Tradition.

This is coolbert:

"Nine times out of ten a unit that looks good is good." - Slim of the Arakan.

The last refuge of the traditional Englishman? The Indian army?

Within context of this previous blog entry, see the Hell March of various Indian Army units. Impressive style that cannot be denied, the old Raj and all that. Magnificent spectacle of which the English could be duly proud.

The British indeed masters in training the sepoy and British Indian Army troops drill & ceremonies, pageantry, etc. The current British military need to now learn from the new masters that were once students. A proud tradition among the jawan continues.

coolbert.

Promulgated.

This is coolbert:

Justice was done? 

"1915: 22 Singapore mutineers"

From ExecutedToday.com ^ | March 25, 2012. The tip from Freeper.

"On this date in 1915, 'the sentences of the court-martial on a batch of 45 mutineers of the 5th Light Infantry were promulgated in public' — as the Straits Times reported — 'and, in the case of 22 who were condemned to death, the sentences were executed on the spot.'”

"A crowd of fifteen thousand watched the spirited Indian sepoys shot dead for revolting the previous month."

"This demoralized 800-strong garrison of Punjabi Muslims — who had, it need hardly be added, a noble history of insurrection to think upon — was already deployed far from home to look after the imperial interests of the London gentry while British lads mustered for bayonet charges in No Man’s Lands."

"The last straw for these sepoys was a rumor that they were to be shipped to the European theater and made to turn their weapons against the Turkish sultan, their Muslim coreligionist."

Comments:

* Mutineers guilty without question. A collective disobedience to orders. But more than that. Those guilty went on a rampage and murdered innocent civilians.

* This mutiny too suppressed in part by Japanese soldiers. Yet one contribution of the Japanese WW1 effort in concert with other allied nations.

* See yet more the Siege of Al Kut, WW1. An episode of the Great War a mass surrender of British Indian army troops fighting the Ottoman. Mistreatment of captured sepoy at the hands of the Turk extreme. 

coolbert.

Manpower.

This is coolbert:

"‘Go to Israel, earn more, and die once’"

War is generally bad for the economy. With the Gazan War a very significant portion of the able-bodied manpower that makes the country go in peaceful times mobilized for the war effort.

Precious manpower not producing wealth but rather only consuming!

"‘Go to Israel, earn more, and die once’: Indian laborers willing to risk war and death to escape debt back home"

From https://www.rt.com | 7 Mar, 2024.

"Despite news of the first Indian being killed in a missile strike, desperate construction workers are applying for jobs via Israeli recruitment agencies as opportunities at home are scarce"

"Aman Kumar, 27, stands at the gate of a state-run industrial training institute, wearing an orange-colored paper wristband, waiting to hear the results of the test he completed to be recruited into Israel’s construction industry."

"Israel, which has been at war with Hamas since October 7, is set to revoke the work permits of 90,000 Palestinians and replace them with Indian labor. In May 2023, India and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding which covered civil engineering."

Construction workers badly needed Israeli society. Permits allowing Palestinians work in the Israeli construction trades gone and revoked more or less in perpetuity. Skilled workers now in demand.

Replacements needed NOW and have been found!

The Chinese involvement in World War One very scant. Primarily hundreds of thousands of menial laborers under contract with the Western allied powers.

As with the Chinese in 1918 so with now the Indian 2024!

coolbert.

Lifestyle.

This is coolbert:

"Lifestyle diseases can be defined as diseases linked with one's lifestyle. These diseases are non-communicable diseases. They are caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating, alcohol, substance use disorders and smoking tobacco, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, obesity, type II diabetes and lung cancer."

Even in the army of India. Even there? The last bastion of the traditional Englishman falls victim to the "sweet life".

"Indian Army implements new fitness policy to tackle 'lifestyle diseases'"

From https://www.business-standard.com | Nisha Anand | New Delhi | Jan 29 2024.

"The new policy imposes punitive action for overweight personnel with no improvement within 30 days. It also introduces additional tests for army personnel"

See the You Tube Short means, methods and techniques as now incorporated to remedy the problem of lifestyle diseases the Indian army:

Three-quarters of young Americans not eligible for enlistment in the military due to lifestyle disease. Drug use and overweight primarily responsible.

Think lifestyle disease scarcely a phenomenon confined to the USA or Indian military.

See here and here prior blog entries the Spanish Legion no longer a lean and mean fighting machine. Too much out-of-shape of corpulent troops needing remedial measures, diet and exercise. Even those units traditionally priding themselves on appearance and military bearing at fault. And realizing it too.

coolbert.

Conned.

This is coolbert:

Citizens of India recruited as menial laborers the Ukrainian Conflict flimflammed and conned by the Russian!

"conned: adjective - relating to, or being the victim of, a swindle, scam, or trick"

"Indians Hired As Russian Army Helpers Forced To Fight In Ukraine? Modi Govt Breaks Silence"

See the You Tube video:

"The Center acknowledged media reports that some Indians are entangled in Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'We are aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army.' He added that the Indian Embassy is in touch with relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge. Meanwhile, family members of the trapped Indians alleged that they were conned by agents, and some were injured"

I would imagine these Indian recruits hired by the Russian expected to do coolie-type labor. Dig graves. Load and unload trucks. Police human remains and weapons from the battlefield. Remove debris and do reconstruction in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Press-gang the Russian military. You sign a contract to do work as a non-combatant laborer but instead are found at some point being given a rifle and told to move forward on the battlefield. A situation that you did not expect if not totally and woefully prepared for much to your detriment.

See the previous blog entry Nepalese also contract workers the Ukraine Conflict and their plight:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2024/02/nepalese.html

coolbert.

Stake.

This is coolbert:

Undeniable the free and open movement of commercial shipping traffic within the Indian Ocean of great importance

I may think that the viewpoint and outlook of the government in India has radically change regarding this topic in the last few days. Especially with regard to the apparent drone attack from Iran on commercial shipping the Indian Ocean

See this You Tube Short video the topic as narrated by Palki Sharma:

As to the bio and CV of Palki Sharma:

"Palki Sharma Upadhyay is a Journalist, works in India's YouTube news channel, Firstpost. Her programs 'Flashback' and 'Between the Lines' are the big hit, for compressing [a] complicated topic into short and sweet."

"Previously, she News Anchored and an editor at 'World Is One News' (WION). She hosted India's only international news and views prime time show called 'Gravitas'."

Palki without question does very good work!

coolbert.

Veerappan.

This is coolbert:

Those Maoist insurrectionists of India, forest guerrillas, draw a degree of inspiration not ONLY from Mao, but also from a home-grown phenomenon, the Dacoits of India?

From a prior blog entry heavily edited to include a You Tube short.

"Dacoit . . . means 'a bandit'. ('A member of a class of robbers in India and Burma, who plunder in armed bands.')"

Dacoits, roaming bands of brigands, armed and dangerous. Having the forests of India as a sanctuary. A "phenomenon", actually a tradition, having an ancient lineage? Roaming forest bandits operating in "units"!

A tradition in some ways reminiscent of the hajduks of eastern Europe? One moment a freedom fighter. The next moment a common criminal.

Dacoits, groups of bandits and thugs, even having a para-military aspect to the their gangsterism, engaging in traditional criminal behavior, but with an Indian twist. Banditry and criminal behavior to include:

* Poaching.
* Timber smuggling.
* Extortion.
* Kidnapping for ransom.

The dacoit, operating out of forest sanctuary, in the manner of a guerrilla, most recently epitomized by the "Robin Hood" figure of the recent late [2010] Veerappan.

Veerappan finally tracked down and killed in a gun battle with the Indian Police. Those same folks now in conflict with the Maoist forest guerrillas.

As to Veereppan being a revolutionary the reader to the blog will have to decide for themselves. 

Veerappan in a quite deliberate manner cultivated an image that appealed to a certain spectrum of society?

coolbert.

Selection.

This is coolbert:

More You Tube Shorts with a military context. 

Recruitment and selection process the Indian army. Republic of India.

To the You Tube videos without further ado:

Comments:

* There is a distinct order with which the various steps of the selection process occur. Procedure in order from start to finish consisting of: * Height * Run * Jump * Pull * Chest * Teeth.

* The Republic of India army with a lot of candidates as potential recruits can be very selective with regard to physical aptitude. Persons selected for enlistment already have a measurable and demonstrable degree of physical fitness. 

* Not sure exactly what that thing is with the chest measurement or the insertion of the three fingers into the mouth.

* And exactly HOW MANY prospective recruits to the U.S Army would be judged as appropriate candidates for enlistment in the Indian Army?

coolbert.

Hump.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site "Bayou Renaissance Man" we have this item. 

"Weekend Wings #10: Flying The Hump"

From https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com | March 9, 2008.

"Air transport today - whether civilian or military - is a complex, seamless web of people, machinery, locations and infrastructure. We take it for granted that we can ship anything anywhere in the world within a day or two, provided only that it can be broken down into loads that will fit onto an aircraft."

[....]

"World War II was the catalyst in developing our modern air infrastructure. During the war huge networks of intercontinental air travel were developed: new methods of freight handling and mass passenger transport were devised: and the experience gained by tens of thousands of service personnel formed the foundation for the incredible expansion of aviation after the war."

Devoted readers to the blog are invited to read the remainder of the article for themselves.

Comments:

* Flying "The Hump" rated as more dangerous than flying four-engine strategic bomber missions over Germany.

* The American Air Force ARRS [Air Rescue Service or Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service] origins as a response to the difficulties of aircraft and personnel losses "The Hump".

* The famous American personality Gene Autry volunteering for military service and performing in a dutiful manner while flying "The Hump". Autry at the time of his enlistment the highest-paid performer among the Hollywood crowd.

* Pilots sometimes flying two-way cargo missions. Returning to home base in India with human cargo of Chinese troops as slated for training by American military personnel onboard. I believe these were Chinese Nationalist soldiers that later comprised X Force and Y Force.

And now you know the rest of the story "The Hump" and are the better for it too.

coolbert.

Decade.

This is coolbert:

Law of unintended consequences? 

"The Law of Unintended Consequences states that the actions of people, and especially of governments, always have effects that are unanticipated or 'unintended.'" 

"India’s Defense Plans Fall Victim to Putin’s War Russian weapons dominate India’s arsenal, but Moscow can no longer deliver."

From https://foreignpolicy.com ^ | 4th April 2023 | Tom Waldwyn.

"India’s armed forces have long relied heavily on Russian weapons and military equipment, and that dependence will not change soon. However, since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the Russian defense industry is struggling to resupply Moscow’s own forces at the front, which have drawn down weapons and ammunition stocks at a remarkable rate. Therefore, Russia will almost certainly not be able to satisfy many export demands for the rest of the decade—with profound implications for the country’s most important arms customer, India."

Well, the Ukraine Conflict was supposed to be over in two to three weeks maximum. Delivery of sophisticated and advanced Russian war munitions there shouldn't have been a hiccup at all.

Now it is foreseen that for the rest of the DECADE there will be trouble for the Russian to meet demand as agreed upon?

I cannot but also think this will bode well for the BRICS informal alternative world model. Russians their image as reliable now tarnished! AND the war hardly at a conclusion yet!

Options for the Indian military "sophisticated and advanced munitions" on a short-term basis limited? Law of Unintended Consequences surely this is so.

coolbert.

Plunderage.

This is coolbert:

Herewith an extract of an extract the Internet web site www.isegoria.net.

"Within a few minutes, the flower of Mughal chivalry lay dead on the ground"

Speaking of the Battle of Karnal, 1739. Invading Persian army commanded by Nader Shah triumphant over the defending forces of the Mughal Empire.

Nader Shah his goal not conquest and subjugation but plundering the wealth of the Mughals. Riches for the taking which can only be described almost as being beyond description!

Originally from: "The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire Kindle Edition" by William Dalrymple.

Persian camel-borne swivel gun of the period of Nader Shah. Persian musketeers also more highly trained and proficient than their European counterparts of the era and wielding a superior musket. Credit the image the wiki: By Alexander Orlovsky. 

That extract:

"Nader never wished to rule India, just to plunder it for resources to fight his real enemies, the Russians and the Ottomans. Fifty-seven days later, he returned to Persia carrying the pick of the treasures the Mughal Empire had amassed over its 200 years of sovereignty and conquest: a caravan of riches that included Jahangir’s magnificent Peacock Throne, embedded in which was both the Koh-i-Noor diamond and the great Timur ruby. Nader Shah also took with him the Great Mughal Diamond, reputedly the largest in the world, along with the Koh-i-Noor’s slightly larger, pinker ‘sister’, the Daria-i-Noor, and ‘700 elephants, 4,000 camels and 12,000 horses carrying wagons all laden with gold, silver and precious stones’, worth in total an estimated £ 87.5 million [pounds sterling] in the currency of the time."

Considering only the value of plunder and loot taken from the Mughals by Nader Shah:

* In 1970, the relative value of £88,000,000 from 1740 ranges from £824,200,000 to £53,630,000,000.

* In 2021, the relative value of £824,000,000 from 1970 ranges from £12,080,000,000 to £34,080,000,000.

Whatever way you slice it a tidy sum!! Courtesy all calculation from the www.measuringworth.com Internet website.

At least until the time of the European Industrial Revolution the societies of the Indian sub-continent and China considered to be the richest, wealthiest, most advanced and technologically superior in the world!

coolbert.

Andaman.

This is coolbert:

“When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions” 

Those high-flying Chinese balloons bandit intruder pirate-in-the-sky missions hardly confined to the continental United States. Think too India | Port Blair | Andaman islands | Bay of Bengal | Indian Ocean.

"Chinese High-Altitude Balloons Also Used Over Indian Military Bases"

From the Internet web site "Covert Shores the article by H I Sutton | 04 February 2023.

"The Chinese balloon flying over the United States is getting headlines. The Chinese government has admitted it is there's but claim that it is civilian in nature and that the overflight is accidental. Another has been observed flying over Latin America with reports from Costa Rico and Colombia. There is very strong circumstantial evidence that these are military related 'spy balloons' and that there is a pattern of operation going back at least a year."

Click on image to see an enlarged view. All thanks to H. I. Sutton for the graphic.

[....]

"In January 2022 one of the balloons was photographed overflying Port Blair. This is a strategically located Indian Navy base in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean. At the time the object was shared on social media but its Chinese origin appears to have been speculation at best (at least in the public sphere)."

See also comments of the Port Blair media the detection of the Chinese balloon as was surmised about.

"Unidentified Flying Object over Port Blair city triggers curiosity and rumors" | Andaman Sheekha January 6, 2022.

99 Red balloons go pop? From 1984 The German songstress Nena warned us of all this decades ago? Didn't she.

coolbert.

Medieval.

This is coolbert:

"no firing within a two kilometer radius [1.2 mile] of the LAC, no usage of any dangerous chemical weapons, guns, or any kind of explosives will be allowed." 

LAC = Line of Actual Control.

As was originally reported in 2020 the Indian military now having taken counter-measures.

Fight fire with fire!

"Report: Indian Army Stocking up on Spiked Clubs After Chinese Massacre"

From www.breitbard.com the story by GABRIELLE REYES 19 Jun 2020.

"India’s Northern Command has commissioned lightweight riot gear and spiked clubs for its border forces following a deadly attack on Monday by China’s army, which saw the Chinese use batons wrapped in barbed wire to kill at least 20 Indian soldiers in the western Himalayas, India Today reported on Thursday."

"Following Monday’s bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Indian Army felt compelled to order the armor and spiked clubs to protect its soldiers from further ambushes by China’s army, 'a medieval adversary,'” 

And now for the rest of the story.

"India’s secret to fending off hordes of Chinese soldiers with nail-studded wooden clubs"

From news.yahoo.com/ | Samaan Lateef | January 22, 2023.

Troops of the Indian army [jawans] stationed along the India / China / Tibetan border receiving specialized martial arts training as a means to ward off attack by Chinese troops wielding improvised weaponry with deadly force!

"India’s answer is a crack team of 500 troops taught to speak Chinese, trained in 15 different Israeli and Japanese martial arts, and adept at defending themselves from whatever makeshift weapon comes their way."

This is almost reminiscent of the trench raid of World War I as it was over 100 years ago.

Almost 400 mi.² [1,000 sq. km] of land between India and China being seized by the Chinese army without even firing a shot

It has been 60 years now since that original Aksai Chin incident mortal combat the plateau of the high Himalaya. That border as disputed between the two nations not ever ameliorated by mediation, arbitration, or any sort of downright diplomacy or negotiation. Such a disagreement as not having been resolved in a period of 60 years, you can well assume it is not going to ever be resolved!

coolbert.

High-Altitude.

This is coolbert:

“This time it is a very important exercise because the Indian side will be showcasing their high-altitude warfare strategies, while the Americans will be showcasing a number of technologies that can be used in such scenarios. This exercise has been planned in such a way that both sides come together for any scenario,”

Jawan and GI Joe in joint mountain high-altitude training exercise.

"India-US to hold high-altitude military exercise near LAC amid rising tensions with Chin"

"The joint exercise is being planned from 14 to 31 October, during which Indian and American troops will carry out 'maneuvers to exploit the full scope' of high-altitude warfare."

Thanks to theprint.in the article by SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP.

3 August, 2022.

"New Delhi: Amid rising tensions with China, India and US will come together for two weeks of high-altitude military exercise in Uttarakhand’s Auli, less than 100 km [sixty miles] from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Central Sector, ThePrint has learnt."

"The Indo-US joint exercise is known as ‘Yudh Abhyas’ and it will be the 15th edition this year."

"Sources in the defence and security establishment said the joint exercise is being planned from 14 to 31 October . . . Sources also said the location (at 10,000 feet) where the exercise will take place falls in Stage 1 of acclimatization for high altitude."

The Indian military perhaps without peer when it comes to high-altitude warfare. That Himalayan mountainous border terrain as shared with Pakistan and China necessitates and requires a demonstrable combat proficiency in such a unforgiving landscape.

coolbert.

Scheme.

This is coolbert:

War is a game for young men!

PENSIONS FOR RETIRED MILITARY PERSONNEL ABSORB 25 % OF THE INDIAN MILITARY ANNUAL BUDGET! TOO MUCH! A LONG-TERM SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND?

1. "India overhauls military recruitment, seeking younger troops"

From Reuters through yahoo.com the story by Devjyot Ghoshal June 14, 2022.

"NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's military is overhauling its recruitment process for personnel below officer rank, aiming to deploy fitter, younger troops on its front lines, many of them on shorter contracts of up to four years, defense officials said on Tuesday."

[....]

"Soldiers have been recruited by the army, navy and the air force separately and typically enter service for a period of up to 17 years for the lowest ranks."

"Under the new system, men and women between the ages of 17 and a half and 21 will be brought into the armed forces, many of them for a maximum four-year tenure."

And the response has been:

2. "Gravitas: Indian youth protest Agnipath recruitment scheme"

From Gravitas | Jun 17, 2022 reported by Palki Sharma.

"Trains were burnt and highways blocked as Indian youth protested the government's new military recruitment scheme. What explains the opposition to Agnipath? Is it time for Indians to rethink their obsession with government jobs? Palki Sharma tells you."

With the seventeen year enlistment [?] you are guaranteed a pension after retirement. That is big in India. With the four year contract, no pension after your enlistment for the limited period ends.

An enormous savings in long-run but as perceived by Indian youth a slap-in-the-face. Government work of whatever type with pension highly sought after in India.

Go see the embedded Gravitas video. Narrated by Palki Sharma.

Younger men anyhow make better soldiers? In the sense they are more physically fit and lacking familial ties of wife and children. A "game" for young men.

coolbert.

Customer.

This is coolbert:

Certain nations of the world hesitant to criticize the Russian invasion of Ukraine! WHY!

"The Countries Importing Russian Arms"

From Statista the article by Katharina Buchholz [data journalist] Mar 16, 2022.

 [....]

"India is not only the biggest arms importer in the world, it is also the biggest customer to the Russian defense industry, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows."

From left to right : India, China, Egypt, Algeria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iraq . . . 

"India's dependence on Russian defense technology has been identified as one of the main reasons why the country did not speak out against Russia after the country invaded Ukraine at the end of last month and instead has attempted to remain neutral . . . 85 percent of the country's military equipment is believed to be Russian or Soviet, according to the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs. Russia and India are also close on trade, with India relying on Russia for fertilizer and energy needs."

INDIA ALSO ENGAGING IN THE INFORMAL INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE BRICS. BRAZIL, RUSSIA, INDIA, CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA. AN ALTERNATIVE FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO THE AMERICAN DOLLAR DOMINANT WORLD-ORDER IN PLACE SINCE 1945.

All in the nutshell you need to know. And you are the better for it too!

coolbert.

Routine.

This is coolbert:

Yet one more missile off-course. Routine maintenance as described not so routine!

Tip from Freeper the story by various Internet sources  ^ | 03/11/2022.

"India Accidentally Fired Missile Into Pakistan 'Due To Technical Malfunction': Says incident is deeply regrettable."

"Indian news agency Asian News International reports the Indian military accidentally fired an unarmed missile into Pakistan, calling the incident 'deeply regrettable.The defense ministry said the 'accidental firing' was due to a 'technical malfunction.'".

"Military experts have in the past warned of the risk of accidents or miscalculations by the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars and engaged in numerous smaller armed clashes, usually over the disputed territory of Kashmir."

THE PAKISTANI COULD HAVE REASONABLY THOUGHT AT THAT EXACT MOMENT THIS LAUNCH WAS MORE THAN ACCIDENTAL? MISSILE AS INBOUND ARMED WITH A NUCLEAR WARHEAD!  THEY WOULD NOT KNOW UNTIL THE BIG BANG!

This being my instanteous reaction and thought to the story!

Malfunction! Regrettable! Accidental! YES indeed!

coolbert.

Flanker-H II.

This is coolbet:

Conclusion.

Think rather MiG-21 than Flanker-H in this instance.

Topic once more Soviet/Russian warplanes in Indian service the crash rate rather beyond normal! Perplexing!

Herewith some material that has been the basis for several prior blog entries. Repeated within context of the previous blog post.

Soviet MiG-21 in Indian service also having a very high rate of accidents and crashes. Much more than should have been the case.

Regarding the MiG-21.

 "Like many aircraft designed as interceptors, the MiG-21 had a short range. This was exacerbated by the poor placement of the internal fuel tanks ahead of the center of gravity. As the internal fuel was consumed, the center of gravity would shift rearward beyond acceptable parameters. This had the effect of making the plane statically unstable to the point of being difficult to control"

"Since 1963, India has introduced more than 1,200 MiG fighters into its air force. As of 2019, 113 MiG-21s are known to be in operation in the IAF. However, the plane has been plagued by safety problems. Since 1970 more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in MiG-21 accidents. At least 14 MiG-21s have crashed between 2010 and 2013. Over half of the 840 aircraft built between 1966 and 1984 were lost to crashes. Poor maintenance and quality of replacement parts has been considered to be a factor in this phenomenon."

Consider additionally:

"When consulted about the high MiG-21 accident rate Russia pointed out that India had insisted on manufacturing the aircraft itself, as well as many of the spare parts needed to keep MiG-21s operational, and many of these Indian made aircraft parts were not manufactured to Russian specifications." 

Replacement parts? That is all it is? Replacement parts?

See other blog entries as apropos:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/01/safe.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/07/mig-21.html

coolbert.

Flanker-H I.

This is coolbert:

Russian Flanker-H warplanes in service with the Indian Air Force [IAF] having a high crash rate.

Russian Flanker-H warplanes in the the service of other foreign nations NOT having such a high crash rate.

And WHY is this? From the Internet web site "Great Game India" and thanks to same. Article dated May, 2016.

"Why The Indian Air Force Has A High Crash Rate"

Warplane in question the Russian Flanker-H Su-30MKI. Flanker-H based on the original Su-27 design.

"A parliamentary [India] panel has expressed its deep concerns over the continued incidents of mishaps involving aircraft of the Indian Air Force, resulting into loss of precious lives and huge money. In its latest report, the Standing Committee on Defense said the data on accidents that took place in the IAF the last eight years, is baffling. 'As many as 87 accidents had taken place, which works out to be more than 10 per year. In these accidents, as many as 75 lives were lost,' said the report"

"A report in Russia & India Report looks at some factors that contribute to the IAF’s high crash rate in comparison with the Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese and Indonesian air forces."

Crash rate India high. Same plane flown by air forces of other nations low? Why?

The "Great Game India" article DOES NOT answer the question. ONLY suggests that the Indian military has always been beholden to foreign weapons imports and DOES NOT have that wide range of indigenous weapons systems needed for defense. Even totally Indian designed and developed munitions highly dependent on imported parts to some degree!

coolbert.

Indo-Pac II.

This is coolbert:

India! Master plan.

Continuing with a series of blog entries the topic geo-political intrigue and calculations the Indian and Pacific Oceans. [Indo-Pac] See part I here.

India too has a plan for the Indian Ocean. The counter to the "String of Pearls".

India it seems lagging the Chinese even markedly so [?] it seems. A plan proposed but more on paper than in reality. A lot of catching up needed. And again, sea power in the classical sense a must. That proper combination of merchant vessels and naval force.

"He who controls the oceans controls the trade. He who controls the trade controls the commerce. He who controls the commerce controls the world!" - - Sir Walter Raleigh.

coolbert.