INTERNALSECURITY
GRAVE CONCERN: Home Minister
P-Chidambaram's task in dealing with
[Naxals is getting tougher as the renegades
‘mount fresh strikes
20 PER CENT OF
THE WORLD
POPULATION
INHABITING THE
DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES
CONSUMES 86
PER CENT OF
THE WORLD'S
RESOURCES.
{getting into the high consumption group. In
2008, China's share of energy consumption
1017.7 percent of total world con
snd that of India surged up to 3.8
percent, so that their combined share shot
Lup to 21.5 per cent. As part ofits strategic
planning. China is invigorating itself by
Investing generously in energy sectors of
‘African countries. However, in iew of the
‘unstable nature of Afiean economy and pol
ities, Chinese strategy may not pay off. Obvi-
‘ously, in view ofthe size of African countries,
and in case the present trends continue, it
‘Would not be dificult to foresee that in the
‘coming decades there will bea great scratn
ble to appropriate energy resources among
all the counties.
‘Usually, an acute competition for appro-
priating resources among countries invari-
(18)
ably gives rise to conflict. Such competition
among great powers has, orinstance result.
fed in world wars in the past, In view of the
‘mpidly growing demand for enengy in China
and India, the twosome might, inal ikel
hhood, become heavily enmeshed in the
‘ongoing contest to master energy resources
along with other developed countries. The
‘demperatic peace thesis propounds the the
‘ory that “democracies tend not to fight other
‘More specifically, liberal
rnd nt 0 fight other liberal
This proposition is founded on
long-term quantitative studies undertaken
in American universities. As such, going by
the stipulation ofthe democratic peace the
‘is it should be smoothly possible for India
to work out satislactory terms 1 keep peace
‘with mos of the big competitors inthe arena
ff energy resources, as they are liberal
‘demcracies like India, However, i becomes
Dbuta doubtiul conjecture whether the same
patter of peaceful co-existence can apply (0
India’s big neighbour and adversary, China.
(Considering the impracticalty ofa limited
‘or full war between two big nucleae coun:
tries, China can be tempted to look fr other
‘options to fish in the roubled waters of the
Maoist turmoil in india. tn the post Second
World War era, proxy wars through fomenting
low-intensity conflicts have been used more
fen than actual wars. In such a scenario,
‘one of the most attractive options for an
hina can be to fan Macist vio
e supplies of arms
e insurgents with
aid of local conduits. However, while che
Maoists are waging a declared war against
the Indian stat, they shrilly maintain they
are fighting for the country’s deprived and
downtrodden masses, They do not seem to
have receved any political support or recog
nition from China so far, except that some
‘unofficial Chinese language Mao-loyalist,
\websites have been posting reports depicting
the exploits of indian Maoists in a favourable
light. However, on thie part our des Maoists
‘do not consider the present-day Chinaa ev
‘lutionary communist county, as according
to them, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
hhas betrayed. Marsism-Leninism-Maoism
MLM) and the world’s proletarian move-
‘ment, For the Indian Maoists, Deng Xiao:
Pingand his successors in China are revision
ists. While Indian Mavis tke Mao as their
{guide in all stages of their protmcted war, the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and he
present Chinese establishment have been
critical of Mao's mistakes, particularly the
(Cultural Revolution. However, pragmatsn
‘more often than not takes precedence over HALEHEARTED MEASURE: Salwa Judum experiment has only produced severe backlash from Nawal outfits
cology tn a conflict sicuation, There is at
ast an ideological common ground thowew
er nominal) between China and Indian
Maoists This, along with other compulsions
ofan escalating conflict, ean always provide
fn ideological basis for circumventing the
diferences and justify a cooperation dictated
Futuristically speaking, fanning the
flames of Mavist violence can be tempting
for any adversary of India for many reasons.
Firstly, Maoists have been active and strong
fn the areas considered to be the sft bell of
Indian economy. They have deliberately cho:
sen the sparsely populated hilly and forested
areas which are inaccessible and beyond the
h of government agencies, Though the
ly areas are situated on geological faults,
coincidentally mineral deposits are generally
found in fault zones, Therefore, though the
Indl strategic reasons for Maoists to choose
these areas appear to be the geographical
features suitable for guerilla war, the state:
se value of mineral deposits was not ost on
them. Asitis, most of the mineral deposits of
the country fallin the area referred to as the
Red Corridor The mineral deposits not only
serve the wily Maoists to extort money for
ther activities, they also provide leverage to
them to extend their influence
people inhabiting these areas. I
Violence isnot contained, controll
brought down in the shortest possible time
trary, escalates posing a threat to entire
areas, it would adversely alec and weaken
the country’s economy, as the supply of raw
material and power from these areas will
be choked.
efit any of he
competing for fue,
Slace a weaker economy will retard Indias
rising demand for fuel. Thirdly, a country’s
military power depends a lot on its eco-
‘nomic power. Therefore, a weaker economy
{s bound to weaken the country’s defensive
power Loss of face in economic and mill.
{ary power willin turn result in depletion of
India’s bargaining power in the internation:
‘arena, Though this is only a futuristic
Scenario building exercise based on the
present tends, it strongly undetlines the
potential of Mavistvioe
fof worldwide resource crunch,
The above visualisation of a probable
future scenario ofthe Maoist muddle might
be found wanting here and there, yet it has
coherently attempted to highlight at least,
‘one definite policy implication: that the lib
eral democratic state of India and those who
are working for its preservation and revit
ization have one more reason
Mavist threat to India’s liberal d
structure more seriously.
(The author, an Additonal DGP in Madhya
Pradesh, i a Visiting Research Fellow at
Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi dip
SECURITY.
erred hy
ar that
Men)
ANTERNALSECURITY.
‘su Ne D4
IN THE EYE OF A STORM: The guest house from which the Chabad is being run at Pushkar
USHKAR AND Jerusalem in true
words are the cities known in the
nile world. Hoth Pushkar anid
Jerusalem are pilgrimages that are
visited by not only Hindus or Jews
but by people of all sets, easts and creeds.
Sanctiied by religion and tradition, by history
and theology, by holy places and houses of
worship, Jerusalem is a city evered by Jews,
CCirstans and Mastin ereflets the fervour
and piety of the three major monotheistic
faiths, each of whieh isbound wo Jerusalem by
veneration and love, Thete are a lt of com:
‘mon things between Pushkar and Jerusalem.
A stroll in the market place of Pushkar
would surprise a visitor as there are more
signages in Hebrew here than in English and
fone gets the feeling as if strolling in a
Jerusalem market. Pushkar thrives on Israel
{ourists. More than 40 percent of the tourists
that come to Pushkar are Israeli Jews. They
‘come round the year and siay fora few days
‘or few months, The large numberof Israel
{ourists help the economy of Pushkar, but
they ace not big spenders and stay in cheap,
hotels or private accommodations that cost
slow as Rs 200 per day.
A large number ofthe Israclis come after
serving the Israeli Defence Force (DF) doing
strenuous compulsory military raining in
Israel. After doing compulsory military ta
l
ing for three years, the Israeli men and
women are given $2200 and are allowed to
so on holiday. With this money they prefer to
‘ome to India and stay in different places for
8 few months before returning home.
The Israelis have set up Chabad Houses in
India, centres where the Jews assemble and
slay and offer prayers. These Chabad Houses
are run at international level by the Jews (0
propagate Judaism. Chabad Houses are
places where the Jews can stay and observe
Feligious rituals, These Chabad Houses are
located in Mumbai, Gaa, Kasoli in Kullu ds
trict, Manali, Delhi, Kesar Dev in Uttarak
hhand, Kodaikanal and Dharamshala
The Jews because oftheir large presence
in Pushkar have posed a grave security prob
lem as they could become the soft target for
terrorist groups. The Lashkar--Toiba terror.
{sts who attacked Mumbai chose Nariman
House where the Jews had their prayer cen
tte (Chabad House). Top intelligence reports
suggest that the Israelis in Pushkar could,
become targets for terrorists asthe place i,
easy for them to operte
The Jews have setup the Chabad House at
Pushkar also but for those who understand
the security problem connected with the
Chabad House are happy that the Chabad
House has been closed down for four
‘months. Theres also a speculation that the
‘Chabad House would be closed dovm for
fever since it has become a security tsk, The
caretaker of Chabad House Shimi Goldstein
thas left fr Israel ater handing over the key
to the landlord Chandrashekhar. He had
{informed the landlord that he would return
after four months tw Pushkar as no Iseaelh
{ouriss would come during the summer. Bu,
the people of Pushkar wish the Chabad
should not open again, else i would remain
a target ofthe teratists
The hatred of Jes is intrinsie to ALQae-
dais ideology and motivation, Al Qaeda has
i JEWS IN
JSHKAR HAVE
POSE DA GRAVE
SECI ST
LEM AS TI
COULD eOOM NM
SOFT TARG GETS”
3 TERRORIST <>
INTERNALSECURITY
‘ATTRACTING FOREIGNERS: Pushkar charms visitors from abroad
been committed to the liberation ofall Mus-
the AlAksa Mosque in
Jerusalem. The focus on Jews may partially
bea result of Al Qaeda’ fragmentation ft
lowing the American invasion of
Afghanistan, At that time, it began to rely
‘more on localy-based organizations, who
tend to choose ‘soft targets ighty-guarded
iathering spots such as night clubs oF
tourists or buildings associated with the
local Jewish community” admits Rohl Ben-
Jamin who is a Jew of Indian origin, whose
family worked fr railways in Kolkata,
‘Benjamin has recently completed his com
ppulsory military training and chose India for
his holidays because his family moved (0
Israel from India lie many other Jews of
Mumbai and Pune. He was warned by his
friends andl family members not to goto India
asthe terorsts target the Jews. But Robi did
rho heed the advice and came to Pushkar
‘The counter-terrorism bureau of Israel's
National Security Council in Jerusalem
Issued a new, mote severe warning against
Luavelling to India in October last year There
was a concrete threat against places fre
quented by Israelis and Westerners, in par
UUcular Chabad Houses and synagogues
across India, including dhe one in Pusha,
{errorisin experts warned.
David Headley, the Pakistan-born US aii-
zen who is under artest in US had come t0
Pushkar in September 2008 and stayed at
Hotel Oasis which i located just opposite
the Pushkar Chabad. He made arecee ofthe
Pushkar holy city and studied the activities
‘at Chabad. Headley’ visit was aimed to plan
an attack on the Chabad when almost hun
dred jews on avisicw Pushlar would assem
‘le for Sabbath on a Friday. Headey had the
DAVID HEADLEY,
WHO IS UNDER
ARREST IN US
HAD COME TO
PUSHKAR IN
SEPTEMBER 2008
AND STAYED AT
HOTEL OASIS
Pushkar Chabad in mind as a large-scale
kaling of the Jews in Pushkar would have
attracted international attention.
“The disclosure about Headley’ visit and
the fact that he stayed at Hotel Oasis have
alerted the hotel owners of Pushkar and they
have become vigilant and taken all precau
tions before providing rooms to the tourists.
“Headley came with a specific purpose to set
how the Chabad at Pushkar could be target
ted as there isa large numberof presence of
the Jews here.” says Chandra Shekhar, the
‘owner of the Bhagwati Guest House that has
bbeen rented to Chabad,
Chandra. Shekhar informs that the
CChabads were granted permission to open
centres in India by the Union government a
few years ago." ented the place after ascer
taining that their (Chabad) operations have
official sanctity. In Chabad, they teach the
Jews how to pray and it also serves as the
cormctional centre where those whe indulge
in drugs and alcohol are aught haw to give
up the bad habits” says Chandra Shekhet.
(22)
The Chabad has hired some locals as
domestic help but nobody is allowed entry
Inside, not even landlord Chandra Shekhar,
The local association of Pushkar Purohit
Association, an organization of the Bramhin
priests has demanded that the Chabad
should be shut. “The large numbers of vis:
tors from Israel to Pushkar pose a securi
threat, And the Chabad
‘of Kinja Moi
nd the holy shrine
‘at Ajmer have become
emely sensitive locations, The visit of
Headley was also speeific and ve are trying,
to investigate why he visited Pushkar” says
BP Singh, 1G, intelligence of Ajmer range.
Several Israeli tourists come here belo
the Pusha fair in late November and after
stay back in various paying guest-houses
and hotels striking @ deal on tariff with the
‘owners. Their main attraction is said 10 be
‘hatas and gan and liquor which are free
available in Pushkar, The Pushkar Purohit
Association has warned thatthe Chabad and
the large number of Israeli tourists that
Pushkar attracts could become the target of
ety would face the
n House had
But the hotel owners and traders of
Pushkar are of the opinion that elosing- down
‘of the Chabad would mean thac the Iseuelis
‘would stop coming to Pushkar because they
hhave started coming in large number after
the closing: dawn of the Mumbai Chabad fo
lowing the Mumbai terror attack, “The
demand for closing-dovm of Chabed would
mean hitting the tourist industry as the
Israelis form the large chunk of tourists vise
ing Pushkar. I's not only Israelis, but Jews
from other parts of the world also visit
Pushkar in lage number and the closing:
‘down ofthe Chabad would senda wrong sig
nal among the Jews all over the world and
they would strike off Pushkar as a destin.
tion,” says Parmanand Gidwani, a trader.
“We, Jews, have something to offer the
world, gained from centuries of experience at
‘bing ated for no reason other than that ve
stand up for life and innocence. tn fact,
‘not clear whether the Chabad viewins were hit
simply for being ews. in Mumbai 5000 indian,
Jewsllve and there are smagogues there. But
they were not attacked, The Jews are targeted
as symbols of Western every, Zionism and
Israel or — modemity globalisation, Wester
civilization of some combination of all of
them. Closing. down ofthe Pushkar Chaba s
‘no answer to counter terrorism’ says Natale
Zeckheim, who works ina bounce in Tel Av
‘Whatever happens, the people of holy city
continue to live in fear, praying that the bul:
lets ofthe terrorists do not hit Pushkar. Further on.
UO
FINMECCANICA
NZ
aa Ue
ELE Ser Lt}
ORR
"7 SELEX
Se unreicr)
GEOPOLITICS
124 MORE MBTs
THE INDIAN Amy has placed @
fresh order fr an additional 124
Arjun main batletanks (METS), giving
‘ much-needed flip to the over three.
decade-long Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) pro
ramne. This is ovee and above the exis
{ng order of 124 tanks, The additional 124
MITs would help the Army raise two
‘more regiments of the indigenous tanks,
The Army already has a 45-tank.
strong mgiment comprising Arjuns,
Which were delivered to the Army by the
Avadi-based Heavy Vehicles Factory
GIVE) in the middle of last year. The
Army had in 2004 placed its first order
for 124 Arjun MBTs, of which nearly 50
hhave been delivered by the HVE. The
Defence Ministry had recently decided
to goin forthe development of second:
generation Axjun tanks o give a boost to
DRDO's efforts in this regard
The Arjun tank project to design and
develop an MBT for the Army was
approved by the government in 1974
with an aim of giving the required
CRPF gets
THE HOME Ministry has placed an order
for 59,000 bulletproaf jackets with aman
facturor ofa defence solutions compan,
MAU ENLLd, which is based out of Kanpur
in dia The whole onder, which amounts
Uw Rs one erore, will have wo be supplied
within the next eight months, with the frst
indigenous cutting edge
to the mechanised forces. The Arjun
project had in its initial days been
besieged with troubles due to defects in
its design such as those related to
‘weight, size, night-vision capability and
fire control system, These defects were
corrected one by one, over the years
Aer many years of trials and tibula
tions, the tank has now proved is worth
by ts superb performance under various
circumstances, such as driving
‘ross-country over rugged sand dunes,
detecting, observing and quickly engag.
ing tangets and accurately hitting targets,
both stationary and moving with
pinpointed accuracy, say officials. ts
Superior fie-power is based on accurate
fand quick target acquisition capability
‘during day and night in all types of
‘weather and shortest possible reaction
time during combat engage
its jackets
supplies set to begin rom June to the Cen
tral Reserve Police Force (CRDF). MKU ina
span of almost 25 years has pioneered the
feld of manufacturing protection and
‘ammoring solutions and has ventured into
diversified avenues induding aviation
aerodynamics & technology
SRSAM for Army
‘THE ARMY is planning to procure a short
range surface to air missile (SRSAM) sys
tem to beef up the country’s extemal sec.
fi. The procurement process was recently
initiated with the release of Request for
information (RF) in this regard
The RFI specifics that the army wants a
missle system that can be transported on
both ral and road mobile launchers in all
possible terrains in the country. The misike
should also beable to target objects moving
a speeds between zero and 500 meters per
Second including hovering over targets such
as Unmanned Aeial Vehicles (UAVS), fighter
and surveillance irra and helicopters,
The Army wants the new missle system
to be capable of operating in both day and
the REI, radar of
tem should be eapable of
nber of targets simultaneous
ly and should have Electronic Counter
Counter-Measures (ECCM) (0 be able (0
support the electronic warfare environ:
nt. Furthermore, the system should be
Biological
(Chemical (NBC) warfare environment
Loitering
Missiles too!
7»
loiter over a
target for 30 minutes. The loitering missle
would be able a send extieal data un ene
my installations and later self-destruct on
the target
A global RFI, seeking details from the
vendors on the mises cruising speed, the
maximum range at which it can engage
target, its loitering time, the range of ts data
link, ts accuracy, ability to attack fa
{op and if it can abort after locking onto &
target and be redesignated toa new target
has aleady been released, The missiles aw
likely tobe procured bythe end of 21 NAVY SEEKS SURVEY VESSELS
TO'TRAIN naval cadets on coastal and ocean
sraphie survey, the Navy ison the lookout fo
Duilder with the capability co build vessels chat
underwater landscape,
The vessels are required to carry out surv
ports and harbours for deterinination of navigational
approaches, channels and routes for defence
tions, The Navy wants these survey vessels to
celled on its owen INS Darshak, built by the Goa
fand commissioned into naval service in 2001
Keeping in mind its future order for such su
sel the Navy has is
vey vessel with a length of approximately 85 me
1,800-tonne to 2,000-tonne standard displacement. The
would have an expected life of 25
vessels the RF sai
years and adhere o International Convention
‘vention of Pollution from Ships.
The vessels’ machinery, sensors and equipment
would have reliability and maintainability for
time of eight weeks at a stretch. The new ships would
have a single hull of proven design and made o
steel with steel o aluminium super structure
sda RFI shipyards, both in pub:
Tic and private sector. Durshak isthe Navy's eighth sur
pplica
be mod.
Shipyard
welded
Gorshkov on time
RUSSIA HAS sald it will stick to the 2012
deadline of delivering modernised Admiral
Gorshkov aircraft carier to India, Gorshkow
will be inducted in the Indians Navy as INS.
Vikramacdye
India recently aged to pay an additional
USS 2.33 billion wo Russia for Admiral Gor-
shkow. As per the original contract signed
bbeoween the two countries in 2004, Indian
[Navy was to get the carver in 2008, However,
the two countries were negotiating for the
lastone year over Rusia’ demand for $2 bil:
Hion over and above the S15 billion that New
Delhi paid it in 2004, Russ the
delivery ofthe vessel to 2012,
The Government of India recently sid that
the price spent on the repairing and refurbish
ing Ofte areral carer was akin othe price of
similar warships built in other countries. More
‘over, steaft caries are not easily available
INS Chakra
arrives in
June
‘THE TRIAL of Indian Navy's Akula-II
class nuclear attack submarine is
rearing completion, paving the way
for its leasing to India on schedule in
June. The Russian designed Nerpa
being acquired by Indian Navy in USS
‘650 million ona 10-year lease deal has
been christened INS Chakra and
would become the first advanced
rnudlear submarine of the Indian Navy
after its induction.
“The Indian Navy had leased a Sovi-
et nuclear submarine in late Bs which
was returned to Moscoss, Nerpa was
initially scheduled to be delivered in
2008, but its induction was delayed as
it was hit by an accident in November
2008 while on factory trial sailing in
the Sea of pan,
Tem 5 er a
it
I i, e
CBGs for
Navy
THE NAVY i steaming towards its aim of
deploying two Carrer Battle Groups
(CRGs) in Indian Ocean and beyond. By
2014-2015, there should be two fall
fledged CBG, with thei accompanying
fighters and other arma, destroyers,
frigates and tankers. The first CBG will
be centred around the 44,570-tonne
Gorshkos, rechristened INS Vikrama
lity, which India will naw get in early
2013
The second CBG will be around the
40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier
AC), whose Keel was laid at Cochin
Shipyard in February 2009. The 45 MiG:
29K fighters, contacted from Russia for
About 82 bilon, will operate both from
Vikramaditya and IAC. Incidentally, a
65,000-tonne IACI i also on the draw
ing boar
‘But for now, Navy's intention is 10
stretch” the operational life of the
28,000-tonne INS Viraat, even though
its fet with only 11 offs Sea Harcer
jump ets, IUTAC fs commissioned, With
ny as 40 warships and submatines
‘on onder, coupled with a dedicated com
munication satelite to be launched later
this year by ISRO, Navy s fast emerging
asa thre- dimensional blue-water force,
Tis is ertical since India's geopolitic
interests stretch right from Hormuz
Strut down to Malacea Stat,
BEL TIES UP
WITH RAFAEL
THE TIE-UP proposed between the
Navarata defence enterprise BEL and
Israel major Rafael Advanced Defence Ss
tems to make missile looks set to come
through this year. The two companies
signed a term sheet more than wo years
{ago Rafael is agreeable to holding a lower
‘equity of26 percent inthe proposed ven.
ture. At present, the Government limits for
‘ign direct investment na defence venture
10 26 per cent
The MoU of Bebruary 2008 had also
provision forexports,
IAF PHASING OUT MiG-21s
THE DEFENCE Minister A K Antony has
informed the Lok Saba that th
ually phasing out its older MiG
‘which have been lost in crashes,
old airraf. The nor.
34 years, The IA
Ato the
IAF is gad:
1 combat
The MiG
mal life ofan aircrafts 3
speratesa itl
T21 have been upgrad
Bison version and are lke
The remaining 80-90 aie
out inthe next two-three years.
The IAF first acquired MiG-21. Between
1966 and 1984, the Hindustan Aeronauties
Lid (HAL) bull four variants of the aircraft.
In the mid-1990s, despite a series of crashes,
to ly tl 2
the IAF decided to upgrade 121 planes of the
fourth variant, the MiG-21bis, to the Bison
However, the complete phase-out of the
MIG-21 is also linked to the acquisition of
new aircraft, The IAF is going to induct two
Squadrons — 16 alreraft each — of the
Indigenous Tejas ight combat alrcrat (LCA)
nnd another six squadrons of the plano
within six years
The MoD is expected to camplete soon
lus evaluation of the six jets contending for
the order of 126 medium mulli-role com
bat aircraft (MMRCA), a deal w
S10 billion,
AWACSIN IAF OKAYS PRS
DECEMBER
‘THE DELIVERY of third AWACS aircraft 10
the Indian Air Force (AF) by bral is expect:
fed by December this year. India had signed
‘contract with Isa! In 2004 for suppl¥ing
{Hye Phakonaigbome wamingand contol
system (AWACS) aircraft of which the fist
‘wo have een already delivered.
"The additional AWACS would be pro-
cured by India under the 12¢h, 13th and
ih Hansard he DRDO alo developing
anindigenous system for
AJT DELIVERY
DELAYED
equipment and mismatch in raw materia
supplied by Bish BAE Systems to Hindus-
tan Aeronauties Limited for building Hak
trainer jets have delayed delivery ofthe ar
craftto the IA
Under a 2004 agreement for 66 Hawk
Advance Jet Trainers (AFT), 24 air were
tobe builtin Betin and the rest were to be
‘manufacturedin India between 2007-08 and
2010-11. Of the 42, six were tobe built form.
semi-knocked down (SKD) and completa
Inockedl down (CKD) bits and 36 were to be
built rum ra- material phase
“The assembly jigs supplied by BAE also
did not meet the requirements and there
was mismatch inthe kits and components
supplied, there were defets in major assem
bile ke the wing spar etc, said Raju. These
pratlems took tine 1 overcome and hence
fected the production schedule at HAL.
“The HAL has tll now manufactured 12
aircraft inthe lst two years including one
ftom raw material phase
IN THE absence of abasic aircralt incr
train its fying cadets, the Indian Air Force
ute recov
has given clearance fora para
ery system (PR
Hindustan Piston
The IAF's dec
the recommendations made by a commit.
tee headed by Air Vice Marshal Pradeep
pefully revive the HPT-32, a
and manufactured primary trainer that
became operational with the defence
forers in 1984, but was grounded last July
after fatality
two senior fig
‘he PRS will email a parachute being f-
ted on the trainer. During an airborne
emergency the piloc wil pull lever which
in tum will deploy the parachute, bringing
the trainer down safely
The HAL authorities have reportedly said
att foreign vendors have been ident
fied and asked to give presentations/pro-
posals on what they could offer. Once the
endor is chosen the airframes of around
100 HPT-32s will be fitted with parachutes
with the HAL most likely ta undertake the
task under licence atrangement. I could
take at leas three to four months before the
first PRS-fittedHPT-X2 is aitbome,
BRAHMOS PRODUCTION BEGINS
INLINE with plans to At itin the IAF's Su
OMI fighter aircraft by 2012, pilot pro:
‘duction of the air launched version of the
India-Russia BrahMos missile has started
in Russia The sea and ground-Iaunch ver
sions of BrahMos missiles have already
bbeen successfully tested and put into serv
ice by the Indian Army and Navy. So far,
the missiles have been assembled atthe
Strela plant, and manufacturing facilities
are aso being set up in Thiruvanamthapu-
ram with Russian assistance. BrahMos
Aerospace, a joint venture between India
and Russia, has started designing a hyper
sonic version of the BrahMos missile
BrahMos
The first few missiles for factory tests
have been manufactured at the Sula pro-
duction association in the Orenburg
Region, The 2.55-tonne BrahMos super
sonic anti-ship missle has been mouifed,
shedding 500 kg and getinga new ignition
engine to fie the missile at high altitudes.
The Su-30MKI also required modifica
tions to fit the missile under its belly and
integrate it into the plane's fire con
team, The Sukhoi Corporation is working to
strengthen the wings so that two more
missles can be fited in the fas
Ieis believed that the BrahMos-armed
Su-30MKI would be a game changer in the
Indian Ocean, giving the IAF a deeper
strategic reach and an extta deadly punch,
With a range of 290 km, the missile will
allow the pilot to hit enemy vessels while
Staying well ouside the reach of thei
defences, Traveling ata top speed of Mach
2.8 barely 3-4 metres above the sea surface,
the missile cannot be intercepted by any
known weapon system in the world.
Te el
AKASH FOR IAF
BHARAT ELECTRONICS LID (BEL) is
integrating various systems for Rs 10,000
crore ($2.5 billion) Akash surface-to-air
missile (SAM) projet, Developed as part
Of Indias Integrated Guided Missile
Development Program by DRDO, Akash
isan all-weather, medium-range, surface
tocar missle system, It has a multidice
tional, multtarget area defense capability
and ean take on muliple air targets ina
fully autonomous mode of operations
The fist phase of deliveries tothe LAF
‘woud begin this year. The IAF has placed
orders for two squadrons, and BEL is
expecting to provide for four more
‘squadrons soon after the initial delivery
schedule is complete, The Indian Armay
may also order a diferent variant of the
missile fortwo of its squadrons. The first
two squadrons of IAE missiles will consist
‘of AB units exch,
C-17 FOR INDIA
‘THE US Defence Security Cooperation
Agency has notified the Congress of a
‘Potential sale of 10 Boeing C-17 transport
aircraft to India. This isan important step
{orward in the US Foreign Military Sales,
(EMS) process and is a necessary prerey
‘iste 10 negotiations on the deal.
“The C-17 is the workhorse of the US
Air Force transport fleet and has proven
‘tobe highly reliable inthe harsh environ-
‘ments of Iraq and Afghanistan. The 1AF
‘would use the C-17s 10 modernise Indias
armed forces with new cargo capabilities,
land asa replacement for its ageing Russ.
ian 1-76 feet.
a
ar
‘witha 75-tonne payload, the C-17 ean
take off from a 7,000-foot airfield, fly
2.400 nautical miles in one go, and land
feven on a small, austere airfield at 3,000
feet or les, In addition to the US Ai
Force, the C-17 is currently in service
‘wih te British Royal AirForce, the Royal
‘Australian Air Force, the Canadian
Forces, NATO and Qatar. The UAE wo has
placed orders forthe arcral.
‘Although the official notification to
Congress lists the potential value as
USD 5.8 billion the actual cost will be
based on IAF's requirements, which is
ee wa YELIO be negotiated.
SUCCESSFUL LCA FLIGHT
THE MAIDEN test flight of the most
advanced ofthe nine Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA) Tejas aircraft has been carried out
successfully, With this successful fi
LCA (Iejas) programme is very clase to the
ial Operations Clearance, which is to be
completed by December 2010. The test air
elt was flown by Wg Cd G Thomas ofthe
National ight Test Centre at ADAL
As per procedure the frst flight was
=
Tejas Trainer. The Mig
airport in Bangalore and
objectives were met within
52 minutes, DRDO sai,
{otal number of test flights accumulated
across nine test vehicles of Tejas pro:
gramme has reached 1,350 and has logged
about 800 hours of Hight
UKRAINE OFFERS
COOPERATION
UKRAINE HAS offered to develop jointly
‘a medium weight transport alcraft with
India that would be based on its alceady
existing Antonov-148, commercial ar.
craft. if the Ukrainian proposal is
approved, this will be the second such
co-development programme for trans:
portairraft after India and Russa signed
A contract for developing the Multirole
Transport Aircraft (MA) few years back.
TAF will procure 1220 tonne C-130)s.
from America at over $1.5 billion and co-
develop the MIA with Russia. It also
plans to procure around 10 C-17 strategic
lift azcrat from the US, which ean carry
‘ver 70 tonnes of ond. wvw edenigroup.com
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OF ALL DEALS
Is pressure being applied on India to favour US suppliers? The choice pertaining to
the $11-billion 126 fighter aircraft deal for the IAF has set people talking in hushed
tones, writes ABHIJIT BHATTACHARYYA. OREIGN MANUFACTURERS are
all set to tap the cash-rich Indian
farms bavaat. The accompanying,
lable shows thesalent features
the products ofthe six bidding
slobal aerospace majors for the
Supply of 126 mult-role combat aircraft for
the Indian Air Force (AF). The two-year
deadline forthe bids submaited by these six
bidders against the global tender put out by
India ended recently” However, these may oF
may not be fully accepted or appreciated by
‘he potential buyer owing to some extra oF
special stuf requirement o suit the local eon:
ditions and the environment in which the
nult-role fighters are likely ro operate. It
ould, therefore, esultina fesh or additional
request for proposal” for interfacing, say of
Russian radar with Israc armament, French
Ayingeontrols with American armament and
avionics. Following that could be extensive
“field” tial on an actual flight envelope
encompassing the ultimate performance at
the ‘edge ofthe" simulated “battle area
‘And finally, the cug-of-war on pricing and
cost-benefit analysis could ensue among the
six bidders, None can predict its outcome,
but what the possible scenario would be one
can safely visualise. There is bound to be
Jobbying and counter lobbying, allegations
and counter allegations, disinformation and
nisinformation galore, resorted to by the
val bidders to shake the confidence of the
Indian establishment and delay the det
sion- making process of the user All, simply
because the quantum and quality of the
worth S11-bilion deal are too big, important
And too high for the survival of some and
revival of fortunes for some others. Hence it
isa virtual war-ke situation for the Bidders
ofthe USA and Europe.
Nevertheless as dhe vendors will continue
fo fight in the board rooms and. the
feustomer’s conference room w showease
{heir product, it would also be the cll ofthe
pleaders and lobbyists to prove what they
sider wo be the best aircraft forthe Indian
sky. And that would be a job wherein the
quality ofethiesand moraltyare bound fll
by the wayside.
Ths the lobbyists may go t an emphatic
cover-drive to prove that it would be an inher-
enily better option for India to go fora twin,
rather than a single, engine fighters the fr
‘mer will have a pure and pristi
the single engine on combat
ower, reserve power, emergency situation in
«eases Where one engine becomes inoperative
fete. Hence the plenders of twin engines, and
critics ofthe single engine-powered aicraft
‘will come down heavily on the choice ofthe
Swedish-made SAAB JAS-39 Gripen and the
US- manufactured Lockheed Martin F-16,
Regarding the protagonists ofthe opposi
tion eamp, the counter logics likely to be the
tradicional fighter inventory of the Indian Air
Force which had the propensity 10 use the
one-engined Vampire, Ouragon (Toofani)
Mystere, Gnat, Hunter, MIG-21, MiG-23,
THERE IS
BOUND TO BE
LOBBYING
AND COUNTER:
LOBBYING,
ALLEGATIONS
AND COUNTER
ALLEGATIONS,
BY THE BIDDERS
Mig-27, Sukhol-7 10 Mirage-2000 and the
‘uninterupted, continuous mission capability
and accomplishment theref,
ln fact, one is apprehensive about the
‘opposition and the likely heat generated in
the aftermath of any decision pertaining to
fighter selection forthe LAE. The tension is
already palpable as rivals are on aver-time
land over drive to establish the credential of
their respective flying machines and finding
flaws and faults of the “other aircraft” for
being “obsolete, “consistent mission failures
“fying calfins”, “commissioned” machin
manufacturer, “intelligence-leakage” opera
tor and whatnot Inf nul-national
*oge-fight” in allaltuce dep inside the Ind
an airspace has begun wit
‘unusual, but not u
the offing
tradi
versy” pertaining to fight
Indian arms marke took place with the selec
tion of Anglo-French Sepecat Jaguar in the
1970s, Though the aircraft subsequently
proved to be useful and effective for the AF,
{he selection took dhe le" ofthe then serving
Defence Secretary Sushital Banerjee.
“The ghost of Bofors of 1980s still haunts
the Indian establishment. So much so, that
thas virtually stymied the selection process of
the fieldgun forthe Indian Amy thereby con
fronting the force with the real possibility of
going without guns at present, noewithstand-
Ing the persistent call of the Army. Thus,
espite its superb performance during the
‘arg war in 1999, Bofors and Sweden (being
the county of origin) are the two possible
‘whipping points for those bidders who may
case SAAB JAS-39 Gripen wins
id manages to fly from the Indian
The eritics of “obsolescence” factor may
further question the wisdom of selection of
Contec page 34 RUSSIA
MIG-35
Multirole ghter
Production of land-based MiG-29%
ened in 90s. Prospects fornew
production dependent upon
Indian orderforcamier-based
MiG-20K
2% MIG-55, the most recent suecessor
‘OFMIG-29, was adopted in 2005
‘when MIG.29-OVT upgrade was
redesigned for possible new
‘manufacture in India to meet re-
{quicement for 125 irra
> Emphasis from start on high ma
noeuvrability to counter
US E15, F-16 8 F-18 with target
destruction at distances from 200
‘meters to 37 miles.
Fiy-by-wite,
Retractable tricycle ype
2 Klimov /Sarkisov RD- 33 MK
marinised” turbofan with 19180
Pound staie thrust with
allesburner
Pilot ony on 160 rearwai
dined zero/ zero ection seat. 3
{ncernal mirors provide
‘warward views
> Two independent hydraulic
systemsand three separate
pneumatic systems,
> Expected toincomporate French,
ussianand Indian
‘components
% Mixtre of air-to-airand aic-
tw surface missles, TV guided
‘bombs, ree fall bambs anda
singe barrel gun.
> Wing span 3 4 inch. Overall
Jengih 568114 inet
> Maxlevel speed 2100 kmph/1491
‘mph at57420 fet.
> Combat range with maximum fuel
ke / 528 mes,
Maltirole fighter
Entered service n 1979,
At Teas 12 versions available
‘Optimised for high aglty in air
‘combat, Pilot's ejection seat in
ined 30 rearward. Baseline F-16
rframelife planned as 8000
fying hours
y-by-wire-system.
Retractable tricycle pe.
1 General Hletie/ Volvo Fygm:
‘or turbofan with afterburner
Pot only on Martin Baker Mark
1OL zero/zerv ejection seat
2 wingtip mounted Sidewinder
air-to-air missles and 6 other ex-
teal hard points, Weapons in-
‘ude short and medium-range
air-to-air missles, ant shipping
‘missiles, conventional r retarded
‘bombs airto-surface rockets or
‘external fuel tanks.
Wing span 27.65% inch, Overall
length 48.5 inch.
rm ©) sass
Design submitted February,
1972. Entered service January
05,1979
Atleast 12 versions available
Optimised for high aii in
ombat, Pot ejection seat
inclined 30 rearward
Baseline F-16 airframe ie
planned as O00 fying hours
> Four channel digital y-by
> Hydeaulically retractable ype
One General Hlctric or Prat
and Whitney with 29000 pound
static thrust and above
Plot only on Boeing ACES I
zero ze19 ejection seat
Standard mounting foran aie
‘orair missle at each wingtip,
‘one under fuselage centerine
‘hard point and sixundenving,
‘har points for eaernal stores
> Wing span 311 Overall erg
49 feainch
> Wings gross 30059 ft
© Male take off weight varies be-
tween 14.66 tons (0 21.77 tons
depending on the version
Max level speed at 40000,
‘above Mach 20, USA
Boeing F/A-18
Super Hornet
> Multroefighter
> Requirement issued 1991
Entered service on November 17,
«three versions operate
‘present
> Generally, as for fist generation,
Homet, Additional 1.537 ton
{emaland 1.40 on external fuel
> Fulldigitaly-by-wie controls;
Jeading and waiing edge Naps
sched! automaticaly forhigh
nanoeuvrability, fst cruiseand
low approach speed
> Retracable wicycle ype
> Two General Electric turbofans,
each rated at approximately
22000 pound static thrust with
alter burning
> Plot only on Mactin-Baker
SIU-S/6NACES zero/zer0
jection seat
6D percent more electrical power
than the earlier versions of F/A 18,
> Atteast 29 weapons combina:
tions cleared before service entry
> Wingspan 44. 10% inch. Over-
alllenglh Gof. 34 neh
‘Wings gross 50059.
‘Max external stores payload at
take off 8.02 tons, Max takeoff
weight (marine) 29.93 tons. Max.
(ake olf weight and) 30.20 tons
> Max, level speed avalide,
‘Mac 1.5 service eeiing 000.
> Combat range between 2361
4/1467 miles ane 3074 km.
1910 miles imi +76
Q SEEING
EUROFIGHTER
‘Typhoon
Multroe fighter
‘Gonceived in 1983 itentered serv-
ice June, 2008
Atleast 25 types exist
‘Agile igher; subsonic instability
‘exeeds 35%. Low-observables
‘specifications. Intended service
Iie 6000 rs/25 years. Operational
tum-round by 6 ground crewsin 25
Fllauthority quadruplex ACT (ac
tive control technology) digital fy
by-wie light controlaystem...
‘with earefee handling”
Retractable ricycletype
2 Baroje J -200 advanced technol
‘oy turbofans; each of approx.
15490 pound stati dry a
Pound thrust with after buri
1 Pilot for combat and 2 or trai
ing with 2ro/ zero ejection seat
Wings gross $51.1 sqft
"Normal weapon payload 6.5 tons.
(Overload 7.5 tons. Max. interceptor
take off weight-16 tons Max. attack
{ake off weight -21 tons. Overload
BS tons
‘Max levelspeed Mach 2.0 Service
‘ling 55000 ft. Combat radius-
‘ggound attack 6O1 kam (374 miles);
fr defence 185 kus/105 miles. g
limits with fulload +9/-3
Wing span37 ft, Overall length 52
fa Minch,
Design began on June, 1982
{ered service on May 1, 2001
Aleas five versions exist for do
Imestic usealong with an exclusive
‘export version called Rafale Mark 2
Cffered to South Koeea
Designated “omni role" co describe
simultaneous aie-to-aie
and air-fo-round capabiies, Mi
{mum weight and volume s
tohold costs o minimum
Fully digital y-by-wire controls
‘Hydraulally retractable tricycle
‘ype
2SNBCMA M-88-264 augmented
‘urbotans, each rated 10950 pound
stati thrust and 16400 pound
stave thrust with aflerburning
Piloc only on SEMMB Martin Baker
(MK-16zer0/2er0 jection seat
al hydraulic cic uis Triplex dig
{al plus one dual analogue fy-by-
‘wire flight contol system:
inegrated with engine c
and linked with weapons syst
tions, radar, ight, instruments
tion, missan and seédefence
‘Mesternal sores attachments.
‘Normal external load 6 tons. Mai
‘nutn permissible 95 tons.
Wing span 5 inch, Overall
Jength 6 ft. 3 inch
Wing goss 491.954.
‘Normal external payload 6 tons.
‘Maximum external payload 9.5,
tons, Max. ake of weight varies
fiom 1910 245 tons depending on
the versions
‘Maaclevel speed Mach 1.8. Service
ceiling 55000 fe. Radius of action:
Jow level 1055 km655 miles. Long,
‘ange 1750 km. /1093 miles. limits
49/32,
DASSAULT THE GREATEST
HURDLE TO
EUROFIGHTER
TYPHOON
OFFER TO INDIA
COULD BE THE
HIGH PRICE
TAG ON THE
FIGHTER
AIRCRAFT
Lockheed Martin £16 Fighting Falcon which
has been in the at (it 519 aireat having
been sold), close to 32 years, up gradation ot
tthe machine and operational use of 24 cus
tomers notwithstanding. Interestingly. dhe
‘main danger tothe selection process of F-16,
may come more from is country val Boelng,
(than the European bidders) since Washing:
{on isalso showcasing its state of art” twin
engine Super Hornet F/A-18 with an overall,
superior capability” inall aspects owing tots
boeing “bigger, larger, stronger and better”
from take of to touch down, both on and off
the shore with land and marinised versions
‘One of the consistent suppliers and per:
sistent hardware producers to India since the
~
i>
SPOTLIGHT
ad
‘TYPHOON: The Eurofighter’s prized aireraft
1950s has been France and the dislike of US
manufacturers of the French is too we
‘knowm t be freshly documented. However,
ever since the discovery ofa camaraderie and
‘comradeship in joint exercises (2005-2006)
(Gwalior) and Kalaikunda
‘Americans ae unlikely to let
gp the unprecedented opportunity of serv
saving” the Indlan Air Force from,
the “monopoly clutches” of European manu:
factuters, I india could start operating the
landing ship Trenton inthe midst of Russian
‘made vessels of Foxtrot and Kashin, Krestas
nd Krivaks, Osas and Tarantuls, why cannot
the US enterprise showease its products in
the squadrons ofthe IAP?
FIGHTING FIT: IAP needs state-of-the-art fighting machines
bidders, the combined might of
the multinational EurofighterTyphoon is sure
to tomtom is state-of-the-art machine with
true mltcole capabiliy, thereby hinting at
the “inferior” performance ofall others in the
fray. But can that really be so? Eurotighter
iniually had lle inclination and interest
Indian market owing to its confidence co
make money from the backyard of Europe
itself. However, drastic cut in the budget of
several European nations and the consequent
‘cancellation of confirmed orders compelled
Eurofighter to look seriously to the east
evertheless the greatest hur
dle to Burofighter Typhoon offer to India
‘ould be the high price tag on the aitcraft
‘wing to high cost of research and develop:
‘and the traditional high input cost of
production in Europe,
Amidst all these bidders, where does
Russia stand? Can the Russians — being the
traditional suppliers of steraft and rotorerat
of all types and varieties cose to fifty-five
‘years — give up so easily? Are not they pawer
ful enough (0 influence the psyche of
majority of actual users ofthe Moscow-made
machines both in dhe air and in the mainte
nance depots from Leh (o ‘Trivandrum and
from Bhuj to Khumbhigran? Widh hundreds
of ans, guns, MiGs, Antonovs, Sukhoi, Mis,
“Tupolevs and yushins in the inventory of the
Indian armed forces and the Moscow-made
nuclear submarine “Akula” and airraf carrier
Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov in the pipeline,
no establishment of India would be able to
‘deal with Moscow with a kid-glave attitude
In fact, the Russians have enough leverage to
play both China and Pakistan cards to resort
to pin-prick should they choose to do so.
However, with the recent, March 2010 visi of the Rus
~ Minister Putin and
the finalization of US $4
billion defence deal, ane
jst cannot ignore
in Delhi. Indias deeply embedded to
ent hugo Rusia for (od longo extricate
‘overnight.
"The moral ofthe story is very simple, The
choice and decision pertaining to 125 fighter
alcraft for the IAF ae fraught with turbulent
notwithstanding whichever isthe go
isthe Prime Minister
femment and whosoe
(othe day),
(of War ofall against al” h
thas turned into a war ery as was sen
from the news item of September 10,2007
"Lett alleges. sellout on fighter aiscra.”
WAITING FOR THE INDUCTION: MiG 3
SPOTLIGHT.
Reportedly thas been alleged
‘that extraonlinary pressure i
being applied on India to favour the US sup
pliers fo the supply of 126 mult-role combat
Aircraft, the global tender for which was put
out by India last week
we constitute any surprise? One does not
el so, becaus are (00 high per
taining to mor prestige
power across the global market of “
world” One would be surprised only if evry-
fone starts following ethies and morality
preaching and teaching the truth, co be fo:
lowed in deed and seal the deal for 126 fighter
raft forthe IAE
the possible worst scenario and
further delay in equipping the IAP ifthe US
seriously pushes its latest 5th generation
needed to phase out MiG 21
THE STAKES
ARE TOO HIGH
PERTAINING
TO MONEY
AND MATTER,
PRESTIGE AND
POWER
ACROSS THE
GLOBAL
MARKET
“Joint Strike Fighter F.35", If media report,
Is to be believed, the US has already
“offered the hi-tech F-35", Though at pres:
cent tis aircraft does not figure in th
fighters in the “request for proposals”
unlikely event ofa worseningall-out
tions and counter-allegations of
‘under hand deal” and “raw deal” ete, the
situation for India and her armed forces
could indeed he -murkier than what one
thas seen thus far. Hence the Indian estab-
lishment needs to gear up for the future
market war with a stoic resignation per.
taining (0 life which may prove the words
of the philosopher tobe true — solitary,
poor, nasty, brutish and short” with an
fequally shorter shelf life ofthe figures,
osals and disposals of the 126 aircralt fo
e IKE. Till hen one cat only wait, watt
and wait again with baited breath.
(The author is an alumnus of the National
Defence College)
MIGRATION
BLUES
Immigrants have virtually made India their home
While no part of the
world is un:
migration, itis highest
between countries with
contagious borders.
ASHWANI SHARMA TH THE increasing fw of
‘migrants across the world,
there has been a marked
change in the charter of
contemporary internation:
al migration, South-South. migration is
Acquiring inereasing salience in internation:
migration matrix, Many developing
nations which were ‘sending counties are
Inewasingly becoming eeeiving countries
for migrants There area substantial number
‘ofdeveloping nations that have been receiv
ing migrants from other developing coun
‘wis with low-income, This continuing trend
has been confirmed by a recent World Bank
report which indicates that there is dis
cernable shift from North-South migration
‘o South-South migration. Many developing
countries like India, the Islamic Republic of
Tran and Pakistan have now begun to appear
jin the lst of top receivers of migrants world
wide
Acconding to World Bank estimates,
South-South migration may be as high as
Norih-South migration. This share may be
‘much higher if illegal immigrants are taken
{nto account because egal immigration Is
dip
an important feature of South-South mig.
tion: particularly between countries that
share common borders. Nonetheless, flow
been countries and across gions ofthe
South has become a salient aspect of the
Intemational migration system.
Tegal as well a illegal, berween countries
with cont is the highest. For
ple, ninety per cent of migrants into
fre from the neighbouring counties
{In South Asia, more than fifty per cent oft
migrants move to either the neighbouring
‘autres or other developing countries,
The above analysis suggests that contem-
porary migration is global in scope as there is
’o part of the world that is unaffected by
‘migration: the nature and intensity of is
{impact may vary from region to region, and
‘ver time, In most host countries, particular
ly In liberal democracies, once migration
takes place it inevitably results in a substan:
tial number becoming citizens of the host
country and creating a cultural, linguistic
and religious minority within the state. The
immigrant community has the potential of
affecting the political, economic and social
conditions within the host county. Impor
{andy this community ean affect
ites ofthe host nation-state
Inthecomtemporary world, many gover
ments as well as cidzenshave been unable .o
Appreciate the scale and significance of par
cular patterns of movement, There ate
‘examples from the western world as well as
the Third World to drive home this partic
point, In 2006, the British government
‘admitted that it was unaware ofthe scale of
‘low of legal immigrants tothe United Ki
don, Until the ate 1990s, the Indian gov
‘ment also had no idea ofthe scale ofthe ow
of illegal immigrants from East Pakist
Bangladesh to India,
The migrants from Bangladesh are
Increasingly pereived asa threat to national
‘wellbeing and security, This particular point
was underscored in Apri 2008 by the deca
‘ation ofthe Parliamentary Standing Com:
mittee that ‘a rge presence of illegal
Bangladeshi immigrants poses a grave thea
to the internal security (of India) and it
should be viewed strongly. On the basis of
‘media reports of involvement of Bangladeshi
{insurgent groups in recent terrorist acts in
India, the 25-member committee recom:
‘mended that Bangladeshi migrants in the
‘county should be strictly monitored
Ttis indeed dificult co have accurate and
reliable estimates of the Bangladeshi
‘migrants in India. A recent study based on
Indian Census data estimated that there
‘were 3.1 0 3.7 million Bangladeshis in 2001
rent of India estimated
in’ 2001 there were 12 million
Bangladeshis residing illegally in the coun-
uy. There appears to be a general agreement
‘analysts of varying kleologieal incl
‘on the current. estimates of
Bangladeshi migrants in India: 20 million in
2010, However, the most disconcerting fact
Appears to be the revelation by the recent
c geopol
IN TERMS OF
LOW, THE INDO:
BANGLADESH
CORRIDO!
MOST ACTIN
GLOBALLY,
SECOND
US-ME:
Mi PERSPECTIVE
NEED FOR A POLICY: Bangladesh Parliament
World Bank study which contends that,
in terms of flow, the Indo-Bangladesh
corridor is one of the most active globally,
and is a close second to lows across the US-
exican border.
The continuing migration of Bangladeshis
to India has become a politically and socially
nitive issue. The north-eastern states of
India have received the largest inflows of,
migrants due to their proximity to
Bangladesh, Historically, a substantial num
ber of refugees miggated to these states dur
ing the partition ofthe Indian sub-con
1947 and subsequent fo
independent nation-state of |
1971. The largest inflow of these migrants
hhas been in the state of Assam. This has led
to demographic and cultural changes within
the state and provoked anti-Bengali move-
‘ments. Inthe late 1940s, the Bengal Kheda
(drive away Bengalis) movement started in
‘Assam, And in the 1960s, a substantial num>
ber of Bengali Hindus fled to the neighbour-
ing states of West Bengal and Tripura. The All
‘Assam Students Union (ASU) led an ai
foreigners’ movement during 1979-84. The
‘movement opposed the entry of illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh, and demand-
ed the expulsion of all Bengalis who had
entered Assam since 1951, The violence that
engulfed the movement led fo the killing of
thousands of people: majority ofthese were
Bengali-speaking Muslim immigrants. Ana-
Iysts have argued that in these insurgent
prone north-eastern states characterized by
social and politically instability, the unabat-
‘ed low of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants has
fuelled divisive and aggressive tendencies.
‘The motivating force underlying these
l
THE UNIQUE
IDENTIFICATION
CARD PROJECT
COULD POSSIBLY
HELP IN THE
IDENTIFICATION
OF ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS
‘movements has been a serious threat to cul-
‘ural/linguistc denties of the people inthe
north-eastern states. The Asom Gana
Parishad (AGP) party leader inan interview
to the BBC in 2005 articulated the senti-
ting: “Fhe ilegal immigrants
ladesh are a major threat to our
identity. We will become foreigners in out
‘own land unless we keep these people out of
“Assam,” This view was reinforced by the
‘Supreme Court in its judgement which stat-
fed "The presence of such large number of
‘migrants from Bangladesh, which run into
million, i in fact an aggression on the state
fof Assam and has also contributed signif
cantly in causing serious internal distur
Dances inthe shape of insurgency of alarm-
ing proportions”
“The grovsing concern about Islamic fun-
damentalism and terrorist has raised the
Drofie ofthe issue of ilegal immigrants from
(38)
Bangladesh in public discourse. In the per-
‘ception of analysts, policy-makers, journal
{sts and the ordinary people, itis serious
issue and requires elective solution. Accord
ing to a leading journalist, “There are as
many as 20 million Bangladeshis scattered
across India, Some are genuine refugees,
men and women fleeing persecution. But
‘many are seeking to make a quick buck at
‘the Indians’ expense, More worrying. an
Increasing number are criminals alied to
{erorists’ 8 comment by an ordinary citizen
‘encapsulates the sentiments ofa large sec-
‘of Indian people: "Too many
Bangladeshis are coming here without pass-
ports They take our jobs, some are terrorists,
‘They need to be stopped
‘The Indian policy-makers need o address
the issue with short-term measures as well as
long-term solution because ihas the poten
tial of getting enmeshed with the Issues of
‘threat to internal security, identity, commu-
nalism, human rights, and social harmony
and political stabi
finding a viable solution to legal migraion of
‘Bangladeshis India has the potential of mit.
‘gating the problemas both sides appearto be
serious in resolving the issue. The Unique
‘Mentifcation Card project stated by the Indi
an goverment could possibly help in the
identification of legal immigrants in India,
However, to deal with the existing illegal
Bangladeshi immigrants with an appropriate
response would remain a challenge for the
policy makers in India.
(The writers Associate Professorin Intema-
tonal Relationsat the University of Dah The November 2008 terrorist attacks in
Mumbai exposed India’s maritime
vulnerability. The threats from sea are,
in fact, growing by the day — be it
terrorism, piracy or China's growing
presence in the Indian Ocean.
analyses ...
STORY F LATE, India’s maritime
security Is facing a growing
complex
the deployment of a three:
ship squadron ofthe Chinas
Peoples Liberation Army
[Navy PLAN) tothe Gull of Aden in 2008; the
{inflation of Pakistan-based militants into
‘Mumbai by sea ahead of mounting coordinat
fed attacks on multiple targets in the city in
November 2008 ora surge in maritime piracy
{incidents in the Bay of Bengal and Gulf of
‘Aden, On the one hand, the Mkunbal terrorist
attacks and China’ PLAN deployment to the
Indian Ocean demonstrate competing pres
sures on India’s maritime security needs
between enhancing its naval power projec
tion capabilities and protecting the Indian
Sh
‘metrical and com ‘heats
fare not mutually exclusive, Maritime teror.
{sm and piracy are actualy proving state
ors such as China with the justification to
expand their presence in the Indian Ocean.
Under the pretext of protecting Sea Lines of,
Communication (SLOCS), China is achieving
{ts ambitions of expanding its blue water
naval eapabiles. As such, an integrated and
tic approach is necessary to address the
range of divergent but overlapping threats (0
Indias marine security
Theee have been’ few incidents of
maritime cerrorism i India although the
{ingredients for such an attack are in place
namely a porous, poorly demarcated and
STORY
disputed maritime border, a plethora of
high-profile tary
several motivat
{to mount increasingly sophisti
This was demonstrated with the terrorist
attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 when
10 militants infiltrated the city by sea from
the port of Karachi in Pakistan. They did so
after hijacking an Indian fishing trawler and
decap ew. Previous attacks in
“Mumbai have also exploited the city’s lax
smacitime secu used in the
‘multiple bomb blasts in Mumbai in March
1993 were reportedly smuggled into the
country by sea with assistance from the
Organised criminal syndicate of Dawood
Ibrahim while the explosives used in the
‘Mumbai train blasts in July 2006 were also,
reportedly smuggled into India throu
porous Gulf of Kutch coastline. In none of
{hese incidents were naval platfonns oF ves
sels or port infrastructure the target of ter.
rorist attacks. Instead, maritime capabilities
were merely used by militant groups 10
transport their supplies and personnel for
land-based attacks. However, the possibility
Of future attacks on offshore targets cannot
be discounted given the growing boldness of
errorist tactics, Notably, reports. that
Maldivian nationals are being trained by
Pakistan-based mitant groups demonstrate
« potential catalyst for maritime terorismin
the Indian Ovean,
‘Complementing the latent maritime texror-
{st theeat from Islamist extremist groups isthe
REPORTS THAT
MALDIVIAN
NATIONALS ARE
BEING TRAINED BY
PAKISTAN-BASED
MILITANT GROU!
DEMONSTRATE A
POTENTIAL CATA-
LYST FOR MAR,
ITIME TERRORISM
IN THE INDIAN
OCEAN. ANTI-PIRACY
RATIONS.
S
DEEPER IN THE
OCEAN
precedent already set by other insurgent
sroups that have well-established maritime
terrorism capabilites, Until recently the most
significant source of maritime terrorism in
South Asia emanated from the separatist
insurgeney of the Liberation Tigers of the
Tami Eelam (LITE) in Si Lanka. The Tami
Tigers perfected the use of maritime warfare
for use in terrorist attacks, The LTTE navy
nove as the Sea Tigers, had been used (0
smuggle arms and attack government-run,
‘vessels and pons, aswell as international mer.
chant shipping. As recently as October 2008,
the LTTE Blick Sea Tiger suicide squad
rammed explosives-laden boats against two
‘merchant ships providing supplies to the gow
cenment-held Jaina Peninsula in northern Se
dip
COVERSTORY
RECURRENT THREAT: Captured Somalian pirates
been neutralised following the los of the
LITE’ territory, conventional military capa:
bles and senior leadership in May 2009, the
groupis tactics remain a model tobe emulated
by other regional terrorist organisations,
Reports thatthe LITE had provided taining.
nd arms (0 other South Asian insurgent
‘soups including the Naxalte insurgency ate
‘evidence ofth ty to export its tac
ths The fact thatthe ETTE retains a significant
portion of overseas support base and funding
‘mechanisms while insurgent remnants’ tran
sition tovards organised crime and merce
nary activities creates the right ingredients for
the export of LTTE tactics
However, piracy represents a more imme
GATEWAY TO TERROR? Terrorists infltrated Mumbai by sea in November 2008
diate threat to offshore security than mar
itime teroristn, While the Indian coastline is
‘geographically separated from the focal point
for maritime piracy inthe Gulf of Aden and
‘waters off the coast of Somalia, this does not
mitigate treats to India given the importance
‘of these waterways to India’s trade, App
mately 25 Indian-owned merchant ships sai
through the Gulf of Aden every month and
Indian nationals account for 6 pee cent of
‘sfobal seafarers. The threat to Indian interests
from growing piracy incidents was most vis
bly illustrated in March 2008 wher more
100 indian sailors were taker
ight boats were hijacked in
The growth in piracy incidents in
Auden and off he coast of Somalia in 2000 with
‘almost 200 piracy’attempes, marking a62 per
‘ent increase over the previous year, has led
the Indian Navyto step up operations int
region. This was most visibly demonstrated
by the INS Tabar sinking a pirate "modher-
ship” inthe Gulf of Aden in November 2008,
Furthermore growing international ant
piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and
in the Gul of Aden threaten to displace the
Pirate attacks further from the Somali coast
Tine to waters deeper in the Indian Ocean and
potentially closer to Indias shores, as con-
firmed by the hijacking of a Turkish vessel
‘waters eloser to India than Afsica in March
2010. Reports that Pakistani nationals were
apprehended in connection wit
ing ofa Russian vessel by Somali pirates in
ial col
April 2009 also demonstrate pot
sion between Afi
em groups.
ACpresent, the most significant source of
‘maritime piracy in dhe South Asia region is olf
the coast of Bangladesh where pirates are
prone to targeting ships approaching and anchoring at Chittagong while s
‘wary in the Sunderbans
remain crude compared tothe more sophist-
cated measures being employed by pirates
‘near dhe Gull of Aden or inthe Sat of Malac
ca, while pirates target relatively low-profile
fishing vessels However, this could change if
pirate tactics grow more sophisticated with
Assistance from Bangladesh-based organised
time or terrorist groups. The recent string of
fmtests of operatives of Pukistan- based tertor
Jst groups on Bangladeshi sol, coupled with
the growingstrategic importance ofthe Bay of
Bengal asa source of ollshore energy
resources could lead the piracy threat to gain
prominence unless prompt and coordinated
Acton is taken by litoral states,
The maritime threat has traditionally not
been a source of interstate hostilities
between India and Pakistan, which have
Instead focused on their land borders. How
fever, another high-profile terrorist attack on
tis traced to arms or militants
dia via sea from Pakistan could
point of conflict shifting off
This is complemented by the poorly
ing sanc
ion, Tactics
lead the foc
shove
demarcated maritime boundaries in the
region a evidenced by the frequent arrest of
Indian and Pakistan fishermen, whiely has
been exasperated by a maritime tereitorial
dispute over Sit Creek in the Rann of Kutch,
marshlands, With attacks on India by Pak
{stan-based terorist groups having expande.
beyond Kashmir int the Indian heardan,
militants are increasingly infiltrating from,
utes other than the Line of Control in Kash.
Imig incadingacross the Rann of Kutch coast.
line along Sindh-Gujarat border
‘A longer term inter-state teat facing
India emanates from China's growing pres
ence inthe Indian Ocean, The deployment of
a 2 oe
ee!
rane
TOILE
“Mumbai attacks provided a glaring example of maritime terrorism
water naval ambitions into a reality: While the
decision by the PLAN to join the Shared
Awareness and Deconfliction (Shade) naval
taskforce has brought China into the mult
eral framework of protecting sea-lines of
‘comnmunication (SLOCS) in the western Ind
an Ocean, i has also expanded Chinals man:
date in the Indian Ocean The hijacking of the
Chinese cargo ship, De Xin Ha, in October
2008, the first Chinese vessel to be hijacked
since the deployment of the PLAN taskforce
has further empowered the PLAN presence in
the Indian Ocean,
‘China has made its naval power projection
goals increasingly transparent while shielding
this under dhe thetoric of maintaining “Har
‘monious Seas". Chinas 2008 Defence White
paper noted that the PLAN will “gradually
‘evelop is capabilites for cor
tons in distant waters and countering hon:
traditional security threats" Complementing
its growing ambitions are the PLAN's growing
capabilities — over the lst decade the PLAN
hhas acquired some 30 submarines and 22 sur
face ships while ithas ambitions toacquire an
aircralt cari fleet by 2020, While these plat
orm focus primarily on deterring US incr.
vention in a coniMit in the Taiwan Stet, i
could over the long-term be used to expand
Ching’s sea-denial ‘capabilities in. other
regions, including the Stait of Malacca and
Indian Ocean. The grawing boldness of PLAN,
imanocuvresin the East and South China se
inecent months isa possiblesign of things 0
come in the Indian Ocean,
“Meanie, China’ investment in Se Lan.
‘kas port infrastructure, inching the Colom
bo South Harbour Development Project an
THERE ARE
CONCERNS IN
30TH
AND THE
UNITED STATES
Wars
MAY EMERGE A
A STAGE O!
GEOPOLITICAL
RIVALRY THE NAVY
WAS DESIG
NATED THE
CENTRAL
AUTHORITY,
RESPONSIBLE
FOR SECUR
TY OF THE
COASTLINE
COVERSTORY
CChina has provided preferential loans at
subsidised rates in addition to investment in
Srategically and symbolically important
Inrasructure projects. Chia-Se Lanka bila
cal trade has grown fivefold between 2006,
and 2008 while China has replaced Japan as
SiLanla leading aid donor. Inaddition tits
‘economicassistance China also provided cru
‘al diplomatic supporto Sri Lanka, blocking
attempts by the European Union to table a
‘solution athe UN Security Cound citi
ing the Sei Lankan goverument’s conduct in
its offensive against the Tamil Tigers, as well
as defeating an EU motion against Sei Lanka
for war crimes investigations at the UN
Human Rights Council China was also able to
suppl offensive armamentsto the Sei Lankan
Despite delays in procuring some naval pla
forms, such as the Russian aircraft catrier
Admiral Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya), India
has stepped up the indigenous development
‘of naval platforms; including (Advanced Tech
nology Vessel) nuclear-powered submarines;
and stealth” figates as wellas developing a
‘ubmarine-launched supersonic missile that
modifies its BrahMos crulse missile
‘With respect to power projection, nda has
established a listening post in northe
Madagascar in addition to developing u
Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a strategic
post and deploying coastal radars inthe Mal-
dives. The Indian Navy has demonstrate is
role in ensuring regional marine security
through its high-profile operations includ
SECURING THE WATERS: Indian Navy personnel during a sea exercise
the Hambantota port project has revive the
debate over Chinas sting of pearls’ strategy
of constructing ports along strategically
Importanc waterways. China’ growing inter
fests in Sei Lanka emulate existing Chinese
funded port projects at Gwadar in Pakistan,
“Marao inthe Maldives, and sttwe in Myan:
mar (Burma) and complement ambitions t0
develop overseas supply bases. The Rajapak
sa government in Colombo has stepped up
engagement with non-traditional donors
suchas Chia as dhe westhas wiced eres
over the government's human rights record
while threatening wo curtail aid and invest
ment suppart.
military in its campaign against the Tamil
Tiges, which taditiona ally India was unable
toda, given domestic political considerations.
This has prompted concerns in both India
and the United States, as noted by a report
from the US Senate Foreign Relations Com.
‘mittee that noted the potential for Sri Lanka
{wemenge as a stage of geopolitical aly.
The growth ofthese conventional and non:
conventional maritime security theeats has
‘come as India as continued to pursue is ca,
aggressive naval power modernisation strate
19: he Indian Navy currenly has 34 warships
dnd six submarines on order to ensure that ts
force levels do not fall below 140 vessels,
humanitarian assistance for Myan:
‘mar (Burma) following Cyele Nargis in May
2008 and fur countries devastated by the kn
‘Ocean tsunaml in December 2004. India
‘part of multiple bilateral and multilateral
naval exercises, including with the United
(Malabar), Russia (Indra), Frank
(Varuna), the United Kingdom (Konkan), and
the mulilateral Milan naval exercises, 1
2010 US Quadrennial Defense Review has
‘noted: “As its military capabilities grow, India
‘will contribute to Asia as a net provider of
security inthe Indian Ocean and beyond.”
J
COVERSTORY
(ON THEIR GUARD: A Navy helicopter during a security drill
Hovseve, the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in
November 2008 brought India maritime
security needs‘clower to home by highlighting
deficiencies in coastal defence and surveil:
Jance amid the needto protect some 200 ports
across its 7.500 cuasline, In an attempt
develop amore integrated approach to coast
security thenavy was designated the cent
Authority responsible for security ofthe const
Tine following the Murnbai attacks. This has
entailed the establishment of joint operation
feentres (JOCs) in four locations, which are
joinly manned and operated by the navy,
fast guard and state and centeal agencies
and the development ofa new coastal com.
nand to oversee the Coastal Security Scheme,
which was unveiled by the Home Ministry in
2006. Improvements have also been made (0
‘coastal surveillance through such initiatives 3s
"upgrading radar coverage, creating additional
INDIA, CHINA
AND THE
UNITED
STATES HAV
A SHARED
INTEREST IN
MAINTAINING
OPEN SEA
LANES.
caastguard stations
sea fences around the country’
bours as part of the Integrated Harbour
Defence system. These initiatives are bringing,
about a slow but steady improversent in the
‘country’s coastline defence
The growing strategic importance of the
indian Ocean. through which half of the
Worlds maritime taffl and two-thirds of the
worlds oil shipments transit requies a coor:
inated approach by littoral and extra region
al states, especially given the growth of iit
activities, including piracy, and arms, nar.
coties and people trafficking. The three
ion Malacca Straits Patrols in Southeast
Asia played a prominent role quelling the
piracy threat in the South China Sea and a
Smile model would be beneficial for the
Indian Ocean, Former foreign secretary Shiv
Shankar Menon indicated suppor forsich an
inaive with a proposal foraMasitime Con:
cert in wl ‘region's major maritime
powers would have collective responsialityt0
protect the Indian Ocean from non-tadition
al security threats
At present the region is plagued by muli-
ple overlapping forums 10 tackle issues of
‘maritime security, including the South Asia
Regional Port Security Cooperative (SARP-
SCO); the Regional Cooperation Agreement
‘on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery
against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) and the Indian
(Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS). The com.
peting nature of these forums is in part a
Feflecion ofthe climate of mistrust that per-
vades the region amid the persistence of
underlying inter-state rivalries.
1, despite the ongoing rap-
the United States, India
remains reluctant to sacrifice is strategic
autonomy by embedding itself into the US
‘maritime security architecture, This. has
accounted for the Indian government’ luke.
‘warm publi support for US multilateral ii
tiatives such as the Prolferaion Security In
tiative (PSD and "Thousand Ship Navy’ While
India is party w several US-led maritime
security frameworks such as the Intemational
Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS)
land the Container Security iniative (CS) ts
compliance has been patchy. Reservations
Continue t be expressed over the presence of
US customs officals on Indian soll under the
terms of the ISPS iniatve. Simla despite
being praised fr its role in the interception of
a North Korean vessel Mu Sin near the
Andaman Nicobar Islands in August 2000,
India remains reluctant to join the PSL amid
concerns that the provisions of the intative
aginst “tates of proliferation concern” could
‘one day be used against Indi,
Ultin powers, including
India, Chi ted States have a
shared interest in mai open sea lane
{heough the Indian Ocean, given the stage
Importance of these waterways as «ransit
points for growing (rade and resource
Imports However, despite the rhetoric of
shared intrest, a climate of mistrust contin:
tues to permeate the region. This has bee
fexasperated by the shilting regional pow
‘dynamics rooted in the relative decline ofthe
United States. This,
the taditional US role of a guarantor af
regional security which is creating a strategic
void on issues related to securing the Global
Commons, including securing Sea Lines of
Communication (SLOG. Simultaneously,
slobal economic downtum and its confirma
tion ofthe shift in the world’s productive and
‘economic capacity eastwards have inadver
tently made the stategc rivalries in the east,
including the Sino-Indian relationship, of
greater importance to the international sys
tem. As China and India’s overseas interests
grow, the importance of securing regional
{rade routes will increase as well, setting the
stage for a deepened rivalry om the Indian
(Ocean in the absence of confidence- building
and strategic cooperation.
(The writers aSouth Asia Analyst at Con
‘rot Risks, a London-based political and
security consultancy. He hus also worked
with the Center for Strategic and intern
‘tonal Studies in Washington, DC, and the
London-based International Institute for
Strategic Studies) dip
GEOPOLITICS
IN-DEPTH
DIVE FOR
DETERRENCE
‘The imperative for India’s sea-based nuclear deterrence fleet arises due to rapid
developments in offensive missile capabilities of other countries. W LAWRENCE
S PRABHAKAR takes a close look at India’ aspirations to build a formidable blue-water navy. HE MAGNITUDE of india’ techno:
gical achiewement (dhough bela
ed) weflects the cumulative
progress registered in the related
areas of submarine design, power
propulsion, slo-housing of ballistic missiles
‘on board, synchronization of ‘old launch of
ballistic missiles while submerged, in addition
to the development of navigational and tar
geting capabilities, all of which constitute che
najor ares of India’s sea-based submerged
nuclear deterrence
In the architecture of nuclear deterrence
and nuclear deployments, the pivotal
senguhs le in the operationalization of the
nuclear warfare doettines that aid and stabi-
lize deterrence, Given the nature of surprise,
stealth, speed and strike lethality of nuclear
‘weapons ina first stike mode, the defending
State that receives the Gist strike ought (0
develop credibility survivability and adequate
retaliatory capably that assure the de
Jing stave as also signal he st strke aggressor
state ofthe intense capabilides of the delend-
Ing state of launching untold damage in a
retaliatory strike that could even wipe out the
faistence of the aggressor state. However,
Sates that subscribe to a No-Fist-Use of
‘nuclear weapons ought to build superior
capabilities of dispersing their nuclear assets
Into relative levels of invulnerability 12 a
decapitating fist strike that may attempt to
‘destroy all ealiatory capability of the defend:
ing state. I isin this context that nuclear
deterrence began to evolve in the 1960s into a
triad of nuclear weapons that has land:
launched, air-launched and) submarine
launched legs of nuclear deterrence
‘With the development of sea-based nuclear
deterrence, two operational platforms and
‘operational doctrines have evolved. The pri
‘mary doctrine isthe capability to launch bal
listic missiles from submerged positions of
submasine withthe guidance provided by the
constellation of navigation satellites that
ould accurately dec the targeting eapabil
‘es ofthe missiles.
Yet another operational platform that
auld deliver sea-based nucleartipped mis-
siles is ship-launched cruise missiles
A JEWEL IN THE SEA: AUS submarine
(SLC) that ae air-breathing vehicles with
tno endo-aumospheric or ex0-atmos}
pathways but travel within the eae
"These
‘missiles are launched from modified ncear
Submarines of the attack or the ballistic type
‘known as SSGNS (Ship Submersible
Nuclear) Thus the variants of ballistic
cruise missile submarines are premier
based platforms that could carry nucles
deterrence at sea and are quite known for
their relative invulnerabily
‘On the other hand, the contending doc-
twine of sea-based deterrence isthe ant-sub-
‘marine warfare capabilities of nuctear attack
submarines SSNs (Ship Submersible Nuclear
Anack) that would wall and wage the relaive-
|y invulnerable ballistic missile submarines
SSIBNs (Ship Submersible Balstic-Nudleat) oe
‘he muckar cruise missile subman
(Ship Submersl
patrol stations.
Sea-based deterence is operationalised on
the following doctrnal-operational concepts,
which are common to all nuclear powers that
hha this capability:
The primary capability of sea-based
nuclear deterrence platforms is responsive:
‘nes, SSNS ae al weather platforms tallored
strike and response to any
‘at 4 minimum notice. Given their
stealth movements and disposition, SSNs
ine to preempiive strike with a higher
‘of strvivailty. This enhances: the
credible, assured response ofthe deterrent
‘Sea-based nuclear deterrence i primed on
Aexibiliy. The SSBNs and SSGNS are well
‘known for the high degree of their inherer
stealth nature which prewides them a robust
Aexibily in deployment. SBNs, SSGNs and
SSNs have operational capabiliies of high
speed underwater and the sustained stealth
‘nature oftheir movement to reach the desired
launch rea in theleast possible time enabling
them for quick redeployment for omni
tional targeting.
‘Operational deployment of SSHNs and
SSSGNss pivoted on survivability that enables
‘the boals to launch the missiles and escape
the launch area inthe quickest possible get-
vay toa safe haven. This crtcal capability is
{he sinew ofthe SSBNs since they are subject
todetection and localization for destruction
by anti-submarine warfare forces.
Submergence and underwater patrols con-
stitute the Basis ofthe invulnerability ofthe
SSNs that aids the endurance af dhe plat-
form. is nuclear power propulsion and its
ability t sustain power for its operations
fortis the platform for longer durations of
ied ‘CROWNING GLORY: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on the deck of the submarine,
INS Sindhudhvaj in Vishakhapatnam
Submergence than the conventional diese
ects and even the newer generation of AIP
(Air-Independent Propulsion) submarines
‘As submerged platforms, SSBNs, SSGNs
and SSNs have enduring connectivity. With
acoustic energy asthe most viable source for
underwater communications, connectivity for
the submerged boats is materialised through
electro-magnetic waves of law frequency
(VLE) and extra low frequency (ELE) which
olf an elective, reliable, robust and suevo
ablecommunication betwen the shote/com.
‘mand platform and the submarine, manta.
ingsllence and submergence,
Readiness constitutes the state of primacy
In the operations of the SSBNs, SSGNs and
SSNs The erew is primed for high levels of
physical, mena and psychological endurance
$0 as to perform long duration underwater
tasks with utmost zealand peefection/ prec:
son, Readiness signifies the eapabllty of the
SSSBNs to be alert and ready at all umes (0
launch weapons ce shit areas of deployment
at short notice.
‘These operational concepts and features
constitute the essence ofthe sea-based stb-
‘merged nuclear deterrence that has been built
and improved upon over the years The gal
hhaval order of bate of nuclear submarines
can be enumerated as follows,
The United Slates currently operates 14
ballistic missile submarines, as out of its
original stockpile of 18 boats, four have been.
Converted into cruise missile submarines. I
also operates 58 nuclear attack submarines,
Russia operates 12 ballistic missile sub-
marines, keeping four in mserve, besides
fperating 12 nuclear attack submarines and
three nuclear guided missile submarines.
France operates four nuclear ballistic missle
submarines and six nuclear attack sub-
marines while the United Kingdom operates
Tour ballistic missle submarines and seven
nuclear attack submarines. China currently
‘operates two ballistic missile submarines
and two nuclear attack submarines, besides
ballistic and attack
India’ need for a sea-based nuclear dete
rence is structured on and rationalised by
highly important considerations, As a sub:
continental power with an entdement of 7516,
km of macitime bou
continental geographic maritime boundary
fnd extensive territory almost equal to is
landmass, viz. 29 million sq ken. Its maritime
‘Arabian Sea, the Hay of Bengal an
theadjoin
ing Indian Ocean provides India with a vast,
‘maritime theatre for ils sea-based nuclear
terrence andits let of nuclear submarines,
stipulation of Indias nuclear
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