Volume 10 No. 4 `100.00 (India-Based Buyer Only) MEET THOSE WHOM YOU NEED TO WORK WITH AN SP GUIDE P UBLICATION Digitisation SP’s of Battlefield Series 2 October 31, 2013 Le Meridien, New Delhi invitation Entry strictly by WWW.SPSLANDFORCES.NET ROUNDUP IN THIS ISSUE THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEDICATED to LAND FORCES PAGE 3 >> Small Arms Modernisation in South East Asia COVER STORY Photograph: SPSC Over a period of time not only have some of the South East Asian nations upgraded and modified the infantry weapons but they have also been successful in developing indigenously their own small arms industry. Brigadier (Retd) Vinod Anand PAGE 4 Stability & Peace in Afghanistan The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation possibly is looking for an all-inclusive framework under the auspices of the UN that should help Afghanistan in post-2014 era. Brigadier (Retd) Vinod Anand PAGE 9 The Syrian Imbroglio The support to Syrian rebels fighting the Assad regime is from the Sunni Arab nations, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US. Lt General (Retd) P.C. Katoch PAGE 10 DSEi Demonstrates Strong Growth of Military Equipment This year, the show attracted over 30,000 India’s Infantry of the global defence and security industry professionals to source the latest equipment and systems, develop international relations and generate new business opportunities. Modernisation R. Chandrakanth While the likelihood of full scale state-on-state wars may be reduced, India will PLUS Interview: more likely face border skirmishes on its unresolved borders and low intensity Mark Kronenberg conflict operations including counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency in the Vice President, International Business Development, future. This mandates a quick and thorough modernisation of India’s infantry Boeing Defense Space and Security 5 which is clearly not happening despite the rhetoric by the political leadership Thomas R. Douglas and military hierarchy. Senior Vice President, Business Development and Strategy, LT GENERAL (RETD) V.K. KAPOOR AM General 6 to these two scenarios is the continuing istan-Afghanistan border, turning their and constant threat from state-sponsored attention towards the LoC, is a setting that Alan F. Bignall NDIA FACES DIVERSE THREATS and terrorism nursed and nurtured in India’s India must be prepared to face. The con- President & CEO, ReconRobotics 8 challenges. While on the one hand immediate neighbourhood and its direct tinuing infiltrations across the LoC demon- there is an existential threat of conven- and indirect linkages to conventional con- strate Pakistan’s attitude and approach to News in Brief 11 tional conflicts arising from unresolved flicts, in the region, in the future. All this terrorist organisations, even though such borders in the west with Pakistan and makes this part of South Asia more volatile organisations pose a danger to Pakistan’s Iin the north and north-east with China, and unpredictable. own social and political fabric. Thus India on the other hand, there is the formidable The existence of terrorist camps across faces a strong likelihood of more intensive challenge developing within the borders the India-Pak border and the line of control low intensity conflict situations in Jammu of India. This is from home-grown insur- (LoC), and the likelihood of Pakistani Tali- and Kashmir in the future. gencies, militancy and terrorism which ban who are currently engaged in fighting In view of the increasing focus on low arise due to a variety of reasons. To add in their Western provinces and on the Pak- intensity conflicts, the aim of this article is APPLIED FOR 4/2013 SP’s LAND FORCES 1 >> COVER STORY The past few months have seen India pass fire was uppermost in the minds of both the Prime Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s through a difficult economic, political and secu- Ministers. National Security Advisor Shivshankar visit to China in October 2013, a key Sino-Indi- rity situation. Experts were wondering whether Menon said, “The two Prime Ministers decided to an group on border affairs has been meeting to a full-blown financial crisis like the one that task the Director Generals of Military Operations sort out the differences on the Border Defence devastated the so-called “Asian Tigers” in 1997 (DGMOs) to suggest effective measures to re- Cooperation Agreement (BDCA), aimed at was likely. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, store the ceasefire.” However, the sorting out of more comprehensively dealing with tensions re- through his statement in the Parliament on Au- the current aggression on the LoC through purely lated to patrolling by both sides along the LAC. gust 30, 2013, sought to reassure the nation military diplomacy is not going to be easy. The in- The BDCA agreement is expected to be signed that India was not facing a similar situation. cidents on the LoC are part of the larger picture during the Prime Minister’s visit to China. While his statement may have reassured the of an unresolved border which is a political issue. The issue which directly impacts the overall intelligentsia, the common man continues to Moreover, the terrorist camps across the LoC in external security situation is the lack of moderni- reel under high inflation and price rise. India’s Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the infiltra- sation of the armed forces, especially the Indian growth story can be judged by the fact that the tion of terrorists’ across the LoC is being assisted Army which today needs to replace its weap- economy has slowed to four to five per cent, and closely monitored by the Pakistan’s Inter- onry ranging from the carbine and assault rifle while inflation remains in double digits. Services Intelligence (ISI)/military through various to the long-range artillery guns and its aviation To add to the economic woes, India has means. Therefore, reining in the terrorists and and air defence assets. The entire procurement been rocked this year by a series of corruption dismantling their infrastructure will require political process is in shambles. Never has the Indian EDITORIAL scandals, in recent times, starting with the Com- dialogue and hard bargaining followed by military armed forces been in such a deplorable state monwealth Games that have embarrassed the procedures on the ground to ensure peace and of modernisation vis-à-vis its adversaries and ruling Congress Party and its allies in the UPA this cannot be done through military diplomacy that too at a time when the military analysts are and have rattled the markets and delayed reform alone because the DGMOs neither have the man- of the view that we may have to face two-front bills as the opposition stalls Parliament. date nor the manoeuvre space to achieve peace situations in the future. Our conventional deter- Security remains an area of serious concern. along the LoC through such parleys. rence stands compromised due to an uncaring The violence on the line of control (LoC) by Paki- The Chinese incursion in Depsang valley in political leadership. stan and the aggression on the line of actual con- Ladakh this year and their prolonged stay deep trol (LAC) by China are issues which have occu- inside the Indian territory created tension be- pied large media space in recent times. tween both the countries. This impasse was sub- On September 29, 2013, Indian Prime Minis- sequently resolved when the People’s Liberation ter Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s Nawaz Shar- Army (PLA) troops withdrew. This incident to- if met for just over one hour at a New York hotel gether with other incursions by their patrols which on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. It have been occurring regularly across the LAC was their first face-to-face meeting since Sharif and have increased the hostility at the border, was elected in May 2013. Restoration of cease- could spin out of control, if not moderated. Lt General (Retd) V.K. Kapoor PhotographS: Beretta, Colt to draw the reader’s attention to the delay in Central India, the Thar Desert in Rajas- in modernisation of India’s infantry and its than and high altitude locations in India’s future infantry soldier programme. northern and north-east regions. The tender for the 5.56mm close quar- F-INSAS ter battle (CQB) carbines requires each The future infantry soldier as a system weapon system to weigh less than three kg, (F-INSAS) had been initiated more than six fire 600 rounds per minute to a minimum years ago to make the infantryman a weapon distance of 200 metres and be capable of platform with situational awareness, operating in extreme temperatures. Pica- increased lethality and sustainability in the tinny rail-mounted reflex and passive night digitised battlefield. F-INSAS was to be imple- Beretta ARX160 .22LR rifle sights, visible and invisible laser spot desig- mented in three phases: Phase I included nators and multi-purpose detachable bayo- weapons, body armour, clothing and indi- nets are a part of their qualitative require- vidual equipment; Phase II was the target ments (QRs). The selected vendor will be acquisition system and Phase III comprised required to transfer technology to the the computer subsystem, radio subsystem, OFB to licence build 3,80,000-4,00,000 software and software integration. CQB carbines and 5.56mm ammunition, The F-INSAS programme was anno- for use not only by the Army, but eventu- unced by former Army Chief, General J.J. ally the Central and state police forces in Singh in August 2007 which involved equip- a programme estimated to ultimately cost ping over 3,00,000 infantry troops and over `5,000 crore. Army sources said the around 1,00,000 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and carbine and ammunition trial reports were Assam Rifles (AR) personnel employed for Colt M4 5.56mm carbine being assessed and it was expected that the conventional and counter-insurgency oper- deal may witness finalisation by 2015.