SP's Land Forces June-July 2011
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June-July 2011 Volume 8 No 3 R `100.00 (India-based Buyer Only) SP’s AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET ROUNDUP IN THIS ISSUE The ONLY journal in Asia dedicated to Land Forces PAGE 4 >> INTERVIEW Smart Munitions to Minimise Damage A percentage of Indian armour (tanks) already has the capability of firing missiles from the gun tube apart from conventional munitions. This capability should also be ‘I visualise a broader introduced in future ICVs and tanks. Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor mandate for the Mechanised PAGE 7 Meeting Army’s Tactical Requirements Special vehicles are an essential part of the Forces in the future’ mobility that needs to be addressed. PHOTOGRAPHS : Anoop Kamath/SP Guide Pubns Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PAGE 9 Modernising the Infantry The apathy of the Defence Ministry in equip - ment procurement could have disastrous results in the future. We need far greater focus and a firm political will to modernise our military and build the desired military capability for the future. Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor PAGE 10 Bots the Armoured Warriors Botnets are essentially malicious having turned into big business. In simple terms, it is a network of infected end-hosts (bots) under the command of a botmaster. Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PAGE 11 India Inducts Agni-III... ...Is a step closer to ICBM Vishal Thapar PAGE 14 The Mechanised Forces Directorate of the Indian Army has evolved into a fully A Reality Check integrated model and is responsible for all issues with respect to Armoured Corps, India’s Special Forces do not have the same capability as the US forces due to non-avail - Mechanised Infantry and the Brigade of the Guards. In an exclusive interview ability of high-end technology. But depending with , Editor-in-Chief, and , Editor, upon the distance involved and combat envi - Jayant Baranwal Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor ronment up to and on the target, they are SP’s Land Forces , Lt General D.S. Siddhu , Director General Mechanised Forces capable of carrying out Operation Neptune’s Spear type missions across the border. (DGMF), spoke about the plethora of responsibilities of the Directorate. General (Retd) V.P. Malik SP’s Land Forces (SP’s): What is the charter goals set in coordination with various other and implementing policies on upgradation, of duties of the DGMF in respect of Armoured Directorates. The Directorate has been vested modernisation and subsequent discard of PAGE 18 Corps and Mechanised Infantry? with the responsibility to ensure that the in-service equipment. Lt General D.S. Siddhu (DGMF) : DGMF Mechanised Forces are fit in all respects, at Our charter also includes formulation Thrust Towards Modernisation forms part of the General Staff Branch of all times to fulfill their envisaged operational of training policies in keeping with the rap - Officers of all three services and members of the IHQ of MoD (Army) and functions role across the full spectrum of conflict. idly evolving technology and its subsequent the defence industry participated in the under DCOAS (P&S). Earlier, the Armoured The Directorate is also responsible for a implementation at Armoured Corps Centre seminar on NCW organised by SP Guide Corps and Mechanised Infantry issues were plethora of operational, training, equip - and School, Mechanised Infantry Regiment Publications and CLAWS recently. being dealt with separately. However, since ment management and man management Centre and Guards Regimental Centre. The February 2005, the Directorate has evolved issues. We strive to ensure optimum aspects of man management encompass Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor into a fully integrated model and is respon - exploitation of our combat potential in con - various aspects of recruitment, improve - sible for all issues with respect to Armoured sonance with the overall politico-military ment of service conditions and their dis - PLUS Corps, Mechanised Infantry and the objectives. The Directorate is responsible for charge based on our present and future Brigade of the Guards. formulation of policies, selection of equip - requirements. The Directorate is responsible Vijayee Bhava 12 In short, the Directorate is responsible for ment, progressing cases of procurement, for ensuring that the professional and per - In the News 13 conceiving the vision, formulating and insti - induction, exploitation and support to the sonal aspirations of our personnel are effec - First / Tecknow 15 tuting the required policies to realise the Mechanised Forces. It includes formulating tively met. News in Brief 19 3/2011 SP’s LAND FORCES 1 >> INTERVIEW History is replete with examples of nations being nuances of military science. strategic context. L unprepared for the types of wars thrust upon them. The next issue concerns trend analysis. Even l Defence planners usually produce impressive In 1914, Imperial Germany was prepared solely for the most intelligent analysis of recent trends can - solutions to problems they prefer to solve but A a swift war of rapid movement. It had to shift gears not offer a reliable guide for the future. Trends in not the problems that wily and intelligent foes to learn about siege warfare on a grand scale. In warfare emerge with regional and global political might pose. I 1941-43, the Russians and the Allied Forces had to and strategic changes and while they interact with l Trend analysis and strategic futurology is not learn how to face swift wars of movement at opera - each other and their context, it is their conse - very helpful in predicting the future which is R tional and strategic levels. They were prepared for quences rather than the trends themselves which guided more by the consequences of the the wrong kind of war. But they were saved by the make the future. Most of the defence planning trends that we see today rather than the trends O factor of “time and space”. As World War II pro - which is based on the trends identified today is themselves. gressed, the transformation of the military, sought almost certain to rest on shaky foundations. There - l We must always be prepared for surprises irre - T by Russia and the Allied Forces, was brought about fore a nation like ours, with vast and varied param - spective of how confident we feel about the with the passage of time and ultimately the superi - eters of security will have to base its future future. I ority of resources prevailed. In the Indian context, structures after wider consultations. There is no l Based on India’s security parameters, we need we were totally unprepared, both mentally and phys - reason to believe that military analysts of today are to prepare for a wide spectrum of threats and D ically, for a war of movement in the mountains and more gifted in the field of prophecy than their pred - challenges that may be thrust upon us and our had to face a humiliating defeat in 1962. Currently ecessors. The historical record of tolerably accu - genius should reside in utilising the available our most pivotal problem is to predict the future so rate strategic futurology is anything but impressive. budget in building a superior military capability E as to transform our military for future wars. The “realm of uncertainty” is the nature of wars through tri-Service synergy and not through There is a temptation to treat the contemporary as stated long back by none other than Clausewitz exclusive, single service focus. trends in warfare as a signal for a momentous rad - himself. Hence, let us assure ourselves that the A Parliamentary Directive to enforce inter- ical shift in the nature of war. Admittedly the “gram - transformation we are seeking will produce a military Services integration is in fact long overdue. mar” of war in Clausewitzian terms has changed capability which iwill be able to face all types of sit - since the end of the cold war but the importance uations which policy will throw its way. and primacy of the logic of policy remains para - The rationale points to the conclusions which mount. As always, the character of war in any are both negative and positive in their content. period is shaped and propelled by the political, These are: social, and strategic including technological con - l The approach to wars and warfare must not texts. It is not merely a change brought about by be divorced from its political, social and Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor SP’s: In the context of the future threats and agility over all types of terrain as also surviv - challenges, have any new roles been defined ability. It will be equipped to carry out recon - for the Armoured Corps and the Mechanised naissance tasks during day as well as night Infantry? in all weather conditions. Electronic control DGMF : The security environment facing our displays will integrate all on board systems nation is in a state of constant flux. There is ‘There is a need for ease of management and efficiency. a need for close monitoring of the changes taking place within and outside, especially in for close SP’s: With the ageing T-72 fleet, what is the our close neighbourhood. We are constantly status of medium repair and base overhaul of reviewing our military preparedness based monitoring of these tanks? on these changes. The Mechanised Forces DGMF : Tank T-72 was inducted in the need to constantly evolve, develop and adapt the changes Indian Army in 1979. In order to enhance to the changing “capability cum threat” the service life, medium repair and over - spectrum, in order to remain ‘operationally taking place haul norms were evolved and implemented. relevant’ at all points of time and to main - Under these programmes, the tanks are put tain the deterrence value.