Great misses of UPA on Defence front

Under fire in the wake of the resignation of the Indian Navy Chief, the UPA government has in a jiffy given a green signal to the One Rank One Pension (OROP) with an eye on the impending polls. The soldiers’ agitation for the demand has been going on for some years and saw some emotional turns like the veterans returning their bravery medals, but the government repeatedly refused to commit funds to it. 

So much so Arackaparambil Kurien Antony – the longest continuously serving defence minister of the country for 7 years 5 months – expressed inability of the government to give funds for the acquisition of crucial equipment for the armed forces. But as the second term of the Congress-led UPA government is coming to an end here and Antony became notorious for inaction in practically all spheres, making the trust with the Armed Forces its first casualty. Here is a glimpse of the hits and misses of the government vis-à-vis the armed forces – 

Status Quo ­– More than seven years after his appointment, the majority of defence acquisition deals that materialized were with the US. The crucial requirements of the forces are from being fulfilled. The letter of General VK Singh to the Prime Minister two days before his retirement punched holes in the military preparedness of the nation. He highlighted how the second standing army in the world did not have enough firepower – ammunition and artillery. On the artillery front nothing has happened and the last gun that the Army purchased was in 1987.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been grappling with a string of accidents and has been still awaiting the replacement of its MiG fighter jets and to augment its fighter squadron strength. But a cautious Antony, who earned the sobriquet of Mr. Clean, threw his weight behind the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) – an aircraft in making for over 25 years. The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal is yet to see the light of the day.

The state-of- affair of the Indian submarine arm has been known for a long time. But apart from the fructification of the deal to acquire nuclear-powered Akula class submarine, the dwindling strength of the conventional Submarines, failed to wake the Government from its deep slumber. And the result has been loss of manpower. The relation between the civilian government and the forces saw another low as Indian Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi put his resignation taking moral responsibility of the accidents and the government swiftly accepted it.

6th Pay Commission- The 6th Pay Commission was touted as the biggest gift of the UPA government to the armed forces. But the forces rued that in the garb of the pay structure was the constant downgrading of the officers of forces in relation to their civil counterparts. 

Defence Minister AK Antony even sided with the three Service Chiefs demanding a representation in the Pay Panel, but nothing happened on this front. The Armed Forces have been demanding fixing of six core anomalies in the 6th Pay Commission. The main demand is granting of Non-functional upgrade in the pay to the armed forces on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

National War Memorial- The country has completed 67 years of its independence but its martyred soldiers are yet to get their National war Memorial. Conceptualised in 1960’s, it has not seen any progress. While the three forces have been seeking the memorial to be made at the India Gate, the memorial built by the British to honour the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War-I.

The armed forces decision has been governed by the fact that Indian Gate is central and easily accessible to people. The project in limbo for the last few decades has been stuck as the regulatory bodies like Delhi Urban Arts Commission, North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Central Vista Commission and Heritage Conservation Committee have objected to this contending the additional structure will spoil the ambience of the site.

OROP ­­– And it has not been an easily fulfilled demand for the veterans. The veterans of the forces after giving the best part of the life in the service of nation had to fight really hard to get it before the government paid heed to their demand. The veterans even returned their bravery medals to protest the government’s apathy, but the government remained steadfast that they did not have funds for it.

Mishandling of the Age Controversy – The dilly dallying of the Defence Minister on the age controversy and lack of decisiveness saw an unprecedented development as a serving Army Chief General VK Singh took the government to the Supreme Court. While the Supreme Court’s decision favoured government, the episode saw the internal feud of the Army being fought in public and the disregard for the armed forces reputation peeved many ranks and files.

General Singh is joining the BJP today.

VVIP Helicopter Deal- Even as the government continued to go slow on armed forces modernisation, the deal for 12 VVIP choppers from Augusta Westland went through like lightening - compared to the standards of the UPA government. The government was later put in a Catch-22 situation as report filtered about the corruption in the purchase of the expensive rides for the VVIPs of the country.

Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw demise - When Field Marshal SHFJ ‘Sam’ Manekshaw – who scripted the India’s decisive victory against Pakistan in 1971 - bid adieu to this world in 2008 neither the Defence Minister nor any of the three armed forces chiefs turned up during the state funeral accorded to him. Antony famously cited that the rank Field Marshal was not included in the protocol list.

The rank of Field Marshal or its equivalent Marshal of the Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet is not there in the protocol list. 

The country’s only surviving five star officer Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh had also rued to me during an exclusive interview in 2008. “It was a surprise for me (senior ministers not attending the funeral). You do not need a rank to be in the protocol list to attend his (Manekshaw's) funeral. He had served the country very well. They should have gone," Singh had said.

Submarine Arm – Achilles Heel for the Indian Navy

Submarine arm is for the Indian Navy, what MiGs have been for the Indian Air Force (IAF) off late – the Achilles Heel – the chink in its armoury. Talking about sheer statistics, the Indian Navy last inducted a conventional submarine 19 years ago and its current fleet is down to 13 in number.

 

The resignation of the Indian Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi and the government’s blatant eagerness to accept it following the spate of accidents faced by the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet point to a chronic problem in the Indian defence establishment – Armed Forces propose, MoD disposes. Despite the alarming situation of the Indian submarine fleet getting archaic and the Indian Navy seeking to maintain its edge in the Indian Ocean Region (in the face of the expanding submarine fleet of China and a strong submarine arm of Pakistan) proposing new acquisition, MoD kept dragging its feet.

In 2010 the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) sounded the red herring saying that the navy’s submarine fleet was ageing and by 2012 63 percent of its vessels would have completed their operational life. The report underlined the “serious slippages” in the induction plan as the genesis of the problem. "In what could seriously impact on the operational preparedness of the Indian Navy, more than 50 per cent of its submarines have completed 75 per cent of their operational life and some have already outlived their maximum service life."

With a number of platforms due for retirement, by 2015, the Indian submarine fleet is projected to be down to 10 underwater platforms. In contrast have the biggest navy in Asia China is known to have 8-10 nuclear powered submarines and 50-60 diesel submarines. Beijing is also actively aiding Islamabad in augmenting its fleet by constructing submarines for them.

The prophecy of the CAG seems to be eerily close as the Indian Navy submarines suffered three accidents – causing loss of lives and machines, as well.

The indigenous construction of the Scorpene submarines is already way behind the schedule, marred by constant allegations about corruption in the deal. The government is yet to sanction the construction of submarines under the Project P-75 I.

First ever submariner Deputy Chief of Naval Staff

At a time when submarine fleet of the Indian Navy is undergoing tremendous modernisation, the force has got its first submariner Deputy Chief of Naval Staff. Its better late than never.

New Deputy Chief on the left

Statement by Indian Navy

"Vice Admiral Pradeep K Chatterjee, AVSM, NM, today took over as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff at the Integrated Headquarters Ministry of Defence (Navy). 

Commissioned on 01 January 1977,the Flag Officer specialised as a submariner, and went on to command the Shishumar class (Type 1500) submarines, INS Shankush and INS Shankul, the latter of which he commissioned. His ship commands include the training Ship INS Krishna, and Guided Missile Destroyer, INS Rajput.

Vice Admiral Pradeep K Chatterjee has held various senior Staff appointments such as Commodore Commanding Submarine (West), COMCOS(W) at Mumbai; Principle Director Submarine Operation (PDSMO) and Principal Director Submarine Acquisition (PDSMAQ) at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi. In the Flag rank he has held the posts of Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM) at Visakhapatnam, Flag Officer Maharashtra and Gujarat naval Area (FOMAG) at Mumbai, and Inspector General Nuclear Safety (IGNS) at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi.

In his long and illustrious career, the Flag Officer has walked through the portals of the Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai and the National Defence College, New Delhi. 

Interestingly Vice Admiral Chatterjee becomes the first ever submariner to be at the helm of the Operations Branch of the Indian Navy at the Integrated Headquarters Ministry of Defence (Navy) at New Delhi. This at a time when the Indian Navy stands at the threshold of integrating a nuclear attack submarine INS Chakra and inducting a nuclear ballistic missile submarine viz the indigenously built ‘Arihant’."

Work on submarine-fired ICBM in advanced stage:DRDO Chief

DRDO Chief Dr. VK Saraswat said that the work on the naval variant of the Long Range Strategic Missile (a moniker given by India to the Agni-V launched on April 20) was in "advanced" stage.

With indigenous nuclear-attack submarine, INS Arihant (meaning destroyer of enemies) ready to get operational in another two years time, the DRDO Chief assured that when the nuke submarine comes out it will come out with all weapons. "There will be no gap," said the DRDO Chief.

Revealing the story behind Agni-V, with a range of 5,000 km plus, the DRDO Chief said that the sanction for the missile came in 2008 with a mandate to built the missile in four years time. "We have achieved it in about 3.5 years. It is the fulfillment of a dream that the country saw in 1980's," said the DRDO Chief.

The top scientist also ruled out capping the missile ranges of the future home-built missiles. “I said our development (of missiles) is based on current and evolving threats. Threats are ever changing. There is no question of capping missile range. I do not know if threat profile will be static,” explained Dr Saraswat.

The next test of Agni-V is scheduled for later this year. Before that the DRDO will work to canisterise the missile to give it more flexibility. The April 20 test launch was done from a modified Agni-3 launcher. The canister system is necessary to make the missile road or rail mobile. A rail or road mobile missiles first takes off to a certain altitude and then gets ignited fully.

The strategic missile has also given a capability to launch mini-satellites in the space to aid the armed forces during the time of wars. These mini-satellites can be launched at a short notice and are designed to do a short-term role like providing navigation and all.

Taking about the naval variant of the Long Range Strategic Missile, Saraswat said that the “work was on an advanced stage”. So when the indigenous nuclear attack submarine INS Arihant gets operational there will be “no gap” in the vessel and the weapon.

The Chief refused to comment on the damning reaction from China, but added that India was not working towards matching a missile for missile with other nations. “We are not matching missile for missile. If I can manage all my offensive or defensive profile with the present set, why to have so many missiles,” Saraswat said to a pointed query about China’s missiles with ranges exceeding 10,000 kms.

Air to sea defence – India has many gaps to plug

It is not just the Indian Army that has chinks in its armour, but the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy are also grappling with acute shortage of weapons and platforms to defend the aerospace and maritime borders of the country respectively.

The IAF is the fourth largest air force in the world but for the last decade or so it is also struggling to complete its required strength of 42 fighter squadrons, projected in 1980’s. Presently its squadron strength is down to 33.5 and to maintain its conventional edge over the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), IAF cannot phase out its obsolete Soviet vintage MiG-21 fighter jets. 

Overcoming the delay in indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme and in the acquisition of 126 medium multi-role fighter jets, the IAF is hoping to get desired 42 squadrons by 2022.

LCA

According to senior officials, the other issue concerning the force is the lack of basic pilot trainers to train its pilots. Since 2009, its fleet of HPT-32 initial trainer aircraft remains grounded following a series of crashes and engine failures. This comes at a time when the force is already short of about 400 pilots.

The shortage of quality pilots will impact the air force adversely as it sets on an ambitious modernization plan. The Basic Trainer Aircraft are the first step in the training of a pilot in the air force. Now that the force does not have them, the rookie pilots directly move to their second step of training that is the Suryakirans and then MiG-21s or Hawks.

IAF has received flak from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for their flawed training schedule for pilots. But the force, which has an urgent requirement for these aircraft, is awaiting approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The deal for 75 Swedish Pilatus-7 trainer aircraft was expected to be through in 2011 and the delay is only adding to the woes of the force.

The third problem is the upgradation of its existing fleet of fighter jets. The fleet of ground attack fighter jets Jaguar, which will cross into the enemy territory during a war situation, is underpowered – meaning they “cannot take off with the full weapon complement and fuel tank”. But the proposal to procure new engines for the fighter jets is still gathering dust.

“With the induction of mid-air refuellers, the problem has been sorted to the extent that the aircraft take off with all weapons and get refueled while in the air. But being underpowered can be a limitation should the aircraft gets engaged in combat or need to escape,” sources said.

An IL-76 carrying out mid-air refuelling of Sukhoi fighter jet during Indo-French exercise Garuda

IAF is mandated for the air defence of vital installations in the country like the Bhakra Nangal Dam and nuclear power plants. However, it is presently equipped with three kinds of Russian-made air defence missile systems – S-125M Pechora, OSA-AK and Igla 1-M – reaching obsolescence and in need of replacement and upgradation. Of these Pechora - the most vital link in the air defence of the country as it will defend against the incoming enemy fighters – was inducted in 1974-1990 - and most of the systems have become defunct by now.

The IAF currently has 1,100 Igla shoulder-fired missiles, as against a sanctioned 1,200. Of the existing Igla missiles about 880 are on life extension. In comparison to this, Pakistan is about to start manufacturing third-generation shoulder-fired Anza MKIII missiles with technology from China.

Despite, the 26/11 attack, the maritime security of the country remains to be Achilles’ heel as the Indian Navy is facing acute shortage of submarines and helicopters.

The present strength of submarines in the Indian Navy is down to 15 and by 2015 it will have only 10 underwater platforms in the flotilla. On the contrary the biggest navy in Asia China is known to have 8-10 nuclear powered submarines and 50-60 diesel submarines. Now Beijing is actively helping Islamabad in augmenting its fleet and signed a contract for constructing six conventional submarines for Pakistan Navy in 2011.

Even as the Indian Navy has an advantage over Chinese navy in terms of experience in conducting operations as a true blue water navy, its next cause of concern is shortage of helicopters. The helicopter fleet of the navy comprises of Sea Kings and 1970s vintage Chetak-Cheetahs – all these helicopters have already crossed their life cycle of 20 years. The situation has been accentuated by the delay in the production of the naval variant of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv. 

ALH Dhruv

The navy is planning to float world’s biggest tender for 75 multi-role helicopters, but seeing the pace of the acquisition in the country, the materializing of the contract might take a decade.

The Indian Navy is aspiring to become a three aircraft carrier force. But the existing Sea Harriers (only 11 are remaining after a spate of accident) operating from aircraft carrier INS Viraat have become old. The newly acquired MiG-29 Ks for Admiral Gorshkov are forced to do shore-based flying due to the delay in the delivery of Admiral Gorshkov. Also the delay in development of the naval variant of LCA is giving nightmares to the force, which will have its indigenous aircraft carrier launched by the end of this year.

 Sea Harrier taking off from INS Viraat

“We do not want to end up in a situation with an aircraft carrier sans the fighter jets,” officials said.

Indian Navy Chief onboard INS Chakra

Photographs of Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma in the newly acquired leviathan INS Chakra off the coast of Visakhapatnam. She was accompanied by INS Ranvir through out her voyage from Russia to India's eastern coast.