The Pakistan Army on Wednesday changed the commander of a Rawalpindi-based unit that has traditionally played a vital role in military coups as army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani gathered his key aides to assess an escalation in tensions with the civilian government.
Anshu Kumar, 21, son of government school teachers from a village in Bihar, won the President's Silver Medal at the NDA. He commanded the grand passing out parade and will go on to join the Indian Navy.
Wing Commander Raveendran and flight steward Sargeant Iyer, though shaken and injured, managed to open the rear door of the aircraft and shouted for Prime Minister Morarji Desai and the passengers in the forward cabin to exit in haste since they suspected that fire would engulf the aircraft.
Military affairs experts said his key challenge will be to build consensus among the three services for the theaterisation plan as the Indian Air Force has some apprehensions about its roll-out.
There is a shortage of officers at the major and captain levels in the army with over 6,800 vacancies, but the available strength is "sufficient" to meet the current operational requirements, Parliament was informed on Friday.
Squadron Leader Kanwal Deep Mehra's daredevilry during the 1971 War brought down a Pakistani F-86 Sabre. But he had to bail out of his plane, was badly injured. Then a fierce band of armed guerillas evacuated him to safety at great risk to their lives.
Col Singh was a combat veteran and was awarded Sena Medal during his tenure as second-in-command of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles.
The timing of these transfers, while being projected as routine, is significant in both strategic and political terms, asserts Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
With over 11,500 officers' posts lying vacant and its plans to procure new weaponry getting delayed, the Indian Army's top commanders on Wednesday debated the two issues threadbare at their conference to evolve ways to bridge the growing gap on both man and machine fronts.
Vetran of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War Lt Gen J F R Jacob on Friday said the then Pakistan army commander A A K Niazi only wanted to sign a ceasefire deal instead of an "unconditional surrender" as demanded by India. Jacob, who drafted the Instrument of Surrender for the December 16 surrendering ceremony, said the Pakistani commander did not want to sign a document suggesting the "unconditional surrender" to India-Bangladesh joint forces.
An Army Captain lost his life while 15 other soldiers were rescued after an avalanche struck a patrol party in Siachen Glacier in Ladakh sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
'The visit of the honourable PM with the workable strategy towards conflict resolution will help greatly.' 'But visiting the state without concrete proposals may not bring the desired outcome at this stage.'
If China is accommodating regarding Depsang and Demchok, a resolution of the Sino-India territorial dispute in Eastern Ladakh could be possible.
Hezbollah's executive council's head Safieddine was presumed to be the successor of Hassan Nasrallah after he was killed in September, The Times of Israel reported.
'General Paddy was amongst the last line of generals who stood by his convictions and brooked no interference in matters which were his domain.' Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd) salutes his former chief who passed away on August 19.
An Army helicopter crashed in a forested area in Jammu and Kashmir Kishtwar district on Thursday, officials said.
Here are some of the glimpses of the 'Vijay Prahar' exercise.
The Command has successfully evolved in the last 20 years into an operationally efficient template for theaterisation of the armed forces, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said.
Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) commander trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a gunfight with security forces on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said.
The Defence Ministry on Wednesday announced a major reshuffle in the top echelons of the force, naming Lieutenant General Milan Lalitkumar Naidu as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
The government needs to answer the critical question of whether it has accepted any restrictions on its infrastructure creation activities, asserts Ajai Shukla.
Apart from 15 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), personnel of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Indian Coast Guard and Border Security Force (BSF) are deployed for relief and rescue operations, officials said.
The dust has barely settled after General VK Singh's Supreme Court battle to be army chief for another year when another senior general is approaching the court with a petition which, if accepted, could make him the next army chief, instead of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh, the eastern army commander who is currently in line.
Disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops has started at two friction points in Demchok and Depsang Plains in the Eastern Ladakh sector, defence officials said.
General Manoj C Pande, India's chief of army staff, visited military establishments in South Korea and interacted with the republic's senior military leadership.
The Indian Army has built infrastructure to house 450 tanks and over 22,000 troops in the Eastern Ladakh sector.
Gen Naravane awarded Commendation Cards to a number of soldiers who fought valiantly during the recent face-offs with Chinese Army.
Singh also said that Indian troops are standing firm braving extreme weather and hostile forces to defend the country's territorial integrity.
Besides his strategic and tactical acumen, it was his amazing personality, quick wit and ability to remain unflustered under any circumstances that stood him apart from almost any leader one has read about or known, recalls Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
Overturning the decision of his predecessor Gen V K Singh, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh has lifted the ban on promotion of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag clearing the way for his appointment as Eastern Army Commander.
Gen Bikram Singh, a veteran infantry officer, on Wednesday took over as the 25th chief of the Indian Army, succeeding Gen V K Singh whose 26-month tenure was mired in controversies. The 59-year-old Gen Bikram Singh will have a tenure of two years and three months in the top post
A series of Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Barmal district of Paktika province has resulted in the death of 46 people, with six people left injured so far, with the majority of victims being women and children, as reported by Khaama Press, citing reports from Taliban authorities.
The memorial is a symbol of the sacrifice of soldiers and officers who have been martyred since the Indian Army began Operation Meghdoot on the Siachen Glacier on April 13, 1984.
Following the disengagement, both sides will soon start the coordinated patrolling in their respective areas, sources added.
General V K Singh, who took over the reins of the Indian Army 26 months ago with the image of an anti-corruption crusader, will retire as the army chief on Thursday, bringing to an end a controversial tenure that was marred by rows over his age and fissures among the military brass.
The two sides had started coordinated patrols in the first week of the month after completing disengagement in both Demchok and Depsang in the last week of October.
Pakistan Army commanders have developed a consensus that their chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, should remain in his post till the war on terror takes a decisive turn and the military's achievements can be consolidated, according to a media report on Monday. The army's top brass came to the conclusion during the Corps Commanders and Formation Commanders' conference that concluded last week, The News daily reported.
Dr N K Kalia, father of Captain Saurabh Kalia who laid down his life for the country during the 1999 Kargil war, has welcomed the words of appreciation spoken by Army Chief General Bikram Singh on the Army Day.
Newly-appointed Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Sunday said his 'utmost and foremost' priority would be to ensure very high standards of operational preparedness to face current, contemporary and future security challenges across the entire spectrum of conflict.
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