Experts Speak
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September 22, 2023
Trudeau's Canada, Terror & Western Retribution
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Unraveling the web of Trudeau's allegations and the complex realities of India-Canada relations
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September 20, 2023
Neocolonial Capitalism
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)From Exploitation to Empowerment, Charting a Course to Global Economic Equity
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September 11, 2023
G20 Delhi Summit — Inclusive Declaration
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The G20 Summit 2023 in Delhi sets a global precedent by charting a unified course for a shared future
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September 11, 2023
G20 Heralds a New Future
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)India played host to the world and charted a new course in global geopolitics at a highly successful G20 Summit
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September 5, 2023
G20: At Least Let Them Talk
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The upcoming G20 Summit will hope for a constructive dialogue between member countries to navigate global challenges and bridge the divide in a shifting World Order
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August 31, 2023
INS 'Vindhyagiri', Support Ships, PRV & SSNs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Strengthening India’s Naval Arsenal and Charting its Maritime Future
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August 31, 2023
Private Sector Drone SAR
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Unlocking India's Sky with Cutting-Edge Drone SAR Technology
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August 31, 2023
Drone Squadron, MCA Barges for Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Navigating the Future, Indian Navy explores the Unmanned Frontier
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August 28, 2023
BRICS Blows the Bugle
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Exploring the implications, tensions, and challenges in an expanded BRICS alliance
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August 23, 2023
Old Rivals, New Theatre
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Exploring the Enduring Rivalry Between US and Russia Across Ages
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August 14, 2023
Is China Gearing for More Conflict?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's Military Buildup Signals Growing Concerns in the Region
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August 14, 2023
Malware and Spyware
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's Disruptive Cyber Campaign Puts National Security at Risk, Prompting Global Concerns
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August 14, 2023
CUAS and Archer-NG MALE UAV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's robust defence innovations in Counter-Drone Technology and Next-Gen Unmanned Aerial Arsenal to bolster National Security
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July 31, 2023
India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Relations Strengthened
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)President Wickremesinghe's Historic Visit Seals New Agreements and Vision for the Future
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July 31, 2023
Drones – Kamikaze to Stratosphere
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Advanced Technology and Autonomy Redefine Drone Warfare
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July 31, 2023
Helicopters – Leasing and Exporting
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's Ministry of Defence seeks Helicopters on Lease amidst fleet troubles while navigating export challenges
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July 31, 2023
AI and Humanoid Robots
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Artificial Intelligence is shaping our world with remarkable innovations, but its rise sparks debates on job displacement and the urgent need for safety measures
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July 31, 2023
Pakistan – New Frigates, New Nuclear Strategy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Pakistan integrates advanced Tughril class frigates from China, signaling growing military ties and a strategic shift in nuclear deterrence
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July 31, 2023
India-Vietnam Deepen Strategic Ties
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's gift of Missile Corvette INS 'Kirpan' to Vietnam marks a major milestone in Bilateral Defence Partnership
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July 24, 2023
Global War on Terror Going Nowhere
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Navigating the Global War on Terror through Complex Realities as it turns out to be the most expansive and expensive global conflict spanning multiple wars
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July 15, 2023
Prime Minister Modi's visit to France gets Navy a Big Boost
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)French National Day celebrates Prime Minister Modi as Guest of Honour, paving the way for defence collaboration and indigenous technological advancements
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July 15, 2023
Pro-Khalistan rallies raise concerns over rising Extremism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Nations with large Indian diaspora need to tread a delicate balance as Khalistan movement gains momentum
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July 15, 2023
India Hosts Virtual SCO Summit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Leaders of SCO nations gather to foster connectivity, address security concerns, and pave the way for future growth
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July 15, 2023
India in China's Crosshair
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Unraveling China's new Border Law and Foreign Relations Law and its expanding national security ambitions on the global stage
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July 15, 2023
Brain Warfare
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mind control goes global with China's Neurostrike programme and the race for brain warfare supremacy
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July 15, 2023
Agnipath – Changes Anticipated
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Agnipath scheme overhaul expected as India's Armed Forces confront recruitment woes and Geopolitical concerns
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July 6, 2023
India's Exposed Eastern Flank
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The deep-rooted turmoil due to drugs, land rights, and historical divisions has unleashed chaos in Manipur
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July 1, 2023
Weaponised AI Systems
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Future of Autonomous Warfare with the rise of AI-Controlled Weapons
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July 1, 2023
Global Terrorism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US-India Joint Statement on Terrorism is in contrast to US' historical support and current alliances with terror groups
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June 15, 2023
UK-Pakistan Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A strengthening bond for Security and Intelligence
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June 15, 2023
India's Submarine Programme Gains Momentum
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the decline in India's submarine fleet and China's superior underwater capabilities, there was a need for swift action to bridge the technological gap and maintain regional stability
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June 15, 2023
Varunastra Torpedo
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's indigenous Varunastra Torpedo sets new standards in Underwater Warfare enhancing India's Underwater capabilities
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June 15, 2023
Double Carrier Exercise
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India's Two-Carrier exercise showcases Maritime power in the Indian Ocean, strengthening India's Naval Dominance and addressing Security Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
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June 1, 2023
G20 Srinagar Meet & Pak Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)G20 Srinagar Meet Shines Spotlight on Kashmir's Progress Amid Security Concerns
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June 1, 2023
Seabed Warfare
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Seabed warfare emerges as a hybrid form of conflict with regional and global implications, necessitating defence upgrades
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June 1, 2023
China's Military Assistance to Pakistan, Nepal
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An update on China's military influence, Arms Deals, Geopolitical Alliances, and Controversies in South Asia
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May 23, 2023
Greenland & Taiwan
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The comparison between Greenland and Taiwan may seem superficial at first glance, but it is not entirely incorrect. These self-governing islands experience intense competition between the United States and China, albeit in different ways.
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May 15, 2023
Indigenous Armed XLUUV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Ministry of Defence (MoD) has initiated a project to design and develop an Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUV). Indian Navy is interested in procuring up to 12 XLUUVs once a prototype is built and clears all trials.
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May 11, 2023
Global Groupings and Groupism
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The UNSC has remained in a limbo since the 2003 Iraq invasion, divisions have further sharpened since the Ukraine war, the G7 has seen its fortunes and influence dwindle giving way to a more credible G20 and now BRICS is steadily gathering winds in its sails with over 40 per cent of the world's population and rich resource and manufacturing base
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May 1, 2023
SCO Defence Ministers Meet
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)“India strives to further bolster trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO as it believes in maintaining peace and security based on the provisions of the UN charter” —Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
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May 1, 2023
China's Hypersonic IRBM
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) informed US legislators that China currently outpaces Russia regarding supporting infrastructure and system numbers when it comes to hypersonic capabilities
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May 1, 2023
China's AI-controlled Satellite
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)While the AI was induced from a ground-based station for the experiment, the operation for redeployment of the satellite was autonomous without any human intervention
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May 1, 2023
Naval Interceptor Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully conducted a maiden flight trial of sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile
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May 1, 2023
Salvaging Sudan
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Even before the recent clashes, Sudan was facing social and political unrest with a struggling economy
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April 27, 2023
IAF: An Impeccable Force for Humanitarian Support
By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)Indian Air Force has emerged as a reliable first responder for undertaking aid and rescue during any calamity under HADR operations
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April 18, 2023
G20 in Ukraine's Shadow
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US and the EU want to include Ukraine in the 2023 G20 Summit at New Delhi, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to address the summit
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April 18, 2023
Indigenous SSN
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)In 2019, the Indian government slashed the SSN project to just three SSNs citing high project costs. The 48,000 crore project to build 3 x SSNs has been pending Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approval since then.
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April 18, 2023
New Gen Patrol, Missile Vessels
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)These NGOPVs and NGMVs will boost the combat potential of the Indian Navy, albeit their deliveries are scheduled to commence only from 2026 and 2027 respectively and would take seven to nine years to complete
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April 18, 2023
Military Transport Aircraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Military transport aircraft was one of the critical missing links in the entire defence industrial complex chain which has been plugged with the Tata-Airbus joint venture and the development of the defence transport aircraft RAJAS-Rakshan now, to a significant extent
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April 8, 2023
The Global Reset
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The world is currently witnessing a great churn in geostrategic alliances resulting in a global realignment of security relations and partnerships.
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April 1, 2023
The Dragon-Bear Hug
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Meeting President Putin at the Kremlin, President Xi emphasised the China-Russia relationship reaching where it is today
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April 1, 2023
BrahMos Aplenty
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Navy proposal to acquire more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles is at an advanced stage and is expected to be soon cleared by the MOD
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April 1, 2023
Rafale-M for Indian Navy
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Dassault's Rafale-M outperformed its rival Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet in the evaluation process and it was deemed to be more suitable in meeting the operational requirements and criteria of the Indian Navy
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April 1, 2023
More Teeth for Army, Navy, Air Force
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Chinese aggression during 2020 in Eastern Ladakh has caused the government to sit up and focus on defence, as well as 'Atmanirbhar' or the self-reliance initiative
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March 15, 2023
India-Italy Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)This was Italian Prime Minister Meloni's first visit to India during which she was accompanied by Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and a high-powered business delegation
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March 15, 2023
Trainer Aircraft & Training Ships
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On March 1, 2023 the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the deals for 70 x basic trainer aircrafts and the three cadet training ships
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March 3, 2023
Very Short-Range Air Defence
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)According to the Ministry of Defence, recent developments along the Northern borders requires a focus on effective Air Defence weapon systems which are man portable and can be deployed quickly
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March 3, 2023
Armed USV Swarms
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Navy is using the project to understand and evaluate USV swarm capabilities for practical exploitation. If successful, the order could run into higher numbers.
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February 23, 2023
A Year into the Ukraine War
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The narrative about the war in Ukraine is hugely lopsided with the US led west deploying every imaginable form of propaganda, information, disinformation and misinformation
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February 17, 2023
Lebanisation of Pakistan
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Lebanon's post-war era militia leaders became the political leadership and have kept a lock on power ever since. The country remains a nation without an effective governing dispensation. Pakistan seems to be going the same way!
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February 14, 2023
Spy Balloons
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US has accused China of violating its airspace while Beijing has accused America of violating international norms by shooting down the balloon
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February 14, 2023
Export with Care
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)We need to be careful about which countries we are exporting indigenous equipment to and have sufficient safeguards in place to ensure the technology is not passed on to our adversaries
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February 14, 2023
Stealth Vehicles
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi is working on developing materials that can be used for developing ‘stealth’ vehicles. The materials being developed can reportedly absorb more than 96 per cent of radar waves in a wide range of frequencies, coming simultaneously from multiple directions.
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February 14, 2023
Private Industry Innovations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying “It is our collective aim to establish India as one of the key partners in global semiconductor supply chains” has increased India’s focus on producing semiconductors
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February 14, 2023
Underwater Terrorism
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A new facet of America’s terrorism has been unveiled – underwater terrorism in sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines
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February 14, 2023
Indigenous Tapas-BH & Archer-NG Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Induction of these indigenous drones will give a tremendous boost to the combat potential of our Armed Forces. These would fall much cheaper and cut drone import costs drastically.
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February 3, 2023
Republic Day Parade and Atmanirbhar Bharat
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Building on the 75th year of Independence celebrated as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Republic Day parade depicted India's growing indigenous capabilities, Nari Shakti and emergence of a 'New India'.
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February 3, 2023
Navy Exercises for Conflict
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, these exercises provide an opportunity to test the combat readiness of the combined Fleets of the Indian Navy to operate in a multi-threat environment
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February 3, 2023
New-Age Drones, Jet Packs and Robotic Mules
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Army is seeking the above technologies in line with the need to modernise and upgrade its combat capabilities
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February 3, 2023
Humans in Space and Western Fear of China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that Ukraine needs NATO's continued support, because if President Putin wins, the message to Beijing will be that they can achieve what they want with the use of brute force
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February 2, 2023
Defence Budget 2023-2024
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Defence Budget 2023-2024 is 5.94 lakh crore, an increase of about 12.5 per cent over last year
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January 15, 2023
GSP 2022 – Military Ignored
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Geospatial Policy (GSP) 2022 is good for promoting digital economy, private industry, innovations, blue economy, integrating multiple agencies dealing with geospatial data, innovation and the like but the requirements of national security and of the Armed Forces have been totally ignored
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January 15, 2023
Missile Systems Procurement
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)All the proposals for procurement of missile systems are under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category
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January 2, 2023
The Catch 22 in Ukraine's Elusive Peace
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The US has always used war to benefit economically. Peace is unlikely in Ukraine with Zelenskyy dancing to the tune of the Biden Administration.
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January 2, 2023
INS 'Vagir' Delivered
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Vagir is a state-of-the-art submarine featuring advanced stealth features and is designed for multifarious missions like anti-surface, anti-submarine, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and mine-laying
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January 2, 2023
The Downside of SPARSH
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)SPARSH has become the bane of ex-servicemen and veer naris, especially those who are not computer savvy and living in remote areas
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December 23, 2022
2022: A Tumultuous Year
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)As 2022 draws to a close, here is a snapshot of the year gone by and the changed geopolitical world that it leaves behind
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December 14, 2022
Egyptian President at Republic Day Parade 2023
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India and Egypt share close political understanding based on long history of contacts and cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues. Both countries were the founding members of the Non Allied Movement (NAM) and have co-operated on multilateral forums.
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December 6, 2022
G20: Prospects Beyond Summits
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The presidency gives India a unique opportunity to steer the agenda, showcase its leadership acumen and brandish its rich cultural and archaeological heritage
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December 2, 2022
Weaponisation of Winter
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)Russian missile and drone attacks on energy and other infrastructure means that large parts of Ukraine people are now living without light, water, or heating. This is becoming increasingly unbearable as the country begins to face temperatures below freezing.
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December 1, 2022
Turkey-Pakistan Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Turkey-Pakistan defence cooperation is getting stronger. During the recent two-day visit of Pakistan Prime Minister to Turkey, Sharif and Erdogan jointly inaugurated a corvette warship PNS 'Khyber' built by Turkey for the Pakistan Navy under a strategic cooperation project between the two countries
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November 18, 2022
Ukraine conflict and Paralysed Global politics
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The G-20 summit offered a snapshot of a somewhat paralysed international system, ill-equipped to mobilise around solving major shared challenges
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November 15, 2022
No cold war; Tensions may still flare
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit may cool temperatures for now. But while Washington and Beijing can try to put guardrails on their relationship, sensitivities over Taiwan are high and the risk for misunderstanding acute.
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November 14, 2022
New Interceptor Missile for BMD
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)On November 2, 2022, India successfully tested its new interceptor missile for Phase-II of its indigenous BMD system, which is capable of intercepting incoming long-range nuclear missiles as well as slow-moving aircraft
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November 14, 2022
CPEC extension into Afghanistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Beijing has Pakistan in its pocket and good relations with the Afghan Taliban to whom it has promised help to rebuild Afghanistan. However, Chinese workers remain under threat in Pakistan, so what will happen in Afghanistan when the CPEC is extended to that country.
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October 31, 2022
ARBEL AI-based Firing System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian policy makers and the military have acknowledged AI as a key component of national security strategy and are focused on AI-based research
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October 31, 2022
Extended Range BrahMos for IAF
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The range of the BrahMos missile has been increased already and with the advantage of being airborne at high altitudes, the missile can travel a longer distance and can hit targets at 800 kms and beyond
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October 15, 2022
Unmanned Armed Boats and UW Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China, Russia, France, the UK and the US all have considerable capabilities for seabed operations and underwater capabilities. Indian Navy does lack such capability which is urgently required, especially given China’s escalating incursions into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
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October 3, 2022
Priorities for the newly appointed CDS
By Lt. General Abhay Krishna (Retd)The Nation eagerly looks at General Anil Chauhan, the new CDS, for successfully taking forward the initiatives taken up by the Late General Bipin Rawat
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October 1, 2022
Infrastructure Projects in Great Nicobar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The vision is the overall development of Great Nicobar Island, with a diverse and robust economy based on maritime services and tourism amongst other economic drivers
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September 24, 2022
Lawlessness in a Unipolar World
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)There is worrisome compromise of international institutions, agreements, treaties and arrangements that do not serve the domestic agenda of the US
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September 14, 2022
Hiccups in Project 75(I)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It remains to be seen whether the foreign OEMs will be satisfied with whatever changes the MoD has made in the tender document and how many will respond by the December 2022 deadline
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September 1, 2022
Chinese Stealth and UW Technology
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China's long-range heat-seeking radar boosts anti-stealth technology. It has also completed the conceptual design work for a small, low-cost nuclear reactor for use in swarming torpedoes that could cross the Pacific within a week.
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September 1, 2022
Exercise Vostok-2022
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An Indian Army contingent comprising of troops from 7/8 Gorkha Rifles is participating in a multilateral strategic and command Exercise Vostok-2022 aimed at interaction and coordination amongst other participating military contingents and observers
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August 26, 2022
Battle for Skies over the Seas
By Air Vice Marshal Sanjay Bhatnagar (Retd)Boeing makes a strong case with their F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III for the Indian Navy's carrier deck based fighter programme
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August 16, 2022
India Arises @ 75
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)The gains since 1947 have been massive, keeping in mind that we have also evolved as a strong multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, vibrant and resilient democracy
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August 15, 2022
Indo-Maldives Defence & Security Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Close contact and coordination between India and Maldives in defence and security is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region in the backdrop of trans-national crime, terrorism and drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean
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August 15, 2022
Commissioning of INS 'Vikrant'
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The successful delivery of the indigenous carrier is testimony to the dedicated efforts of a large number of stakeholders within the Indian Navy, shipyard, industry, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and MSMEs for over two decades
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August 15, 2022
India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India became the fourth country after the US, China and Russia to develop and test the hypersonic technology. With this successful test, India will be making its first hypersonic missile in the next five years.
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August 15, 2022
Indo-US Military Jointness
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important facet of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between friendly countries
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August 10, 2022
The Choppy Waters of Taiwan Straits
By Major General Atanu K Pattanaik (Retd)US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's stop in Taipei is the first time that a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years and has fueled US-China tensions
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August 2, 2022
Chinese Muscle Flexing
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Chinese fighter jets, including J-11, have been flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over past few weeks, in direct violation of the 10-km Confidence Building Measures (CBM) mutually agreed with India
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August 2, 2022
Navy's Fighter – Rafale or F/A-18?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Tests of the French Rafale and the American F/A-18 Super Hornet took place from late May to June at the Indian Navy's test site at Hansa Air Base in Goa
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August 2, 2022
Joint Theatre Commands
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is no escaping the military logic of creating suitably constituted Integrated Theatre Commands and Functional Commands for the Armed Forces as a whole
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August 2, 2022
AI Enabled ATV and QRFV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Collaborative work done in the field of AI is being done by the three Services, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), iDEX start-ups and the private sector
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August 2, 2022
Navy Gets MH-60R Helicopters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The induction of MH-60Rs will significantly boost the integral Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability and the capability to conduct a range of operations in all weather conditions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The addition of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters will also help boost the combat power of the Indian Navy.
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July 14, 2022
The Race for Navy's Fighter Aircraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The French Rafale and the American F-18 are engaged in the process of operational demonstrations to the Indian Navy, preceding the all-important trials. The Navy will then have to decide what numbers are required in the interim period before the TEDBF is inducted.
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July 5, 2022
India's Third Aircraft Carrier
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)India must take a call on the third aircraft carrier if we need to be counted as a regional power not only in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) but also in the Indo-Pacific
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July 5, 2022
Maiden Flight of ALH-Dhruv (Wheeled Version)
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The prototype helicopter was built with 'Segmented Pre-Cone MRBs' and 'Pre-Cone MRH'. The two-segment MRBs and the pre-cone configuration have been developed to address the stringent stowage dimension requirement specified by the Indian Navy
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July 5, 2022
Indigenous Loitering Munitions, UAS Drones, ATGM
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)These are all good developments which need quick follow up actions. 25 per cent of the domestic capital procurement budget (amounting to 21,149 crore) has been earmarked for acquisitions from the domestic private industry this year. This needs to be fully utilised with necessary prioritisation.
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July 5, 2022
Indigenous Next Generation Corvettes – and more
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The DAC accorded AoN for procurement of the Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) to be built at an estimated cost of 36,000 crore by an Indian shipyard and constructed based on new in-house design of the Indian Navy using latest technology of ship building
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June 20, 2022
Defence Minister's Vietnam Visit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Both India and Vietnam shared views on the significance of maintaining peace, stability, maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes through peaceful measures according to global norms, UNCLOS, and need to reach an efficient Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea
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June 20, 2022
Chinese Base in Cambodia
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The new secret Chinese military base in Cambodia ought to wake up America’s political class, including the US Navy brass, to what is fast becoming a global Chinese challenge
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June 20, 2022
China's AI-Powered Drone-Ship and Super-Carrier
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The world's first AI-operated drone carrier Zhu Hai Yun is capable of launching surface and sub-surface drones that would be invaluable for data collection...
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June 20, 2022
Naval Ships 'Surat' and 'Udaygiri' Launched
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 'Surat' and 'Udaygiri' warships have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at the Mumbai-based MDL. In the coming days, India will not only cater to its needs in the arena of shipbuilding, but will also take care of the requirements of others.
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June 5, 2022
QUAD is Not another NATO
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)QUAD lacks any worthwhile muscular policy and the US will likely continue to sit on the fence and let others do the fighting
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June 5, 2022
Astra Mk-2 Missile
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Astra Mk-2, which uses dual-pulse solid rocket motor for extended reach and better kinematics during the kill phase, is likely to be tested shortly and will restore the air-to-air combat superiority of the IAF over the PAF
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June 5, 2022
India-Japan Defence Collaboration
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indo-Japanese defence relations have witnessed an upsurge in recent years which includes joint bi-lateral and multi-lateral exercises. The next 2+2 Indo-Japanese Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting is to be held in Japan at the earliest.
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May 23, 2022
The QUAD – Way Ahead
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)The QUAD must prove that it can be an effective body, both to demonstrate its utility to its own members and to show to the regional community that it is capable of solving regional problems
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May 16, 2022
Boosting Indo-French Strategic Partnership
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence will likely continue as the cornerstone of the India-France Strategic Partnership, which has been further cemented through the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron
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May 16, 2022
Offsets and Strategic Partnerships
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The offset clause in Inter-Government Agreements (IGA) was removed pursuant a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in Parliament, which said several offset contracts built into multiple defence deals had failed to bring in high-end military technology into the country
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May 5, 2022
Beyond The Moskva Sinking
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The threat to naval platforms comes primarily from aircraft and torpedoes but technological advancements in surveillance capabilities, that are networked with missiles based on air, land, and sea platforms, have certainly increased the vulnerability of surface naval assets
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May 5, 2022
Of Lasers and UAVs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There are good developments but the need is of speed, given the technological developments globally, particularly in China
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May 5, 2022
India-UK Defence Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated their commitment to boost the defence and security cooperation under the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and enhance engagements in support of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific
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May 5, 2022
Drone Making in India
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The government has announced easing of rules for registration and operation of drones in the country, as also the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth 120 crore to boost indigenous manufacturing of drones
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April 16, 2022
Fourth Indo-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The 2+2 Dialogue was broad based with in-person meetings between the respective Defence Ministers and Foreign Ministers of both countries, preceded by a virtual summit between PM Modi and President Biden
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April 16, 2022
Made in India Advances
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Privatisation is the way for India’s defence industry to grow as we have more than enough potential in the private sector
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April 6, 2022
Military Satellites
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Currently, India has only two dedicated military satellites - the GSAT-7 (Rukmini) and GSAT-7A (Angry Bird) used by the Indian Navy and Air Force respectively. The GSAT-7B satellite would help the Indian Army enhance its surveillance in border areas.
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April 6, 2022
Boost to India-Maldives Relations
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Visit of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its close and friendly relations with the Maldives
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March 16, 2022
Ukraine Conflict is America Contrived
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)There is no prospect of peace because the US does not want it. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an American puppet playing proxy to the US, and has no compunctions about the destruction of his country.
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March 16, 2022
Atmanirbhar in Defence
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)“The biggest lesson is that we have to be ready to fight future wars with indigenous weapons and the steps towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence should be taken more urgently” —General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff
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March 7, 2022
The Russia-Ukraine War – A Maritime Perspective
By Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla (Retd)The warm waters of the Black Sea have been critical to Russia since the 17th century, as they have provided year-long access to ice-free waters and direct access to the Mediterranean and through that, to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
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March 7, 2022
Sanctions against Russia has wider ramifications
By Lt. General J.K. Sharma (Retd)Although economic sanctions are widely used, their effectiveness is often debated. For now, Western governments are putting a higher priority on their support for Ukraine but soon they will need to weigh on how much pain they are prepared to inflict on their own people.
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February 28, 2022
MILAN-2022 and the Indo-Pacific
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)MILAN is a biennial multilateral exercise that has grown progressively in magnitude and this year will witness more than 40 countries sending their warships/high-level delegations
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February 28, 2022
Chinese Missile Repair Base in Bangladesh
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)It is presumed that the maintenance and overhaul facility being set up will double up as a production assembly line of the FM-90 air defence missile system and its advanced variants in future
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February 21, 2022
National Maritime Security Coordinator
By Lt. General Naresh Chand (Retd)The proposal of the post creation was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security during 2021, in order to strengthen the maritime security and ensuring cohesion among various key stakeholders
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February 12, 2022
Quantum Communications
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Quantum technology is evolving quickly and no doubt will have a significant impact not only on warfare but also in terms of national security. However, experts are still not certain what exactly this impact will be!
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February 2, 2022
Defence Budget Allocation 2022-2023
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Defence Budget 2022-23 has been increased to 5.25 lakh crore for 2022-23 from the previous FY allocation of 4.78 lakh crore with a major push on ensuring self-reliance in manufacturing of military platforms
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February 2, 2022
SPARSH – Bane of Vulnerable Segment?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)SPARSH will create unending problems for the pensioners, widows and disabled veterans, and as such, should have been discussed with veterans before commencing its implementation
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February 2, 2022
Learning Ancient Indian Statecraft
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Our ancient texts have universal applicability and drawing the right lessons would help us not only in strengthening our cultural values but also in building credible national security architecture
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January 29, 2022
Look Beyond Traditional Contact Warfare
By Lt. General Abhay Krishna (Retd)Are we prepared today to foil a cyber-attack on our Railway Network, Banking System or Power Grid? The nature of cyber-attacks is such that it is almost always difficult to pinpoint the source of the attack, giving perpetrating nation-states plausible deniability.
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January 15, 2022
Defence Budget 2022-23
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The crux of a defence budget should be to systematically improve the military's capability to meet future threats in keeping with the changing battlefield environments in the 'shortest possible period'
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January 15, 2022
The Railgun
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The railgun is a linear motor, typically designed as a weapon which uses electromagnetic force to launch high velocity projectiles that do not contain explosives but rely on the projectile's mass, high speed and kinetic energy to inflict damage
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January 15, 2022
BrahMos Exports Get Going
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Negotiations for BrahMos between India and the Philippines had been going on for the last few years but the obvious roadblock was Manila’s budgetary constraints
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January 3, 2022
Samudrayan and Indigenous AERV
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)First unmanned trial of MATSYA 6000 and the induction of the first set of indigenously developed next-generation Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV) will contribute immensely to Atmanirbhar Bharat
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January 3, 2022
Agni-P, Pralay and SMART Tested
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) massed up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for possible conflict, India has conducted multiple tests of strategic and tactical strike weapons as a signal to China
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December 13, 2021
Indo-Russian Defence Cooperation
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The friendship between India and Russian has stood the test of times and through difficult situations. Both have now signed a programme of cooperation in the field of defence for the next ten years (2021-2031).
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December 13, 2021
SCO Cyber Security Seminar
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)This was the second time India was hosting such a cyber security seminar and first after it took over the Chair of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) Council
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December 2, 2021
Weapons by Private Firms
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Home Ministry held discussions with some 17 private companies for manufacture of arms. It is known that a number of Indian private companies are into defence manufacturing.
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December 2, 2021
Indigenous LCH, Drones and EW Suit
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on the occasion of 'Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv' said, “For a long time, we were a nation that was a weapons and defence equipment buyer. Today the mantra is 'Make in India, Make for the World'.”
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November 14, 2021
Is China Readying for a Limited War?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)China is hardening its force posture including in Eastern Ladakh; demonstrated by the series of operational and tactical measures it is continuing to take. This is hardly to only intimidate India.
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November 14, 2021
Boosting Naval Power
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Indian Navy hopes to raise its warships strength from the current 140 to 175 by 2027 which may look ambitious but give the government focus should be feasible
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November 2, 2021
China-Turkey Arming Pakistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A China-Pakistan-Turkey triad will be adverse for India both in the conventional and sub-conventional spheres, given that China-Pakistan and Turkey-Pakistan have already been collaborating at the sub-conventional level.
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November 2, 2021
New Russian Autonomous Underwater Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs) can be used for underwater survey missions such as detecting and mapping submerged wrecks, rocks, and obstructions that can be a hazard to navigation for commercial and recreational vessels
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October 27, 2021
Ruckus About AUKUS
By Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd)AUKUS is a military alliance in which sensitive technology will be transferred by the US to Australia which has the potential of tilting the strategic balance in the region
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October 16, 2021
Second Phase Malabar 2021
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The second phase of Malabar 2021 exercise is reflective of the commitment of the participating countries to support a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific as well as a rules-based international order
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October 16, 2021
Deep Sea - Lurking Danger
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are already proliferating and as they grow in size and scope, they will add more complex and capable sonar, AI brains, communications links, and other technologies that will allow them to better monitor enemy submarine movements and attack them when required
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October 6, 2021
QUAD Leaders Summit and AUKUS
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)QUAD can actually be as powerful as AUKUS or even more, in case the capabilities of all members is built up suitably, under the pledge of sharing critical and futuristic technologies
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October 6, 2021
Rocket Force and Theatre Commands
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)A committee was constituted that includes Vice Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and representatives of other ministries and departments, to resolve internal differences of Armed Forces, consult external stake holders like the MHA and MoF and look into the structure, composition, nomenclature and reporting channels of the proposed tri-Service commands
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October 6, 2021
Simulators for Armed Forces
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The policy document lays emphasis on indigenous design and development as well as outsourcing of operation and maintenance of simulators to the Indian companies
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October 6, 2021
Prime Minister Modi Meets Global CEOs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The excellent initiative taken by the Prime Minister in meeting with the CEOs of global firms will help improve the technological prowess of India, improve the economy, contribute towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and open up more employment opportunities
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September 16, 2021
India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Both India and Australia agreed to work jointly to realise full potential of the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
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September 16, 2021
Minesweeping Criticality
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Though the deal was supposed to be closed in 2016 but discussions on technology transfer (ToT) reportedly caused delays
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September 16, 2021
Forces Arming for Drone Warfare
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)All the three services of the Indian Armed Forces are moving ahead speedily for the acquisition of Drones and Anti-Drone technologies, mostly indigenous systems that are developed by Indian companies
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September 16, 2021
Landing Platform Docks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)After a lapse of over a decade, MoD now has again revived the project to indigenously build 4 x LPDs for the Indian Navy
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September 6, 2021
Vikrant's Light Signaling System
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Navy personnel have been trained by Aerosvet's engineers in installation of light signaling system on INS Vikrant
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September 6, 2021
Light Drone Interceptor
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The terrorist threat to India has gone up with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. The possibility of terrorists using drones has certainly gone up, as is the possibility of CBRN attacks.
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August 21, 2021
Geopolitical Shifts Could Unfold Post T-Afghanistan
By Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd)China is entering this space created by the withdrawal of US troops. It will like to swiftly maneuver in order to gain significant advantage towards solidifying its continental strategy driven by BRI.
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August 15, 2021
US Superpower Image Cracks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With the pull-out from Afghanistan, the superpower image of the US has taken a severe hit and that too at a time when Washington may have to deal with China and Russia collectively
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August 15, 2021
Maritime Security to The Fore
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)With increasing maritime threats, India is all set to establish a National Maritime Security Coordinator (NSMC). The NSMC will interface between the civilian and military maritime domain with the objective of enhancing security architecture and energy security of India.
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August 6, 2021
Coming - MQ-9 Reapers and Armed Herons
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Once cleared by the DAC, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will need to give its final approval before procurement of the Predator-B armed drones can move forward
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August 6, 2021
Malabar Exercise - Signaling China
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)People's Republic of China should be taking cognizance of the global reaction to its belligerent and expansionist territorial claims including its maritime claims in the East and South China seas.
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August 6, 2021
Vikrant on Sea Trials
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Vikrant is also known as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1, or IAC-1. It will be the second ship to bear the name 'Vikrant'.
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July 19, 2021
China's Underwater Drones
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Mass deployment of Drones gives a tremendous underwater advantage to Beijing not only for quietly gathering hydrographic data in territorial waters of other countries but also military advantage to the PLA
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July 19, 2021
Procuring Kamov Helicopters
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)The Armed Forces urgently need 498 light utility helicopters to replace their obsolete single-engine Cheetah/Chetak fleets, which have been dogged by a high crash rate and serviceability problems.
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July 6, 2021
Defence Cyber Command
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)Indian Government is planning to set up a 'proper' Cyber Command in the hinterland of Madhya Pradesh for providing a fighting edge to the proposed Theatre Commands
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June 22, 2021
Second Negative Import List
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)An all around growth of our defence industry is required, not through the DRDO-OFB-DPSUs alone with role of private defence industry and MSMEs relegated to being subcontracted to the governmental defence industrial complex
