SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER FEBRUARY - MARCH 2017, VOL 9 ISSUE 6 www.salute.co.in I www.saluteindia.org In This Issue 04 ENHANCING DEFENCE PREPAREDNESS I Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch 05 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR I On the Situation in J&K 06 BE DISTINCT I Lt Gen Sudhir Sharma 07 SALUTE TO SUBEDAR MALKIAT SINGH, MVC I Lt Col Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir 08 VERSATILITY AND FLEXIBILITY 30 I Air Mshl Sumit Mukerji ONE MAN’S MEAT IS ANOTHER MAN’S 09 POISON MALDIVES MELODRAMA I Col Arun Sarkar I Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha 32 10 THE LONG NIGHTMARE OF HORROR IN THE FINEST CHIEF FOR THE FINEST ARMY DHAKA I Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij I Hiranmay Karlekar 12 DEPLETING FIGHTER SQUADRONS A 33 DEFENCE NEWS SOURCE OF CONCERN 37 I Dinakar Peri SEPARATE THE SEPARATISTS 15 DEPLETING SQUADRONS IN AN EXPANDING I Lt Col Anil Bhat THREAT MATRIX 38 PAY AND PENSION ISSUES I Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch 19 I Hony Capt Baldev Singh IS WEAPONISATION OF SPACE INEVITABLE? 39 I Group Captain Puneet Bhalla EVEREST AND BEYOND 22 I Lt Gen Yogi Sharma BEAR HUG FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN 40 SEVASI VIDYADHAR VAV: A HIDDEN JEWEL I Lt Gen Rameshwar Yadav I Aarti K Pathak 26 BATTING FOR THE FOOT SOLDIERS 41 DUM ALOO: A PERENNIAL WINNER ASPIRATIONS I Pathikrit Payne I Aditi Pathak 28 42 AMBUSH IN SUKMA MAROOF’S MUSINGS I Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch I Maroof Raza Authors aspiring to publish their articles in Salute may send by email to [email protected] along with pictures, if any [email protected] >> February 2017 - March 2017 >> SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER 03 EDITOR’S NOTE ENHANCING DEFENCE Publisher Maroof Raza PREPAREDNESS Editor Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch Maj Gen Dhruv Katoch SM,VSM The news that the Defence Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley Accounts and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and has given the green signal to the recommendations has also made recommendations on restructuring of Associate Editor made by the Committee of Experts set up by the the National Cadet Corps (NCC), suggesting that it Lt Col Anil Bhatt previous Defence Minister, Shri Manohar Parrikar be brought under the administrative control of the VSM (Retd) is indeed heart warming. Considering that most ministry of human resources rather than the MoD. committee reports continue to gather dust, years Optimal use and integration of manpower and Publicity Manager after they were submitted to the government, the resources by re-deploying ex-servicemen including approval given by the Defence Minister to the retired officers and JCOs in various organisations (as Hony Capt (Retd) Baldev Singh reforms process in such a short time is path breaking. mentioned above) has also been proposed. The Committee of Experts was constituted by The committee has also recommended higher Board of Advisers the Ministry of Defence under the chairmanship allocations in the Union Budget for the defence sector Lt Gen Sudhir Sharma of Lt. Gen. DB Shekatkar (Retd) on May 11, 2016 to and has suggested cutting down the expenditure and PVSM,AVSM,YSM,VSM(Retd) recommend measures to enhance combat capability closing down certain organisations/PSUs, which it and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed felt was wasteful expenditure. forces. It submitted its report to the then Defence About 90 recommendations of the Shekatkar Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar on December Committee stand approved by the MoD, which Printed Published by 21, 2016. Thereafter, an internal committee was expects all of them to be implemented within Flags Media Pvt Ltd constituted within the Defence Ministry to analyse the next two years. That off course has to be seen, A-47 Hauz Khas(LGF) the recommendations made by the Shekatkar panel, considering the poor state of implementation of to identify the recommendations to be accepted and previous reports. But we have a new and more New Delhi 110016 to frame the key action points as well as a roadmap focussed government in power now, so perhaps the for their implementation. requisite change may indeed be in the offing. The Printed At The Shekatkar Committee was mandated to: CDS most likely will become a reality within the JK Offset Graphics (P) Ltd w 6IZMI[ XVEMRMRK EHQMRMWXVEXMZI ERH PSKMWXMGW year and certain other recommendations involving C-21,DDA Shed, establishments vis-à-vis what is described as “best cuts in manpower will also most likely come about. Okhla Phase-1 practices under Indian conditions”, the purpose However, the challenges lie in other areas. being to optimise manpower in the defence forces New Delhi - 110020 and increase ‘teeth to tail’ ratio. w;MPPXLIKSZIVRQIRXI\LMFMXXLI[MPPXSVIJSVQXLI w 7YKKIWX lVIHITPS]QIRX VITSWMXMSRMRK ERH OFB by shedding wasteful organisations? RNI Registration restructuring of manpower and resources” to w'ERXLI(6(3FIXVERWJSVQIHSRXLIPMRIWSJ-763 DELENG/2008/26923 improve combat capability. to deliver high quality products? w 7YKKIWX MRXIKVEXMSR SJ GMZMP MRJVEWXVYGXYVI ERH w 'ER XLI 1S( MXWIPJ FI MRXIKVEXIH XS LEZI EX resources into the logistic system of the defence least fifty percent representation in all posts from Certified that the views forces in war and peace to “avoid duplication and the military? All modern democracies have such expressed and suggestions reduce expenditure”. systems, but the Indian MoD is staffed with civilians made in the articles are made w7YKKIWXQIEWYVIWXSlGSVVIGXXLIFMEWSJHIJIRGI with little or nil knowledge of defence matters, yet by authors in their personal budget towards revenue expenditure”. having total power with no accountability. Capacity and do not have any In broad terms, the Committee has recommended w'ERPSKMWXMGWIVZMGIWFIMRXIKVEXIHJMVWX[MXLMRXLI Official endorsement the following: Army, then within the Services and finally within the w%WXEVGLMIJSJHIJIRGIWXEJJ '(7 EWXLIGLMIJ country? military adviser to the defence minister. w 'ER [I LEZI E HIJIRGI SJJMGIV JYRGXMSRMRK EW w(IZMWMRKERMRXIKVEXIH[EVETTVSEGLF]XLI-RHMER Defence Secretary, instead of an officer from the IAS? Army, Navy and Air Force. The challenges are many, but the issues referred w *MRERGMEP QEREKIQIRX VIJSVQW ERH HSMRK E[E] to above are the ones difficult to implement. It is with the multi-layered system of according financial unlikely that the defence budget will be raised to clearances (first within the finance division of MoD two percent of GDP, but a great deal can be done and then at the finance ministry). to improve defence preparedness by streamlining w )JJIGXMZI YXMPMWEXMSR SJ VIWSYVGIW ERH VSPP SR SJ procedures and reducing delays. India’s MoD too unused funds. has been a stumbling block to the reform process, in The committee has further specifically pointed a bid to preserve its turf. The challenge lies therein. at re-organising the role of certain organisations like the DRDO, DGQA, Defence Estates, Defence 04 SALUTE TO THE INDIAN SOLDIER >> February 2017 - March 2017 >> [email protected] YOUR VOICE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (On the Situation in J&K) Dear Sir, against terrorists. Nowadays, it has become fashionable to Thank you for this brilliant and positive analysis (SALUTE- Jan generalise and pass comments based on isolated standalone Feb 2017). Do hope 2017 heralds the end of terrorism. figures of anti terrorist actions/casualties etc. The fact is -Aarti Pathak that in certain actions where terrorists are well entrenched, Dear Sir, casualties on SF are high; the attitude, albeit the active support Very apt analysis in your Jan-Feb issue of SALUTE. The media to nefarious designs of terrorists and their sympathisers makes plays a very important role in shaping perceptions as most such operations even more dangerous and high risk. It’s time citizens form their opinions on what they read in the newspapers for a political initiative. For how long will SF be asked to contain or watch on television. Venom must never be spread in public. terrorism? -Col Dinesh K Kaushik -Col Deepak Kher Dear Sir, Dear Sir, Casualties do happen in these types of operations but pelting Very well brought out as usual. No doubt, the level of terrorism of stones on troops by locals to protect terrorists is a negative will be brought down by the Army and the other security forces. HIZIPSTQIRX-XGERRSXFIMKRSVIH;IPSWXSRIFVEZISJJMGIVHYI But what is of concern is the increasing incidents of anti India to hostile locals.Therefore the attitude of COAS on combatting slogans, stone pelting etc being resorted to by the children and stone pelters is absolutely right. the youth. Is it an indicator of the success or failure of our battle -Col NarenderSingh Tanwar for the ‘hearts and minds’. The recent statements of the leading Dear Sir, politicians of J&K are shocking, to say the least and must be Your analysis of the situation is brilliant as always. Loss of countered in an appropriate manner. our men is always painful. Stone pelters and the overground -Brig. Sandip Sen supporters of the terrorists need to be dealt with ruthlessly. Dear Sir, -Col Yashbir Singh ;LEX[IRIIHXSHSMWXSTYXERIRHXSXLIXIVVSVMWXW]QTEXLMWIVW Dear Sir, activists and politicians who support such activities. If we all Thanks for this positive picture of Valley, but we don’t want to speak in one voice, no Pakistani ISI terrorists can ever make lose our soldiers any more. any inroads into our country. Unless we seriously sort out the -Vijaya Singh enemies from within, nothing can be done. Dear Sir, -Dennis Collins It was good to see your analysis of the situation in J&K, as it Dear Sir, stands today. However, 2017 is too early for peace to set in, ;LMPI - EKVII XLIVI MW RS RIIH JSV KPSSQ SV HSSQ MR . / especially when we see the dismal political situation in the some introspection is necessary. Our casualty ratio is not too state. flattering. In my view we have neglected minor tactics, the art of -Col Madan Shukla stalking, camouflage and ability of NCO-leadership to out-think Dear Sir, the terrorist.