Revamp defence doctrine to combat non-traditional threats: PM Manmohan Singh

The Times of India

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said India needs to be prepared to fight "new and non-traditional threats to our national security" for which the country has to revisit its defence doctrine and modernize it.

"We have to be prepared to deal with threats to our security from non-state actors and groups (who) are becoming increasingly fused and employing the best technologies to target open and democratic societies like ours," Manmohan Singh said, addressing a seminar on the golden jubilee of the National Defence College in New Delhi.The Prime Minister said the internal and external aspects of the national security were getting increasingly inter-linked.

"We have therefore to modernize our defence doctrines to respond to new and non-traditional threats to our national security," he emphasised.He said India was a victim of terror for the past more than two decades, and added that the government "will ensure that our capabilities to combat terrorism remain a step ahead of those of the terrorists".

"They should be left in no doubt about our ability and resolve to defeat them," he said.

He reiterated that Maoist insurgency posed "a great threat to our national security" even as the government recognized "that there is a development deficit in all parts of our country"."We should be equally clear that the Indian state cannot and will not allow its authority to be challenged," he said.He said an "enlightened national security policy" based on a holistic appreciation of the many inter-related aspects and concerns impinging on a nation's overall well-being needed to be drawn.

The Prime Minister said the concept of contemporary national security needed to be understood "within a wider strategic and economic and social matrix".But, he said, these imperatives have not necessarily changed the importance and role of military power as an essential indispensable component of a nation's power and stability.

"Defence capabilities buttress the ability of a state to defend itself against armed aggression or insurgency. They act as deterrence to the use of force by others."

Exercise Indradhanush

By : Youngster

Indian Air Force's frontline Su-30 MKI fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons of the Royal Air Force today began a 17-day wargames codenamed 'Ex-Indradhanush' at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.The RAF has also deployed its AWACS (E-3D) and Air to Air refuellers (VC-10) along with the Typhoons, while the IAF's AWACS participated for the first time with any country.Also taking part were IAF's Mirage 2000s and Mig27s.A Defence Ministry release here said that the assets would be combined with the aircrew and divided into the blue and red forces."The red forces are the aggressors, while blue forces are the defending side," it said.The roles of the participants were changed throughout the exercise as also the degree of difficulty by random denial of mid-air refuelling and radar silence.

The major highlight of the exercise was the large number of aircraft operating together and against each other in limited time and space putting the skills of pilots and fighter controllers to test, the release said.Air Marshal L K Malhotra of the Eastern Air Command who met the participants said "apart from the pilots flying these missions, it is an excellent opportunity for the controllers who would be either controlling these missions or will be on board AWACS aircraft as observers." On the technical side there would be a number of areas where both sides could learn from each others' maintenance practices, procedures and management of resources supporting flying operations.He urged the participants to make full use of the opportunity and wished them a 'happy hunting'.The exercise concludes on November three.

"Kalaikunda has the necessary infrastructure which is necessary for an international exercise of this magnitude," Commander of the Air Force base at Kalaikunda, Air Commodore D K Vashist said. Operationally the station had the environment conducive for flying and the airspace was fully available for such large force engagements, he said. "The aim of the exercise is to enhance mutual understanding and refine procedures. During this exercise, specific emphasis will be laid on exposing the controllers (ATC & AWACS) to large force engagements and protection of high value aerial assets," he said. Another area of emphasis would be the management of logistical needs to move large forces from one part of the world to another.

Photos Courtesy - Youngster (Weapon and Technology)

Indo-Israeli ties to boost Navy

By: Youngster

Indo-Israeli ties are expected to get another boost as the Indian Naval chief Admiral N.K.Verma is currently in Tel Aviv for a four day visit. Admiral Verma will be holding talks with Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak, chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Navy chief Eliezer Marom. The nature of defence talks will revolve around joint development projects including the potential sale of the jointly manufactured defence equipments to other countries.

India and Israel have been building up strong military ties and the current focus will be to collaborate on research and development (R&D). The areas where both countries could collaborate include Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), submarine based cruise missile, precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and third-generation night-vision devices amongst others.

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