On December 14, Rajnath Singh, the defence minister said India has showcased exemplary courage in countering China’s aggression on the Line of Actual Control. Apart from military strength, India is one of the leading bases of the world in ideation and is far ahead than China in power.

India has the ability to independently handle its operation in the global world, ‘can fight anyone’ and face any challenge to survive, he added in the annual convention of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. 

He also guided the industrial sector of the country to enter into partnerships with the armed forces for exporting the advanced equipment, ammunitions and technology.

Even the Chief Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat said that India has a high level of preparations in their military capabilities on air, land and sea. Amidst the standoff in Ladakh, development activities have been noticed by the military in the Tibet region of China. They will continue to strengthen their strategy and military for the country’s interest, he added.

There is uncertainty for the Ladakh region in the future, the current aggression in the region is an example of how the pacts and agreements between the country can be challenged and violated, the assertion of power and even the changing dynamic of the countries.

The standoff in LAC, Ladakh has been ongoing for months where soldiers from both countries have been engaged in the aggression in cold winter. The diplomats from both sides have failed in their settlement meetings for dis-engagement.

The defence minister has stated the future generations will be proud of the benchmarks set by the military forces. While comparing the future scope of the military strength of India and China, there is no doubt that India is far ahead in strength and ideas than China in the global domain.  

He elaborated that till 1949, about 80% of the Chinese followed Buddhism and a Chinese scholar had himself said for more than 2000 years India has been able to control and dominate the culture of China without resorting to aggression and violence on the border.

Additionally, for years India has successfully managed to tackle the terror of Pakistan while the world had just risen from their sleep in the issue, said the defence minister.

India has alone fought with terrorism without support from any country, the world has understood now only about the threat Pakistan poses, it justifies the action of many countries denying help to Pakistan, who helplessly had to turn to China for relief by indirectly handing over a piece of their land. 

He concluded that India has been managing to control the aggression from both its neighbours, now the Industries should also come forward to strengthen the military for collective interest. The Ministry of Defence has started to support domestic production and created ways for the industries to form ventures and partnerships with several countries to manufacture more defence hardware for India.

Bipin Rawat, chief of defence staff also believes it is time to incorporate the technology in the military strategies and strength to combat and survive future challenges probably on northern India.

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On December 6, the Serum Institute of India (SII) became the first Indian company to sought approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use authorisation of the vaccine, Covidshield in the country by stating medical interests of the people in the pandemic situation. 

Earlier, the American Pharmaceutical company, Pfizer applied for approval for their vaccine from the Indian drug controller after securing permission from Bahrain and the United Kingdom.  

Covidshield had been advanced to the phase 3 clinical trial by the Serum Institute of India and Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) along with trials for Oxford’s AstraZeneca in Brazil and the United Kingdom. They will be able to provide the vaccine in India based on the second and third results of the clinical trials, they claimed last month. 

Now, SII with ICMR had successfully manufactured 40 million doses under risky conditions and stock license, they obtained from the DCGI. Covidshield is highly effective against the virus and its infections said the official sources on reviewing the clinical trials in Brazil, India and the United Kingdom. 

Even the Indian Air Force is ready to help in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine across the country including the far and remote regions using their well-equipped and advanced aircraft. 

Although there has been no official statement by the government regarding the assistance of the army in the distribution of the vaccine as there is no place for doubt in their capability of transportation of millions of vaccine doses. 

The air force has the C-17 heavy-lift aircraft that can bear cargo up to 75 tonnes and the C-130 Hercules aircraft can lift up to 19 tonnes. Including smaller planes and choppers for providing vaccines in remote areas. 

The army has completed the necessary requirements for transportation of distributing the vaccine from the cold storage network in special boxes without affecting the temperature and thereby not losing its effectivity. 

They also have expertise in supplying medical aids and equipment in emergency situations, such as during the Uttarakhand and Jammu flood, the army was a great help in providing relief to the people. 

SII is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in a joint venture with the Oxford and AstraZeneca to provide the vaccine on an emergency schedule. They have given about 12 batched of their vaccine for testing and examination in Kasauli to the Central Drug Laboratory. 

Prakash Kumar Singh, the Additional Director of the SII said that their vaccines are also committed to making their country self reliant and independent with an intention of fulfilling the call for Make in India and Vocal for Local. 

The early accessibility of the vaccine is a necessity and is in the public interest across the globe, they requested for emergency use of Covidshield calling their vaccine a ‘safe, effective, programmatically suitable and affordable vaccine’ for our country.

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The Indian Naval force has induced two predatory drones for monitoring the activities of its neighbouring country, China across the Line of Actual Control and can also be used to vigilantly look out the activities in the Indian Ocean. The American firm had helped India procure the drones on lease amid the internal conflicts between India and China. 

The Ministry of Defence had supervised the emergency procurement of the drones by the Indian Navy amid the India-China conflict that can be used in emergency situations. The members of the American firm will accompany the drone to India as they will help the Indian forces in operating the drones. 

“The drones were scheduled to arrive in India in the second week of November while the flying operations were to begin in the last week oh the month by the Indian Naval force in INS Rajali, Tamil Nadu. 

The security forces have started the aerial operations of the drones, it was revealed that they have the capacity of flying for 30 hours in a stretch. It is believed that the said drone is one of the biggest assets with the defence. 

The Drones are given to India on lease for a year as they are deciding on getting about 18 more drones from the American firm, as per sources.

With the growing closeness between India and America, the United States had continuously helped India in getting information about Chinese tactics along with procurement of weapons for surveillance and defence. 

The procurement of the drones falls under the Defence Procurement Material of 2009 and Defence Acquisition Procedure of 2020 which help in cumulating funds and the maintenance by the seller. 

According to the agreement between the countries for the procurement, it is mentioned that the United States is only responsible for the technological problems and maintenance, however, the controller and attack planning would rest with India. The United States will have not right on the information secured using the drone and would be India’s property only. 

Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump had said that India will buy military weapons worth $3 billion which will include helicopters for attacking. It would further strengthen the commercial and political relations between the countries.

Recently, India had not backed off in showing trust in American equipment and systems as India had before bought the 9 P-81 long-range surveillance planes and 24 MH-60 Romeos helicopters. 

An American crew from the vendor is also accompanying the equipment and would help the Navy to operate the machines, the sources said.

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The Border Security Forces in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir has found a tunnel that is said be to used by the infiltrating JeM terrorists who had come from Pakistan. 

The BSF Inspector General Jamwal, DGP Singh and Inspector General of Police in Jammu examined the location where the 150-metre long tunnel was found during the investigation of the Nagrota attack on the Jammu-Kashmir National Highway. 

The JeM terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security forces on the Highway when their vehicle was stopped in the toll plaza for security checking. About 11 AK assault rifles, 3 UBGL grenades and 29 hand grenades were found with the four terrorists who had come with the intention of causing instability in the District Development Council elections.

The Director-General of Police informed, “Police shared some vital inputs found from the encounter scene with the BSF which after hectic efforts, managed to find the tunnel.”

The IGP of Jammu credited the forces for their dedication and commitment that they successfully controlled the JeM terrorist attack and their motivation of combing the area when they found the tunnel which was 2.5 metres wide and about 30 metres deep. 

After investigation, it was found that the tunnel was engineered carefully that it could not be traced and the opening was covered with grass. The police and the security forces were honoured for finding the tunnel. 

Earlier in August, a tunnel was detected in the Galar area. Soon after, the Border Security Forces had initiated the anti-tunnelling activities. During which the JeM terrorists of the Nagrota attack were traced and the tunnel was found. 

“This was a new tunnel dug out from Pakistan after the older one was unearthed by BSF. After the successful operation in Nagrota, the question was how did the JeM group manage to infiltrate into this side from Pakistan, reached the national highway and boarded the Kashmir bound truck,” the DGP added.

The Director-General of Police also said that they have evidence that proves the hand of Pakistan in infiltrating the JeM terrorists and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Jammu and Kashmir, they have also been illegally exporting weapons into India. 

In the tunnel that was traced, sandbags were found that were made in Karachi. It reveals that from initiating to the execution, the terrorist activities are organised in Pakistan as the possessions of the terrorists contain their stamp. 

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In the ceasefire on the Line of Control by Pakistan in Rajouri district, an Indian soldier was severely injured and later succumbed to his injuries on November 21, when India had called the Pakistan deputy chief for the recent Nagrota attack. With the attack, Pakistan has also violated the bilateral ceasefire agreement signed by both countries in 1999.

Recently, just a week before the twelfth anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the CCTV footage of Pakistan’s ‘terror attack’ used by jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist was accessed showing fake number plate was used. They were four terrorists, travelling in a truck when they were intercepted early in the morning near a toll plaza in the Nagrota area at 5 am. When security forces started checking the trucks the terrorists started firing indiscriminately.

The security forces also recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunition, and explosive material, including 11 AK rifles, 3 pistols, 29 grenades, and 6 UBGL grenades, from the terrorists. After seizing arms Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh, said based on the weapon recovery and past instances, the terrorists appear to be members of the JeM.

Later, all four terrorists were killed in the three-hour-long operation, the truck in which they were hiding also caught fire. Since these terrorists were camping across the LoC with the full backing of the Pakistani Army. Also, two policemen sustained injuries in the gunbattle which took place on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

After this occurrence, a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths visited the Nagrota encounter site on Thursday afternoon to pick up forensic and other evidence. The NIA involvement in the probe into the Nagrota encounter is important as Jammu and Kashmir Police have said that the terrorists were probably planning a big attack and the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) elections could also have been their target.

In Srinagar, Vijay Kumar, IGP (Kashmir), said the terrorists were planning to disrupt the DDC polls scheduled to begin later this month. Kumar said Pakistan has been making attempts to cause trouble in the political process. They aimed to come to Kashmir to disturb the election process,” he said on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar.

Since 2018, JeM has been using trucks as mobile bunkers, and ‘for the last few days, Pakistan has increased attempts to infiltrate militants into this side and to disturb the elections for which the process is on’.

In this context, Jammu Police and security forces have done a good job by neutralizing four Pakistanis and Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane added, the message was very clear for Pakistan and its terrorists that anyone crossing the LoC to infiltrate into India would be dealt in the same way and wouldn’t be able to return back.

Further Vijay Kumar, IGP said, “Whether there is an election or August 15 or January 26 or even a VIP visit, apprehensions are always there, but we are fully prepared. We are providing security to the candidates and they have started going to the field for campaigning from yesterday and there is nothing to fear.”

However, there was no collateral damage and a heavy amount of arms recovered. Hard intelligence and close coordination made the operation possible.

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When India and China are engaged in the military standoff along the northern bank of the Pangong Tso in Ladakh, China has decided to move its army to Finger 8 and also proposed that both the countries should move their armies from the present location to the southern side of the lake. 

The Line of Actual Control passes through Finger 8 on the northern side of the Pangong Tso. When in May the People’s liberation army had climbed 8 km towards the west to the Finger 4.

The plan included shifting the tanks, the artillery and the arms further aside in order to avoid the occurrence of any incident as the tension in the said area is high. Additionally, it is not beneficial for the soldiers from both India and China to be engaged in the standoff in the biting cold winter of Ladakh. 

As per sources, India has considered the proposal but it is not approved as they are discussing the possibilities of the plan. 

The main focus of China is said to be on disengaging the standoff on the northern side of Pangong Tso while India has maintained its stand on achieving the status quo. 

There have been several rounds of meetings for a peaceful settlement. The commanders of both the armies had a submit on November 6 for the same but no decision was taken. However, sources have claimed that it is highly likely for China to agree to the proposal and schedule a meeting soon. 

Lt General PG K Menon, Commander of Leh-based XIV Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, Commander of South Xinjiang Military Region were present in the meeting. When they proposed that China was ready to move back to Finger 8 on the northern side of the Pangong Tso. They also brought up about the Indian troops shifting to the West side of Finger 8. The plan also mentioned a temporary no-patrolling region which lies in between Finger 4 and Finger 8.

The official from the Indian army said that nothing is committed as of now, all the suggestions are being discussed which includes the timelines, distances, and contingency situations. 

“Everything will be based on verification”, he added. For the fact that India has been facing trust and commitment issues with respect to China. India will be careful while considering the proposal. 

However, after the Chinese army moved towards the Finger 4, in a few months they backed off to the lower base of Finger 5 in July. While the Indian Army also stepped back to Finger 3. Now the PLA has denied moving further back to Finger 3 and both the armies have been engaged in the standoff ever since. 

In August, the Indian army had occupied the southern side of the Pangong lake and the sub-sector of Chushul. They were scattered in the hills of Gurung, Rezang La, Magar, Mukhpari and Rechin La. It gave them a direct vision to the activities in China’s side and the height also gave them the advantage of launching attacks, if necessary. 

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India is not ready to shift the Line of Actual Control, the Indian armed force is giving a strong and effective response to the People’s Liberation Army due to which in Ladakh they are facing unexpected repercussions, said General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff.

Both countries have been progressing the settlement talks, the CDS made the statement on the day of their eighth round of meeting regarding the military stand-off in the east Ladakh since the last six months.

In the webinar of National Defence College, General Rawat said that the Chinese armed forces have been having a tough time due to India’s ‘firm and strong response’ to their ‘adventures’ on the Ladakh border region. India is no ready to negotiate on the territories and will not back out from the stand-off. The main intention of India is to restore the status quo in the country.

Owing to the recent developments in the military and economic relations between India and China, it is expected their relations will be reduced to a competition, he added. The neighbouring countries with whom India has fought battles and constantly tried to attack being nuclear-armed pose a threat to the country in terms of territorial problems said the Chief in the webinar.

General Rawat also mentioned about Pakistan as an ongoing problem and called it the ‘epicentre of terrorism and armed Islamic insurgency’, calling them out for their attempts of procreating disturbance in India on the basis of religion.

As of now, the confrontations and tensions on the eastern border cannot be overlooked as it might escalate into a bigger problem for the country, added General Rawat.

He pointed out at the western neighbouring country of India for being listed on the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental organisation which focuses on the terrorist funding. The Chief of Defence Staff said that the economic crisis of Pakistan including their growing Islamic fundamentalism and internal political debacles would lead to its own destruction.

Now that India has been responding to their attempts to disrupt the peace in the country, for instance, the sequence of incidents of the surgical strikes and airstrikes indicates India’s focus on wiping out terrorist activities inside their boundaries.

Recently Pakistan had released their political map showing India’s territories as their own and also have announced to give provincial status to Pakistan occupied Kashmir. They have the audacity to challenge the country despite Pakitan’s economic crisis, international isolation and internal issues.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat believes that India should not depend on other countries for military arms and equipment. The country should focus more on achieving defence and strategic capability which would help them to meet future contingencies. 

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On November 4, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat has announced that the retirement age of the military officials from the technical sector of the Army is expected to increase. 

The Defence chief Rawat believes that this reform is important in order to retain the highly skilled and competent officials of the Army even the pensions of the officers who take early retirements will be modified. 

The objective of the new reforms of the armed forces is to make efficient and maximum use of the manpower, said the government. 

It is proposed that the retirement age of the Colonels in the Navy and the Air Force should be increased to 57 years from 54 years. Including the Brigadiers who could retire at 58 years and not 56 years. The proposal also states the retirement age of the Major Generals whose retirement age has increased from 58 years to 59 years. While the retirement age of the lieutenant Generals have not been changed and remains at 60 years of age. 

The officers at the junior level and the Jawans posted in the medical, logistics and technical branches have planned to increase to 57 years including the electronics and mechanical engineers, Army Service Corps even Army Ordnance Corps of the Army. 

The revised pension plans for the officers who take either early or timely retirements after 20-25 years of service are planned to receive 50% of the pension while who retire serving for 25-30 years are to receive 60% of the pension. While officers retiring after 35 years of service are entitled to get a full pension. 

However, the pensions of the officers who retire due to war injuries or other medical reasons are not modified. These officers are ready to sacrifice their lives for the protection of the country and its citizens, any pension or salary is not enough for them. 

The Chief of Defence Staff has planned to introduce more such proposals to give better opportunities to the officers who are disembarked due to several restrictions. 

These reforms would benefit the many specialists in the army who are given training for skilled operations but have to leave the army in order to work in other sectors, said the sources. 

The Indian Military Force is one of the best-armed forces in the world, for such a skilled force losing their officers is like losing an opportunity and not favourable for the army. They have planned to implement these reforms as soon as possible in order to avoid the army losing their manpower. 

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On October 30, the Indian Air Force successfully test-fired the aerial version of the supersonic cruise missile Brahmos in the Bay of Bengal from a Sukhoi fighter plane. 

The aircraft took off from the Punjab base and belonged to Thanjavur-based Tigersharks squadron which was later needed to be refuelled mid-air. The missile had accurately hit the sinking ship, ie, the target. 

The BrahMos Missile can accurately hit any target from large stand-off ranges on both the sea and land. 

India has been testing its missiles and weapons amidst India-China ongoing conflicts and the stand-off in the Eastern side of the Ladakh.

This was the third BrahMos missile that was tested in the last two months. 

Recently, on September 30, India had successfully test-fired the land version of the Supersonic Cruise Missile BrahMos. Later, upgradations were made in the missile that increased the range from 290 km to 400 km. 

It was followed by the successful testing of the cruise version of BrahMos from the stealth destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Chennai in the Arabian sea on October 18. The missile was capable of accurately hitting the target even in utmost complex situations. 

On May 2019, the successful testing of the first version of the BrahMos missile was conducted. Another weapon, Rudram-1, an anti-radiation missile was successfully test-fired and it will be in operation by 2022. 

India has successfully test-fired the different versions of the BrahMos missiles and other important and destructive weapons, they have been launched from various complex situations on the border around Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. 

The Indian Air Force has planned to install the supersonic missile on 40 Sukhoi fighter aircraft which will boost the combatting power of the Army. 

The missiles are the result of the partnership between India and Russia. It has the capability of launching from ships, aircraft, land and even submarines. 

The laser-guided anti-tank weapon with nuclear capability hypersonic missile ‘Shaurya’ was also test-fired which has the range to destroy over 1000 km. India has been preparing strategically for future contingency situations. 

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India operated a key foundational pact with the US last month to receive urgently needed high-altitude systems for soldiers positioned to forward areas along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh who will most probably stay on through the winter as tensions with China continue.

Sources reported that 11,000 sets of extended cold weather clothing system (ECWCS) arrived late last month after India made a desperate appeal for supporting under a bilateral pact. These sets have come from the stockholdings of the US Army and have been dispatched to forward areas where troops are braving the cold.

Maybe this is the first time the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (Lemoa), inscribed in 2016 after years of analysis, has been used in an operational context. The pact gives the two nations access to each other’s military and civil facilities for repairs, supplies, and refueling and has earlier been used during wargames and occasional refueling of ships and aircraft.

Due to exigency, to swap with high urgent needs the US was sought to provide all possible stocks that could be afforded. However, India has over 50,000 additional troops positioned in Ladakh to counter the massive PLA build-up since early May.

ECWCS are essential to keep soldiers alive at utmost altitude and temperatures which could touch -40 degrees Celsius in winter. So essential was the need that a small number of the ECWCS systems that arrived included ones issued to US soldiers in the past.

Having exhausted reserves, India has been hard-pressed to find clothing and habitat systems for thousands of soldiers inducted at the heights. All Indian missions abroad have been tasked with a particular list of equipment that is required by the Army, which includes boots, tents, sleeping bags, suits, and socks. However, it has not been easy to find sources of supply that can quickly deliver products. Also, such large quantities of high altitude survival gear are not readily available in the patterns and colours suited for military use.

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