Page 59 - Indian Army

Lt Gen Anil Chauhan takes charge as India's new Chief of Defence Staff

Gen Anil Chauhan on Friday became India's new Chief of Defence Staff with a mandate to implement the ambitious theaterisation plan that seeks to ensure tri-services synergy and prepare the military for future security challenges. Gen Chauhan, a former Eastern Army Commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander over nine months after first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu. "I will try to fulfil expectations of the three services," Gen Chauhan said. Known as an expert on China, his appointment to the top post comes amid the lingering border row between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. Sixty-one-year-old Chauhan will also function as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs. He retired from service on May 31 last year when he was serving as the Eastern Army Commander. After his retirement, he was serving as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) headed by

Team of Indian Army, HMI summit 7,462-metre-high Jonsang peak in Sikkim

A joint mountaineering team of the Indian Army, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) and civilians conquered the difficult Jonsang peak in Sikkim, a Defence official said on Thursday. The 7,462-metre-high peak in the Great Himalayan Region was summited only twice in the past, in 1930 and 2012, he said. The expedition team comprised 24 members, including four civil mountaineers, of whom two were women climbers, and was led by Group Captain Jai Kishan, principal of HMI, Darjeeling, the official said in a statement. The team on September 23 summited Mount Jonsang, which is among the most technically difficult mountain peaks because of approach, frequent avalanches, rock falls and treacherous terrain, he said. The group also conquered the 7,264-metre Mt Domekhang peak on September 22, the official said. The joint expedition was executed as part of multiple adventure activities under the umbrella of Eastern Command Trans Theatre Adventure Activities (ECTTAA)-2022, Lt General Tar

Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retired) to take charge as new CDS on Friday

Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retired) will assume charge as India's new Chief of Defence Staff on Friday that is expected to bring the focus back on the implementation of the ambitious theaterisation drive to bring synergy among the three services. A decorated Army officer, 61-year-old Chauhan will also function as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs. On Wednesday, the government announced appointing Chauhan as the new Chief of Defence Staff, more than nine months after the post fell vacant following the death of Gen Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash. Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) is from the 11 Gorkha Rifles, the same regiment of Gen Rawat. "He will assume charge as the new Chief of Defence Staff on Friday," said an official. Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019 when Indian airplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror strike

Military reviewing range of traditions as 'colonial practices': Source

The practice of affiliating Indian Army units with foreign (mainly British) units, based on hard battles fought together before Independence, is also under review

Maintaining 'high preparedness' key lesson from Ladakh standoff: Army Chief

Maintaining a "higher level of operational preparedness at all time" and improving infrastructure, especially along the northern borders, were some of the key lessons from the eastern Ladakh border standoff, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Tuesday. He said this in response to a question during an interaction held at India Defence Conclave here. When asked by the host what was the next step after the recent disengagement of Indian and Chinese militaries from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh, he said, "We have made progress in terms of disengagement from friction points. We still have two friction points where we need to move forward. "We are hopeful as we move forward, talking through both military and diplomatic levels. And, I am sure we will be able to find resolution towards these friction points. That is our immediate aim to disengage from these friction points, before we look at to next step, of perhaps, de-escalation, which will involve

Indian Army calls upon domestic firms for critical equipment procurement

The Indian Army on September 18 invited domestic defence firms to offer critical equipment for emergency procurement

Agniveers recruitment rally begins at Nagpur, 60,000 candidates register

The first-ever examination for the recruitment in Indian Air Force through the new 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme began across the country on July 24 amid tight police security.

How the Nizams 'stole' Hyderabad: Understanding origins of Asaf Jah dynasty

Seven Nizams of the Asaf Jah dynasty ruled over Hyderabad state for over 224 years, from 1724 to 1948. Read to find out how they came to rule over the Deccan Plateau

Operation Polo: The five-day-long police action that integrated Hyderabad

Hyderabad was under the rule of the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan. The Nizam delayed acceding to India, and as violence spread across the state, the Indian Army marched in

India-China disengagement at PP-15 'one problem less' on border: Jaishankar

The disengagement between the armies of India and China at the Patrolling Point 15 in eastern Ladakh is "one problem less" on the border, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. At a media briefing after his talks with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Jaishankar also took an indirect pot shot at China while replying to a question about ''one country'' blocking proposals at the UN Security Council to designate proscribed terrorists. "I do not think I will say anything new today except I would recognise that we have had disengagement at PP-15 (Patrolling Point 15). The disengagement as I understand was completed. That is one problem less on the border," Jaishankar said, in response to a question. Indian and Chinese armies carried out a joint verification of the disengagement process at PP-15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh after withdrawing their troops and dismantling temporary infrastructure from the friction point on Monday. The ...

AAP in Punjab will fully support Agnipath scheme: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the AAP government in Punjab will "fully support" the Agnipath Scheme during the recruitment drives of Agniveers. Kejriwal's clarification came after reports that the Punjab government was not supportive of the recruitment drive. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier criticised the Agnipath Scheme and appealed to the central government to give defence job aspirants the chance to serve the country throughout their life, not just four years. "We had differences with the Centre on Agnipath Scheme but since the Centre has implemented it we will support it fully. We will completely cooperate with the scheme and the army," Kejriwal said while replying to a question in his first offline press conference since the formation of the AAP government in Delhi in February 2020. Later, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann clarified that directions have been given for "complete support" on the Agnipath scheme. "All deputy commissioners w

India moving towards jointness of three armed force services: Rajnath Singh

India is rapidly moving towards jointness of the three services of the armed forces and effort is to have common logistic nodes so that resources of one service can be seamlessly made available to the other, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday. Addressing a seminar on Army logistics here, the Union minister also said that India has made rapid progress in the rail sector, and over 9,000 km lines have been doubled in the last seven years. The corresponding figure was only 1,900 km in the five years preceding 2014, he said. The opening ceremony of the seminar was attended by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari and Navy chief Admirk R Hari Kumar and NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat, among others. The defence minister, in his address, spoke of the synergy and fusion needed between the civil and military stakeholders, and asserted that presence of representatives from different sectors of the two sides showed the "commitment" to achieve the goal a

Army Chief General Pande flies sortie in IAF's Apache helicopter in Ladakh

Army chief General Manoj Pande on Sunday flew a sortie in the Indian Air Force (IAF) Apache attack helicopter in Ladakh, officials said

Army Chief begins 2-day visit to Ladakh amid disengagement of troops

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Saturday carried out a comprehensive review of the overall security situation in eastern Ladakh, two days after Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the region. The Army said Gen Pande witnessed Exercise Pravat Prahar besides interacting with officers and troops deployed in the region. The exercise featured a display of operational capabilities by artillery guns and other key weapon systems. "Gen Manoj Pande #COAS visited #LadakhSector and witnessed Exercise PARVAT PRAHAR. #COAS was briefed on operational preparedness by commanders on ground. He interacted with the officers & troops & complimented them for their steadfastness and professional standards," it tweeted. People familiar with Gen Pande's visit said he has been briefed about the fresh disengagement process besides the overall combat readiness of the Indian Army in the region. Commander of the Leh-based Fire and Fury ...

Army's forward posts along LAC in Arunachal Pradesh to have helipads

Almost all forward posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh will have one large helipad each for swift mobilisation of troops and military equipment as part of a mega push for infrastructure development, senior military officials said on Friday. Each of the forward posts and Army units are also being linked with optical fibre network and all of them will have separate satellite terminals for bolstering overall surveillance and communication, they said. The Army has already deployed a large number of indigenously-built remotely piloted aircraft, Switch, in the forward posts to monitor Chinese activities across the LAC. "We are now giving a big push to the infrastructure development in the forward areas in the eastern sector," Brigadier TM Sinha, commander of a Mountain Brigade in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, told a group of visiting journalists. As part of the capability development initiative, the Army has powered its units in Arunachal Pradesh with a sizeabl

India, China to complete disengagement in Gogra-Hotsprings in 3 days: MEA

India and China will complete the disengagement process in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh by September 12, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday. The ministry's comment came a day after the Indian and Chinese armies announced that they have begun to disengage from the Gogra-Hotsprings Patrolling Point 15, where the two sides have been locked in a standoff for over two years. The two sides have also agreed to take the talks forward and resolve remaining issues and restore peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in India-China border areas, the MEA said. "It has been agreed that all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides will be dismantled and mutually verified. The landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-standoff period by both sides," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in response to queries on the issue. Bagchi said the 16th round of talks between the Corps ...

Army, Air Force conduct joint exercise 'Gagan strike' in Punjab: Official

Army's Kharga Corps and the Air Force conducted joint exercise 'Gagan strike' in Punjab, a defence release said on Friday. The exercise comprised the deployment of attack helicopters as the aerial arm in support of ground forces carrying out drills, practising annihilation of enemy defences and deep penetration, it said. The exercise also showcased precision firepower of the attack helicopters in coordination with ground forces' mechanised columns. It validated the Apache 64E and Advanced Light Helicopter WSI as potent weapons delivery platforms. The force multiplier effect of combining these machines with ground operations has enhanced the forces' combat superiority, the release said. The joint exercise, spearheaded by General Officer Commanding, Khagra Corps, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, was conducted over four days. Lt Gen Nav K Khanduri, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, witnessed the exercise. He exhorted the combat forces to continue to evolve such concepts and

Chinese army confirms disengagement of India, China troops from east Ladakh

The Chinese military on Friday confirmed that the troops of China and India have begun the process of disengagement from the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh in a "coordinated and planned way." Marking a significant forward movement to end the standoff in eastern Ladakh that has lasted for over two years, the Indian and Chinese armies on Thursday announced that they have begun to disengage from the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area. India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were important for the overall development of bilateral ties. The two militaries held 16 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff. "On 8th September, 2022, according to the consensus reached in the 16th Round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Chinese and Indian troops in the area of Jianan Daban have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way, which is ...

QRSAM: Indian Army clears quick reaction surface-to-air missile system

The QRSAM system is unique in its ability to operate on the move, searching for and tracking enemy targets; and then fire on a short halt

India carries out 6 flight tests of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile

India has successfully completed six flight-tests of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur off the Odisha coast, as part of evaluation trials by the Army, the DRDO said on Thursday. The flight-tests were carried out against high-speed aerial targets mimicking various types of threats to evaluate the capability of the weapon systems under different scenarios, it said. During these tests, all the mission objectives were met establishing pin-point accuracy of the weapon system with state-of-the-art guidance and control algorithms, including warhead chain, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said in a statement. The performance of the system has been confirmed from the data captured by a number of range instruments like telemetry and Radar and Electro Optical Tracking Systems (EOTS) deployed by ITR, it said. The tests were conducted in the final deployment configuration consisting of all ...