrence Reaches Equipping for War New Heights Indian authorities believe that the solid- fuelled Agni-V is more than adequate The Indian Army’s current challenge is to find the appropriate balance between to meet current threat perceptions and the old methods of conducting war and the new ways. There is no option but security concerns as it will bring the whole of Asia, including the northernmost parts to restructure our organisations, our force levels, introduce new technologies of China, a large part of Europe and other and doctrines, and more importantly change our mindset in order to address the regions, under its strike envelope. Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand changing nature of threats and challenges which confront India in the future. PAGE 12 LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR Operational Voids and meetings between its members and all Streamline DPP The Army Chief’s letter ostensibly high- the three service chiefs for a comprehensive A day-long conference on the Defence ECENT MEDIA REPORTS HAVE lights delay in setting up the national coun- review of India’s defence preparedness. Procurement Procedure organised by SP indicated that the Indian Army ter-insurgency school, shortfall of quality Guide Publications in collaboration with is seriously short of weapons ammunition and ordnance, lack of potent Threats and Challenges ORF in New Delhi on May 2 emphasised and ordnance. The reports also cyber warfare units, failure to modernise The armed forces of any nation in the on the need to streamline our defence have highlights that delays in T-72 battle tanks, delay in upgradation of world must have stocks of ammunition and procurement system to get the best Rdecisions on key military matters and Arjun main battle tanks, lack of moderni- weapons to fight a war of certain duration equipment for our soldiers and reap procurements have blunted the opera- sation in artillery and air defence capabili- based on the type of threats and challenges maximum benefit in the future. tional edge of the armed forces. This has ties and delay in procurement of infantry assessed by its armed forces and the intel- been highlighted in a letter written by weapons and reconnaissance and surveil- ligence agencies. It is in this backdrop that Sucheta Das Mohapatra the Army Chief General V.K. Singh to lance helicopters. the deficiencies or lack of capabilities have the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The latest media reports indicate that to be measured. From the media reports it PLUS Unfortunately, this letter was leaked to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on seems that the government has asked the the media and thus the focus got shifted Defence has criticised the government for armed forces to be prepared to fight on two Exercise Shoorveer 5 from the alarming deficiencies in various allowing the situation to reach such ‘criti- fronts simultaneously. While this may not Defexpo 2012 Show Report 16 types of munitions, and lack of certain cality’. It has admitted the serious shortage involve all out State to State wars due to capabilities and obsolescence of weapons of ammunition and has also pointed out the “nuclearisation” of the region, even limited First / TecKnow 21 to the aspect of leakage of classified com- gaps in existing force levels as well as the conventional conflicts will demand an over- munications and the need to investigate tardy procurement process. The committee all capability of being able to sustain a war News in Brief 22 this serious issue. has recommended an institutional dialogue of high/medium intensity for a few weeks 3/2012 SP’s LAND FORCES 1 >> COVER STORY Asia is the new centre of gravity in world poli- cruise missiles, submarines and surface com- long-festering dispute over Jammu and Kashmir tics, both economically and militarily. Increasing batants and counter-space and cyber warfare (J&K) with Pakistan and the unresolved territorial wealth and military strength give many states the capabilities. Many of these capabilities appear and boundary dispute with China. India is cau- ability to reach beyond their borders. There is a designed to enable what US calls anti-access tious about China because of the collusive sup- special focus on China’s military build up perhaps and area-denial missions, or what PLA strate- port that China has provided to Pakistan in their because it seems to be well beyond their require- gists refer to as counter intervention operations. nuclear weapons programme and in their conven- ments and also because there is no transparency The Chinese military has learnt its lessons tional capacity building. Since the nexus between in their aims and intentions despite the well ad- from the US military campaigns in the Persian them stands established Indian strategy has to vertised “peaceful rise”. Gulf War, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. The resul- cater for two fronts simultaneously in a future con- It is appreciated that since China’s economic tant military strategy that the Chinese wish to frontation, i.e. the Western front against Pakistan power has boomed, its influence has expanded. adopt is called strategy of “informatisation,” and and the Eastern front against China. In addition China’s national interests have grown and Chi- this phrase the Chinese use to encompass the the Indian Army has to be fully geared to take on na has assumed new roles and responsibilities revolution in military affairs in their context. China additional counter-insurgency tasks i.e. in addi- in the international community. China’s military uses this term to mean the role of information tion to the missions it is conducting in J&K and the modernisation is also to quite an increasing ex- and information systems not only as an enabler Northeast. Thus Indian Army’s challenges far ex- tent focusing on investments that would enable of modern combat, but a fundamental attribute of ceed its current capabilities and though the gov- China’s armed forces to conduct a wide-range of modern warfare. ernment has accepted many of the requirements EDITORIAL missions, including those that are far from China. India is severely lagging behind in military projected, the time lag between acceptance and What is of interest to India is the continued Chi- modernisation even though it continues to be one availability for operations is deplorably high. The nese investments in nuclear forces, short- and of the largest importers of military hardware. In- Army has put into place a plan for transformation. medium-range conventional ballistic missiles, dia faces numerous threats and challenges to its However, the slippages are far too many, giving advanced aircraft, and integrated air defences, external and internal security. These include the rise to dissatisfaction among the professionals. Some shortfalls are explained in the article on army’s modernisation. SP Guide Publications was the official media partner of Defexpo 2012 and soon after organised a seminar-cum-workshop on streamlining the Defence Procurement Procedure. The day-long witnessed industrialist, diplomats, bureaucrats, policy makers, defence personnel, politicians, etc talking about streamlining the procurement sys- tem. Additionally, there are articles on C4I2SR, Agni-5, ultra light howitzers, the so-called military Manish Tewari, MP and Member of the coup, and on demilitarising Siachen. Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, and SP’s Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal in conversation during the event on Streamlining of DPP organised by SP’s and ORF Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor in two different theatres of war (Northern collusion, South Asia has become the centre emerging threats and challenges mandate cyber wars, and United Nations peacekeep- and Western) which are widely separated stage of conventional and sub-conventional that India should be prepared to fight hybrid ing and peacemaking operations. requiring independent capabilities. This conflict and instability. Additionally, terror- wars in the future which may involve the The Indian Army’s focus should be on a necessitates laying down of a policy for the ism and home grown insurgencies, moti- armed forces in simultaneously fighting lim- preparedness profile and status which has armed forces to hold reserves for war (called vated by economic disparity, religious funda- ited conventional conflicts on two fronts, out rapid deployment forces for defensive and war wastage reserves or WWR). These mentalism, narcotics trade, threat of nuclear of area operations, counter-insurgency and offensive operations, smaller fully integrated reserves are vital so that even at short notice weapons falling in wrong hands, etc remain counter proxy war operations in the domes- Strike Forces (integrated with air power and the armed forces are not found operationally issues of concern in our region.