Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.) & GCTC Executive Board Member   The current stand-off on Northern borders started with an ugly fracas at Naqu La in Sikkim, in first week of May. Subsequent events at Galwan, Pangang Tso and Depsang have got the whole nation, literally glued to Ladakh albeit on TV screens. While some sort of tortuous disengagement is being attempted, in face of Chinese obduracy, possibility of this being ruse and main action unfolding on Eastern border is very real. China claims large tracts of territory in Arunachal Pradesh (AP) as South Tibet and even in 1962, main punch came in AP, after…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.) & GCTC Executive Board Member   Appearance of large quantum of PLA armour, specially “so called” light tanks,ZTQ-15, has generated number of shock effects. The first has been belated realisation on continued relevance of tanks, especially in high altitude areas. In a recent seminar, it was proclaimed that tanks are going to become irrelevant like walkmans. Recently, Britain decided to scrap 225 Challenger-2 tanks. An island can afford such luxury, but reality of current tank inventory — Russia (12,900), USA (6,300) China (5,900) and Pakistan (2,500) — cannot be disregarded, especially with our belligerent adversaries. Manifestation of swarms of PLA…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.) & GCTC Executive Board Member   Foreign ministers of India and China met in Moscow, in an atmosphere of unease and palpable distrust. Notwithstanding altered ground realities, media projections included rank optimism; forecasting PLA withdrawal to doomsday predictions of imminent, all-out war. In order to take a considered view, it is appropriate to recount the Sumdorong Chu incident. The stand-off started in June 1986 and lasted nearly one year. It required a visit by former PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, followed by five years of tortuous parleys (in characteristic Chinese style), to arrive at ineffective protocols, now smashed to smithereens…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.)       Last week, I had a group of visitors, retired Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), who asked me a rather disturbing question, “Why is Fauj (Armed Forces) so much in news? Their next question was even more perplexing: “How did Army become so corrupt that it has to launch a special drive to root out corruption?” The same debate has been raging on WhatsApp and other social media channels with veterans in hyperactive fastest-finger mode. The core issue that needs to be addressed is: Does the Army need to be so much in the headlines? In this case, Army…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.)       Capability building is a complex and tedious exercise that is based on detailed planning leading to formulation of service specific plans like Army plan aggregating to Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), which includes all three Services. The next logical step is to get the draft plan approved by Cabinet Committee for Political Affairs (CCPA)/ Cabinet Committee for Security (CCS). While Armed Forces never slip up in producing their plans, only three such endeavours have got the requisite approval. Synchronisation of Defence Planning as co-terminus with national plans was done with 6th plan (1980-85). Although, linkage between…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.)       “Strong teams win tough matches” is a proven maxim and it applies specially to the Armed Forces, where tightly knit teams battle all odds for the magical ‘unit izzat’. Some brave hearts even make the supreme sacrifice in the process. Only a few get recognised but it is largely the unsung hero, who makes the victory possible. War memorials, all over the world eulogise the unknown warrior and their collective spirit. The same analogy applies to hybrid war and even peacetime challenges. Notwithstanding, the foregoing, some young officers and soldiers (also referred to as ‘strategic corporals’), get…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.)       The Israeli PM has concluded his visit after an eventful six-day itinerary marked by some remarkable symbolism: renaming of Haifa Memorial, visits to Chabad House, Bollywood and Sabarmati Ashram. Propelled by personal chemistry and with some imaginative re-packaging, especially with renewal of agreements, it can be officially termed as a successful exchange. There was much bonhomie articulated through gestures like the PM receiving the visiting delegation at the airport and complimentary tweet by Benjamin Netanyahu of ‘India- Israel relationship being made in heaven’. In essence, all the right kind of noises have been made yet gains or…

Lt. Gen K J Singh, PVSM, AVSM(Bar) Indian Army Officer(Retd.)       Indus Water Treaty (IWT) has been under much debate and is being touted as an ultimate leverage to choke Pakistan, setting the stage for a call for use of water as a weapon. Former Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf in his thesis at RCDS had identified water as the most likely flash point between India and Pakistan. More than the potential and morality of water as a weapon, it is the attendant capability in terms of dams and storage, which needs to be realistically appraised. The question that begs an answer is, even if we want to, can…