Most politicians and even non-politicians have been honoured because of what they were purported to be electorally worth for the ruling party of their time, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
The status of the current submarine force level is alarming and we need to address the threat perceptions expeditiously. Critical decisions pertaining to national security cannot be delayed any further due to the rapidly changing maritime threat perceptions and growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region, asserts Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Unlike conventional subs that must surface every 48 to 72 hours, these subs can stay submerged for up to 14 days.
"Lieutenant Commander Firdaus D Moghal, Executive Officer of Indian Naval Submarine 'Shankush', died in an accident off Mumbai while saving the lives of fellow personnel who had fallen in the sea," Navy officials said in Mumbai.
"CBI has not investigated into the defence deal concerning the procurement of aircraft carrier Ex-Admiral Gorshkov," Defence Minister AK Antony told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. The minister's remarks assume significance as the deal is deadlocked with India still considering the Russian demand for a considerable price hike for the carrier, whose delivery has been delayed by over four years.
However, the navy remains tightlipped about progress of a proposal to acquire two Russian Akula (Bars) class type 971 Nuclear powered submarines, as part of India's nuclear deterrent based on sea, land and air platforms.
Two US warships and a nuclear submarine will join the 'Malabar' series of exercises along with Indian Navy frigates and a German-made 'Shishumar' class HDW submarine.
'As his close associate Som Pal told me, "Mandal was never V P Singh's brainchild. It was a Janata Party commitment he inherited".' 'He would have done it anyway at some point, but the specific timing of his decision was dictated entirely by political exigency -- his government was threatened.' 'It also turned out to be a game changer in Indian politics.'
Kalvari is expected to enter service by September end.
For the navy, which is making do with just 14 conventional submarines against a requirement of 24, the INS Khanderi delay extends a dangerous operational void.
There are some larger policy issues related to the submarine as a platform and the modernisation programme of the navy that merit brief recall and review, says C Uday Bhaskar
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday reviewed the progress of 'Project 75' (indigenous submarine construction project) along with other ongoing warship projects, including P-15 B class stealth destroyers in Mumbai.
INS Sindhukirti's refit took so long that many defence experts believed the vessel would never return to operational service.
The first of six French-designed Scorpene submarines which are being manufactured in Mumbai, was launched into the water on Monday, initiating the process for extensive sea trials.
The Scorpene submarine does not have enough firepower; it will share 64 obsolescent SUT torpedoes till the Indian Navy is supplied with 100 heavyweight torpedoes -- a process that could take more than two years to complete
The defence ministry on Friday scrapped a scam-tainted tender worth over Rs 6,000 crore to procure 197 light helicopters from foreign vendors and decided to allow indigenous players to manufacture these choppers for the armed forces.
We get tangled up in our own crooked web on purchases, and the murky arms bazaar knows it, says Shekhar Gupta.
'We have been found seriously wanting in addressing our undersea warfare capability and China's emergence is a cause for concern.'
With the launch of the first indigenous aircraft today, India will join a club of nations like the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France that possess nuclear-powered submarines
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