ak antony - a look back

8/12/2019 AK Antony - A Look Back

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REWORKED AS ON 4.3.2014

Shri AK Antony as Defence Minister- A Look Back

IntroductionOn 24 October 2006, taking the baton from Shri Pranab Mukherjee,

Shri AK Antony assumed office as Indias 29th Defence Minister. Takingover when the UPA-1 was halfway through its term, Shri Antony hasremained Defence Minister for over seven and a half years, making himIndias longest serving in the portfolio.

Both in 2006 and then again 2009 when the UPA returned to powerfor a second term, Shri Antony highlighted his key priorities in the

demanding post: ramping up Indias defence preparedness, modernisingthe armed forces, strengthening security measures and apparatus acrossthe board, including coastal security, fast-tracking infrastructuredevelopment in the North East and border areas, improving the lives ofservice personnel, including their accommodation, ration, food and clothing.

And last, but certainly not least, ensuring absolute transparency in thecomplex defence procurement process.

Briefed in-depth over two months by South Block functionaries, ShriAntony immediately embarked on extensive tours to defenceestablishments stretching from the worlds highest battlefield Siachen in theHimalayas to Kochi in the south, from Tawang in Indias eastern most stateto Minicoy island in the South west. He met with jawans in difficult terrainsand encouraged them to speak openly on the difficulties and challengesthey faced. Based on these briefings, interactions and meetings, herelentlessly pursued the process to modernise the Indian armed forces.Through a concerted effort, he also brought about far reaching changes tothe lives of serving and retired veterans. An example of the detail to whichShri Antony delved to effect qualitative change in the lives of soldiers -- he

breached the barriers in the allocation of eggs and fruits to jawans.

The coming of age of four long standing projects -- the Arjun mainbattle tank for the Indian Army, the LCA Tejas fighter for the IAF, the arrivalof the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy and majorstrides in Indias first indigenous nuclear powered submarine, Arihant, alltook place under his stewardship.


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Shri Antony was steadfast in his effort to create a healthyenvironment for Indian industry -- both public and private -- in the research,development and manufacturing of defence products. Several of theseproducts are on the threshold now of becoming major combat platforms inthe Indian armed forces and potential exports too.

During his ministership, the Indian armed forces have successfullystepped out of their home turf, confidently projecting power across theworld by engaging friendly nations in complex military exercises, therebyalso establishing India as a capable regional power and partner.

The last seven years also witnessed the scaling of new heights byarmed forces personnel in sports and adventure activities. Under Shri

Antonys leadership, the Indian military conducted the 4

th

CISM MilitaryWorld Games, an event which is only second to the Olympic Games inscale. Over 5,000 participants from nearly 100 countries took part in theevent. The games were held at Hyderabad and Mumbai and wereconducted in a professional manner with military precision, drawingworldwide appreciation.

MODERNISATION, CAPACITY BUILDING AND INFRASTRUCTUREDEVELOPMENT

Shri Antony has presided over some of the most eventful years in thehistory of the Indian armed forces, adding potent muscle to theircapabilities. The continuous modernisation process has seen landmarkacquisitions, with plenty more are in the pipeline.

Navy

The Indian Navy acquired the maximum number of platforms andsystems towards the blue water force ideal. Earlier this year, the Indian

Navy inducted its second operational aircraft carrier, 44,500 ton INSVikramadityaproviding a resounding boost to maritime warfare and forceprojection capabilities. The Minister commissioned the carrier at aceremony held at the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk, Russia on 16

November 2013. Having undergone extensive refurbishment and refit overthe past few years, the Vikramaditya will be armed with Indo-RussianBrahMos supersonic cruise missile (a programme that, incidentally, has


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flourished under his ministership), the MiG-29K multirole carrier bornefighter, long range air surveillance radars, an advanced electronic warfaresuite, Kamov-31 and indigenous ALH Dhruv helicopters. Given the span ofIndias maritime interest extending across the Indian Ocean region (IOR),the air power afforded by INS Vikramaditya is already a substantialcontributor to credible naval capability. The carrier has been berthed at theKarwar naval base on the Western Coast and awaits its formal inductioninto the Western Fleet, in the near future.

In August, 2013, in a major boost to Indias nuclear deterrenceprogramme, the miniaturized nuclear reactor onboard the Arihant ballisticmissile submarine went critical. It was an affirmation of Indias confidenceto step forward into an exclusive enclave in defence development.

A few days later, Indias first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier IAC-1(Vikrant) was launched at Cochin Shipyard Limited on August 12, 2013, asignificant capability demonstration that has placed India in a group of onlya handful of countries which can design and build aircraft carriers of around40,000 tonnes.

The Indian Navys air wing welcomed the arrival of the first Boeing P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare(LRMRASW) aircraft on May 15, 2013, aircraft that will be on the frontlineof airborne watchkeeping over the navys areas of responsibility.

In line with continuous force accretion, the Indian Navy, also theyoungest of Indias armed forces, also inducted the first indigenouslyassembled Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) at INS Dega,Vishakhapatnam on 06 November. The GSAT-7, a dedicatedcommunication satellite for the Indian Navy, was launched on 30 Augustlast year, providing an enormous, if initial, boost to the Navys networkcentric war-fighting capability based on an indigenous platform. Thesatellite recently proved itself in the vast and complex month-long TROPEX2014 exercise, in which 60 ships and 75 aircraft all functioned with thesatellite.

Under Shri Antonys ministership, 28 Ships wereinducted/acquired, including 03 Shivalik-class stealth frigates (Shivalik,Satpura & Sahyadri), 03 Teg-class stealth frigates (Teg, Trikhand &Tarkash), 02 tankers (Deepak & Shakti), 01 Landing Platform Dock- INS


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Jalashwa, 03 Landing Ship Tank Large (Shardul, Kesari & Airavat), 01Sail Training Ship Sudarshini, 02 Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (Saryu& Sunayna), 10 Fast Attack Craft Trinkat class, 01 Catamaran HullSurvey Ship Makar and 01 Nuclear submarine- Chakra. Besides, 45shipsare in the pipelines in various shipyards.

In this period, 03 Boeing P-8Is, 06 AJT Hawks, 02 UAVs (UnmannedAerial Vehicle)Heron, 18 MiG-29Ks and 06 Sikorsky UH-3H helicopters(part of the Jalashwa fleet) were inducted into the Navy.

Indian Air Force

The IAF wasnt far behind in modernisation; the acquisition ofC-130JSuper Hercules and C-17Globemaster III transport aircraft marked a newera of strategic military sales from the U.S. The IAF also took a quantumleap with the induction of the Phalcon AWACS -- eye-in-the-skysurveillance aircraft with collaborative technologies from Russia and Israel,in May, 2009. The IAF also acquired the first of many long awaited BritishHawk trainers in February, 2008 and inducted the first of 75 Pilatus PC-7MK II basic trainer aircraft from Switzerland in May last year. Russian-made Mi-17-V5 choppers were inducted in February 2012 and threeBoeing Business Jets for VVIP travel in April 2009. A lions share of groundhas been covered during these seven years for the acquisition of 126MMRCA fighter jets -- one of the worlds largest and most complex military

acquisitions to date. Keeping the future of warfare firmly in view, in 2007,India and Russia signed a landmark inter-governmental agreement to

jointly develop and produce a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and a Multi-role Transport Aircraft.

The IAF has continued to modernize its infrastructure in a phasedmanner, with a marked focus on upgrading 6 Advanced Landing Grounds(ALG) in the Eastern Sector (Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tuting, Ziro andVijaynagar) as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh. This comesafter the activation of Western Sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukcheand Nyoma in Eastern Ladakh.

New Air Field in Phalodi: Bridging identified gaps in air defence inthe Western Sector, a new Indian Air Force (IAF) airfield, replete withmodern infrastructure has become operational at Phalodi in Rajasthan. Theairbase, located between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, will straddle the distancebetween the two airbases. The base is ready to undertake all types of


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frontline IAF operations.

In a capability demonstration by the IAF that was noted worldwide, aC-130J Super Hercules aircraft landed at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstriplocated at 16614 feet (5065 meters) in the Aksai Chin area after taking offfrom its home base in Hindon, on 20 August 2013. The operation hasestablished a crucial air link some of the most treacherous terrains wheretroops are deployed on Indian territory.

New Air Force Station At Thanjavur: On 27 May 2013 Shri Antonydedicated the New Air Force Station at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu to thenation, bolstering air defence capabilities in the peninsula and ramping upthe Southern Air Commands overall capabilities.

Su-30 MKI

The Su-30 MKI air dominance fighter aircraft was formally inducted atAir Force Station Tezpur on 15 June 2009, at the Chhabua air force base inAssam on 01 March 2011 and again at Air Force Station Halwara on 05September 2012.

To intensify and consolidate air defence capabilities, the IAF inductedits first Medium Power Radar on 03 Jun 2011. This state of the art radarstrengthens air defence in the Saurashtra-Kutchh region in Gujarat as a

part of radar upgradation programme.

Army

Mountain Strike Corps

In a move that breaks Indian strategic planning from tradition, ShriAntony obtained government sanction to raise the Armys first MountainStrike Corps along the China border in the North East, reflecting thecountrys widening strategic horizon.The Strike Corps will provide decisive

and lighting-fast reaction and offensive capabilities. Expected to cost Rs.65,000 crores, the proposed strike corps will have about 45,000 soldiersand will be headquartered at Panagarh in West Bengal.

The corps will draw support strength from fighters aircraft operatingfrom renovated bases in the North East. Su-30 MKIs have been deployedat bases in Tezpur and Chhabua. In addition, Jorhat, Bagdogra, Hashimaraand Mohanbari bases are also being upgraded.


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After over 29 years, the Army has been able to raise two mountaininfantry divisions -- one under the Rangapahar-based 3 Corps in Nagalandand the other, under the Tezpur- based 4 Corps in Assam under the ArmysEastern Command.

Major acquisitions undertaken by the Army focused on building newcapabilities and making up for legacy deficiencies. Modernisation of thecrucial mechanized forces is underway to meet all requirements of thefuture battlefield. At the same time indigenous development of combatvehicle platforms for the future are also being progressed.

The Corps of Army Air Defence has taken major steps in upgradingits gun and missile systems. The project for automation of Air Defence

Command and Reporting system is also progressing. In additionmodernization of logistics installations with state-of-the-art warehousingfacilities, retrieval and accounting systems is also underway. Army has alsoenhanced its interactions with DRDO so that planned projects arecompleted.

Electronic surveillance devices such as unmanned ground sensors,Battle Field Surveillance Radars, Infra Red Sensors, Hand held thermalimagers etc have been introduced to assist in counter terrorism operations.The Army has also developed Network Centric Warfare concept for a

digitized battlefield of the future. The Army is adequately prepared tooperate in the prevailing NBC environment in the region and thesecapabilities are regularly reviewed keeping in view the changing threatscenario, as required.

Indian Coast GuardSince the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the government at large and

Defence Ministry in particular have made persistent efforts to secure Indiasvast coastline, stretching over 7,500 kilometres including our islandterritories. Shri Antony obtained approvals for the the setting up of 14 new

Indian Coast Guard Stations, to augment the existing 28. The Indian CoastGuard commissioned a new generation Offshore Patrol Vessel, ICGSVishwast, built in India by Goa Shipyard, and the Pollution Control Vessel,ICGS Samudra Prahari, built by the private sector ABG Shipyard in Suratduring the last year.

Altogether 79 vessels and boats were commissioned into the IndianCoast Guard during the period under review including two Advance


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Offshore Patrol Vessels (Sankalp and Samrat), three Offshore PatrolVessels (Vishwast, Vijit and Vaibhav), two Pollution Control vessels(Samudra Prahari and Samudra Paheredar), four Fast Patrol Vessels(Savitribai Phule, Aadesh, Abheek and Abhinav), 10 Inshore Patrol Vessels(Rani Abbakka, Rajshree, Rajtarang, Rajkiran, Rajkamal, Rajratan,Rajdoot, Rani Avantibai, Rajveer and Rajdhwaj), eight Air Cushion Vehicle(Hovercraft), 21 Interceptor Boats and 20 Interceptor Craft.

In this period 21 Coast Guard Stations were commissioned /activated including Port Blair, Kararatti, Gopalpur, Karwar, Gandhinagar,Minicoy, Mundra, Krishnapatnam, Mayabunder and Pipavav.

ANTI- PIRACY AND COASTAL SECURITY MEASURES

The Indian Navy, primarily responsible for securing the countrys

maritime sovereignty, discharges its onerous role four ways military,diplomatic, constabulary and benign roles. The Navy is being increasinglycalled upon to address issues pertaining to safety, security and stability inthe region. Enforcement of international laws, humanitarian assistance anddisaster relief in the Indian Ocean Region lie at the forefront of the Navysinternational commitments. The complex maritime security environment inthe IOR requires the IN to maintain a high level of operationalpreparedness at all times.

Anti-piracy

The Indian Navys commitment to keeping International Sea Lanes ofCommunications open by sustained deployment of a warships for anti-piracy operations in Gulf of Aden has been relentless since Oct 2008. Thenavy has put in place comprehensive and bold Rules of Engagement toenable proactive and effective action against errant pirates. To date theIndian Navy has deployed 37 ships, escorted over 2500 merchant ships ofall nationalities, thwarted over 40 piracy attempts, apprehended 120 piratesand rescued over 70 fishermen. It has also participated in all SHADEmeetings since 2009 and coordinated anti piracy activities withneighbouring and IOR countries, drawing deep regional appreciation andempowering friendly nations.

Coastal Security

The 26/11 terrorist attacks pushed the Govt to take a number oftough security measures to close the gaps in Indias vast coastline and


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to strengthen coastal security apparatus in a planned manner byinvolving all stakeholders. Under Phase-I of the Coastal SurveillanceNetwork Project, 36 radars were installed in a wide chain to establish agap-free Coastal Surveillance Network (CSN. In the first Phase of theproject, the coastal States/UTs were provided with 73 coastal policestations, 97 Check Posts, 58 Out Posts, 30 Barracks, 204 boats, 153

jeeps and 312 motorcycles.The completion of the phase-I of the project at a cost of Rs. 646 crores onthe Indian mainland has taken place. India has already a chain of 38Coastal Static Radars in place and 10 more in final stages of completion-which are already intensifying capabilities to identify and monitor maritimetraffic.

In Phase-II of the CSN, being rolled out at a cost Rs 1580 crores, thecountry will get another 38 radars to cover the rest of the 7,500 Km long

coastline. The Indian Coast Guard was tasked to implement the project,for which the government signed contracts with the state owned BharatElectronics Ltd (BEL) in Sept 2011 at a cost of Rs 602 croresconsidering the strategic nature of the turnkey project and with an aim todevelop indigenous capabilities. Under this scheme, the coastalStates/UTs inter alia are provided with 131 coastal police stations, 10Marine Operation Police Centres (MOCPs), 60 jetties, 225 boats ofvarious categories and a lump sum assistance of Rs. 15 lakhs percoastal police station to develop its infrastructure.

Linking up the National Automatic Identification System Network(AIS) and Vessel Traffic System (VTS) off Gulf of Khambat with theCoastal Security Network would help the security forces in identifying afriend or foe in the Indian waters.

Of late, there has been a worrisome trend: Private Armed SecurityGuards on board Commercial ships in international waters as well asterritorial waters. The urgent need to regulate these floating armourieshas assumed significance in the backdrop of two recent incidents close

to the Indian Coast. A high level meeting on Coastal Security convenedat Delhi by the MoD recently decided to take up the issue of PrivateArmed Security Guards with international fora such as InternationalMaritime Organisation (IMO).

ROADS, BRIDGES AND TUNNELS


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Building road infrastructure in Indias remotest frontiers has been oneof Shri Antonys key result areas. The Border Roads Organisat ion (BRO) iscurrently executing road works on 444 various roads and maintaining 254roads. Some of them are Srinagar-Baramula-Uri, Uri-Salamabad-KamanPost, Srinagar-Kargil-Leh, Leh-Upshi, Nimu-Padam-Darcha, Dhar-Udhampur, Rudraprayag-Gaurikund, Rishikesh- Joshimath-Mana,Rishikesh-Dharasu-Gangotri, Lakhimpur-Akajan, Hayaliang-Changlohgam,Paya-Digaru Road, Orang-Kalaktang- Shikaridanga-Rupa-Tenga, Hunli-

Anini and Hnathial-Sangau-Saiha.In J&K, the government has earmarked 73 roads for construction in

Ladakh region along the unresolved 4,056 km long Line of Actual Control(LAC) with China, of which 12 roads have been completed so far.

The BRO is the lifeline to Indias strategically vital northeast,maintaining a road network of 11,672 kms in the remote region. The BRO

has also undertaken construction of 75 roads with a total length of morethan 6,000 km at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore. Besides this, 7,000 km of roadscosting Rs 12,000 crore are under various stages of construction in thenorth-east.

Basholi Bridge

The foundation stone laying ceremony for Basholi Bridge was heldon 23 May 2011. This 592 m cable stayed bridge will connect Gurdaspurdistrict in Punjab to Doda and Kishtwar region in J&K. An example of

modern technology, this will connect the backward areas. The presentphysical progress of the bridge is 55%.

Rohtang Tunnel

The foundation stone for the construction of the 8.8 km RohtangTunnel was laid on 28 Jun 2010. A total of 4086 mtr has been constructed.

Zojila tunnel

Cabinet Committee on economic affairs has approved theconstruction of 13.95 Km long tunnel. Land acquisition, environmentalclearance and tendering action is in progress.

Other Tunnels

Feasibility studies for the preparation of a detailed project report for


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the construction of 18-km Razdhan tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir and 0.90km long Rudraprayag Byepass Tunnel in Uttarakhand are in progress.

JOINT EXERCISES

In a resounding affirmation reflective of the professionalism of the IndianArmed Forces, countries across the globe have shown eagerness toparticipate in joint exercises.

Army

During the period under review, the Indian Army has held major jointexercises with the land forces of China, the United States, UK, Maldives,Russia and Singapore.

In a landmark coming together on a simulated battlefield, the armies ofIndia and China held their first ever joint exercise at Kunming in Yunanprovince of China in 2007. 80 soldiers each from India and China attendedthis five-day long joint anti-terror exercise. In 2008, a Chinese ArmyContingent conducted a landmark joint military exercise with the Indian

Army codenamed Exercise Hand-in-Hand, at Belgaum, Karnataka, the firston Indian soil. In 2013, the two sides held one more anti-terrorism exercisein Chinas Chengdu province.

The Indian Army conducted the joint exercise YUDH ABHYAS-09 with

the US Army at Babina near Jhansi in October 2009, towards coordinatedpeacekeeping and disaster relief operations. A Mechanised InfantryBattalion of Indian Army and 2nd Squadron of 14 CAV of 254 StrykerBrigade Combat Team comprising 325 US troops participated in thisexercise. The Indian and Maldivian troops conducted EKUVERIN-09exercise in Belgaum.

The Russian and Indian Armies held a joint exercise named 'Indra-13' inOctober 2013. Held in the semi-desert conditions in Rajasthan's MahajanField Firing Range, the combat exercise witnessed the participation of anarray of armoured and mechanised forces.

Navy

The list of countries with which the Indian Navy conducts bilateralexercises has grown significantly. From October 2006 to February 2014altogether 47 exercises were conducted with foreign navies including 10MALABAR exercises with USA, five Naseem-Al-Bahr exercises with UAE,six KONKAN exercises with UK, seven SIMBEX exercises with Singapore,


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six VARUNA exercises with France, three INDRA exercises with Russia,three SLINEX exercises with Sri Lanka, three IBSAMAR exercises withSouth Africa and Brazil and two JIMEX exercises with Japan.

Air ForceThe major Indian Air Force joint air exercises during the period

under reivew included the multinational Air Exercise, 'Ex - Red Flag 08' atthe invitation of United States Air Force (USAF), held at Nellis Air ForceBase in the US from 09-23 Aug 08; Exercise Cope India-09, a five-day

joint air exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and United States AirForce (USAF) at Air Force Station, Agra - a major transport airbase andone of the largest airbase in Southeast Asia; Exercise eastern bridge 2009with Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) at Thumrait airbase in Oman,Exercise Eastern Bridge 2011 also with RAFO at Air Force Station,

Jamnagar; Exercise Cope India 2009 with the United States Air Force atAgra Air Force Station; Exercise Sindex 2007 with Royal Singapore AirForce at Kalaikunda and Exercise Indradhanush-III 2010 with the Royal AirForce of UK at Kalaikunda. This was the first exercise with the Eurofighter(Typhoon) in India.

In addition, Indian Air Force held two major Fire PowerDemonstrations. These are:

Exercise Vayushakti 2010: In a breathtaking display of rapid airpower dominance in a representative battlefield area, Indian Air Force (IAF)aircraft blasted away targets by day, dusk and night in a fire powerdemonstration exercise, Vayu Shakti-2010, at Pokharan on February 28.The dusk and night phase display was the first ever by the IAF.

Iron Fist 2013: It was conceived as a visible demonstration of notonly the deterrent and joint war fighting capabilities of the IAF but also areaffirmation of IAFs commitment to nation building through its morebenign and non kinetic capabilities. February 22, 2013 witnessed the Indian

Air Force demonstrate its operational capabilities by day, dusk and night atthe sprawling facility of the Pokharan Range.

FOREIGN VISITS

To promote defence and military cooperation with foreign nations, ShriAntony visited the United States, Russia, Germany, China, Japan, Vietnam,Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Indonesia, Australia,Seychelles, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kyrghyzstan.


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DRDO

When Shri Antony took over as the Defence Minister, there weremore brickbats than bouquets in the media for DRDO. He brought aboutstructural changes and closely monitored progress in the organisation inacross projects. The result has been dramatic: DRDO has delivered nowon multiple fronts and enhanced self-reliance in Defence Systems. It is alsodesigning, developing and producing world class weapon systems andequipment in accordance with the expressed needs and qualitativerequirements specified by the three armed services.

DRDO is working in various areas of military technology whichinclude aeronautics, armaments, combat vehicles, electronics,instrumentation engineering systems, missiles, materials, naval systems,advanced computing, simulation and life sciences. DRDO, while striving to

meet the Cutting edge weapons technology requirements, provides amplespinoff benefits to the society at large, thereby, contributing to nationbuilding.

Strategic Missile Systems:

Agni 5 IRBM: India joined an exclusive club countries capable ofdesigning, developing and launch an IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic

Missile) with the maiden launch on 19th

April 2012 of the highly advancedAgni 5, the latest in the series of nuclear capable strategic missiles. Thelandmark event gave India a quantum jump in the level of deterrencebringing targets located even more than 5000 km away within its reachfulfilling long cherished dream of former Prime Minister of India, late SmtIndira Gandhi. Its second successful launch on 15 September 2013,demonstrating robustness and reliability of its systems paved way forlaunch from a canister to provide higher mobility, improved storage andshelf life, even greater reliability and easier maintenance. Agni 5 will beready for induction by 2015.

Agni 4the 4000 km range ballistic missile:Agni 4 got ready for inductionhaving completed its development trials with its third successful flight on 20January 2014.

Agni 3 has been inducted to strengthen Indias strategic might andjoinedAgni 1, Agni 2,Prithvi II & Dhanush(the naval version of Prithvi capableof being launched from ships even under rough sea conditions) already in


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service and deployed.

B05the underwater launched ballistic missile system:The missile hasbeen cleared for production after a series of successful trials provingreliability of the system. Designed to operate from the indigenous nuclear

powered submarine Arihant, it completes the triad for nuclear deterrenceand incorporates many novel, breakthrough technologies.

Nirbhay cruise missile:The long range subsonic cruise missile, Nirbhayhad its maiden flight on 12 March 2013 proving many critical technologies.

Ballistic Missile Defencesystem: India joined the elite club of four othernations on 06 December 2007 when under the program AD, an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile hit and destroyed a target missilesimulating a hostile ballistic missile attacking with speed much greaterthan a typical bullet; that was the first step towards developing a two-layer

Ballistic Missile Defence system. A series of further successfulinterceptions, mostly, with direct hit (the directional warhead is capable ofdestroying the target even in proximity), have demonstrated its reliability.

Tactical Missile and Weapon Systems:

Akash SAM Air Defence System: Productionisation and induction ofAkash, the medium range air defence system with multi-target, multidirectional capability is another shining achievement. The production value

of Akash system presently cleared for induction is more than Rs 23,000crores.

BrahMos supersonic cruise missile: The only supersonic cruise missilein its class thats operational, with its high speed and precision of attackand practically no possible countermeasures was inducted in largenumbers in Army and Navy. It has been designed to be launched fromland, air, sea and sub-sea platforms. Its Block II version with targetdiscrimination capability and Block IIIversion with steep diving capabilityeven at supersonic speeds have now been developed. The air launchedversion is soon expected to have its maiden launch from Su 30.

Nag and Helina Anti-Tank Missiles: Nag, the third generation AntitankGuided Missile with Fire & Forget, Day & Night and Top Attackcapabilities, is in final phase of user trials. Helina, its helicopter launchedversion having enhanced reached has been developed and is in advancedstage of trials.

AstraBeyond Visual Range air to air missile:Indias first Beyond Visual


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Range air to air missile Astra designed to operate from Tejas and Su-30MKI combat aircraft completed trials from ground based launchers andairworthiness tests on the Su-30. Astra is expected undertake maiden trialsfrom a Su-30 jet soon.

Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator: In another major technologybreakthrough, a Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)has been developed, currently undergoing extensive ground based tests.

LRSAM:A long range surface to air missile LRSAMfor Navy for protectionof Naval vessels being jointly developed is an example of internationalcooperation, and is undergoing development trials. Its land version for theIndian Air Force (MRSAM) is also in an advanced stage of development.

Pinaka Multi barrel rocket launcher system: Pinaka an area weaponcapable of neutralizing nearly 1 sq km area upto more than 35 km away in

a short time has entered the operational command of the Indian Army.Pinaka II rocket, with longer range is undergoing trials. Pinaka II havebeen designed to be fired from the same launcher as Pinaka I.

Indigenous missile technologies:

DRDO has indigenously developed a large number of state of the art sub-systems and technologies in the face of stiff control regimes andtechnology denials. These technologies make our missiles, especially thestrategic missiles unique and include carbon carbon composites for re-entry heat shield that allow the warhead to remain safe while facingtemperatures as high as 4000 degrees Celsius encountered during re-entry, lightweight composite rocket motors, innovative conical rocket motorfor third stage, actuators and control surfaces, advanced inertial navigationsystem, thrust vector control, on-board computers, system of chip (SOC),sensors based on fibre optics, MEMS and many more.

Platforms:

Arihant nuclear powered submarine:Arihant, Indias first indigenous

nuclear powered submarine, an example of close cooperation betweenDRDO Indian Navy and industry came closer to achieving operationalcapability when its onboard nuclear reactor attained criticality on 10 August2013. The submarine is currently undergoing extensive checks inpreparation for its seaward trials in a few months from now.

Tejas, the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft: Tejas, Indias firstindigenously designed developed and led to production 4th Generation-


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aiming with both eyes open, developed for INSAS rifle has been acceptedby Army.

Naval Systems & sensors:VARUNASTRA, a heavy weight torpedo hasbeen developed and is undergoing extensive sea trials. In the area of

Naval sensors, very high degree of self-reliance has been achieved withdesign, development, and induction of sonars meeting needs of IndianNavy. Thus USHUS an Advanced Active-cum-Passive integrated sonarsystem andHUMSA NG, a new generation hull mounted sonar for ships;were integrated with their respective platforms.

Materials:

Armour Steel: Light armour for Mi-17 helicopter was developed and used.

Steel for Ship building: Indigenous steel for building naval ships wasdeveloped with steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and was certified. Morethan 30,000 tons of steel has been used including the one for constructionof Indias first ever indigenous Aircraft Carrier.

Titanium Sponge: Process for indigenous development of Titanium fromore got a boost with the setting up of Titanium sponge production facility atKMML based on process developed by DRDO. It is a boost for thecountrys aeronautical, missile and space programs.

Airborne Engines:

Indigenous engine for UAVs was developed and flight tested.

Life Sciences Systems

DRDO lays great emphasis on the needs of the men behind the machines.

High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) Bag: a portable, lifesaving,first aid kit, for treatment of high altitude pulmonary oedema encounteredby soldiers deployed in high altitude areas has been developed, inductedby services and is saving precious human lives.

Submarine Escape Suite: a submarine escape suite designed to allow thesailors to escape from a submarine stuck at depths upto 100 mtr have beendesigned and accepted by Navy.

Lightweight Helicopter Oxygen System:a light weight helicopter oxygensystem for taking care of oxygen requirements in helicopters need to fly inhigh altitude regions has been developed and accepted.

Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS):A new computer based


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pilot selection system has been designed, developed and led to productionfor improve process of selection of aircraft pilots for Indian air force. Thesystem is being used by the respective service selection centres.

Defence Production Policy and Defence Procurement Procedure

For the first time ever, the MoD announced a Defence Production Policy in2011 with the following objectives: (i) to achieve substantive self-reliance inthe design, development and production of equipment/weaponsystems/platforms required for defence in as early a time frame aspossible; (ii) to create conditions conducive for the private industry to takean active role in this endeavour; and (iii) to enhance the potential of SMEsin indigenization and to broaden the defence R&D base of the country. Toachieve the above objectives, a number of policy initiatives have beentaken by the Ministry:

(a) In the revised Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) issued in2013, Buy (Indian), Buy & Make (Indian) and Make categorieshave been made as preferred categories as against Buy (Global)or Buy & Make.

(b) The procedure for Buy and Make (Indian) category introduced in2009, has been further simplified in the revised DPP-2013 in orderto make this a more preferred category. This Category mandates50 per cent indigenous content. In addition, the simplification ofMake Procedure is underway.

(c) A clear definition of indigenous content has been provided in the

new DPP which would not only bring more clarity on theindigenous content required for different categorization, but alsoenhance the indigenization of defence products in India.

(d) Raksha Mantris Production Committee has been constituted forinitiating policies for bridging technological gaps and augmentingindigenous defence production capabilities.

(e) The industry friendly version of the long term technologyrequirement for armed forces has been published on Ministry ofDefence website in the form of TPCR (Technology Perspective &Capability Roadmap). This gives an idea to the industry of thefuture needs of the Services so as to facilitate enhancement ofdomestic capability to meet the long term requirement of armedforces.

A Standing Committee has been constituted in the Department ofDefence Production to consider all applications received from Departmentof Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) for grant of Industrial Licenses


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Phase-IV of the project have been combined and 71,014 dwelling unitshave been approved for construction. The project will meet substantially therequirement of providing married accommodation to the defence servicepersonnel in different parts of the country including far flung areas. This willimprove the living conditions of serving Armed Forces Personnel.

Improvement in Rations:

To achieve a basic satisfaction levels among troops so they can focus ontheir critical duties, Shri Antony took a number of initiatives to providequality rations and introduce new products. These included Increase inscale of eggs and fresh fruits for Junior Commissioned Officers/OtherRanks, increase in quality and quantity of meat products. Moreover, specialrations have been authorized to troops deployed above 12000ft. Earlier

Special rations were authorized only to troops deployed at the SiachenGlacier. Troops deployed in Counter Insurgency Operations in 3 Corps whoare beyond one day turnaround from the Composite Platoon have beenauthorized certain items of special rations. Students (Officers, JCOs andOR) attending Ghatak Course have now been authorized a special scale ofrations to compensate for the physical stress during the course. Shri

Antony also sanctioned procurement of branded atta from reputedvendors instead of the present procedure of grinding atta. Similar sanctionhas been granted for upgradation of quality of pulses and tea to enhancethe quality of consumption.

Other MeasuresAV SINGH COMMITTEE REPORT II

In a major step to improve career mobility, to fulfil aspirations and to achievecombat effectiveness by bringing down age profile of commanding officers, theGovernment upgraded 1896 posts in the services.

Popularly known as Phase II of the Ajay Vikram Singh Committee Report, theproposals resulted in a reduction in stagnation. Shri Antony had taken personal interestin the implementation of the proposal and played a crucial role in evolving a consensusamong the Services.

RESTRUCTURING OF 117 POSTS IN AFMS

In 2008, the Government approved the restructuring of 117 posts in selectedranks in the Army Medical Corps (AMC), Dental Medical Corps (ADC) and ArmyMedical Corps (Non-Technical) {AMC(NT)}. Out of total 117 posts, 100 upgraded in

AMC. These include three at Lt Gen and equivalent rank, 15 of Major General andequivalent rank, 82 of Brigadier and equivalent rank.


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INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS ECHS

In 2008, the Government scrapped the individuals contribution towards Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) being run for ex-servicemen, war-

widows and soldiers disabled in action. To provide equitable treatment to all eligible ex-Servicemen and their dependents under the ECHS and to enhance the schemescoverage, the Government also approved Establishment of 199 new polyclinicsincluding 17 mobile medical facilities and 15 new regional centres.

MONETARY GRANT TO GALLANTRY AWARD WINNERSIn a significant step that brought cheer to the Gallantry Award winners of both pre

and post Independence period, the Government approved substantial increase in themonetary allowance to personnel of the Armed Forces, who had won laurels in the lineof duty.

HIGH ALTITUDE ALLOWANCE/GRANT OF ONE ADDITIONAL RAIL WARRANT

The government also granted enhanced rates of High Altitude (Uncongenial

Climate) Allowance to troops deployed in more difficult, hazardous and isolated areas

above 14,000 ft within the existing High Altitude (Uncongenial Climate) Areas at the rate

of Rs. 5,600 per month for Officers and Rs. 3,734 per month for Other Ranks (Ors) with

a view to rationalize the High Altitude Allowance. The enhanced allowance is 80% of

Siachen allowance and is comparable to Siachen allowance in proportion to the

physical hardships being faced by the Armed Force Personnel.

Besides, the Government also provided grant of one additional free rail warrantevery year to all ranks of Armed Forces serving in field/high altitude/counterinsurgency/counter terrorism operational areas to travel to and from their duty stationand Hometown/Selected Place of Residence.

LTC/HTC

Government also removed the restriction of 1450 kms on availing Leave TravelConcession and make all Service Personnel eligible to undertake leave journey to theirchoice station without any restriction on distance.

RENTAL IN J&K

In 2008, the Government approved a substantial hike in rentals for land hired orrequisitioned by the Armed Forces in Jammu & Kashmir. The hike is in the range of 2.1to 5 times for various categories of land. The revised rate structure came into effect

retrospectively from 16 February 2008. The measures taken at the initiative of theDefence Minister Shri AK Antony, provided succour to the people of the State who got arealistic payment for their land.

ARMY VACATED ALL GOVT BUILDINGS IN KASHMIR

Keeping public convenience in mind, the government vacated all governmentbuildings earlier occupied by troops. The buildings, which remained vacant, wereoccupied by troops in the past to thwart any attempts by militants to damage them. Now


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the things have changed and process have been started to hand over the buildings tothe Government for the use of public.

CANTONMENT BOARDS ELECTIONS

Consequent upon enactment of the Cantonments Act, 2006 and notification ofthe Cantonment Electoral Rules, 2007, elections to 58 out of 62 Cantonment Boardswere held during June to September, 2008 and elections for the remaining4 Cantonment Boards were held during 2009-10 due to various reasons including stayby Courts, insufficient nominations, close proximity to election for State Legislature etc.

PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR WOMEN

In a path breaking development, the Government has granted PermanentCommission, prospectively to Short Service Commission Officers, both men and womenin branches and cadres of the three services, which do not entail direct combat orpossibility of physical contact with enemy. The longstanding proposal received theapproval of Defence Minister Shri AK Antony on 26 September 2008. The branches

where permanent commission was granted include Judge Advocate General, ArmyEducation Corps and its corresponding branches in Navy and Air Force, Accountsbranch of the Air Force and Naval Constructor of the Navy.

Ex-Servicemens WelfarePension Schemes

One Rank One Pension (OROP)

Likely to be one the shining achievements of Shri Antonys tenure asDefence Minister, and one that he has personally worked for despiteseveral questions in the political space, the government has accepted theOne rank-one pension (OROP) scheme in principle and has decided toimplement it from 01 Apr 2014.

Under it, uniform pension will be paid to the Armed Forces personnelretiring in the same rank with the same length of service irrespective oftheir date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pensionwill be automatically passed on to the past pensioners.

This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of thecurrent pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements

in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners.In the run up to the acceptance of the OROP principle, the

government, in three stages, improved the pensions of ex-servicemen- in2006, 2010 and 2013.

Enhancement of Family PensionIn 2012, the government decided to step up the pension of pre-1.1.2006 family pensioners(Commissioned Officers, Honorary


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Commissioned Officers, JCOs/ORs based on the minimum of thefitment table instead of the minimum of the Pay Band.

The government also decided to establish linkage of the familypension with the pension of JCOs/ORs, in those cases where the

death takes place after the retirement of the JCO/OR. This broughtabout significant relief to lakhs of families of ex-Servicemen.

Dual Family Pension - Dual family pension would be allowed in thepresent and future cases where the pensioner drew, is drawing or maydraw pension for military service as well as for civil employment.

Family pension to mentally / physically challenged children ofarmed forces personnel on marriage - Grant of family pension tomentally/physically challenged children who drew, are drawing or maydraw family pension would continue even after their marriage.

The government also granted an ex-gratia of Rs. 9 lakhs w.e.f. April1, 2011 to invalided out Armed Forces Personnel with 100 percentdisability. For lesser disability between 20 percent to 99 percent thisamount was reduced proportionately. Grant of family pension tochildless widow of Armed Forces personnel including both officers andPBORs who died prior to January 1, 2006, which was discontinued onher remarriage, was restored retrospectively from the same datesubject to certain conditions.

Nearly 23.5 lakh ex-servicemen, their families and 13.5 lakh servingpersonnel are beneficiaries of the above-mentioned schemes.

ECHS: The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS)aims to provide quality mediate to Ex-Servicemen pensions and theirdependents through a network of ECHS polyclinics, service medicalfacilities an civil empanelled/Govt Hospitals spread across the country. Ithas made phenomenal progress over the last seven years.The Government had initially sanctioned Central Organisation, ECHS, 13Regional Centres and 227 Polyclinics. This was expanded in October, 2010

with 15 more Regional Centres and 199 additional polyclinics. Out of 426polyclinics, 379 have been operationalised as on date. The endeavour is tomake the remainder 47 polyclinics functional at the earliest.

New Educational and Training InstitutesINDU: Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone

for Indian National Defence University (INDU), a fully autonomous


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institution located on over 200 acres of land at Binola on 23 May 2013. Thislong awaited university will be instituted by an Act of Parliament withPresident of India as the Visitor and Defence Minister as the chancellor. Itwill be governed by its own norms and will inculcate the promotecoordination and interaction between Armed Forces & non-Armed Forcesinstitutions / establishments in the country. It will focus on higher educationin defence studies, defence management and defence science &technology. The University will offer postgraduate suites and doctoral /post doctoral research.

Naval Academy EZHIMALA: Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala wasinaugurated by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on 08 January2009. Located in Kannur district of Kerala, this Academy is not only thepremier officer training establishment of the Indian Navy, but also is the

largest Naval Academy in Asia. All officers inducted into the Indian Navyunder various schemes undergo basic training at this Academy.

OTA Gaya: OTA Gaya raised in July 2011 is the third pre-commissioned Training (PCT) academy of the Indian Army with a plannedtraining capacity of 750 cadets. The aim of the academy is to trainGentlemen Cadets to become part of a professionally competentcommissioned officer corps of the Indian Army. The first batch of 149trainee officers underwent training in the Academy during the period July2011 to June 2012 and first passing out parade was conducted on 08 June

2012.

NIRDESH: National Institute for Research and Development inDefence Shipbuilding (NIRDESH). institute is set up as an autonomoussociety under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, Department of DefenceProduction. The foundation stone was laid on 4th January, 2011 atChaliyam, Kozhikode, Kerala. Raksha Mantri heads the Board ofGovernors as the President, with representatives from the MoD, IndianNavy, Coast Guard and CMDs of Defence Public Sector Shipyards as

members. NIRDESH has initiated the process of appointing the Consultantfor preparation of Master Plan and Detailed Project Reports. Presently onebuilding is functional at the NIRDESH site. NIRDESH is alreadyfunctioning.

ICG Academy, AZHIKKAL: The Defence Minister Shri AK Antonylaid the Foundation stone for Indian Coast Guard Academy at Azhikkal in


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Kannur district of Kerala on 28 May 2011. The academy is capable oftraining 650 trainees and is also catering for the training needs of personnelfrom Navy, BSF (Water Wing), Marine Police and friendly foreign countriesas part of international cooperation.

Cantonments Land Records

There are 62 Cantonments in India. The administration of theseCantonments is governed by the provisons of the Cantonments Act, 2006.Election to 62 Cantonments Boards were held between 2008 and 2010under provisions of the Cantonments Act, 2006 and the CantonmentElectoral Rules 2007.

As a measure to improve the land management aspects, two projects

on (a) scanning, digitization and microfilming of land records; and (b)survey, demarcation and verification of defence lands were sanctioned inFebruary 2011 and the implementation of the Projects have been started inSeptember 2011. Till 31.12.2013, scanning and digitization of records of 45field offices out of 99 offices have been completed. In the remaining offices,about 60% scanning work has been completed. The project is progressingas per schedule.

SCALING NEW HEIGHTS IN SPORTS AND ADVENTUROUSACTIVITIES

Four air warriors of the IAFs Delphinus became the first servicesteam in the world to swim the English Channel on 26 June 2012 bysafely and successfully crossing the channel in 12 hours 14minutes. They became the fastest Asian team to swim EnglishChannel in its category.

Subedar Major Vijay Kumar brought glory and laurels to IndianArmy as well as to the Country by winning a Silver Medal at theLondon Olympics in 25 meter pistol shooting event.Olympic silvermedalist Vijay Kumar was subsequently promoted as Subedar Major

and given a cash award of Rs.30 lakh by the Defence Minister ShriAK Antony.

49 naval sportsmen represented the country at various internationalsports events during the year and have won three Gold, two Silverand five bronze medals.

Chief Petty Officer Omkar Singh of the Navy shooting team has


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been bestowed the Arjuna Award for sporting Excellence for the year2012.

Indian Army Womens Everest Expedition-2012 put four womenofficers on the summit of Mt. Everest. They achieved this feat on 25

May 2012.

Defence BudgetTrends of Defence Expenditure since 2006

Defence Expenditure has risen steadily each year. Of course, growthin some years has been higher than others. 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 sawgrowth of 35% and 24% respectively in the revenue segment to account forimpact of implementation of the Sixth CPC recommendations. However,the capital budget has also seen growth in excess of 20% during 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 in this period.

The average growth has been 12.58% (overall), 13.20% in respect ofrevenue and 12.02% for capital. The budget has more than doubled since2006. The utilization of the budget has always been above 99% of theRevised Estimates.

The capital-revenue ratio has been maintained at around 40%.In the period 2006-2013, against an allocation of Rs 3,57,541 Crores

in RE on Capital Head, the actual expenditure was Rs 3,63, 775 Croresrepresenting nearly 102% utilization of the budgeted amount. Even in thecurrent Financial Year (2013-2014), the MoD is poised to utilize the full

allocation which was a far cry a few years ago. Capital Expenditure on Modernisation

Figure in

crores

Financial

Year

BE RE Actual Utilisation

2005-06 34375.14 33075.14 32337.87

2006-07 37458.00 34458.00 33825.8 98.17%

8.97% 4.18% 4.60%

2007-08 41922.00 37705.00 37461.67 99.35%


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11.92% 9.42% 10.75%

2008-09 48007.00 41000.00 40918.48 99.80%

14.52% 8.74% 9.23%

2009-10 54824.00 47824.00 51112.36 106.88%

14.20% 16.64% 24.91%

2010-11 60000.00 60833.26 62056 102.01%

9.44% 27.20% 21.41%

2011-12 69198.81 66143.81 67902.38 102.66%

15.33% 8.73% 9.42%

2012-13 79578.63 69578.63 70499.12 101.32%

15.00% 5.19% 3.82%

2013-14 86740.71 78872.23 -- --

9.00% 13.36%

Table-II

STATEMENT

OF NET

REVENUE

AND CAPITAL

EXPENDITUR

E

FINANCIAL

YEARBE RE ACTUAL % OF BE % OF R

Rev + Cap Rev + Cap

2006-07 89000 86000 85494.64 96.06 99


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2007-08 96000 92500 91680.28 95.5 99

2008-09 105600 114600 114223.28 108.17 99

209-10 141703 136264 141781.08 100.06 104

2010-11 147344 151581.69 154116.71 104.6 101

2011-12 164415.49 170936.81 170913.28 103.95 99

2012-13 193407.29 178503.52 181775.78 93.99 101

2013-14 203672.14 203672.12

177509.89

(upto Feb 2014)

87.15(upto Feb

2014)

87.15(uFeb 20

*

***


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ak antony - a look back

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