Monday Video: Border Closing

By: Brant

Is Kashmir About To Go Hot?

The head of India's Army is threatening retaliation for an incident in Kashmir.

India's army chief held out the threat of retaliating against Pakistan for the killing of two soldiers at the de facto border in Kashmir, saying he had asked his ground commanders to be aggressive in the face of provocation.
General Bikram Singh's strong remarks on Monday, amid mounting public anger at the alleged decapitation of one of the slain soldiers, appeared set to ratchet up tensions further with Pakistan, although analysts said a breakdown in ties was highly unlikely.
Islamabad blames India for the latest crisis in ties.
The two nations have fought three wars, two over Kashmir, since independence in 1947 and are now both nuclear-armed.
Terming the beheading of the soldier as "gruesome", Singh told a news conference: "We reserve the right to retaliate at a time and place of our choosing."

By: Brant

India-China Military Exercises?

India and China may be restarting joint military exercises.

Joint military exercises between India and China will be resumed after a four-year gap, Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony announced Tuesday after talks in New Delhi with his Beijing counterpart.
The two emerging Asian nations have had an often fractious relationship over their shared border, and they halted joint military exercises after 2008 due to a series of diplomatic spats including over visa issues.
"We have decided that (to restart military exercises)," Antony told reporters following talks with General Liang Guanglie, the first Chinese defence minister to visit Delhi in eight years.
"We covered a lot about the situation in the South Asia, Asia-Pacific region," Antony said. "We had a very frank and heart-to-heart discussion on all the issues... including in the border areas."
The disputed border between India and China has been the subject of 14 rounds of fruitless talks since 1962, when the two nations fought a brief, bloody war over the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

By: Brant

Indian Deal for US-Made Howitzers

The Indians are upgrading their artillery, to the tune of $560 mil.

India has agreed a $560-million deal to buy 145 howitzer guns from BAE Systems of the United States as it upgrades its antiquated military hardware, an official said Saturday.
India is updating its military capabilities with hardware worth tens of billions of dollars in the face of long-standing tensions with regional rivals China and Pakistan.
"The contract for the ultra-light howitzers was awarded on Friday to BAE Systems Inc" of the United States, a unit of Britain-based BAE Systems Plc, a senior defence ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity..
The government will spend 30 billion rupees ($560 million) on the field guns, the official said.
The howitzers, with a maximum range of 30 kilometres (17 miles), will be used by the army's mountain artillery divisions along India's high-altitude frontiers.

They're the M777 howitzers.

By: Brant

Paks Respond to India Missile Test With Own Launch

Yay! Dueling missile-launch arms race!

Pakistan successfully launched an upgraded ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead Wednesday, days after its neighbor and archenemy India conducted its own missile test, the Pakistani military said.
The Hatf IV Shaheen-1A missile was fired into the sea, the military said in a written statement.
It was described as an intermediate-range missile having a longer range than its predecessor, the Shaheen-1, which is believed to fly up to 750 kilometers (465 miles).
"The improved version of Shaheen-1A will further consolidate and strengthen Pakistan's deterrence abilities," said Lt. Gen. Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, who witnessed the launch and is responsible for the country's nuclear program.
Intermediate-range ballistic missiles have a range of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers (1,865 to 3,110 miles), according to the website GlobalSecurity.org.
If the Shaheen-1A is indeed an intermediate-range missile, it would represent a quantum leap from the previous version. Pakistan's longest range missile before Wednesday's launch was believed to be the Shaheen II, with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). That is far enough to hit targets anywhere in India.

By: Brant

Missile Races Accelerating in Asia

Norks threaten war and South unveils their own cruise missiles.

South Korea announced Thursday it has deployed new cruise missiles capable of destroying targets such as missile and nuclear bases anywhere in the North.
"With such capabilities, our military will sternly and thoroughly punish reckless provocations by North Korea while maintaining our firm readiness," Major General Shin Won-Sik told reporters.

Sure would be nice to see the South shoot back once.

India is countering China's growing missile capability by testing their own nuclear-capable missile... that can range to China.

India announced the successful test launch Thursday of a new nuclear-capable missile that would give it the ability to strike the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai for the first time, a significant step forward in its aspirations to become a regional and world power.
The Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), still requires a battery of tests and must clear other bureaucratic hurdles before it can be inducted into India's arsenal in a few years. But officials hailed the launch as proof the country has taken its place among the world's most powerful and scientifically advanced nations.
"The nation stands tall today," Defense Minister A.K. Antony said, according to the Press Trust of India.
The test came just days after North Korea's failed rocket launch, but sparked none of the same global condemnation aimed at Pyongyang, an internationally isolated regime that has been banned by the U.N. from testing missile technology.
China is far ahead of India in the missile race, with intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching anywhere in India. Currently, the longest-range Indian missile, the Agni-III, has a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) and falls short of many major Chinese cities.

By: Brant

Aborted Coup? Or Lost in the Fog?

It appears some India army units got lost in the fog and scared the crap out of the government, even if there were official denials.

Two Indian army units that moved towards New Delhi on a January night without notifying the government raised alarm in the capital, the Indian Express newspaper reported on Wednesday, but the Defense Ministry and army quickly denied the report.
The infantry unit of the 33rd Armored Division based 150 km (90 miles) from Delhi and a unit of the airborne 50 Para brigade based in Agra to the south reached the outskirts of Delhi before being ordered back, the newspaper said.
The army and Defense Ministry said the units were engaged in routine exercises to test mobility in fog and did not need to warn the government in advance. Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told Reuters it was not true the maneuvers had caused alarm.

By: Brant

Major Exercises in India

The Indian Army is holding a series of major exercises in Rajathsan. And win we say "major"... well - when was the last time any western army put two full corps of troops in the field at the same time.

The exercise, involving the army's elite 1 Strike Corps and 10 Corps under the Jaipur-based South Western Command, will see the deployment of more than 200 tanks and over 20,000 troops in the border state.
'All formations and units under South Western Command will participate to validate doctrines in a joint service environment,' army spokesperson Col Jagdeep Dahiya said.
The war game comes soon after the army's exercise Sudarshan Shakti in Pokharan to validate its new battle-fighting concepts developed after the transformation studies carried out under army chief General V.K. Singh.
The exercise, one of the biggest manoeuvres ever based on the Integrated Theatre Battle Concept, will be held in the deserts of Bikaner and Shri Ganganagar.
'It will enable the army to validate its war fighting concepts while working towards a 'capability- based approach', relying on a series of transformational initiatives, concepts, organisational structures and absorption of newage technology,' Dahiya said.
The Western and South Western Commands of the air force are also likely to deploy their frontline aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguars and AWACs, for the war game.

By: Brant

US Not Only Power WIth a Wary Eye on China

India is also upgrading its military with China in mind.

In recent weeks, India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier — modernizing its military to face a rising China.
India and China have a long history of tension, dating back to a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean.
China has financed the development of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, virtually encircling India. Beijing's recent efforts to get access to facilities in the Seychelles have prodded New Delhi to renew its own outreach to the Indian Ocean island state off its west coast.
With its recent purchases, running into tens of billions of dollars, India is finally working to counter what it sees as aggressive incursions by neighboring China into a region India has long dominated.
"The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean," James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee last week.
India has created new infantry mountain divisions and plans to raise a strike corps aimed at countering aggression by China. Their border still has not been agreed upon despite 15 rounds of talks, and patrols from the two sides frequently face off on the ground.
Analysts say that although the probability of a conflict between the two Asian giants is remote, a short, sharp conflict in the disputed Himalayan heights can't be ruled out.
"Over the last couple of years, the Chinese have been acting more and more aggressively in the political, diplomatic and military arena," said retired Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian army-funded Centre for Land Warfare Studies in New Delhi.

By: Brant

India Prepping More Big Exercises

The Indians have several "strike corps" that are supposed to be the offensive forces in their arsenal, and they're not really worried about Bangladesh, either. After last Spring's big exercise with II Corps, this Winter will feature 21 Corps maneuvers out in the desert.

This time around, the Bhopal-based 21 Corps will carry out the winter exercises, which will go on for two months till the middle of December, top sources in the Army Headquarters here told IANS.

The war games are aimed at building the capacities of the strike formation in delivering deadly blows to the enemy forces in short offensives, by breaching defences and capturing important strategic assets deep inside the other's territory. They will enable the 21 “Sudarshan Chakra” Corps to showcase its firepower through battle tanks and artillery guns.

The Army strike corps will be ably supported by the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, attack helicopters and transport aircraft, with nearly 20,000 troops involved in the exercises.

By: Brant

Piss Poor Pakistani Punditry

I gotta say, if the tagline is correct, and the Pakistan Oberver is "widely read & trusted daily", then articles like this one are clear evidence of the fact that the Pakistanis have no clucking foo what's going on in the world.

Living to its reputation, the US House of Representatives decided to block aid to Pakistan.

Really? What "reputation" is that? The one that expectes meaningful assistance in return for shitloads of money?

The previously approved aid would not be released until Pakistan accepts the US dictates. Also, the US Secretary of State should certify to the Congress that Islamabad is “ fully assisting the United States with investigating the existence of an official or unofficial network in Pakistan for Obama bin Laden, including by providing the United States with direct access to Osama bin Laden’s relatives in Pakistan and to Osama bin Laden’s former compound in Abbotabad.”

I know, right? I mean, how unreasonable of the Americans to demand that several billion dollars in aid get us an ally who actually, y'know, helps us with stuff.

(more after the jump...)

Random Friday Wargaming: Showdown: The Coming Indo-Pakistani War

Here comes the you-know-its-coming border war... In the vein of the old ModQuads, Decision has released Showdown: The Coming Indo-Pakistani War.



Discuss it on ConsimWorld here.

UPDATE: There's an extensive AAR, with a lot of photos, on Bruce Costello's blog on the ConsimWorld Forum

Get your own copy at Decision Games' website.

Master links/images from Boardgamegeek.com; message boards linked to Consimworld. Other links to the actual game pages...

By: Brant

Russia Takes Their Ball And Goes Home

Deciding not to play well with others, the Russians canceled their war games with India. Makes you wonder what's going on...

In a big snub to India, Russia has cancelled two bilateral war games with the Indian Armed Forces after months of planning and a well-established arrangement. The move has left the Indian Navy furious over the "unprofessional manner" in which the decision was taken.

Russia first called off the Indra series of exercises with the navy late in April. Later, it cancelled another planned war game with the army in June.

The cancellation of the naval war game came as a rude shock as the cancellation came after five Indian warships reached Vladivostok. The ships were allowed to dock at Vladivostok as a port of call and then they had to sail back to India.

Russia apparently stated that their warships were not available as they were deployed in Fukushima to help Japan in relief work in the wake of a massive earthquake followed by a tsunami and a major nuclear crisis.

OK, that I could almost buy. But not telling India before the ships set sail? Bush league.

However the latest insult to injury was the calling off of the army exercise. Moscow said that it would not be able to host the exercise as there was little time to prepare.

Apparently, the Russian moves come in the wake of India choosing two European fighter jets as the top contenders for a $10.4 billion fighter jet contract.

Aye - there's the rub. Now we know why the exercises were canceled. The Russians are petty and vindictive bastards.

By: Brant

Order Of Battle: India's II Corps (Strike) Opens Exercises Pointed Toward Pakistan

With the Defence Minister scheduled to observe, II Corps opens 2-week long wargames focusing on the Pakistani threat.

The fortnight long exercise of the Ambala-based 2 Strike Corps, under Western Command, is scheduled from May 8 in western Rajasthan, in which more than 10,000 troops will participate in war games. Elements of artillery and armoured columns are to participate in the exercise in which mobilisation time of troops during operations is expected to be tested, along with other war strategies.

Antony will be briefed by the general officer commanding-in-chief lieutenant general AK Singh at the Jaisalmer military station, about the operational preparedness and issues relating to the formation command. The defence minister is also expected to interact with the troops. A forward location visit is also on the itinerary.

Every year the three strike corps of the Indian Army carry out war game exercises and each of the three, the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, Ambala-based 2 Corps and Mathura-based 1 Corps, get their chance in turn.

Several thousand troops are out in the field and deployed.

India kicked off war games involving thousands of troops on Monday along its border with arch-rival Pakistan, which is still smarting from the US operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

A military spokesperson told reporters the six-day exercise, codenamed Vijayee Bhava (Be Victorious) was being held in the Thar desert region in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

"This exercise envisages sustained massed mechanised manoeuvres," S D Goswami said, adding the drill involved an array of weaponry that India has acquired as part of its ongoing military modernisation programme.

According to Wikipedia, the composition of II Corps (India):

II Corps, headquartered at Ambala, Haryana
1st Armoured Division headquartered at Patiala
14th RAPID at Dehradun
22nd Infantry Division headquartered at Meerut
474th Engineering Brigade
612th Mechanised Independent Air Defence Brigade

The general area where the exercises are taking place


View Larger Map


By: Brant

Massive Indian Naval Exercises

The Indian navy is holding large western front (read: Pakistani-side) wargames.

India has amassed its western and eastern naval fleets on the western seaboard for intensive combat manoeuvres in the entire Arabian Sea, in what will be one of the largest maritime exercises in recent times.

The warships, including aircraft carrier INS Viraat, Delhi-class destroyers, Kilo-class submarines and Talwar-class frigates, among others, are backed by Sea-Harrier jump-jets, IL-38 and Dornier-228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft and Kamov-28 and Seaking anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

Many "assets" from IAF, Army and Coast Guard, including Jagaur maritime strike jets and Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, amphibious combat units and smaller warships are also being deployed for 'Tropex' or the theatre-level readiness and operational exercise. The largescale exercise's "actual tactical phase" will kick off on February 14. "Over 50 types of warships and scores of aircraft are taking part in it to sharpen combat skills as well as validate doctrines and concepts," said a source.

Read more: Navy to flex muscles in western front wargames - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Navy-to-flex-muscles-in-western-front-wargames/articleshow/7428462.cms#ixzz1EJIeteng

By: Brant

Monday Video: Indian Military In Action

The Indian Military gives us this weeks' Monday Morning BANG




Someone - anyone - PLEASE nominate your own videos in the comments below for future inclusion


By: Brant

Possible New Years Terror Attack Feared By India

Authorities in India have tightened security in the face of a new terror threat.

India increased security in major cities across the country Tuesday after receiving information that a Pakistan-based militant group was planning an attack over New Year's weekend.

More police were deployed to city streets, including in India's financial capital, Mumbai, which was attacked in 2008. Airports and railway stations and the popular beach resort state of Goa all tightened security following intelligence reports that the banned militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning to target these places, an official with the Home Ministry said. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

India has taken even minor terror threats seriously since a three-day terrorist siege killed 166 people in Mumbai, though there has been no major attack there since.

Security has been high in Mumbai since Friday, when police began searching for four men who authorities believe entered the city to carry out a terrorist attack. Computer-aided photographs of the four suspects were released.

On Tuesday, police made house-to-house searches in some parts of the city and tightened security checks at bus and train stations, churches and markets.

By: Shelldrake

GrogNews Daily Headlines

The DoD is threatening courts martial to stop the use of removable media of the kind that Manning used to feed the WikiTroll.

The BBC has a report on the unveiling of the Rwanda genocide archive.

The Norks are claiming they were "forced" to go nuclear.

Now that anything and everything is dripping out into public, how many more fake 'leaks' will we see like the bogus anti-India cables that fooled Pakistan this week.

Hard to improve on this headline from FoxNews: Berkeley Gives America the Middle Finger.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

Today's WikiDrips...
Syria is still selling missiles to Hezbollah, the US is trying to stem the flow of arms from eastern Europe to enemies around the world, and NATO had a "secret" plan to defend the Baltic states (second article here).
And Assange surrendered to police in London.

Joint US-Japanese exercises are designed to send a message to the Norks. Reuters tries to answer what happens next on the Korean peninsula. The Southies are fortifying the islands near the Nork border. China is hitting back over criticism of North Korea.

Very quietly, Pakistan has assumed command of Combined Task Force 151 in the Horn of Africa.

India and France are increasing their defense cooperation.

Are there lessons to be learned from Pakistani anti-Taliban militias?

A US Navy petty officer is in deep doodoo for trying to sell classified military documents to undercover agents.

And US soldiers are going to unsafe extremes to meet military weight rules, which are themselves kind of ridiculously stringent.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines Bonus Edition

ADM Mullen is pressing China over the Norks.

How deep into politics is the Pak military? And if you're just going to abuse it and waste it, can we have our money back?

In the wake of the latest WikiLeak, the US is cracking down on security everywhere. And US sources are getting spooked.

Rep Ike Skelton's farewell address warns of the growing gap between the military and civilian populations in the country.

Belarus is giving up their nuke material.

Now that US-SK exercises are done, US-Japan naval exercises are kicking off.

India has test-fired another Brahmos-3 missile.

Want to know what a taxpayer rip-off Alaskan-native 8A status is for government contracting? Read this article from WaPo.

NATO's been expanding the Afghan war? Really?

Kings of War have an amusing article about NATO 2.0, using a David Pogue column as a comparative base.

By: Brant