DEFENCE

F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet will offer superior economics to the Indian armed forces in the form of low cost of acquisition, operations and high mission readiness.

Firing is such a routine on the LoC that if it does not happen for a few days or hours, you start feeling something is wrong. This random firing has many benefits. Besides inviting the enemy soldier cooped up in a similar 2x2 bunker – on the other side of LoC- 30 meters away -- to come and play, at the end of it—the soldiers can warm their hands on the red-hot barrel of their guns. It is all a time-pass that kills boredom

More than 200,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948. In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission. But Major Suman Gawani deserves the credit for being the first Indian woman to get the Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

The Debate of Merit vs Seniority is largely inconsequential as long as there is no politicization of promotion and appointments.

China understands that mobilisation of large forces will not make any difference to their 15 trillion economies but will definitely impact the economy of other nations like India, Bhutan and Nepal. The PLA has over a period of time amassed huge military assets which are exhibited by them to intimidate other nations. Today China occupies more than 50 per cent of territories through forceful occupation which includes Inner Mongolia, Akshai Chin, Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan.

India's first war of independence began on May 10 in 1857 and is considered to be the first blow against the British rule in India. The first martyr of the revolt was Mangal Pandey. Other prominent leaders included Rani Lakshmibai, Kunwar Singh, Bahadur Shah, Nana Saheb, Tatia Tope and Begum Hazrat Mahal.

There are reports that China has deployed its 6 Mechanised Division equipped with assorted AFVs (armoured fighting vehicles) — medium and light tanks — to leverage their coercive messaging potential, as part of psychological warfare. But we must not forget that it's the men behind the gun and human will to fight and win that is above all weapons in the enemy's arsenal.

It is being argued that the GOCO model will bring in corporate culture, leading to efficiency and accountability. Private operators can easily get into partnership with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), and arrange the required expertise and spares. But what is the guarantee that they will be able to do so - better than the existing set-up. What if they can't?

The Kargil Review Committee set up to find what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again, found that the helicopter-borne Winter Air Surveillance Operations (WASO) failed to detect the intruders even when its helicopter was flying over their heads.

You light up the sky as stars so bright, You laid your life for a nation's' fight, You never blinked at those treacherous heights, Every breath in...

“MASHKOH: Kargil as I Saw it”, is a gripping first-hand authentic account of war stories of ‘Mashkoh Warriors’ by the author, who commanded the unit in war and was awarded Vir Chakra for his gallant actions in Mashkoh valley

This book is a first-hand authentic account of war stories of the ‘Mashkoh Warriors’ by Brig Umesh Singh Bawa, who commanded the 17 Jat during the Kargil war and was awarded Vir Chakra for his gallantary actions in the Mashkoh Valley in 1999.