News Analysis India

Tag: Chief Of Defence Staff

  • National security strategy must evolve in line with changes in geopolitical order: CDS Gen Chauhan

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday said the formulation of a National Security Strategy (NSS) should reflect the changes in international geopolitics.  

    General Anil Chauhan said, “International geopolitics is in a flux and the national security strategy should aim to absorb the changes in such a way that it meets the challenges and exploits the opportunities.”

    The CDS also noted that the Armed Forces are investing in technology, which will be key as India continues the process of reorganising its war fighting structure into theatres.

    The CDS was delivering the inaugural speech at the DRDO Directors’ Conclave, an annual event of DRDO, in New Delhi on Friday. General Chauhan stressed the need to perform, reform, transform, inform and conform to meet the emerging challenges.

    India does not have a National Security Strategy, which is an all-encompassing and overarching document for a nation, providing a direction to employ various instruments of national power – diplomatic, informational, military and economic – to advance and protect its national interests from external and internal threats.

    Referring to the technology requirements emerging from theaterisation, he said superiority in technology and tactics is the need of the hour and the Indian Armed Forces are investing in new technologies to win engagements.

    Highlighting the principles of jointness, integration and theaterisation, General Anil Chauhan said in the national security realm, the concept of theaterisation is a fundamental change that is on the anvil.

    ALSO READ | Indian armed forces likely to get their first Integrated Theatre Command in August

    “It is one of the most ambitious changes with far-reaching implications attempted post-independence. The start on this journey depends on the right steps being taken first towards jointness and integration. Theaterisation involves creation of tri service theatre specific structures for effective response along the entire spectrum of conflict,” said General Anil Chauhan.

    The CDS said that integration in the physical domain aims to achieve a multiplier effect as it combines the unique capabilities of the servicesthrough integrated processes and structures to increase the war fighting capability.

    Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat, in his inaugural address, highlighted the changes occurring in the nature of warfare and criticality involved in them. He stressed on the need to reform and transform the perspectives in tandem with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of Aatmanirbharta and Make in India.

    General Chauhan released the DRDO’s second list of systems and subsystems for the industry to design, develop and manufacture in line withAatmanirbhar Bharat. This second list of DRDO is in continuation of the list of 108 items released earlier.

    He also released the “DRDO Guidelines for Production Coordination”, which outline the mechanism for production coordination and resolution of issues associated with production of DRDO developed military equipment/platforms/systems.

    The guidelines bring out a two-tier mechanism to resolve issues related to production of these systems by involving designers, users, productionagencies, quality agencies and other stakeholders. The initiative will further pave the way for the Indian defence industry to develop defencetechnologies/systems towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

    The conclave will include deliberations on various issues in line with the theme “Redefining Role of DRDO in the Wake of New Government Policies and Emerging Scenarios” through six technical sessions each followed by a panel discussion.

    The two-day conclave is organised as a follow-up to the various Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) meetings and reviews of their outcomes by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. It is being attended by top officials of DRDO including Directors General of various technology as well as corporate clusters, directors of DRDO laboratories, directors of DRDO headquarters and Integrated Financial Advisors (IFAs).

    At the beginning of this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had presided over a day-long session of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It had followed separate brainstorming sessions, last month, of all the Departments of the MoD. The Department of Defence (DoD), Department of Defence Production (DDP), Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) had organised separate brainstorming sessions, during which they discussed critical issues & ways to enhance their productivity.

    NEW DELHI: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday said the formulation of a National Security Strategy (NSS) should reflect the changes in international geopolitics.  

    General Anil Chauhan said, “International geopolitics is in a flux and the national security strategy should aim to absorb the changes in such a way that it meets the challenges and exploits the opportunities.”

    The CDS also noted that the Armed Forces are investing in technology, which will be key as India continues the process of reorganising its war fighting structure into theatres.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    The CDS was delivering the inaugural speech at the DRDO Directors’ Conclave, an annual event of DRDO, in New Delhi on Friday. General Chauhan stressed the need to perform, reform, transform, inform and conform to meet the emerging challenges.

    India does not have a National Security Strategy, which is an all-encompassing and overarching document for a nation, providing a direction to employ various instruments of national power – diplomatic, informational, military and economic – to advance and protect its national interests from external and internal threats.

    Referring to the technology requirements emerging from theaterisation, he said superiority in technology and tactics is the need of the hour and the Indian Armed Forces are investing in new technologies to win engagements.

    Highlighting the principles of jointness, integration and theaterisation, General Anil Chauhan said in the national security realm, the concept of theaterisation is a fundamental change that is on the anvil.

    ALSO READ | Indian armed forces likely to get their first Integrated Theatre Command in August

    “It is one of the most ambitious changes with far-reaching implications attempted post-independence. The start on this journey depends on the right steps being taken first towards jointness and integration. Theaterisation involves creation of tri service theatre specific structures for effective response along the entire spectrum of conflict,” said General Anil Chauhan.

    The CDS said that integration in the physical domain aims to achieve a multiplier effect as it combines the unique capabilities of the services
    through integrated processes and structures to increase the war fighting capability.

    Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat, in his inaugural address, highlighted the changes occurring in the nature of warfare and criticality involved in them. He stressed on the need to reform and transform the perspectives in tandem with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of Aatmanirbharta and Make in India.

    General Chauhan released the DRDO’s second list of systems and subsystems for the industry to design, develop and manufacture in line with
    Aatmanirbhar Bharat. This second list of DRDO is in continuation of the list of 108 items released earlier.

    He also released the “DRDO Guidelines for Production Coordination”, which outline the mechanism for production coordination and resolution of issues associated with production of DRDO developed military equipment/platforms/systems.

    The guidelines bring out a two-tier mechanism to resolve issues related to production of these systems by involving designers, users, production
    agencies, quality agencies and other stakeholders. The initiative will further pave the way for the Indian defence industry to develop defence
    technologies/systems towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

    The conclave will include deliberations on various issues in line with the theme “Redefining Role of DRDO in the Wake of New Government Policies and Emerging Scenarios” through six technical sessions each followed by a panel discussion.

    The two-day conclave is organised as a follow-up to the various Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) meetings and reviews of their outcomes by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. It is being attended by top officials of DRDO including Directors General of various technology as well as corporate clusters, directors of DRDO laboratories, directors of DRDO headquarters and Integrated Financial Advisors (IFAs).

    At the beginning of this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had presided over a day-long session of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It had followed separate brainstorming sessions, last month, of all the Departments of the MoD. The Department of Defence (DoD), Department of Defence Production (DDP), Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) had organised separate brainstorming sessions, during which they discussed critical issues & ways to enhance their productivity.

  • Road, military station in Arunachal’s Kibithu named after late Gen Bipin Rawat

    By PTI

    ARUNACHAL PRADESH: A military station on the banks of Lohit Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and a key road in this mountain hamlet were on Saturday named after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, around nine months after he died in a helicopter crash.

    As a young Colonel, Rawat had commanded his Battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at Kibithu from 1999-2000 and contributed immensely in strengthening the security structure of the area.

    The Kibithu military camp and the 22 km-long road stretch from Walong to Kibithu were named after Gen Rawat at a ceremony attended by Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brigadier (retd) B D Mishra, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita and Gen Rawat’s daughters Kritika and Tarini.

    Several senior military officials also attended the event.

    The Kibithu military camp was renamed as Gen Bipin Rawat Military Garrison wherein a grand gate built in local traditional architectural style was inaugurated by the governor.

    The 22-km road stretch from Walong to Kibithu was dedicated as Gen Bipin Rawat Marg by Chief Minister Khandu.

    A majestic life size mural of the Gen Rawat was also unveiled.

    Gen Rawat was killed in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 last year along with his wife Madhulika and 12 armed forces personnel.

    Kibithu is a small hamlet on the banks of the Lohit Valley in the eastern most part of India.

    A circle under Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, Kibithu is considered an important location from the military perspective.

    The Army said Gen Rawat’s vision and foresight were instrumental in implementing the infrastructural development and ensuring societal progress in the area.

    “Gen Bipin Rawat’s untimely demise in December 2021 left an irreplaceable void in the country,” it said.

    The event was attended by citizens of Kibithu and Walong.

    The Army said the ceremony has further synergised civil-military relations and is a befitting tribute to the first Chief of Defence Staff of India.

    In March, the then Army Chief Gen M M Naravane had announced setting up of a ‘Chair of Excellence’ in memory of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat at the United Service Institution of India (USI), a leading military think tank, in Delhi.

    ARUNACHAL PRADESH: A military station on the banks of Lohit Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and a key road in this mountain hamlet were on Saturday named after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, around nine months after he died in a helicopter crash.

    As a young Colonel, Rawat had commanded his Battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at Kibithu from 1999-2000 and contributed immensely in strengthening the security structure of the area.

    The Kibithu military camp and the 22 km-long road stretch from Walong to Kibithu were named after Gen Rawat at a ceremony attended by Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brigadier (retd) B D Mishra, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita and Gen Rawat’s daughters Kritika and Tarini.

    Several senior military officials also attended the event.

    The Kibithu military camp was renamed as Gen Bipin Rawat Military Garrison wherein a grand gate built in local traditional architectural style was inaugurated by the governor.

    The 22-km road stretch from Walong to Kibithu was dedicated as Gen Bipin Rawat Marg by Chief Minister Khandu.

    A majestic life size mural of the Gen Rawat was also unveiled.

    Gen Rawat was killed in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 last year along with his wife Madhulika and 12 armed forces personnel.

    Kibithu is a small hamlet on the banks of the Lohit Valley in the eastern most part of India.

    A circle under Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, Kibithu is considered an important location from the military perspective.

    The Army said Gen Rawat’s vision and foresight were instrumental in implementing the infrastructural development and ensuring societal progress in the area.

    “Gen Bipin Rawat’s untimely demise in December 2021 left an irreplaceable void in the country,” it said.

    The event was attended by citizens of Kibithu and Walong.

    The Army said the ceremony has further synergised civil-military relations and is a befitting tribute to the first Chief of Defence Staff of India.

    In March, the then Army Chief Gen M M Naravane had announced setting up of a ‘Chair of Excellence’ in memory of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat at the United Service Institution of India (USI), a leading military think tank, in Delhi.

  • Army ‘quick gun’ units slow on the draw

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Indian Army’s bid to introduce the biggest change in combat formations on the ground with the creation of a lean set-up of the Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) – which will have the capability to hit the enemy fast and hard – is facing inertia and the whole process has got delayed. Army sources confirmed the process has been delayed and it will take more time as the scheduled meetings are not taking place after the death of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

    These battle groups might be raised close to the formation of the theatre commands, the sources said. The plan was to raise at least two IBGs by the end of 2021. Earlier, meetings led by the Army’s Military Operations wing had taken place to complete the process.

    This newspaper had earlier reported that the differences between Army, Navy and Air Force and the death of CDS Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in December last year have prolonged the theaterisation exercise. The formation of theatre commands is aimed to integrate the entire Indian military to fight future wars jointly under one theatre commander.

    The IBGs will be self-contained fighting formations with the elements of every arm and service mixed together as per the terrain and operational requirements. In case of hostilities, they can swiftly strike against the enemies. Each IBG will be tailor-made and will be based on the three Ts – threat, terrain, and task.

    The forces reassigned and reconstituted as the IBGs would be smaller but swifter with greater combat thrust. They will be bigger than a brigade (3,000-3,500) but smaller than a division (10,000-12,000). In the first go, of the two IBGs planned, one is coming up under the 9 Corps mandated to operate on the western borders with Pakistan. The other one is being raised under the 17 Corps raised as the sole strike Corps to operate along the northern borders with China.

    More formations will be approved once the first set is raised as the ambition is to do away with the Division Headquarters which function under the Corps and remove one complete layer from the organisational setup.

    Work on the formation of the IBGs in the started after major deliberations and initiation of the biggest restructuring of its headquarters. Four studies on various aspects were initiated in mid-2018 which were finalised by December end.

    Boost to battle power

    Each Integrated Battle Group will have troop strength of around 5,000, bigger than a Brigade (3000-3,500) but smaller than a Division (10,000-12,000)

    These will have a mix of every arm and service like Infantry, Artillery, Armoured Corps, Engineers Corps, Signals, Air Defence and others

  • Army Chief General MM Naravane takes charge as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The government has appointed General MM Naravane, Chief of Army Staff, as the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman, CoSC), the post which fell vacant after the sudden demise of the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash on December 8.

    A source on Wednesday confirmed: “General Naravane has taken over the role of the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, which includes the Chiefs of Navy and Air Force Staff too.” General Naravane is the senior-most chief of the Staff.

    Important issues related to the armed forces are handled by this committee. With the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in December 2019, General Rawat as the CDS had become the first permanent CoSC. CDS is the fourth and permanent member of the CoSC.

    The old practice entailed that the senior-most officer among the three services was taking over as the Chairman, CoSC. “The Armed Forces have a clear line of command and role for every position to remove any ambiguity. Since there is no name announced for the post of CDS, this is just a stopgap arrangement.” sources in the defence establishment said.

    The CDS also heads the department of military affairs as its secretary. In the absence of CDS, the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Air Marshal Balabhadra Radha Krishna will report to General Naravane, said the sources adding he will be the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff.

    However, the work of the secretary in the Department of Military Affairs is being looked at by additional secretary Lt General Anil Puri. Lt General Puri is the second senior-most officer in the DMA.

    This extraordinary situation emanated from the untimely death of Gen Bipin Rawat. General Rawat was killed along with his wife Madhulika Rawat, his defence assistant Brig LS Lidder, his staff officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and 11 others, including pilots and his personal staff.

    The lone survivor was Defence Services Staff College directing officer Group Captain Varun Singh but he also succumbed to injuries on December 15.

    As per the mandate, the DMA plays a crucial role in bringing jointness in procurement, training, posting and staffing for the services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.

    The CDS deals with the administrative issues of tri-services while the chiefs continue to head the operations for their respective services.

    The DMA in December 2019 came up as the fifth Department of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) which frames policy directions on defence and security-related matters for implementation by the departments concerned. The other four departments of the MoD are the Department of Defence, the Department of Defence Production, the Department of Defence Research and Development, the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA). 

  • Farmers hold ‘havan’ at Ghazipur to pray for Gen Bipin Rawat, 12 others who died in chopper crash

    By PTI

    GHAZIABAD: Farmers at the Ghazipur border on Friday organised a ‘havan’ to pray for Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence personnel who were killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.

    Besides farmers, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rakesh Tikait, BKU Uttar Pradesh president Rajbir Singh Jadaun and other office-bearers attended the ‘havan’, according to the state vice president of the farmers’ group Rajbir Singh.

    A Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying Gen Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence personnel crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

    ​ALSO READ | Army officers from Nepal, Lanka, Bangladesh join funeral procession of CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, wife

    As India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Rawat was tasked with bringing in theatre command and jointness among the three services, and he was pushing it with a tough approach and specific timelines over the last two years.

    Known to be forthright, fearless, and blunt at times, the 63-year-old strongly backed a policy of hot pursuit in dealing with cross-border terrorism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir when he was the Army Chief between 2016 and 2019.

    Farmers were also busy dismantling the encampments they set up at the protest site over the past year as they got ready to head back home.

    Singh said the community kitchens will be operational till the protest site is completely cleared.

    The Ghazipur border is most likely to be vacated by Saturday, he said.

    ALSO WATCH:

    Meanwhile, a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official said National Highway 9 will be opened for commuters after a technical inspection of the stretch where the farmers were camping for over a year and its pillars is completed.

    Once the farmers vacate the highway, NHAI engineers will conduct an inspection and repair the damaged portions, if any, Arvind Kumar, project director, NHAI, told PTI.

    The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which spearheaded the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s farm laws, on Thursday decided to suspend the movement and announced that farmers will go back home on Saturday from the protest sites on Delhi’s borders.

    The agitation, which began in November last year, mainly drew farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

  • CDS Rawat Helicopter crash: Black box found; PM leads nation in homage

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI/COONOOR/COIMBATORE: A tri-services Court of Inquiry (CoI) led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh has begun probing every aspect of the military helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, that killed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others on Wednesday. “The inquiry team reached Wellington (Ooty) on Wednesday itself and started the investigation,” defence minister Rajnath Singh informed Parliament on Thursday.

    “With high-end technologies, vulnerabilities like external interference have crept in. The ill-fated Mi-17V-5 helicopter is one of the most sophisticated helicopters in the world. Every aspect will be looked into, including that of sabotage,” said a senior IAF officer on condition of anonymity.

    Air Chief V R Chaudhari flew into Wellington hours after the tragedy and inspected the wreckage on Thursday. The probe team retrieved parts of the crashed helicopter, including its black box, and sent them to Delhi. Some blood samples were also lifted from the site. Air Force personnel also flew a drone over the area to get a 360-degree view of the site.

    As the bodies of Gen Rawat and 12 others were transported by road from the Madras Regimental Centre at Wellington in Coonoor to Coimbatore’s Sulur airbase, people stood on either side and paid floral tribute. From Sulur, the mortal remains were flown to the Palam airbase in New Delhi, where President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respects. The last rites of Gen Rawat and Brig Lidder will be held at Brar Square Crematorium in Delhi Cantt on Friday.

    The severity of the crash made identification of the mortal remains difficult. “Positive identification of only four mortal remains has been possible as of now (Gen Rawat, Madhulika Rawat, Brig L S Lidder and Lance Naik Vivek),” the Army informed earlier in the day. 

    Close family members are being brought to Delhi for positive identification of the bodies and DNA testing. The mortal remains will be kept at the mortuary of the Army Base Hospital till the identities are established. 

    On viral vid: ‘Has it Broken?’ ‘Yes.’

    A 19-second video, believed to capture the moments before the crash, went viral and the Nilgiris police questioned those who recorded it. In the video, a group of people, believed to be tourists, is seen walking on a railway track looking towards the sky as a loud thud is heard and a chopper is seen disappearing into the thick fog. One person in the group is heard asking “odanchinducha (has it broken)?”. In response, the man recording the video is heard saying “yes”. Sources said the video might have been shot from near the Runnymede railway station. “If it was indeed recorded from there, it could be a vital piece of evidence regarding the weather conditions at the time,” sources added.

  • Country’s national security ‘unpardonably compromised’: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre for China strategy

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the Centre over the border row with China and alleged that the country’s national security is “unpardonably compromised” as the government does not have a strategy on China.

    Our national security is unpardonably compromised because GOI has no strategy and Mr 56” is scared.My thoughts are with the soldiers risking their lives to guard our borders while GOI churns out lies. pic.twitter.com/F0iEHXdu8o
    — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 12, 2021
    He also cited a news report where the External Affairs Ministry and the Chief of Defence Staff had a different take on the China border issue. The headline of the news report reads: “Chief of Defence Staff, Foreign Ministry’s different take on China row”.

    “Our national security is unpardonably compromised because GOI has no strategy and ‘Mr 56’ is scared. My thoughts are with the soldiers risking their lives to guard our borders while GOI churns out lies,” the Congress leader said in a tweet.

    Three major friction points had emerged between the two countries including both the banks of Pangong lake, Gogra heights and the Hot Springs area following Chinese build up along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

    Through multiple rounds of talks, both sides have resolved issues involving Pangong Tso and Gogra heights friction points as troops have disengaged from there. India and China held the 13th round of the India-China Corps Commander-level meeting earlier this month.

    India conveyed that it expects the Chinese side to work towards early resolution of all the remaining issues on the LAC in eastern Ladakh. There was a clash between Indian and Chinese Armies in Galwan Valley on June 15 last year, in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers lost their lives.

  • Procuring advanced surveillance systems is Indian armed forces’ topmost priority: CDS Bipin Rawat

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Procuring advanced surveillance systems that can help India keep an eye on its land borders and oceans is the topmost priority of the armed forces right now, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said on Thursday.

    He also said that after surveillance capabilities, India needs to focus on boosting its cyber capabilities.

    “Our first and foremost priority is surveillance. We need anything that can help is in maintaining surveillance on our land borders and on our oceans. This is our fist priority,” he said at a defence conclave here when asked what are Indian armed forces’ requirements that should be the focus of private industry.

    “We want to jump the cyber from lower priority to higher priority because we find that our adversary is developing cyber capabilities at a very fast pace,” he also said.

    If you are not able to match the adversary, then no matter how good or sophisticated your systems are, if they are going to be affected through cyber attacks, they will be no use to us, he asserted.

    Gen Rawat said a very rapid transformation is taking place in the international domain.

    “And accordingly, our own region is also undergoing rapid changes and we can see the way the dynamics of international relations in our own vicinity is taking shape,” he added.

    “It is both a major advantage to us in the manner in which there is collaboration taking place amongst like-minded nations, and it will also pose a big challenge in the future,” he said.

  • Chief of Defence Staff to chair important meeting to sort out issues on theatre command

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: All stake holders related to the formulation of the theatre commands are scheduled to meet on Tuesday. The meeting is called to iron out the differences on issue of the structure of the Theatre Commands.

    A source said, “General Bipin Rawat will be chairing a meeting of the Vice Chief’s Committee with the representatives of Department of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security Council Secretariat.”

    The discussions will be to resolve the observations raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Air Force in a presentation given to the Defence Minister early this month, added the source.

    While Air force has observations regarding the asset division, the MHA has it about the operational command of the Central Armed Police Forces, pointed another source.

    When TNIE asked the Air Force Spokesperson said, “Official deliberation regarding theatre commands are on-going. IAF will not comment on the issues.”

    The war fighting structure of the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force and Navy) is being reorganised into theatre commands with an aim to have the assets of all three forces under one commander responsible for all operations under his theatre.

    Of the various structures under consideration, the entire geographical area put under five theatre commands with Air Defence Theatre Command, Maritie Theatre Command, Northern Command (Comprising Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) and Western Command and Eastern Command.

    At present, the three armed forces have together 17 commands with Army and Air Force having seven commands each and Navy has three commands.

    China also reorganised its seven military districts into five theatre commands with Indian Borders falling into the operational responsibility of its Western Theatre Command.

    Approving a major reform at the Higher Defence Management level the government formed Department of Military Affairs in 2019 with the appointment of General Bipin Rawat as the Chief of Defence Staff as its Secretary. Formulation of the Theatre Command is the mandate of the CDS along with integration and synergy of the armed forces.

    The mandate of the Department of Military Affairs includes facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.

  • CDS General Bipin Rawat to fly in a French Rafale fighter

    By ANI
    JODHPUR: In the ongoing Indo-French wargames Desert Knight-21, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat will undertake a sortie in the French Rafale fighters on Thursday.

    “The CDS would be briefed about the wargames and how the joint exercise would be enhancing interoperability between the air forces of the two countries,” Indian Air Force officials told ANI.

    Apart from the operational briefing, the CDS would be undertaking a sortie in the French Air Force Rafale fighter for almost one hour and would be familiarised with the most advanced fighter in the Indian and the French Air Force inventories.

    The Indian Air Force kickstarted the first major international wargames involving its Rafale fighter jets in Jodhpur on Wednesday with their French counterparts.

    As part of the first edition of the exercise Desert Knight-21, four French Rafale fighters landed in Jodhpur after flying directly for around four hours from the Djibouti airbase using their A-330 multirole tanker transport aircraft which also landed here.

    Exercise Desert Knight-21, is being at Jodhpur Air Force Station from January 20 to January 24 this year.

    The French are participating with Rafale, Airbus A-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), A-400M Tactical Transport aircraft and approximately 175 personnel.

    The Indian Air Force aircraft participating in the exercise include Mirage 2000, Su-30 MKI, Rafale, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft, Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) and AEW&C aircraft.

    The exercise marks an important milestone in the series of engagements between the two air forces.

    As part of Indo-French defence cooperation, the Indian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force held six editions of air exercises named ‘Garuda’ — the latest being in 2019 at Air Force Base Mont-de-Marsan in France.

    As measures to further the existing cooperation, the two forces have been gainfully utilising available opportunities to conduct ‘hop-exercises’.

    The French Air and Space Force deployment, while ferrying to Australia for Ex Pitchblack in 2018, was hosted by the IAF at the air force stations in Agra and Gwalior for exercise with fighters and MRTT aircraft.

    Currently, the French detachment for Ex Desert Knight-21 is deployed in Asia as part of their ‘Skyros Deployment’ and has ferried in forces to Air Force Station Jodhpur.