TERRORISM A Guide To ISIS And Boko Haram

SOURCE:
http://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/a-guide-to-isis-and-boko-haram/ar-AAdaaxA






             TERRORISM : A Guide To ISIS
                                        &
                              Boko Haram
                                  
                                       By
                            Rebecca Greig

       

© Provided by IBT US ISIS supporters in Jordan

 Do you know your Boko Haram from your Islamic State group, your Nusra Front from your al-Shabab? Keeping track of who’s who in the world of militant groups can be a challenge.

Allegiances shift, alliances are made and broken, new enmities bloom and wane -- sometimes it’s hard to distinguish a dispute between One Direction and The Wanted from a feud between al Qaeda and the militant group commonly known as ISIS.

What’s the difference between a boy band and a rebel band? Both groups are populated by passionate young men eager to make their mark, both seek stardom and acclaim, both think fame will gift them with young virgins. But only one is likely to settle their spat with an AK-47 -- or   enslave   hundreds of women and children.

© Provided by IBT US yazidis (2) Displaced people of the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State group in Sinjar town, walk toward the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh in Al-Hasakah governorate

Aug, 11, 2014.

                
So here’s our handy guide:

Boko Haram

Let’s start with Boko Haram -- the terrorist group that’s been wreaking havoc in Africa’s most populous country. The Nigerian militants are responsible for a six-year campaign of targeted bombings, assassinations and abductions, killing 50 Friday alone. The group’s name can be translated as “Western Education Is Forbidden,” and it’s become infamous for kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls and a vicious insurgency that’s claimed the lives of thousands.

More recently, it’s rebranded, swearing allegiance to the Islamic State group and renaming itself the Islamic State’s West Africa Province. In March, an audio message by an Islamic State group representative announced that Boko Haram’s pledge had been accepted by the militant group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and went on to congratulate “our jihadi brothers” in West Africa.

RECOMMENDED: Several killed in series of suicide attacks in Nigeria, Boko Haram blamed

“It’s been a courtship that has been a long time coming,” J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center of the Atlantic Council, an international-affairs think tank based in Washington, said in an interview with International Business Times. “It’s as close to a marriage of equals as we’ve ever seen.”

The alliance grants Boko Haram legitimacy in the world of Islamic extremism -- a world where recruiting, funding and marketing are as important as in any corporation.

© Provided by IBT US isis Islamic State group videos often feature jihadi songs. Supporters of the militant group confirmed via Twitter that its lead songwriter was killed by an airstrike in eastern Syria last weekend.  AFP/Getty Images

                
Islamic State/ISIS

Possibly the most infamous, and diabolical, of all Islamist groups, the Islamic State group started from humble beginnings as an offshoot of al Qaeda in Iraq more than a decade ago. In 2006, it rebranded as ISIS. Nine years later, the militant group has seized territory stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq and its former allies have disowned it. After months of feuding, al Qaeda formally announced its separation from the group in February 2014.

RECOMMENDED: ISIS video shows young boy beheading Syrian soldier

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A statement by al Qaeda general command declared that the Islamic State group “is not a branch of the al Qaeda group ... does not have an organizational relationship with it and [al Qaeda] is not the group responsible for their actions.”

Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda is the granddaddy of the terrorist groups. Founded by Osama bin Laden in the 1980s and responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America, the group’s goal has always been to establish an independent Islamic state across the Middle East and reject any political or social activity associated with Western society. Since the Islamic State group has taken center-stage, al Qaeda has concentrated more on its affiliates in the region.

© Provided by IBT US Al Qaeda A member of al Qaeda's Nusra Front climbs on a pole to hang the Nusra flag as others celebrate around a central square in the northwestern city of Ariha, after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the area in Idlib province May 29, 2015.  Reuters/Khalil Ashawi

                 
Nusra Front/AQAP/AQIM/Al-Shabab

It’s difficult to keep tabs on the many acronyms of different militant groups. The groups above are listed together because they’ve all sworn allegiance to al Qaeda.

Nusra Front: Also called al-Nusra. The rebel group first formed to fight against Syrian President Bashar Assad, and it’s still battling in that country’s civil war.

AQAP: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The group, based in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine headquarters in Paris last January, and it’s since been keeping busy in Yemen’s continuing conflict.

AQIM: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Operating in the Sahara and Sahel region of Africa, the group traces its origins to the Algerian Civil War in the 1990s, receiving most of its funding from drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Al-Shabab: Al Qaeda’s Somali brothers, operating a brutal insurgency against the country’s internationally recognized government in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The group’s members are known to target Christians and were responsible for Kenya’s mall attack in 2013.

Taken together, these groups have succeeded in terrorizing civilian populations around the world. To know them is not to condone them -- but understanding how they work is essential to learning how to end them.

'Swachch Bharat' dies a predictable death

A plan to rescue Patna from its unsafe airport?

INDIAN ARMY Sikh Light Infantry soldiers in Tibet - 1904

SOURCE:
http://www.sikhnet.com/news/sikh-soldiers-tibet-year-1904-photography-amardeep-singh-update

Sikh Light  Infantry  soldiers in Tibet – Year 1904 ~ Photography by Amardeep Singh - An Update

July 4, 2015 by Amardeep Singh Source: amardeepphotography.com

 

Sikh soldiers in Tibet – Year 1904 Close to Gyantse fort in Tibet, at the Palkhor Chode Monastery, an old Chinese man approached me with curiosity. I reciprocated with a smile to help break the ice. Old Chinese Man : “You are wearing a turban. Are you a Sikh?” Me : “Indeed and I am surprised you are able to recognize a Sikh in this remote part of the world.” Old Chinese Man : “Sikhs are no strangers to this region. In the past they have led many military expeditions on the Tibetan plateau with reasonable success.” Me : “Yes indeed. I am aware that in the year 1841, under the leadership of Maharajah Ranjit Singh of Punjab, General Zorawar Singh’s forces came deep in Western Tibet. Having started the Ladakh (small Tibet) campaign in 1834, after Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the forces continued deeper into Tibetan plateau. I also know that at Taklakot in Tibet, there exists a Chorten (memorial) of General Zorawar Singh.” Old Chinese Man : “You do know that history of year 1841 expedition of the Sikh kingdom into Tibet. Well the Sikhs entered again, but this time with British, in the year 1904.” I had only heard about General Zorawar Singh’s expedition to Tibet in 1841 but what was the Chinese man’s reference to the entry in 1904? This conversation created a spark of curiosity, leading me to research the following three old books to gain better insight into Lietunant Younghusband’s expedition to Tibet in 1904 with the 23 and 32 Sikh Pioneer regiments. 1) With Mounted Infantry inTibet by Major Ottley 2) India and Tibet by Sir Francis Younghusband 3) Waziristan to Tibet by Cyril Lucas In early 1900's the “Great Game” being played in Asia had resulted in expansion of British across India, under the banner of East India Company. In the North of Asia, Czars of Russia were becoming ambitious to expand their reach into the Pamir mountain ranges, getting them closer to India. British secret services were getting an indication of an alliance being forged between the Tibetans and the Russians. There were reports of European breeds of dogs spotted on the Tibetan plateaus, which could have only come on land through Russia. Should the Russian reach extend into the Himalayan plateau, it would be too dangerous for British India.It meant the political war between British, French and Russians that was being engaged in Europe could be fought on the grounds of India. In light of this development, the British had to nullify the potential Russian advance into Tibet. Lietunant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, with regiments of 23 Sikh Pioneers and 32 Sikh Pioneers, entered Tibet from Sikkim in the year 1904. They were successful in conquering the Gyantse Fort (which was built around 12th century) and made it their base from where they led further successful expeditions to Karo La pass (5,010 meter) and Lhasa. These may sound just names but having personally traveled to the heights around Karo La pass, due to thinness of air, I found it hard to carry my two heavy cameras. One can only imagine the feat for the soldiers at these heights, having to carry their weapons and backpacks. The success of this expedition resulted in a treaty between British India and Tibet, resulting in the weakening the Russian aspiration of expansion. Thereafter the British Indian forces subsequently moved back from the Tibetan plateau. Along the way from Lhasa to Gyantse, one can still find remains of stone fortifications built by 23 and 32 Sikh Pioneer regiments as they advanced on the plateau. I spotted many of these bricked outposts while driving from Lhasa to the Western front of Tibet. History quotes Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps, in 218 BC, to invade imperial Rome as one of the most celebrated achievement of any military force in the ancient warfare. The Alps are pygmies in comparison to the advances that had to be made from the plains of India to Tibetan plateau, crossing the formidable Himalayas. Only soldiers with a selfless grit could have achieved this feat in a short time frame, returning back to the plains of India safely. They just had to make a point that the plains of India will not entertain any move for European wars to be bought to the sub-continent. Let me share the pictures that I took of Gyantse Fort in Tibet and very old sketches of Sikh soldiers in action on the Tibetan plateau. These sketches featured in LIFE magazine in early 1900’s. I stumbled on them as I embarked to satisfy the curiosity that developed after the discussion with the Chinese man at Gyantse Fort. Gyantse Fort Gyantse fort (Photos by Amardeep Singh – July 2012) Sketches of Lietunant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband’s Tibet expedition with 23 Sikh Pioneers and 32 Sikh Pioneers. Sikh soldiers march through Lhasa. Sikh soldiers in action at Gyantse Fort. Sikh soldiers in action at Gyantse Fort. Sikh soldiers marching on Tibetan plateau. Col Younghusband’s forces in action at Guru in Tibet. Sikh soldiers clearing ammunition at Gyantze Fort after its occupation. Gyantse Fort after its capture. Plate dated July 6, 1904. Soldiers in action during their attack on Gyantse Fort. Soldiers in action during their attack on Gyantse Fort. Sikh soldiers clearing their way in thick snow, during the march to Gyantse fort. Indian mounted Infantry on the Tibetan plateau. A battle fought on the Glaciers of the Tibetan plateau. Surrendered Tibetan soldiers being escorted to the camp.

---------------------------------
Related Article:http://www.sikhnet.com/news/sikh-soldiers-tibet-year-1904

STATECRAFT The Doval Doctrine — In High Definition

SOURCE:
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/the-doval-doctrine-in-high-definition/107623.html




The Doval Doctrine — In High Definition
                                  BY
                      HARISH KHARE






Jul 17 2015 

Illustration: Sandeep Joshi

IF there is not much talk of a “Doval doctrine” it is perhaps because it has had a kind of a soft launch. It can be reasonably suggested that the doctrine was first articulated by the newly appointed National Security Adviser during his Beijing visit in September 2014.  In a chat with the China-based Indian media, Ajit Doval saw the possibility of  the Sino-India relationship undergoing “an orbital jump” because both President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi are “two powerful and very popular, very decisive leaders.” By way of elaboration he added that both were “serious” leaders and both had “the mandate in the party and parliament, besides sufficient time ahead of them.”

Though Doval was careful to suggest that the relationship was not necessarily “only dependent on [a] single factor”, he did betray the new collective thinking in New Delhi. In the new in-house working wisdom it is understood that India’s strategic autonomy and options stand maximised overnight just because we have a maximum leader. Many of the diplomatic tantrums of the past one year can be easily traced to this new internal operational maxim.

The new accent on a decisive role for the “leader” fits in well with the overall political theology of the Sangh Parivar. A leader’s deshbhakti alone is deemed to be more than sufficient to overcome strategic structural limitations. Since the early Jan Sangh days, this worldview has favoured a leader(s) who would be nationalistic enough to take an aggressive, confrontational attitude towards one and all, especially our neighbours, China and Pakistan; the Parivar is prone to prefer someone who would not be afflicted with “Hindu cowardice”, an expression once used by a Sangh affiliate for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The quest for such a leader has suggested itself in the last two decades as the Indian middle class became more and more nationalistic. During the last Lok Sabha campaign, Narendra Modi presented himself as just the man who would look world leaders “in the eye” (Aankh me aankh daal ke baat karenge).

Not much is known of the Doval-Modi relationship. Till the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when LK Advani and the BJP got worsted by a “weak Prime Minister,” Doval was very much a part of the “Advani crowd.” It is difficult to say when he switched allegiance. However, among knowledgeable circles in New Delhi it is understood that by the time Modi won a third term in Gujarat in 2012, “Doval Sahib” had become a valued counsellor. His familiarity with the secretive world of “non-state actors” and the shadowy business of intelligence agencies fitted rather well with Narendra Modi’s own preference for taking a dark view of men and matters. Doval is known to have been mentoring Modi in acquiring an appreciation of the difficult and intricate world of diplomacy. Not surprisingly, the two got along like a house on fire.

The Doval doctrine of “a strong leader” became attractive because it dovetailed itself to the Prime Minister’s immense faith in his own popularity, wisdom and capability. Much of the ruddy vigour that is deemed to have been injected into our foreign policy can easily be attributed to Modi’s penchant for event management. The Doval-Modi duo has provided wonderful photo-ops, satisfying the Indian middle class’ newly aroused need for global status and “respect”. And, India’s corporate classes are only too happy to go along with Modi and play the 21st century version of comprador bourgeoisie.

A year later, the Doval doctrine’s limits are all too evident, especially in our neighbourhood.  And it is just as well. The world out there is far too complex to bend to our current accent on the “leader” as the game-changer. Because of this preoccupation we have failed to notice that the China-Pakistan jugalbandi has acquired a sophisticated but deadly edge.  There was, for example, no need to make the Prime Minister take up with Chinese President Xi Jinping  Beijing’s vote on Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi; and, then going global with  this sophomoric spin — primarily for domestic consumption — of a “direct” message to the Chinese leader from a no-nonsense Prime Minister. The next day, there was an open rebuff — though dressed up in high-sounding invocation of principles — for Beijing. A Prime Minister’s willingness to be blunt does not — and cannot — go very far unless backed by the hardwired realpolitik.

A year down the line, the others, too, have read Modi. Just as bowling coaches read and spot weaknesses among new batsmen, strategic analysts have figured out the Prime Minister, his strengths as also his weaknesses. The Chinese and the Pakistanis are already exploring, in tandem, his vulnerabilities.

The rest of the world has noted — and, the outsiders are much more brutal in making such assessments — that the Prime Minister has taken pride in dismantling the national consensus, however tenuous and however fragile it was. And no new consensus has been forged; nor has a need been felt for such a consensus.  The Chinese, who every scholar tells us, take a long-term view, must be wondering how a nation of India’s size and ambition can sustain a sensible foreign policy without an elite consensus behind it.

What is more, previous prime ministers’ respect for personal courtesy and diplomatic protocol is mocked at as a sign of weakness. A willingness to be rude and rough on the global stage may impress the domestic audience or the NRI crowd but it does not create a lasting impression in any chancellery. As a seasoned strategic observer put it bluntly, no one will give India a Security Council seat just because the Prime Minister himself led the mega yoga event at Rajpath.

The problem with the Doval doctrine is that it puts a disproportionate pressure on the “leader” to compensate for the strategic weaknesses. As Henry Kissinger once remarked, “Accepting the limits of one’s capacities is one of the tests of statesmanship.” Additionally, the Doval doctrine tends to induce a kind of a lazy approach that unthinkingly neglects the traditional tools of diplomacy and instruments of statecraft. There is even an apprehension that the “leader-centric” approach may encourage a dilution of our national defence assets, assiduously built over the last fifteen years.

And, no leader is immune from unfavourable political winds. Narendra Modi too will hit a rough patch, sooner than later. That will be the time when we would need to firewall our lasting national interests from getting entangled with personal foibles and political frailties of the leader. 














 

INDIAN NAVY :Indian Navy's Quest: 200 Warships in Next 10 Years

SOURCE:
 http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/india/2015/india-150716-sputnik01.htm?_m=3n%2e002a%2e1471%2eka0ao00b2h%2e1cni

                    Indian Navy's Quest:

             200 Warships in Next 10 Years

Sputnik News

In-Depth Coverage

 

15:15 16.07.2015

The Indian Navy aims to have 200 warships in the next 10 years, with three aircraft carriers in each of the three naval commands.


According to India's Economic Times, Admiral P. Murugesan, the vice chief of India's naval staff, said that the navy aims to have 200 warships operational by 2027, up from just 137 at present.


Currently, the Indian Navy has 48 ships under construction on several shipyards across the nation. At present, the Navy operates 137 combatants with new ships being added at a rate of 4-5 a year.


As India plans to have a total of 200 warships by 2017, it means that India's shipyards will have to upgrade production in the coming years, considering that some of India's current warships will have to be retired by 2027.


It is likely that India will purchase more foreign ships in the years ahead in order to reach its target of 200 ships, the Economic Times report suggested.


According to Swedish think tank the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India was the largest arms importer for the years 2010-2014. During that period, India was the recipient of 15 percent of all international arms transfers, up from just 9 percent in the five years prior.


India's arms purchases increased 140 percent during this period.

By comparison, India's domestic arms industry continues to suffer from severe delays in producing new systems, partly due to the excessive bureaucracy in India. Thus, it is safe to assume that if India's Navy boasts 200 warships by 2027, a large part of its fleet will have been purchased from abroad.


Russia and the United States are India's top arms suppliers.




© Sputnik

Further Reading

History Development   Shipbuilding Resources Official Homepage of the Indian Navy Indian Navy @ Bharatiya Nau Sena Indian Navy Procurement Plan 2012 trishul-trident.blogspot Indian Navy @ worldwarships Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta Spells Out Vision 2022 10/8/2008 Fair Winds And Smooth Sailing In Calm Waters Can They Or Can't The

             India - Navy Modernization

The Indian Navy (IN) has been in forefront in indigenisation of its platforms, systems, sensors and weapons. As a fall out of the capabilities, ouryards are now being recognised world over. In the field of indigenous development of naval armament, IN had adopted a two pronged approach. Firstly, it is self-reliance which has helped in harnessing potential of DRDO establishment and industries. Secondly, wherever technology was readily available and collaboration was possible, IN has considered the option of partnership in the form of either Transfer of Technology (TOT) or Joint Venture (JV) between the appropriate players and the national industry. This has resulted in bridging the time gap between developmentand exploitation of a weapon system.


India entered the 21st Century with a small but formidable regional naval posture. Long considered a "blue water" navy, the Indian Navy faces major challenges as many of its major vessels near the end of their service lives. Indigenous shipbuilding efforts are struggling to achieve acceptable levels of productivity and efficiency. By the end of the 20th Century the Indian Navy had emerged as the fifth largest in the world. It appeared that the Indian Navy (IN) continues to have procurement problems with delays in both domestically produced weapons systems and foreign purchases; potentially impacting its self envisaged roles of sea control and sea denial. In the mid-1990s the Indian fleet numbered over 100 combat naval vessels, of which 15 were submarines, 2 were aircraft carriers, and another 23 were destroyers and fast frigates. Problems with funding and the lack of spare parts meant that only about one-half of India's warships were operable at any one time, while the other half were merely sea-worthy. This situation had persisted since the early 1980s, due to under-funding.    By the mid-1990s, India was preparing for a long-overdue major modernization program that was to include completion of three 5,000-ton Delhi-class destroyers, the building of three 3,700-ton frigates based on Italian Indian Naval Ship (INS)-10 design, and the acquisition of four hydrographic survey ships. Also to be built were an Indian-designed warship called Frigate 2001; six British Upholder-class submarines; an Indian-designed and Indian-built missile-firing nuclear submarine -- the Advanced Technology Vessel -- based on the Soviet Charlie II class; and an Indian-designed and Indian-built 17,000-ton air defense ship capable of carrying between twelve and fifteen aircraft.   The air-defense ship was to be, in effect, a replacement for India's two aging British aircraft carriers, the INS Vikrant, the keel of which was laid in 1943 but construction of which was not completed until 1961 and which was slated for decommissioning by 2000, and the INS Viraat, which entered service in 1987 and is likely to be decommissioned by 2005. The problems encountered with modernizing these and other foreign-source ships led India to decide against acquiring an ex-Soviet Kiev-class aircraft carrier in 1994.   In the spirit of international military cooperation, India made moves in the early and mid-1990s to enhance joint-nation interoperability. Indian naval exercises have taken place with ships from the Russian navy and those of Indian Ocean littoral states and other nations, including the United States. The Navy was allocated approximately 18% (US$3.57 billion) of the total defense budget in FY2003-2004. It was struggling to find replacements for a fleet that was having vessels decommissioned due to old age faster than they can be replaced. Senior IN officers envisage that by 2010 the service will be a strategic force, centered on two aircraft carrier battle groups, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) and strategic bomber/maritime strike aircraft, playing a dominant role in the Indian Ocean Region.   "The IN will principally be an ocean-going navy by the end of the decade, with few ships less than 1,200 tons," outlined a senior officer in mid-2003. However, its strategic assets will determine its future role and power projection capability, particularly with regard to China, which the navy considers its principal adversary. India has a 5:1 advantage over the Pakistan Navy in terms of combat vessels, air assets and manpower and does not consider it a maritime threat; merely an "irritant" with limited sea denial capability. The IN is more concerned about having a strong presence in the eastern South China Sea to counter Beijing's growing influence in the Indian Ocean, Myanmar and on Pakistan's western seaboard, where China is helping to develop Gwadar port that will provide it access to the Persian Gulf.   Focused on developing a blue water capability, the IN took several strides forward in 2003 in weapon systems procurement and in exercise participation. Of key importance is the procurement of new aircraft carriers. Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Madhavendra Singh said earlier in 2003 that India needs three more carriers in addition to the one it currently has.   In 2003 the Defence Acquisition Council approved the 10-year Plan for Navy to acquire 23 more warships including an indigenous air defence warship. At that time the Navy had 140 warships and submarines but it required at least 198 warships, because about 80 ships were on the verge of replacement. Critical to New Delhi's push for blue water navy was the purchase of Russia's Admiral Gorshkov as a replacement for its aging INS Vikrant and possible further acquisition of additional carriers. With continuing slow procurement problems and the likely retirement of Viraat in 2010, further delays could meant gaps in operational coverage during a potential time of increased Chinese naval activity both in the South China Sea and in the Indian Ocean.   The navy agreed to buy the Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, for a nominal fee. But it required a $670m refit and will eventually have between 18 to 20 Mig 29 fighters which will cost in excess of $1bn. Gorshkov, which is slated to join the Indian navy in May 2008 after a refit. The indigenous version - the 'Air Defense Ship' would take at least a decade to complete. India needed to replace a former Royal Navy carrier, HMS Hermes, which it bought from Britain in 1986. Replacing the INS Viraat was a priority to maintain a three-carrier fleet. Increasing the stealth frigate fleet, IN received its first indigenously produced ship, INS Shivalik (two more were expected to be commissioned in Dec 2006 and Dec 2007) and two Russian-produced frigates, INS Talwar and INS Trishul, based on the Krivak III; with a third to be delivered later. IN also agreed to purchase six French Scorpene subs while ongoing efforts to upgrade its Kilo-class submarines into 'missile-capable' vessels continue. The six submarines from France will cost of $700m. The Indian Navy will acquire technology to build the advanced Scorpene submarines in state-run shipbuilding yards.



Under the Maritime Capabilities Perspective Plan 2022's indigenous construction component, the Navy will acquire two Cadet Training Ships, five more offshore patrol vessels (OPV) to add to the four already ordered from Goa Shipyard Ltd, three LPDs, seven Project 17A FFGs, six SSKs under Project 75(I), eight guided-missile corvettes under Project 28A (to add to the four Project 28 ASW vessels now being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilding & Engineering), eight GRP-hulled MCMVs, and another integrated aircraft carrier.


In an unprecedented naval construction program, by 2008 the Indian Navy had an indigenous order to construct 38 vessels, which included an aircraft carrier, three destroyers and three frigates, four anti-submarine corvettes, six submarines, 10 waterjet-propelled fast attack craft, a landing ship, six survey vessels, and four offshore patrol vessels, with many more orders anticipated. "By 2022, we plan to have 160-plus ship navy, including three aircraft carriers, 60 major combatants, including submarines and close to 400 aircraft of different types. This will be a formidable three dimensional force with satellite surveillance and networking to provide force multiplication," Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said in October 2008.


By 2020 the Indian Navy surface combatant fleet will be

• 3 carriers 

 

• 10 destroyers [ 3 Delhi + 3 Kolkata 15A + 4 Project 15B] 

 

• 24 frigates [9 Krivak + 3 Brahmaputra + 3 Shivalik + 7 Project 17A + 2 Project 17B] 

 

• 20 Corvettes [ includes 12 Project 28 and 28A ]

There could be as many as 34 submarines in total by 2020, while the Kilo's and 209's will be retired before 2025

• 3 ATV SSBN

• 3 ATV SSGN/SSN 

 

• 2 Akula II improved

• 6 U214 / S-80 / Marlin / Amur 1850 (Procurement under discussion)

• 6 Scorpene

• 10 Kilo Improved

• 4 U-209

In the FORCE November 2008 issue the Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition stated "a total of 7 destroyers, 13 frigates..." as the major warship construction that would have been accomplished by 2022. That would indicate (3 P15A + 4 P15B} destroyers and {3 Krivaks + 3 P17 + 7 P17A} frigates. Interviews of senior Indian navy officials in the December 2008 issue of FORCE talk of future warship construction projects, with the seven Project 15B DDGs and seven Project 17A FFGs clealy identified. The Improved Krivaks are of imported origin and do not form part of the domestic warship construction package. That still leaves a shortfall of six yet-to-be-built FFGs and this void is to be filled by an additional 3 Project 1135.6 FFGs to add to the six, plus ordering an additional three more Project 17 FFGs as a Batch 2 package.


Arihant, which is the first submarine under the Advanced Technology Vessel Programme (ATVP), was launched on 26 July 2009 at Visakhapatnam. It demonstrates a quantum leap in the shipbuilding capabilities of the country. The submarine is now undergoing wide ranging trials to prove the various systems fitted onboard. This would be followed by extensive sea trials, before it was commissioned into the Indian Navy.
By 2011 the Indian Navy’s perspective-planning of ‘force-levels’ concentrated upon ‘capabilities’ instead of numbers alone. In terms of force accretions in the immediate future, the Navy was acquiring ships in accordance with the Navy’s Maritime Capability Perspective Plan. There were 49 ships and submarines on order. The preferred choice of inducting ships has been through the indigenous route. For instance, the GRSE had already delivered all three of the large amphibious ships and ten water-jet Fast Attack Craft. The yard was constructing four advanced Anti-submarine Corvettes (P28) and was recently awarded a contract to build eight Landing Craft Utility (LCU’s).


In the South, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) was progressing the construction of India's most ambitious ship yet – the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC). As of 2011 the ship was scheduled for launch in early 2012 [later slipped to August 2013]. At Mumbai, the premier warship-building yard Mazagon Docks Limited, was engaged in the construction of three Kolkata Class destroyers and four Project 15 B destroyers besides one stealth frigate of the Shivalik Class,(two had already been delivered on 29 April 2010 and 20 August 2011). Six submarines of the Scorpene Class were also under construction at MDL. Goa Shipyard Limited, which had built a number of Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Navy and the Coast Guard, had four advanced versions of this type under construction. Alcock-Ashdown Gujarat Limited was entrusted with the construction of six catamaran-hulled survey ships for hydrographic duties, Pipavav Shipyard at Gujarat was making five NOPV’s, and ABG Shipyard, Gujarat was constructing two Cadet Training ships for the Indian Navy.


The indigenous warships construction had come a long way since the commissioning of INS Nilgiri on 03 Jun 72. There are not many countries in the world having capability to produce such a wide variety of warships ranging from Fast Attack Craft to Aircraft Carrier. However, a few ships are being inducted from abroad also to bridge the gaps in the capabilities that have been envisaged in the Master Plan of Navy. These included the carrier Vikramaditya and three follow-on ships of the Talwar Class from Russia.


The induction programd continued apace and over the five years 2012-2017 the Navy expected to induct ships/submarines at an average rate of 5 ships per year provided the yards deliver as per contracted timelines. In 2011 the Navy concluded eight important contracts which include contracts for four destroyers, five Offshore Patrol Vessels, two Cadet Training Ships, eight Landing Craft Utility and Fast Interceptor Craft for coastal security duties. It was also looking forward to soon concluding contracts for Mine Counter Measure vessels and P 17A frigates.


Under the Maritime Capabilities Perspective Plan 2022's indigenous construction component, the Navy will acquire two Cadet Training Ships, five more offshore patrol vessels (OPV) to add to the four already ordered from Goa Shipyard Ltd, three LPDs, seven Project 17A FFGs, six SSKs under Project 75(I), eight guided-missile corvettes under Project 28A (to add to the four Project 28 ASW vessels being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilding & Engineering), eight GRP-hulled MCMVs, and another integrated aircraft carrier.

Russia Chooses Indian Private Shipyard For Building Frigates - Media

TASS

In-Depth Coverage

 

July 16, 10:04 UTC+3

The naval frigate order is likely to exceed $3 billion

NEW DELHI, July 16. /TASS/. Russia has chosen the private shipyard Pipavav in India for the joint construction of the Talwar class frigates (patrol ships of Project 11356, India's Economic Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

A government source told the publication that the 'naval frigate order is likely to exceed $3 billion, making it the private sector's biggest-ever warship-building project.' 'After an evaluation of several Indian shipyards, including that of Larsen & Toubro, Russia has formally informed the Defense Ministry that Pipavav has been chosen as its Indian partner for the project. Officials said a formal letter was sent by Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) director Alexander Fomin last week confirming the partnership,' the newspaper reported.


'The contract for the new frigates is likely to be in the form of a government-to-government order with Russia and could be signed this financial year with delivery expected over the next six to eight years,' according to the publication. Indian Vice-chief of naval staff, Vice-Admiral P. Murugesan, has confirmed that the sides have been in negotiations on the frigate building technology transfer.


In the period from 2003 to 2013, India has bought from Russia six Talwar class frigates, which were built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad-based Yantar Shipyard. It was announced after that that India was no longer going to buy finished ships and requested Russia to transfer the technology.


A TASS source close to the Indian Defense Ministry has also confirmed that the Russian side 'has visited several shipyards looking for potential shipbuilding partners, however, said that there was no official information year about the conclusion of a deal with Pipavav.'

© TASS

Further Reading

Project 1135 KRIVAK Project 1135 Specifications Project 1135 Ship List Project 1135 Pictures Project 1135 References Talwar Class India Project 1135.6 Admiral Grigorovich

Krivak IV Project 1135.6 Dozorny / Admiral Grigorovich

Patrol Project 11356 was designed for warfare in the ocean and the sea on their own and as part of the naval forces. They are capable of destroying enemy submarines, to carry out anti, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defense warships and vessels to support ground combat, provide amphibious landing.


The main objectives of the Russian Shipbuilding Agency for 2004 in the military sector included the Sankt Petersburg class diesel sub for the Russian and foreign customers; project 11356 frigate; mine sweeper; combat and patrol cutters, specialized and auxiliary ships (fire control, divers', hydrographic, demagnetizing, floating berths).


The Project 1135.6 Dozorny Frigate [and a number of other vessels] were to be built will replace Project 956 destroyers used by the Navy. The new frigates will be capable of acting both as anti-submarine vessels and combat ships. They were to have a displacement of about 4,000 tons, as compared with the Navy destroyers' 9,500 tons.


The Russian Navy issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) in early 2002 for the construction of 10-20 frigates in the 4,000-ton range. Budgetary restrictions and a general halt on new projects, delayed the decision. The RFP was re-issued on 28 February 2005. Bidding was supposed to conclude by 01 April 2005, with a decision anticipated by the end of 2005. Two shipyards were considered frontrunners for the program:

Baltic Zavod - which at the time had no major construction projects; and Severnaya Verf, which was building the Steregushchy-class frigate. Plans call for building at least 10 units of the class, at a unit cost of about $200 million, and possibly as many as 20 total. If the project moves ahead as planned, the first unit would launch by the end of 2006 and commission in mid-2007. This competition was reportedly won by Severnaya Verf, and nothing more was heard of Baltic Zavod's Project 1135.6 Dozorny.


The Project 11356 frigates, displacing 3,850 tons are designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare on the high seas, and for anti-aircraft operations, both independently and as an escort ship. The ships are armed with an eight-cell launcher for Kalibr and Klub (3M54E) anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles, a 100-mm main gun, Kashtan gun/missile close-in air defense systems, Shtil vertical-launch air defense missile systems, two torpedo tubes, an anti-submarine rocket system and a Ka-28 or Ka-31 helicopter.


The lead warship in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich, was laid down in December 2010, the second, the Admiral Essen, in July 2011 and the third, the Admiral Makarov, in February 2012. Russia's first Project 11356 frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, was to join the Black Sea Fleet in 2014, Vice-Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov said on 29 April 2013. “The newest Project 11356 escort ship, the Admiral Grigorovich, should be launched in 2013 and join the Black Sea Fleet in 2014,” Fedotenkov said.


The Yantar shipyard in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad launched construction of a new Project 11356 frigate for the Russian navy on 13 July 2013. The official ceremony, attended by Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Rear Admiral Sergei Popov, was held Friday, according to Baltic Reporter online news portal. The Admiral Butakov is the fourth in a series of six Project 11356, or Admiral Grigorovich-class, frigates for delivery to the Black Sea Fleet between 2014 and 2016 under a contract with the Defense Ministry.



The Yantar shipyard in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad on Friday floated out the first in a series of six Project 11356 frigates being built for the Black Sea Fleet, the company said 14 March 2014. Four more ships of the same class were in various stages of construction at the shipyard. All six frigates will be delivered to the Black Sea Fleet between 2014 and 2017 under two contracts with the Defense Ministry.



Patrol ship "Admiral Grigorovich" - Project 11356 frigate head being built for the Russian Navy at the shipyard "Yantar", in late March 2015 began sea trials in the Baltic. Spokesman for the company Sergei Mikhailov said, "It is planned that the sea trials" Admiral Grigorovich "will begin on March 26-27. At present, the factory ship dock completes work on the demagnetization, and then move to the acceptance base in the ports of the Baltic". Sea trials patrol boat, which goes to the Black Sea Fleet, will last presumably before the end of May, after which it would be transferred to the customer.

 
The first in a series of six Admiral Grigorovich class (Project 11356) frigates, being built for the Black Sea Fleet, will be delivered to the Russian Navy in August, the United Shipbuilding Corporation said 08 April 2015. "The delivery of the Admiral Grigorovich frigate is planned for August 2015," the company said in a statement. "Admiral Grigorovich" was laid down in December 2010, was launched in March 2014.


Under two contracts signed with the Ministry of Defense, "Yantar" is building a series of patrol ships of project 11356 development of the Northern Design Bureau. In addition to the "Grigorovich" in this series of modern frigates for the Black Sea Fleet includes "Admiral Essen," "Admiral Makarov", "Admiral Butakov" and "Admiral Istomin." Complete the construction of a series of Kaliningrad shipbuilders have in 2017.





 

MY MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

      MY  MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

A young boy goes off to college. Half way through the semester, having foolishly squandered all his money .... he calls home.

 

"Pita ji," he says, "You won't believe what modern education is developing!

They actually have a program here in Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad (IIMA) that will teach our dog, Moti, how to talk!"

 

 

"That's amazing," his father says. "How do I get Moti in that program?"

 

 

"Just send him down here with Rs. 1,00,000" the young boy says "and I'll get him in the course."

 

 

So, his father sends the dog and Rs. 1,00,000. About two-thirds of the way through the semester, the money again runs out. The boy calls home.

 

 

"So how's Moti doing son?" his father asks.

 

 

"Awesome, Pita ji, he's talking up a storm," he says, "but you just won't believe this -- they've had such good results they have started to teach the animals how to read!"

 

 

"Read ??" says his father, "No kidding! How do we get Moti in that program?"

 

 

"Just send Rs.2,00,000, I'll get him in the class."

 

The money promptly arrives. But our hero has a problem.
At the end of the year, his father will find out the dog can neither talk, nor read. So he shoots the dog.

 

 

When he arrives home at the end of the year, his father is all excited.

 

"Where's Moti? I just can't wait to see him read something and talk!"

 

"Pita ji," the boy says, "I have some grim news. Yesterday morning, just before we left to drive home, Moti was in the living room, kicked back in the recliner, reading The Economic Times, like he usually does. Then Moti turned to me and asked, so, is your father still having the affair with that pretty Champaa mausi who lives down the street ?"

 

 

The father went white and exclaimed, "I hope you shot that son of a bitch before he talks to your Mother!"

 

"I sure did, Pita ji!"

 

"That's my boy!"

 

 

 

              The kid went on to law school,

 

                                      and

 

              now serves in New Delhi as a

 

 

                    Member of Parliament.