Defense review 2012 read all essential points...and make notes very impotant fr pre and mains

Year End Review - 2012
Augmentation of Nation’s defence
preparedness by adding new milestones in
defence R&D, capacity building in existing
and new strategic areas through upgradation
and modernization, further strengthening of
coastal security initiatives in different areas
particularly in air defence and blue water
capabilities and a systematic force
projection of our armed forces in India’s
neighbourhood and far off Asian region by
engaging them through exercises and
defence diplomacy were the main highlights
of the year.
The year also saw massive welfare
measures being undertaken for service
personnel and ex-servicemen, scaling of new
heights by armed forces personnel in fields
like sports and adventure activities. The
achievements of defence scientists in
developing different soldier support systems
like Suicide Risk Assessment Test, BMP
Urban Survival Kit, Armour for Mi 17-IV for
helicopters and Heavy Weight Anti-
Submarine Electric Torpedo – ‘Varunastra’
also marked the eventful year.
New Weapons Systems to Strengthen
Defence Preparedness
AGNI-V – India proudly entered the exclusive
club as the sixth country on 19 April 2012,
when its Long-range Ballistic Missile took to
sky on its maiden flight and reached the
pre-designated target point over 5000 km
away in the Indian Ocean with remarkable
accuracy. The missile which was launched
from Wheeler Island off Orissa Coast
incorporates many indigenously developed
technologies. These include the composite
rocket motor, state-of-the-art avionics, 5 th
generation ‘On Board Computer’ distributed
architecture, highly accurate Ring Laser
Gyro-based inertial navigation system
(RINS), reliable redundant micro navigation
system and the re-entry kit shield that
withstands temperature with more than 4000
degree celsius ensuring that avionics
function normally by maintaining an inside
temperature less than 50 degreescelcius.
AGNI-IV – The 4000 km range nuclear
capable ballistic missile Agni-IV was
successfully flight tested on 19 Sep 2012.
The long-range missile propelled by
composite rocket motor technology was
tested for its cool capability. Launched from
road mobile launcher, it reached the
predefined target in about 20 minutes.
With Agni-I, Agni-II, Agni-III
and Prithvi P-II surface to surface missile
and also its naval version Dhanushalready in
the arsenal of the Indian Armed Forces, the
missile from the production lots were flight
tested by the Armed Forces as part of
training exercises to ensure defence
preparedness. Thus, Agni-I, India’s 700 km
range ballistic missile had its flight tests on
13 July and 12 Dec 2012.
The 2000 km range ballistice missile
Agni-II and Agni-III with a range of 3000 km
were test fired on 09 Aug and 21 Sept 2012
respectively.
The 350 km range surface-to-
surface strategic missile Prithvi (P-II) was
successfully flight tested on 25 Aug and 04
Oct 2012 from ITR Chandipur, Odisha. While
its naval version Dhanush was test fired
from a naval ship off the coast of Balasore,
Odisha on 05 Oct 2012. The tests were like
textbook launches meeting all mission
objectives and the missiles reached the
target points with high accuracy.
Brah-Mos Block III version with advanced
guidance algorithm was flight tested on 28
Mar 2012 from ITR Balasore. The missile
flew through the designated 290 kms
distance at Mach 2.8 and achieved high
precision with steep dive.
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE (BMD)
DRDO has developed a two-layer
Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capability
against missiles with range upto 2000 km
class. Both the exo and endo atmospheric
interception have been demonstrated with
direct hits leading to disintegration of target
missile.
The Interceptor Missile AAD
launched by the Scientists of DRDO on 23
Nov 2012 from Wheeler’s Island, Odisha,
successfully destroyed the incoming Ballistic
Missile at an altitude of 15 Kms. The target
missile, a modified version of Prithvi,
mimicking the enemy’s ballistic missile, was
launched from Launch Complex III,
Chandipur. Long Range Radar and MFC
Radar located far away could detect the
Missile from take-off and tracked it through
its entire path. The total trajectory of the
incoming Missile was continuously estimated
by the guidance computer and subsequently
the AAD Missile was launched at an
appropriate time to counter and kill the
ballistic missile.
In this mission, a special feature of
intercepting multiple target with multiple
interceptor was demonstrated
successfully.The complete Radar Systems,
Communication Networks, Launch
Computers, Target update Systems and
state of the art Avionics have been
completely proven in this Mission.
AKASH AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM - Induction
and productionisation of Akash, the medium
range air defence system with multi-target,
multi directional capability is another shining
achievement. The production value of Akash
missile systems ordered by Army and Air
Force is over Rs 23,000 crores. Orders for
two Army regiments and six Air Force
Squadrons are under execution.
LONG RANGE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE
(LRSAM) - Control and Navigation Tests
(CNT) for LRSAM, a joint development
Programme between DRDO and Israel
Aerospace Industry (IAI), to develop an
Advanced Naval Air Defence System for
Indian Navy) were conducted on 16 th and
18 th July 2012. All Planned mission
objectives were fully met in both the tests.
The missiles showed good navigation and
control performance. DRDO is the Prime
Development Agency and IAI the design
authority for supply, installation and final
acceptance.
NAG ANTI-TANK MISSILE - the fire and
forget anti-tank missile with top attack
capability is another important missile
developed by DRDO. Its helicopter mounted
version, Helina, underwent 2 successful
flights from ground launcher proving full
range of the missile.
LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT–NAVY (LCA-
Navy) - had its first flight on 27 th April 2012
followed by flights during month of Jun/Jul
2012. Initial Operation Clearance of this
aircraft is expected by Dec 2014. LCA,
country’s first indigenous modern Light
Combat Aircraft with four variants (air force,
Navy and their trainer versions), is a
precision weapon launch platform to carry a
range of Air to Air missile, unguided rockets
and bombs. The aircraft is integrated with
advanced cockpit, digital avionics and
weapons interface, to provide effective point
and shoot capability with quick turnaround
time. A Shore based Test facility (SBTF);
one of its kind in Asia and third in the
world; developed by DRDO at Naval Air
Station INS Hansa, Goa is now ready for
use. Besides testing of LCA-Navy, the test
facility will also be used for training of pilots
on LCA - Navy and MiG29K aircraft.
AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING AND CONTROL
SYSTEM (AEW&C) - In a landmark event
the first EMB-145I aircraft fully modified for
the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and
Control System (AEW&C) landed on Indian
soil at CABS (Centre for Airborne Systems,
Bangalore, a DRDO laboratory) on 23 Aug
2012.
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVs) -
There have been significant achievements in
the field of UAVs. NISHANT, with its ground
control system has been made ready for the
Army after confirmatory trials. An
indigenous Wankel rotary engine has been
developed by DRDO jointly with NAL,
Bangalore, for powering UAVs like NISHANT.
Rotary engine technology, especially suited
for such applications, is the first of its kind
in India. Orders for Lakshya II pilotless
target aircraft; capable of flying in sea
skimming mode and tree top heights; are
expected from the Services after successful
demonstration to them. Similarly, UAV
Rustom-I, a forerunner to Mediun Altitude
Long Range (MALE) UAV Rustom-2, had
series of successful trials. Indigenously
designed and developed RUSTOM-1
underwent series of successful test flights.
This UAV has the potential to be used for
military missions like Reconnaissance,
Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Target
Designation, Communications Relay, Battle
Damage Assessment and Signal
Intelligence. A mini UAV -‘NETRA’,
especially suited for Low intensity conflict
operations was inducted by the Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF). ‘NETRA’ has
four high speed propellers allowing it to take
off and land vertically. Similarly a fixed wing
mini UAV for low intensity conflict was
demonstrated to security forces at various
locations for surveillance within the range of
10 kms. It is also useful in reconnaissance
over hills.
ELECTRONIC WARFARE - There has been a
significant achievement in the Electronic
Warfare Area which includes integration and
testing of country’s first indigenous active
array radar, operationalisation of Combat
Information Decision Support System
(CIDSS) and development and testing of
laser based ordnance Disposal System and
advanced Laser Guided Bomb Tester. The
initial development of Indira-1, a short range
2D system has now been extended to high
power 3D system like 3D Central Acquisition
Radar and Weapon Locating Radar (WLR)
based on phased array. The DRDOs radar
warning receivers have been selected to
upgrade most of Indian Air Force aircrafts
like MiG 21, MiG 29, SU 30MKI, MiG 27 and
Jaguars.
MBT ARJUN MK-II -Arjun Mk-II the
advanced version of India’s first main battle
tank Arjun, commenced its user trials in
record time of 2 yrs. The Arjun Mk-II
incorporates 89 improvements over the Arjun
Mk-I, of which, two regiments are already in
service.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for
Smerch Rockets - Ordnance Factory Board
(OFB) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding for a Joint Venture with M/s
Rosoboronexport, Russia and M/s Splav
“SPA”, Russia to manufacture five versions
of Smerch Rockets based on the technology
received from Russia. The Smerch Rockets
are technologically superior having a range
of 70-80- kms. With formation of this Joint
Venture, a new Chapter in the Indo-Russian
Friendship has commenced.
Joint Venture for Multi-role Transport
Aircraft (MTA) - Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
(HAL), the aerospace major, signed
the Preliminary Design Phase (PDP)
Contract on 12 October 2012with the United
Aircraft Corporation - Transport Aircraft
(UAC-TA), the Russian partner and their JV-
Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd (MTAL) for
the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA)
project as a follow on contract of the
General Contract signed between the three
parties in May 2012. “With this HAL and
UAC-TA will start the preliminary design work
immediately at Moscow.
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CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH
INDUCTIONS/ACQUISITIONS
Mi -17 V5 Helicopter Inducted into IAF
Mi-17 V5 helicopter was inducted
into the Indian Air Force (IAF)
on 17 February 2012 . This helicopter falls in
the category of armed helicopter, with
substantial and effective firepower with the
latest and more powerful engines that will
greatly enhance its payload carriage
capability at higher altitudes.
Mi-17 V5,  an upgrade of Mi-17 in
the medium-lift category, is equipped
with  state-of-the-art avionics and on-board
Navigation Systems.  It is a glass cockpit
variant; the first of its kind to get inducted
into the IAF.  It has onboard weather radar,
state of the art autopilot and is compatible
with the latest Generation (Gen-III) Night
vision Goggles.  With this, the helicopter can
undertake all-weather, day and night
operations in any kind of terrain. The
helicopter is also equipped with a Bambi-
Bucket that can be used for fire fighting.  It
is also fitted with a powerful winch–a
feature useful in the Disaster Relief
Operations in restricted areas where landing
is not possible.
INS Chakra
Indian Navy inducted INS Chakra to
itsunder water fleet on 04 th April 2012 at
Vishakhapatnam. Defence Minister Shri AK
Antony inducted the submarine into the fleet
of Eastern Naval Command. This four plus
generation Russian origin submarine is
capable of fulfilling multiple roles and will
go a long way in strengthening Navy’s blue
water operating capability.
INS Sahyadri
The third of the follow-on class
indigenous stealth frigate was commissioned
on 21 July 2012 at Mazagaon Dock Limited,
Mumbai by the Defence Minister Shri AK
Antony. Conceived and designed by Indian
Navy Design Team this Shivalik class frigate
will be mainstay frigate of the Navy in the
21 st Century.
INS Teg and Tarkash
The First and Second of the three
Talwar-class stealth frigates constructed at
Yantar Shipyard, Kalinigrad Russia were
inducted into Indian Navy on 27 April and 09
November 2012 respectively by the Flag
Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern
Naval Command. These multi-role stealth
frigate with advanced combat suits are fitted
with formidable array of weapons and
sensors onboard the Ship including the
super-sonic BrahMos missile system and
advance surface-to-air missile system.
Commissioning of Indian Coast Guard Ship
H-187, H-188 and H-189
To provide a boost to coastal
security Indian Coast Guard Ship H-187, the
first of the series of twelve Air Cushion
Vehicles (ACVs), was commissioned at Okha
on 11 June 2012 by Vice Admiral MP
Muralidharan, DG Coast Guard. The 21
meter long ACV (hovercraft) designed and
built by GriffenHaverwork Limited (GHL), UK
displaces 31 tonnes and can achieve a
maximum speed of 45 knots. The ACV is
capable of undertaking multi-farious tasks
such as surveillance, interdiction, search and
rescue and responding assistance to small
boats / crafts in distress at Sea.
The second in the series, H-188 was
commissioned at Haldia by Inspector
General of Coast Guard Shri Rajendra Singh
on 20 Nov 2012.
The third ACV in this series, H-189
was commissioned in Mumbai by Vice
Admiral SK Sinha FOC-in-C Western Naval
Command. With the commissioning of
H-189, the force level of Indian Coast Guard
has gone up to 77 ships and First Attack
Boats and with the planned induction the
force level would be doubling by 2018.
Commission of Indian Coast Guard Ship
‘Samudra Paheredar’
Indian Coast Guard Ship
'SamudraPaheredar', the second of the series
of three Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs)
being built by M/s ABG Shipyard, Surat was
commissioned by Admiral NirmalVerma, the
then Chief of the Naval Staff in July 2012.
The 95m long indigenous PCV
displaces 4300 tonnes and can achieve a
maximum speed of 20.5 knots with an
endurance of 6500 nautical miles.The ship’s
primary role is pollution response at sea and
is equipped with the most advanced and
sophisticated pollution response and control
equipment for mitigating oil spills, which
include containment equipment like hi-sprint
booms and river booms, recovery devices like
skimmers and side sweeping arms. The ship
is capable of unhindered oil recovery
operations with storage tank capacity of 500
KL in addition to inflatable barges.
The ship is installed with modern
Integrated Platform Management System and
Power Management System, which makes it
unique for unmanned machinery operations.
It is also fitted with Dynamic Positioning
System for fire fighting and pollution
response operations and an infra-red
surveillance system for night surveillance.
Commissioning of First Inshore Patrol
Vessel (IPV) ‘ Rani Abbakka’
The Indian Coast Guard Ship Rani
Abbakka, the 1 st of a series of five Inshore
Patrol Vessel (IPV) built at M/s HSL, was
commissioned at Visakhapatnam by the then
Minister of State for Defence Dr.MM
PallamRaju,on 20 Jan 2012.
The 50 meter indigenous IPV
displaces 300 tonnes and can achieve a
maximum speed of 31.5 Knots with an
endurance of 1500 nautical miles.The
special features of the ship include an
Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Machinery
Control System (IMCS), and an indigenously
built Gun Mount with Fire Control System.
The ship is designed to carry one Rigid
Inflatable Boat and two Geminis for Search
and Rescue, Law Enforcement and Maritime
Patrol.
Commissioning Of ICGS ‘Dahanu’
Coast Guard Station Dahanu, the
third Coast Guard station in Maharashtra,
was commissioned by Vice Admiral MP
Muralidharan, Director General Indian Coast
Guard at Dahanu on 22 March 2012.
The station is part of ongoing efforts
by the Coast Guard to strengthen coastal
security along the Indian coastline. The
station at Dahanu will help augment
patrolling along the north Maharshtra coast
and prevent illicit activity such as infiltration
and smuggling.
Commissioning Of ICGS Krishnapatnam
Coast Guard Station Krishnapatnam,
the third Coast Guard Station in Andhra
Pradesh, was commissioned in Andhra
Pradesh by Dr MM PallamRaju, the then
Raksha Rajya Mantri on June 18, 2012.
The establishment of a Station at
Krishnapatnam is part of the ongoing efforts
by the Coast Guard to strengthen coastal
security in the coastal states of the nation.
Commissionig of Coast Guard
Station Karaikal
Coast Guard Station Karaikal, the
fifth CG station on the Puducherry - Tamil
Nadu coastline was commissioned by Vice
Admiral MP Muralidharan, Director General
Indian Coast Guard at Karaikal on 25 July
2012.
The station is part of ongoing efforts
by the Coast Guard to strengthen coastal
security along the Indian coastline.  The
station at Karaikal will help augment
patrolling along the east coast and prevent
illicit activities such as infiltration,
smuggling and illegal fishing.
Commissioning of Naval Base INS
‘DweepRakshak’ and ‘BAAZ‘
Naval base INS ‘DweepRakshak’ was
commissioned in Lakshadweep Islands and
INS ‘Baaz’ was commissioned in Andaman
Islands (Campbell Bay) in 2012.
Commissioning of these full fledged naval
bases was another milestone in the
commitment of Indian Navy in maintaining
effective coastal surveillance and defence
capability. The positioning of radar stations
and other surveillance measures will add
positive control over movement of Ships and
intelligence gathering.
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COASTAL SECURITY INITIATIVES
Inauguration of StaticSensors Project in
Mumbai and Porbandar
With the inauguration of the Static
Sensors Project of Coastal Surveillance
Network by the Defence Minister Shri AK
Antony on 25 Aug 2012, the coastal security
mechanism got a big boost. Shri Antony said
that the patching up of National Automatic
Identification System Network (AIS) and
Vessel Traffic System (VTS) of Gulf of
Khambat, along with the Coastal Security
Network, will help us in identifying a friend
or foe in our waters.
Under Phase I of Coastal Surveillance
Network, Coastal Static Sensors will be put
up at 46 locations. Out of these, the
mainland radars are expected to be
operationalised later this year, while those
on the island territories will become
operational next year.
Kerala Cluster
of Coastal Radar NetworkCommissioned
The Remote Operating Station (ROS)
of the coastal  surveillance sensor chain of
Kerala cluster was inaugurated by Vice
Admiral MP Muralidharan, Director General
Indian Coast Guard at the Coast Guard
District Headquarters No 4 Fort Kochi on 15
Sept 2012.    Speaking on the occasion, Vice
Admiral Muralidharan highlighted the efforts
of BEL the agency who executed the project,
Department of  Lighthouses and Light Ships ,
MTNL, BSNL, and ISRO in seeing the project
through.
In Kerala, the feed and data from the
four coastal  surveillance radars at Mount
Dilli in Ezhimala, Ponnani, Vypin and Kollam
will be available at the ROS Fort Kochi.  Two
more additional sensors will be installed at
Alapuzha and Azhikode in the phase two of
the project.
Step towards Eastern Coast Sensitisation
Minister of State for Defence Shri
Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Chain of
Static Sensor at Vishakhapatnam on 23 Nov
2012, which will provide real time
surveillance cover up to 25 nautical miles
along the coast line. Post 26/11 terrorist
attacks in Mumbai, the emergent need to
strengthen coastal security was
recognized by the Government and
on recommendation made by the Group of
Ministers, Indian Coast Guard was delegated
to implement the project. With the
inauguration of Eastern clusters at
Vishakhapatnam, the phase-I of
implementation of CSN at mainland is
completed.
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EXERCISES / INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION
· Exercise YUDH ABHYAS is part of
joint e x ercises between the Indian and
United States Armies since 2005 , agreed
upon under the New Framework of India -
US Defence Relationship . Commencing
at the platoon level , the exercise
graduated to a command post (CPX)
and field training exerc ise (FTX).
The seventh edition
of Yudh Abhyas commenced on 05
March 12 in two locations under the
South Western Command. The US Army
co n t i ngent is from the US Army Pacific
(USARPAC) , part of their Pacific
Command (PACOM) . The Command Post
Exercise has an engineer brigade
headquarters with its planners from both
sides, while the Field Training Exercise
comp rises troops of
2nd Squadron 14 th US Cavalry Regiment
from 25 th Infantry Division , Hawaii , along
with a platoon of Strykers , and a similar
s i zed Indian Army contingent of
mechanized infantry .
· Navies of India and Japan conducted
routine passage exercises ‘PASSEX’
during the visit of Japanese ships to
Indian ports this year.
· INS Sudarshini sets sail for ASEAN
Sailing Expedition from Kochi on 13 Sept
2012. This expedition was organised to
celebrate India’s warm ties with the
countries of Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN). Admiral DK
Joshi flagged off the six months voyage,
a unique collaborative venture of
Ministry of Defence and Ministry of
External Affairs. The voyage
commemorates 20 years of dialogue
partnerships. During the course of
voyage, 12,000 nautical expedition of INS
Sudarshini will visit 13 ports in nine
countries in South East Asia.
· The 15 nation Naval Exercise
‘MILAN-2012’ , a biennial congregation
of Littoral Navies of the Asia-Pacific
region, hosted by the Indian Navy,
commenced at Port Blair, in Andaman
and Nicobar islands, on 01 February
2012. It significantly contributed in
strengthening cooperation among the
Navies of 14 countries including
Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar,
New Zealand, Philippines, Seychelles,
Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
· ‘ Theatre Level Readiness and
Operational Exercise (TROPEX) ’ was
held on 07-08 February 2012 at
Vishakhapatnam by Eastern Naval
Command. Defence Minister Shri AK
Antony, who inaugurated the exercise,
spent two days with the Indian Navy and
he was given a glimpse of the expansive
scope and scale of the Indian Navy’s
annual exercise.
· Indian and Indonesian Armies
participated in the ‘ Counter Insurgency
and Jungle Warfare Training Drill’ in
March 2012.Training together to counter
the scourge of insurgency in various
contemporary scenarios
including jungle warfare, the operational
part of the first-ever platoon-level joint
training exercise – EX GARUDA SHAKTI
– of the armies of India and Indonesia,
concluded successfully at the Indian
Army's elite 'Counter Insurgency
and Jungle Warfare School’ (CIJWS),
Vairengte in Mizoram.
· Exercise ‘Shoor Veer’ is based on the
integrated theatre battle concept
under South Western Army Command
with the elite Strike Corps in the lead,
supported by Chetak Corps and all other
relevant elements of South Western
Army.
The Army and IAF has tested new
battle fighting concepts and
doctrines during the exercise with real
time pictures of the battle zone
provided to a centralized command and
control centre from fighter jets,
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and
attack helicopters, waging war in
network centric environment and massed
tank drills backed by long range
artillery guns.
More than 300 combat vehicles
including main battle tank
T-90, T-72, long range 150mm artillery
guns, multi barrel rockets and about
60000 troops has taken part in this
massive major exercise in Rajasthan.
A major highlight of the joint
exercise was the integrated air-land
war-fighting machinery and the synergy
between the Indian Army and IAF.
· Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted
Exercise ‘PRALAY’ in the North East on
29 February 2012.
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IMPORTANT VISITS PROMOTING
DEFENCE COOPERATION
· The twelfth meeting of the India-
Russia Inter-governmental Commission
on Military Technical Cooperation
(IRIGC-MTC) was held on 10 October
2012. In a joint India-Russia press
conferene held in New Delhi by the
Defence Minister Shri AK Antony and
Russian counterpart Mr.AE
Serdyukov endorsed the Protocols of the
meetings of the Working Group on
Shipbuilding, Aviation and Land
Systems, (WGSALS) and the Working
Group on Military Technical Cooperation
(WG-MTC) which were held in New Delhi
on 27-28 August, 2012 and 30-31
August, 2012 respectively.
· The US Secretary of Defence Mr. Leon
Panetta was on a visit to India 05-07
June, 2012. Mr. Panetta met the Defence
Minister Mr. AK Antony in New Delhi on
06 June 2012.  Mr. Panetta was
accompanied by a ten member
delegation, including the US Ambassador
to India and other senior officers from
the US Department of Defence.  During
the delegation level talks, b oth sides
exchanged views on the security
situation in South Asia, West Asia and
the Asia-Pacific and on various global
security challenges, including in the area
of cyber security.
· Indo-China delegation level talkson
defence cooperation held in New Delhi
on 04 th September 2012. The two
Defence Ministers had an extensive
exchange of views on defence and
military exchanges and cooperation
between the two countries. They also
discussed the regional security situation
and international issues of common
interest and concern. Both Ministers
agreed that expanding bilateral
cooperation between the Defence
Ministries and Armed Forces of India
and China helps enhance mutual trust,
deepens friendship and promotes
comprehensive development of the India-
China Strategic and Cooperative
Partnership for Peace and Prosperity.
The two Defence Ministers agreed to
work together to enhance mutual trust in
the security field and continue to
maintain peace and tranquility in the
India-China border areas.
Chinese Defence Minister Gen Liang
Guangliealso visited the National
Defence College (NDC) on 05 Sep 12.
This is the first time since its inception
in 1960 that such a high level military
delegation from China visited the
College.
· Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
inaugurated the 8th Heads of Asian
Coast Guards Meeting (HACGAM ) in New
Delhi on 03 Oct 2012. HACGAM is an
apex level forum facilitating
congregation of all the major Coast
Guard Agencies of Asian region. This
initiative was developed initially in 2004
to discuss cooperation among the
member organizations to combat piracy
in the region.  However, the scope of
discussions has been expanded to
include law enforcement, maritime
security, disaster prevention and relief
and capacity building.  Presently, there
are more than 20 member organizations
from 17 countries that are part of the
initiative.
· Commander-in-Chief of Defence
Services of Myanmar Gen Min
AungHlaing visited India in August 2012
and called on the Defence Minister Shri
AK Antony.
· The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
addressed the 11 th Asia Security
Summit, also known as ‘ Shangri La
Dialogue’ , in Singapore in June 2012.
Shri Antony said the international
community must ‘remain sensitive to the
problems of smaller nations and ensure
that their rights, as equal members of
the global community, are not
overlooked or compromised’. He said the
spirit of cooperation among international
community shown in anti-piracy
measures can be extended to ‘de-
conflict contentious maritime issues’.
· Minister of Defence of Singapore Dr.
Ng Eng Hen visited India in November
2012 and met the Defence Minister Shri
AK Antony. During the delegation level
talks, it was agreed to further enhance
the bilateral defence relationship in the
mutual interest of both countries as it
would contribute to regional peace and
stability. Both sides also agreed that the
on-going interactions between the
defence establishments of the two
countries, including through regular joint
military training and exercises, had been
useful. They also agreed to continue
such interactions in future.
· The first meeting of the India-
Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on
Defence Cooperation was held in New
Delhi on 10 Sep 2012. The 11-member
Saudi delegation was headed by Maj Gen
Suleiman Saleh Al-Khalifa, Chief of the
Armed Forces Operations of
Saudi Arabia . The Indian delegation was
headed by Joint Secretary, Ministry of
Defence. The Joint Committee was
mandated to formulate a programme to
develop areas of cooperation between
the defence establishments of both
countries. During the meeting both sides
expressed their interest in further
enhancing defence exchanges and
interactions between their armed forces.
· Vice Admiral Axel Schimpf, Chief of
Naval Staff, Germany visited India in
February 2012. Defence Secretary level
talks between India and Germany to
expand defence co-operation were also
held in June 2012.
· Defence Minister of Spain called on
the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in
New Delhi on 26 Oct 2012.
· Defence Minister
of BrazilMr.CelsoAmorim visited India
on 06 Feb 2012 and held one-to-one
talk with the Defence Minister Shri AK
Antony.
· Defence Minister Mr AK Antony laid
foundation stone of maritime training
academy of Maldives during his visit to
Maldives in September 2012. Continuing
with his dialogue on defence cooperation
with the top leadership of Maldives, he
called on the President
MohamedWaheed Hassan Manik in
Male.
· Defence Minister of Republic of Korea
Mr. Kim Kwan Jin visited India and held
the delegation level talks with his Indian
counterpart Shri AK Antony on 30 Nov
2012 on the matters of bilateral
interests.
· A high level delegation led by Rear
Admiral AARA Dias, the Director
General Sri  Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG),
who was on a visit to India from 26-30
Aug 2012, held a High Level Meeting,
with the Indian delegation led by Vice
Admiral MP Muralidharan, Director
General Indian Coast Guard in New Delhi
in August 2012. The visit was in
continuation of the various efforts by the
governments of the two countries
towards cooperation between the ICG
and SLCG and pursuance of the
discussions on maritime issues of
mutual concerns to formulate a
cooperative approach.
· General Haruhiko Kataoka, Chief of
Staff, Japan Air Self Defence Force was
on a three day goodwill visit to India
from 19-21 Nov 12.  The visit assumed
special significance in the light of
improving military cooperation between
the two countries in consonance with
India’s growing relationship with Japan .
· The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) and
Chairman Chief of Staff Committee
(COSC) was on a four day Defence
Cooperation visit to the Union
of Myanmar from 26-29 November
2012. The CAS led a five member
Composite Defence Delegation team
comprising of senior officers of the three
services.
· Vice Admiral ZahirUddin Ahmed, Chief
of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy visited
India from 08-10 July 2012. He was
given a Guard of Honour on 09 th July.
Later he met the Chief of Naval Staff
Admiral NirmalVerma and discussed
matters on mutual interests.
· BNS (Bangladesh Naval Ship)
Bangabandhu entered Kochi on
2 nd November. The modern frigate and
veritably the Flag Ship
of Bangladesh Navy was on en route to
Doha to participate in Exercise Ferocious
Falcon. A host of professional and social
interactions were scheduled between
India and Bangladesh Navies on the
occasion which included sports fixtures
and mutual visits. Mr Tariq Ahmad
Karim, the High Commissioner
of Bangladesh to India also flew in to
Kochi to welcome BNS Bangabandhu.
· Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of
Naval Operations, US Navy visited India
on 23 April 2012 and held talks with the
then Chief of Naval Staff Admiral
NirmalVermaon matters of bilateral
interests.
*********************
SEMINARS / WORKSHOPS / CONFERENCES
· Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
addressed the Combined Commanders’
Conference in New Delhi on 11 October
2012 which was attended amongst
others by Finance Minister Mr. P.
Chidambaram and Minister of External
Affairs Mr. SM Krishna. In the beginning
Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
introduced the top level Commanders’ of
the three Services to the Prime Minister.
· Unified Commanders’ Conference
commenced in New Delhi on 24 April
2012. Inaugurating the Conference
Defence Minister Shri AK Antony urged
all commanders to ensure that the fast
track procurement of equipment and
upgradation of infrastructureis followed
in letter and spirit.
Shri Antony told the top brass of
Armed Forces that while modernization
remains the topmost priority of the
Government and to achieve the same a
mechanism has been put in place to fast
track procurement of equipment and
upgradation of infrastructure. He
appealed the top commanders’ to be
honest and upright while fast tracking
important acquisitions for the defence
forces.
· ‘DefExpo India 2012’ , the 7th
international Exhibition on Land, Naval
and Internal Security Systems,
commenced on 29 March 2012 at New
Delhi. The four-day event was
inaugurated by the Defence Minister Shri
AK Antony. The largest ever Defence
Exposition in Asia showcased India’s
emergence as an attractive destination
for investment in the Defence Sector and
provided a platform for alliances and
joint ventures in the Defence Industry.
A total of 567 companies from 32
countries displayed weapon systems for
the Army, Navy and Internal Security.
Major participants were from Russia,
France and Israel besides Belgium,
Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea,
Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Poland,
Singapore, Slovak Republic, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa,
Turkey, USA and UK.
· Fourteenth Asian Security Conference
organized by the Institute of Defence
Studies and Analysis (IDSA) was
inaugurated by the Defence Minister Shri
AK Antony in New Delhi on 13 February
2012.
· Global Hypoxia Summit & the
4 th International Conference on
Chronic Hypoxia was inaugurated by the
then Minister of state for Defence Dr
M.M. PallamRaju in New Delhi on 09
Aug 2012. Addressing the gathering he
said High Altitude hypoxia research is
important for our country because we are
constrained to deploy considerable
number of soldiers in the high altitude
areas.
· Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
addressed a Workshop on
Nanotechnologyin New Delhi on 01 Oct
2012 organised by the DRDO. Shri Antony
said that India has proved its strong
capabilities and efficiency in the fields of
information technology and
biotechnology and DRDO must make all-
out efforts to bring about a convergence
of nanotechnology with information
technology and biotechnology.
· Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
inaugurated a two-day International
Seminar and
Exposition ‘Defcom India -2012’ in New
Delhi on 08 Nov 2012.
The Defcom -2012 was organized jointly
by the Integrated HQ of Ministry of
Defence (Army), Corp of Defence Signals
and Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII).
****************
SECURITY ISSUE / POLICY PROCEDURES
· Defence Minister Shri AK
Antony convened a meeting of all
stakeholders on coastal security in New
Delhi on 08 Oct 2012 and reviewed the
various steps taken to
enhance coastal  security network in the
country and progress achieved so far in
different fields. Presiding a high-level
meeting, Shri Antony said that there
must be a time bound action plan to
complete all pending decisions at the
earliest.
· The revised Defence Offset Guidelines
(DOG) were approved b y Defence
Acquisition Council (DAC) at its meeting
held on 23 rd July, 2012 and shall be
applicable w.e.f. 1 st August, 2012.
· A Meeting was taken by the Defence
Minister Shri AK Antony
on Defence  OperationalPreparedness on
02 Jul 2012 where three Service Chiefs
and Defence Secretary were also
present.
· The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
gave his ‘in principle’ approval to a
three-fold hike in the delegation
of financial  powers to Service
Headquarters – from the
current Rs.50 crores to Rs.150 crores on
28 May 2012 to accelerate the process
of procurement for the Armed Forces.
· The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
announced a number of decisions taken
by the Centre for infrastructure
development and for creation of job
opportunities in Arunachal Pradesh while
inaugurating the five- day long
celebration of the completion of 25 years
of statehood of Arunachal Pradesh at a
function in Itanagar in February 2012.
Shri Antony announced that the Ministry
of Defence has cleared the raising of
2 nd Battalion of Arunachal Scouts.
· India-UK defence consultation group
meeting was held in New Delhi on 08
Feb 2012.
· Ministry of Defence debarred six firms
from business dealings for a term of ten
years on 05 Mar 2012.
· A Decision was taken by the Defence
Acquisition Council (DAC) to purchase
M-777 guns for the Indian Army on 11
May 2012.
********************************
WELFARE MEASURES OF SERVICEMEN / EX-
SERVICEMEN
· Defence Minister Shri AK Antony
chaired the meeting of the Consultative
Committee attached to his Ministry on
18 Dec 2012 in New Delhi and took note
of latest progress in different welfare
measures for ex-servicemen.
Government has widened the scope
of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health
Scheme (ECHS) and established more
polyclinics and regional health centres.
In 2010, 199 polyclinics were sanctioned
by the Government out of which 99
polyclinics have become functional and
100 polyclinics are under various stages
of operationalization. The scheme is
presently been implemented to 326
functional polyclinics. At present, the
scheme has over 41 lakh beneficiaries
including 13 lakh ex-servicemen and
over 28 lakh dependents.
· The Government has also taken up
special measures to accelerate the
Married Accommodation Project (MAP) .
Under the project, a total of nearly two
lakh dwelling units are being constructed
in four phases at an estimated cost of
over Rs. 17, 000 crores. Presently, 54,
000 dwelling units have been
constructed out of a total of 58, 000
dwelling units under Phase-I of the
project. Phase-II of the project involving
the construction of 70, 000 dwelling
units has also begun. Phase-Ill and
Phase-IV of MAP have been merged so
that the work on the remaining 71, 000
dwelling units of MAP Phase III and
Phase IV can be expedited.
· The Union Cabinet has approved the
recommendations of the Committee
headed by Cabinet Secretary for benefits
to ex-servicemen on four issues.   The
financial implications of the
improvements made as per the Cabinet
decision on the four items are broadly
estimated at Rs.2300 crore per annum.
One Rank One Pension - On One Rank
One Pension, the demand of the Defence
Forces and Ex-Servicemen Associations
is that uniform pension be paid to the
Defence Forces personnel retiring in the
same rank with the same length of
service irrespective of their date of
retirement and any future enhancement
in the rates of pension be automatically
passed on to the past pensioners. On
this issue the following was approved by
the Cabinet:
(i)      Bridging of the gap in the
pension of pre 1.1.06 and post 1.1.06
JCO/OR retirees by determining the
pension of pre 1.1.06 retirees on the
basis of notional maximum for ranks
and groups across the three
Services as in the case of post 1.1.06
retirees.  In addition, the weightage of
qualifying service in the ranks
of Sepoys, Naik and Havaldar would
be increased by two years for both
pre and post 1.1.06 retirees.
(ii)        The pension of pre 1.1.06
Commissioned Officer pensioners
would be stepped up with reference to
the minimum of fitment table for the
ranks instead of the minimum of pay
band .
Enhancement of Family Pension –
(i) The pension of pre - 1.1.2006
family pensioners(Commissioned
Officers, Honorary Commissioned
Officers, JCOs/ORs ) be stepped up
based on the minimum of the
fitment table instead of the
minimum of the Pay Band;
(ii) Establishing linkage of the
family pension with the pension
of JCOs/ORs, in those cases where
the death takes place after
the retirement of the JCO/OR since
such a JCO/OR drew a pension
based on the maximum of the pay
scales, 60% of the pension
applicable to JCO/OR pensioners
would be granted to the family
pensioner in case of normal family
pension calculated a 30% of last pay
drawn. Accordingly, based on the
rank, group and length of service of
the deceased JCO/OR pensioner, his
pension would first be determined
on notional basis. In cases where
death of JCO/OR took place
after retirement, the family
pensioners in receipt of normal
family pension would become
entitled to 60% of the said pension
determined on notional basis and
those in receipt of enhanced family
pension will be entitled to 100% of
this pension. Similar entitlements
would be determined in the case of
Special Family Pension; and
(ii)family pensioner of the JCO/OR
would be granted pension arrived at
on the basis of the family pension
worked out as per the formulation at
(i) above or the pension on the basis
of stepping up with reference to the
minimum of the fitment table,
whichever is beneficial. Further, the
linkage of family pension with
retiring pensionbe applied in the
case of post 1.1.2006 family
pensioners of JCOs/ORs also.
Dual Family Pension - Dual family
pension would be allowed in the present
and future cases where the pensioner
drew, is drawing or may draw pension
for military service as well as for civil
employment.
Family pension to mentally / physically
challenged children of armed forces
personnel on marriage - Grant of family
pension to mentally/physically challenged
children who drew, are drawing or may
draw family pension would continue
even after their marriage.
· Defence Food Technological Research
Laboratory (DFRL) under DRDO,by using
a set of cold shock dehydration
technologies,has developed a ready to
eat packaged food ‘Aahaar’ having shelf
life of more than a year without
compromising the nutrition and taste.
Besides providing a ready to eat food,
these products are eminently suitable for
use during long journeys, nutritional
feeding, mass catering programmes and
other similar civilian applications.
· Bio-digester toilets were launched by
DRDO in a tie-up with FICCI in June this
year at Dhamra, Odisha. An evolved
technology to treat biological wastes of
soldiers serving in high altitudes of
Ladakh and Siachen, is set to radically
alter the rural sanitation and
decomposition woes of fecal wastes in
the plains across the country.
· Indian Air Force (IAF) has opened a
Directorate of Air Veterans for retired air
personnel on 04 Oct 2012.
· Indian Navy’s first executive IT cadre
launched in July 2012.
· To reduce the incidents of suicide and
fragging in armed forces, Defence
Institute of Psychological Research
(DIPR) under DRDO has developed a
suicide risk management test to help
identify security personnel at risk so that
preventive measures can be taken in
advance. DIPR has already handed over
this to the Army. The laboratory has
also planned a comprehensive soldier
fitness programme resilience building to
generate awareness towards well-
beingamong troops.
*********************************
SCALING NEW HEIGHTS IN SPORTS AND
ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES
· Four air warriors of IAF ‘Delphinus’
became the first services team in the
world to swim the English Channel on 26
June 2012 by safely and successfully
crossing the channel in 12 hours 14
minutes. They became the fastest Asian
team to swim English Channel in its
category.
· Subedar Major Vijay Kumar brought
glory and laurels to Indian Army as well
as to the Country by winning a Silver
Medal at the London Olympics in 25
meter pistol shooting event.Olympic
silver medalist Vijay Kumar was
subsequently promoted asSubedar Major
and given a cash award of Rs.30 lakh
by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony.
· 49 naval sportsmen represented the
country at various international sports
events during the year and have won
three Gold, two Silver and five bronze
medals.
· Chief Petty Officer Omkar Singh of the
Navy shooting team has been bestowed
the Arjuna Award for sporting Excellence
for the year 2012.
· Indian Army Women’s Everest
Expedition-2012 put four women officers
on the summit of Mt. Everest. They
achieved this feat on 25 May 2012.
*********************
REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE IN
DISTRESS
· IAF evacuated 171 persons and
distributed 4600 kg of relief material
during its Relief and Rescue Operation in
flashflood hit Uttarakhand.
· Army synergizes rescue efforts to
save precious lives in Cloud burst hit
Rudraprayag District of Uttrakhand.
· Joint flood relief operations by the
Armed Forces in Arunachal and Assam
were carried out from 20 to 28
September 2012.
**************************
CHANGE OF GUARDS
· Change of Guards in nation’s land
and naval forces as well as consequent
crucial changes in the top command
levels in these two services had
definitely a bearing on the shape of
things to come in the Armed Forces.
General Bikram Singh took over as
the 25 th Chief of the Army Staff in place
of General VK Singh on 31 May 2012,
who retired after the Hon’ble Supreme
Court’s decision of agreeing to Govt’s
stand of General’s Date of Birth as 31
May 1950.
The Navy also saw Vice Admiral DK
Joshi assuming the charge of Chief of
Naval Staff on 31 Aug 2012 after the
superannuation of the outgoing Admiral
NirmalVerma.