Indian Air Force 2020
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 02:08
Air Chief Marshal (retd) A Y Tipnis, PVSM, AVSM, VM
Perspective Planning - An Essential Requirement India has yet to demonstrate its ability to do long-term perspective planning in any field. Defense is by no means an exception. Inability, if not disinclination, to do so in the early decades after independence could be arguably justified for the defense sector on several counts. The key factor, possibly, was the initial political disinclination to develop our defense forces. The Nehruvian pre-occupation with national economic and industrial development, non-alignment and global statesmanship resulted in a myopic vision towards our defense requirements. Development of defense forces came to be looked upon as a hindrance rather than an asset to India playing the role that it had set for itself, nationally and internationally.
The American supply of military aid to Pakistan in the late 1950s made India scramble for arms purchases in an effort to balance the scales that had tilted in Pakistan’s favor. This was the start to India’s reactive responses to events taking place in its western neighborhood. The Chinese fiasco of 1962 was essentially the result of firstly, foolishly thinking that pure statesmanship would win us our legitimate claims; and secondly, making strong political noises and military moves with neither a coherent military plan nor (more importantly) the military capability.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 02:19
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Indian Army 2020
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 02:06
Gen. (retd) Shankar Roychowdhury, PVSM, ADC
A nation’s military is a major but unstated factor in international Realpolitik, howsoever moderated and underplayed, in acknowledgement of international sensitivities. Nevertheless, its existence and capabilities percolate into the public domain, domestic as well as international, and its presence, even unstated, becomes a background presence, which provides a sense of hard-edge backup to the national establishment for undertaking effective front line diplomacy. It is, therefore, essential in the national interest that the armed forces are upgraded and updated on an ongoing basis, something which governments have been traditionally loath to acknowledge and undertake, the Indian government perhaps more so than others in this respect.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 02:18
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Tuesday, 21 October 2008 23:38
Editor
In Memoriam 
“Weapons do not cleave this self, fire does not burn him; waters do not make him wet, nor does the wind make him dry.”
“He is uncleavable, He cannot be burnt, He can neither be wetted nor dried. He is eternal, all-pervading, unchanging and immovable, He is the same forever.”
“He is said to be unmanifest, unthinkable, and unchanging. Therefore, knowing him as such, thou shouldst not grieve.”
- Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 02:19
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India and the Globalization of Drugs Regime
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 02:00
T Raghavan
India and the Globalization of the Drugs Regime T. Raghavan Organized criminal enterprise has a history as long as that of human civilization. However, recently with increasing trade and communications between different regions of the world, criminal enterprises morphed from purely local organizations into organizations that transcend national boundaries. The growth of international criminal cartels represents the more seamy side of the globalization. International criminal cartels typically take advantage of loopholes in trade laws, and of economic policy in various nations. For example, the mainstay of Indian mafia organizations in the past was gold smuggling from foreign countries. Indian tax policies and other curbs made the illegal gold importing a profitable venture. Similarly, Italian mafias grew in power in the United States during the era of prohibition as alcohol and gambling were banned.
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Surrounded with security threats to its land frontiers since Independence and bedeviled with a paucity of funds, Indian defense industries for many decades plodded along alone striving for self-sufficiency as the western countries were loathe to part with the latest equipment or share their technology. The silver lining in this bleak situation turned out to be Soviet Union, which did not consider India strategically hostile and was willing to accept payments in rupees. However, in the unfolding geo-political scenario, besides Russia, countries like France, Israel, Britain, and America, each with well-established military-industrial complexes are keen to join hands with India to co-develop, co-produce and co-market defense equipment.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 00:55
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