The Hindu, 1 August 2008
INS Dronacharya ties up with School of Artillery
Kochi: The Army and the Navy are set to cement the spirit of jointsmanship, with
INS Dronacharya, the Navy's premier gunnery and missile weapons training
establishment based here, getting affiliated to Army gunners' alma mater, the School
of Artillery, Deolali. The affiliation ceremony parade on August 16 will be jointly
reviewed by Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral
Sunil K. Damle, and Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Artillery, Lieutenant
General P.K. Singh. The tie-up will open an era of professional interaction between
the two institutions with focus on air defence, naval gunfire support and amphibious
operations besides training on small arms and land fighting...
The Asian Age, 1 August 2008
Army tests to fight stress
New Delhi: For the first time ever, applicants for recruitment as soldiers in the Indian
Army will undergo a "group-administered personality test" (that includes
psychological aptitude tests) to discern whether they are "mentally robust". The
tests, which will be introduced shortly with the long-term objective of preventing
incidents such as fratricides and suicides in the Army, are designed to gauge traits
such as "low stress tolerance, emotional instability, lack of confidence and feeling of
insecurity and less adaptability to cope with ambiguity"...
The Asian Age, 4 August 2008
Paramilitary duties not for Army: Antony
New Delhi: It's perhaps the clearest signal that the country cannot do without the
Army whenever there's a serious law and order problem. Just a day after Union
defence minister A.K. Antony had declared on Friday that the Indian Army should not
become an "extended paramilitary force," the Army was deployed in Jammu to tackle
a serious prolonged agitation there over the Amarnath land transfer row...
The Asian Age, 5 August 2008
Four pistols lost from armoury, probe ordered
New Delhi: Four pistols have gone missing from an Army armoury at Dehra Dun and
the Army has ordered a court of inquiry to probe the incident, the Army sources have
confirmed. The loss of the pistols was detected after authorities at the arm-oury
found that the seal on the lock of the armoury was broken. Army sources said that
the Dehra Dun police had already lodged an FIR in the case. The four pistols are of 9
mm calibre and of Indian make, sources said...
The Indian Express, 6 August 2008
Armed Forces crack their glass ceiling: allow permanent commission for
women
New Delhi: Clearing the decks for a greater role of women in the Armed Forces, the
three services have given in principle approval for the induction of women as
permanent officers in non-combat streams. With a formal stamp of approval
expected to be given by the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) within a month,
women are likely to be inducted as permanent officers in all three forces as early as
2013. This will mark a major changeover for the Armed Forces that have till now
been largely male dominated, with women being inducted only as short service
commission officers with a service life of less than 15 years and not rising above the
rank of Lt Colonel...
The Indian Express, 9 August 2008
Don't block railway tracks, highways, warns Army
Jammu: As pro-Amarnath protests continued in the region, the Army on Friday
issued a strict warning that anyone who tried to disrupt communication lines by
blocking national highways and railway tracks would be treated as "anti-national".
Addressing the media, GOC of Rising Star Corps Lt Gen Vinay Sharma said the Army
would not hesitate to use force and open fire on such persons, after exercising
maximum restraint...
The Indian Express, 11 August 2008
Armed Forces Tribunal likely to miss deadline
New Delhi: The much awaited Armed Forces Tribunal is likely to miss its deadline of
August 15 set by Defence Minister A K Antony even as the three services are fighting
over the allocation of posts for the principal Bench. The tribunal is the Armed Forces
version of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that is designed to give a quick
reprieve on grievances ranging from promotion matters, pensions, court martial
decisions and appointments. Antony, who has championed the cause of the
independent forum to redress service related grievances of Armed Forces personnel,
had made it clear in a Gazette notification on June 13 that the principal Bench of the
tribunal be set up in the Capital by August 15...
The Asian Age, 12 August 2008
China keen to train Army with India
After America, it is China that has sought to avail the expertise of the CounterInsurgency and Jungle Warfare School of the Indian Army to tackle urban terrorism
and low intensity conflict. Disclosing this here on Monday, the commandant of the
Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School Brigadier Anil Ram told this
newspaper: "The joint military exercise Vajra Prahar is aimed to enhance the
interoperability between the two forces"...
The Indian Express, 13 August 2008
After Kalaikunda, Singapore to train at Indian Army firing ranges
New Delhi: After allowing Singapore to use IAF's Kalaikunda airbase and nearby
firing ranges to train its pilots, India has signed another agreement with the country
permitting it the use of Babina and Deolali firing ranges for armour and artillery
exercises. The agreement, signed by Defence Secretary Vijay Singh and Permanent
Secretary (Defence) Chiang Chie Foo here on Tuesday, will allow Singapore to train
its ground forces in India for the next five years...
The Times of India, 13 August 2008
Army orders probe against Indian soldiers in Congo
New Delhi: The Army has ordered a probe into allegations of Indian peacekeepers in
Congo indulging in sexual and child abuse weeks after the charges surfaced that had
left defence authorities red faced. The probe is being conducted by a senior Army
officer posted in the central African state, top Army officials said on late Tuesday
night...
The Hindu, 14 August 2008
Antony orders probe into charges against peacekeepers
New Delhi: The United Nations has accused the Indian Army troops of sexual
exploitation, including child abuse, while on peacekeeping duty in Congo. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon has demanded severe "disciplinary action" prompting Defence
Minister A. K. Antony to order a prompt and time-bound investigation into the
charges. "I would like the allegations to be promptly investigated in a time-bound
manner," said a statement by the Minister...
The Indian Express, 14 August 2008
Ensure maximum punishment to errant troops: Ban to India
New Delhi: A day after it came to light that Indian peacekeepers were involved in
sexual exploitation and child abuse while posted in Congo, UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon asked India to initiate the "maximum degree" of punishment permissible
under the law against the errant soldiers. n a strong statement - it is the first of its
kind against Indian peacekeepers - the Secretary General said that he is "deeply
troubled" by the outcome of an investigation by the Office of the Internal Oversight
Services (OIOS) which found "prima facie evidence" that Indian blue helmets may
have engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse...
The Asian Age, 19 August 2008
General faces probe over Army selections
New Delhi: The Indian Army has ordered a court of inquiry against a senior officer of
the rank of Major-General who had earlier headed one of the Service Selection
Boards (SSBs) at Allahabad, Army sources have confirmed. The court of inquiry was
set up after allegations that the officer had favoured a candidate for selection,
sources said. "The findings of the court of enquiry are awaited," sources said. The
Service Selection Board is the board which conducts personality and intelligence
interviews to analyse the potential and capability of aspirants wanting to become
officers in the Indian Army...
The Indian Express, 22 August 2008
Indian Army headed for first joint exercise in UK
New Delhi: In a first for the Indian Army, its soldiers are heading for England to
participate in a joint training exercise later this month. The joint exercise on British
soil will involve the Mechanized Infantry troops which will receive training at the
British Army's prestigious Land Warfare Centre (LWC) in Warminister. Officials said
the Indian Army company - comprising more than 100 troops and officers - will
remain in the UK for over a month and take part in two small exercises after the
initial training period...
The Asian Age, 25 August 2008
Army changes seniority rules for GOCs-in-C
New Delhi: The hierarchy-conscious Indian Army issued a letter earlier this month
outlining the "order of precedence" and seniority of Army commands based on "the
date of raising" (of these commands) that will decide the priority on "listing/seating"
of senior Army officers at official events. According to the August 7 order, the Punebased Southern Command tops the list, followed by the Eastern Command in
Kolkata, Western Com-mand in Chandimandir, Central Command in Luck-now,
Northern Command in Udhampur, Training Com-mand in Shimla and the SouthWestern Command in Jaipur...
The Times of India, 26 August 2008
Army officer to head nuclear command
New Delhi: For the first time since it was set up in 2003 to "manage and administer"
India's nuclear arsenal, the crucial tri-Service Strategic Forces Command (SFC) will
be getting an Army officer as its chief. The government on Monday announced that
Lt-General Balraj Singh Nagal, an infantry officer posted as director-general of
operational logistics at Army HQ, will replace Vice-Admiral Vijay Shankar as the new
SFC chief, with the latter taking over the reins of the Andaman and Nicobar
Command...
The Indian Express, 28 August 2008
Justice Mathur to chair Armed Forces Tribunal
New Delhi: After being hit by a series of delays over the past two months, the Armed
Forces Tribunal (AFT) has got back on track with the appointment of former Supreme
Court judge, Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur as Chairperson of the Tribunal. Mathur,
who retired as a judge of the Supreme Court on August 6, will take charge of the
Tribunal and will oversee the setting up of its principal bench in the capital and the
appointment of key personnel...