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Indian Military Academy POP 2018: 347 GCs Commissioned Into The Indian Army

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IMA GCs marching during POP (Picture Courtesy: Sumit Sharma)

A total of 427 Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) of 143 Regular Course, 126 Technical Graduate Course and 26 UES Course, including 80 Foreign GC’ from seven friendly foreign countries passed out from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun on December 08, 2018. Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, Vice Chief of Army Staff reviewed the parade. GC’s marched with full enthusiasm and vigour during the Passing Out Parade (POP) held at the iconic Chetwode Hall Building.

Maximum number of 53 officers were commissioned from Bihar, followed by Haryana with 51 officers. Meanwhile, 36 officers were commissioned from Bihar. Among the GCs of the friendly foreign countries, 49 cadets from Afghanistan completed their training.

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Lt Gen Devraj Anbu during his address to the Gcs (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy, Dehradun)

Congratulating the GCs on successful completion of their training at IMA, the Reviewing Officer complimented all cadets for the excellent parade, immaculate turnout as well as the crisp and energetic drill movements indicating the high standards of training and discipline imbibed by the young Gentlemen Cadets. He also congratulated the award winners on their commendable achievement which is a reflection of their hard work and toil that they have put in while undergoing training here in IMA. He expressed his felicitations to the Gentlemen Cadets of friendly foreign countries who were also getting commissioned.

Sword of Honour being presented to AUO Arun Thakur
Lt. Gen Anbu presenting Sword of Honour to ACA Arjun Thakur (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy, Dehradun)

At the end he said that IMA’s world class reputation and the achievements of its Officers are attributed to the outstanding quality of its instructors and staff. He acknowledged the commitment of the instructors and staff of the IMA and their dedication to the Gentlemen Cadets. Complimenting the effort, he said, that the IMA has instilled in the GCs a sense of duty, loyalty and service to the Nation. Finally, he congratulated the parents and the families once again for the accomplishment of the vibrant, energetic young men, which is a result of their support and encouragement.

 

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Lt Gen Anbu with the medal winners (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy, Dehradun)

While interacting with the media, the Vice Army Chief said that the IMA cadets are being trained seeing the modern day security threats including hybrid warfare. He added that the cadets trained at the IMA are capable to fight with the enemy on any front.

 

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Adjutant of the academy Lt Col Ilavia on his charger Tuglaq (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy, Dehradun)
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Instructurs of the IMA with their families (Picture Courtesy: Sumit Sharma)

GCs celebrating after commissioning into the Indian Army:

The Reviewing Officer presented the following awards:-

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Lt Thakur interacting with the media (Picture Courtesy: Sumit Sharma)

 

• The coveted award of the Sword of Honour and Gold Medal was presented to ACA Arjun Thakur. While interacting with the media Lt, Thakur said that he wanted the training to be tougher as after passing out the situation ouside would be harsher

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Lt. Talwar interacting with media after the piping ceremony (Picture Courtesy: Sumit Sharma)

• Silver Medal for the Gentleman Cadet standing Second in the Order of Merit was presented to AUO Gurvir Singh Talwar.

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Bronze medalist Lt Gosal (Picture Courtesy: Sumit Sharma)

• Bronze Medal for the Gentleman Cadet standing Third in the Order of Merit was presented to SUO Gurvansh Singh Gosal.

• Silver Medal for the Gentleman Cadet standing First in the Order of Merit from Technical Graduate Course was presented to GC Harsh Bansiwal.

• Silver Medal for the Gentleman Cadet standing First in the Order of Merit from Foreign GCs was presented to CSM Bishal Chandra Wajee.

• Chief of Army Staff Banner was awarded to Sangro Coy, MA Bn for standing Overall First amongst 16 companies for the Autumn Term 2018.

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Indian Armed Forces Stabbed by Government! Centre Rejects Demand For Higher Military Service Pay

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Representational Image (Picture Courtesy: Rediff.com)

Indian government today rejected the demand of the armed forces of higher Military Service Pay including Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs). According to reports, around one lakh service personnel including 87,646 JCOs and 25,434 personnel from the Navy and the Indian Air Force will be affected by the decision. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2008 promised to create separate commission for the armed forces, with appropriate participation from the forces. However, till now, no separate commission, or military representation, including in the secretariat, and among consultants hired by the 7th Central Pay Commission.

The MSP has two categories – one for officers while other for JCOs. The seventh Pay Commission had fixed Rs 5,200 as MSP per month for JCOs and jawans while the MSP for officers between Lieutenant-rank and Brigadier-rank is Rs 15,500. In 2016, Chief of three wings of Defense forces met the then defense minister Manohar Parrikar during the naval fleet held in Vishakhapatnam and raised their concern over the recommendations of the 7th pay commission and the effect on the moral of the defense forces.

As per seventh pay commission, an army officer is getting Rs. 42,500 for serving in Siachin and a JCO is getting Rs. 30,000 for the same, whereas an IPS officer is getting additional one-third of his/her basic salary, which amounts to Rs. 75,000 for serving in cities like cities as Guwahati or Leh. For armed forces, Siachin glacier is considered as the hardship area, where as for the IPS or the IAS officers, areas like Guwahati, Andaman and Nicobar islands are termed as ‘Hardship Area’, where the armed forces personnel get zero allowance.

Meanwhile, In the United Kingdom, Pay Commission is “An independent Body which provides advice to the Review Body (AFPRB), Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence on the remuneration and charges for Service personnel”. Whereas, the United States, has a far more evolved Military Compensation system. In the US the military compensations are reviewed after every four years.

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Defence Acquisition Committee Approves Rs 3,000 Crore Procurement Including Brahmos, ARVs For Arjun MBTs

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Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Picture Courtesy: @DefenceMinIndia/File)

The Defence Ministry on Saturday approved military procurement worth Rs 3,000 crore including Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles for Navy’s two stealth frigates which are to be manufactured by Russia. Apart from Brahmos Missiles, the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) also gave a green signal to the purchase of armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) for the Indian Army’s Arjun main battle tanks. The meeting of the DAC was chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Meanwhile, the ARVs are designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and would be manufactured by defence public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).

The move came days after Naval chief Admiral Sunila Lanba’s visit to Russia. In October, India signed a $1 billion deal with Russia to purchase two ‘Project 1135.6’ frigates. Meanwhile, India also signed another deal of $550 million with Russia from to manufacture two frigates of the same class at Goa Shipyard Limited with transfer of technology. According to reports, taking into consideration the United States’ Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Russia, India could make payments for the ships using the rupee-rouble route. India already operates six of the Talwar-class (Project 1135.6) frigates.

Brahmos Missilie:

The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is the fastest cruise missile in the world. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India’s DRDO who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0,[8] which is being upgraded to Mach 5.0. Last year, supersonic crise missile was successfully test fired from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) frontline Sukhoi-30 MKI combat jet.

Arjun MBT:

Silent features of Arjun Mark 2:

It is a third generation main battle tank developed by DRDO, for the Indian Army. The Arjun has a 120 mm main rifled gun with indigenously developed armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot ammunition, one PKT 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a NSVT 12.7 mm machine gun. It is powered by a single MTU multi-fuel diesel engine rated at 1,400 hp, and can achieve a maximum speed of 67 km/h (42 mph) and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). Meanwhile, in 2014, the DAC gave the green signal for the Rs 6,600-crore procurement of 118 Arjun Mark II MBTs to equip two regiments

 

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Border Security Force – India’s First Line of Defence Celebrating Its 54th Raising Day, Know More About The Para-Military Force

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BSF Day Parade (Photo Credits: Twitter/@neeraj_rajput)

The Border Security Force (BSF), India’s first line of defence is celebrating its 54th raising day. Established on December 1, 1965, it is a paramilitary force charged with guarding India’s land border during peace time and preventing transnational crime. It is a Union Government Agency under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs. It is one of many law enforcement agency of India. It currently stands as the world’s largest border guarding force.

The BSF has its own cadre of officers but its head, designated as a Director-General (DG), since its raising has been an officer from the Indian Police Service. The para-military force has 186 battalions and has a sanctioned strength of 257,363 personnel including an expanding air wing, marine wing, artillery regiments, and commando units.

From 1947 to 1965, respective state police were responsible for protecting the borders. The BSF actively participated in 1971 war, including famous Battle of Longewala. The para-military force also trained supported and formed part of “Mukti Bahini” and had entered erstwhile East Pakistan before the actual war broke out. The BSF was also involved in counter-insurgency operation in Punjab during 1980’s and early 1990s. Currently, the force is actively carrying out operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East states of India along with the Indian Army.

Indian Police Officer (IPS) K F Rustamji was the first Director General of the BSF from 21 July 1965 to 30 September 1974. Rajni Kant Mishra is current chief of the para military force. The BSF has its Headquarters at New Delhi and is known as Force Headquarters (FHQ) headed by a Director General.

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IMA Ball Night – Autumn Term 2018: Precursor to December 8 Passing Out Parade Held at Indian Military Academy

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IMA Commandant Lt Gen SK Jha, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM with the winners (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy)

In the run up to the Passing Out Parade (POP) of Autumn term 2018 which is scheduled on December 8, the glittering and most awaited social event, IMA ball was held at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on Saturday. The IMA Ball is a precursor to the final event – the POP and is one of the most awaited ceremonies by Passing out Cadets. The ball party is held towards the end of each term to mark the culmination of the rigorous training schedule of the Course. The passing out cadets invite their ball partners to participate into the ball dance party. The event marked with fun and frolic can also be termed as the ‘Break Up Party’ for the Third Termers.

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IMA Commandant Lt Gen SK Jha, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM with his wife at IMA Ball Night (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy)

The evening of joy, merriment and nostalgia commenced with the Commandant IMA, Lt Gen SK Jha, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, who set the ball rolling.  The Gentleman Cadets (GCs) in evening military attire and the ladies in their dazzling best graced the gala event. The occasion was characterised by the display of a high sense of chivalry, courtesy, etiquette and gentlemanly conduct of the passing out course. These qualities which are imbibed and nurtured in the IMA, remain as an important part of their lives as officers on commissioning.

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Winners of IMA Ball night (Picture Courtesy: Indian Military Academy)

The highlight of the evening was the selection of Mr IMA and Miss IMA, in which the GCs and their lady guests participated whole-heartedly with great zeal and enthusiasm. Miss Kanika Paruthi was adjudged as Miss IMA, while Bhawna Jalal was the 1st runner-up and Ayushi Chauhan was adjudged the 2nd runner-up. GC Rishabh was declared as Mr IMA, while GC Brijesh Pal and  GC Sushant Dutta were adjudged 1st and 2nd runner-ups respectively.

 

 

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Indian Air Force Soon to Get Boeing’s Apache And Chinook Helicopters

 

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon get Boeing’s Apache and Chinook helicopters. The IAF’s crew is getting trained on the Apache AH-64 E and Chinook CH 47F (I) helicopters. According to reports, the Apache will be delivered by March next year, whereas India will start getting the delivery of Chinook helicopters from July 2019 onwards. New Delhi signed a $ 3 billion deal to buy 22 Apache and 15 Chinook helicopters in September 2015 with Boeing and the government of the United States.

The Indian government signed a direct contract with the Boeing to procure Chinook helicopters, while the deal to buy Apache helicopters is a mixed one. A part of the deal was signed with the US aviation company and the other half is signed with the US government under foreign military sales route. Meanwhile, last year, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government signed another deal with the Boeing to acquire six Apache helicopters for the Indian Army. It will be the first fleet of attack helicopters of the army.

The new set of helicopters will likely to replace falling Chetak and Cheetah helicopters. Currently the IAF has around 500 helicopters including training choppers

Chinooks:

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(Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@USAmbIndia)

 

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, earlier known as Boeing Vertol. The CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Chinnook helicopters were first inducted by the US army in 1962 ans still these helicopters are in operation.

Apaches:

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(Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@ajaishukla)

The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. The helicopter was introduced to U.S. Army service in April 1986. The first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, an upgraded Apache variant, was delivered to the Army in March 1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Over 2,000 Apache helicopters have been produced so far.

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EXERCISE INDRA – 2018, Day 2: Indian and Russian Troops Participate in 10 km Joint Battle ‘March’

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Representational Image (Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@PratishtaJain)

During the ongoing 10th Indo-Russia joint military exercise INDRA-2018, soldiers of both the armies participated in 10 km long endurance march on Wednesday at Babina Military Station in Uttar Pradesh. The soldiers crossed the contaminated area and also practiced to repel an attack. The march was followed by equipment familiarisation. Contingents of both the nations practiced their skills at small arms shooting. Reinforced Motorised Rifle Battalions of the participant nations were also raised. In the mock drill the reconnaissance unit of the reinforced Russian motorized rifle battalion posed as an ‘enemy’.

Soldiers of both armies during equipment familiarisation:

The 10th Indo-Russian Joint Exercise, INDRA 18 began on November 18 and will conclude on November 28. The opening ceremony of the joint military exercise was held at Babina Military Station on Tuesday. According to reports, around 250 Russian troops are participating in the 11-day exercise. The troops of the Eastern Military District were airlifted by two Ilyushin Il-76 “Candid” military transport aircraft from Vladivostok to New Delhi. Later, they were transferred to Babina Military Station.

The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance interoperability of the two armies in the peace keeping and enforcement environment under the aegis of United Nations. The eleven day exercise focuses upon training on enhancing team building and tactical level operations between the Indian and the Russian armies.

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EXERCISE INDRA – 2018: Opening Ceremony of Joint Military Exercise Between Indian And Russian Armies Conducted at Babina Military Station

Soldiers of Indian and Russian armies in action during INDRA-2017 (Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@adgpi)

The opening ceremony for the 10th Indo-Russian Joint Exercise, INDRA 18 was held on November 19, 2018 at Babina Military Station. The exercise is scheduled from November 18 to 28. Contingents of both the nations participated in the opening ceremony. There was a fly past of Army Aviation helicopters which carried the national flags of both the participating nations during the parade. The members of both the countries also interacted and familiarised with each other after the opening ceremony.

The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance interoperability of the two armies in the peace keeping and enforcement environment under the aegis of United Nations. The eleven day exercise focuses upon training on enhancing team building and tactical level operations such as Cordon and Search, house intervention, handling and neutralisation of Improvised Explosive Devices and integrated employment of force multipliers in a counter insurgency environment in semi urban terrain. The tenth exercise in the series of Exercise INDRA is aimed at sending a strong message to the world with an intent of appreciation of interoperability between Indian and Russian Armies.

The ninth edition of the Exercise Indira was successfully conducted last year from October 19 to 29 at Vladivostok in Russia. The name of the exercise INDRA has been derived from INDia and RussiA. Exercise INDRA-2017 was the first Joint Tri-Services Exercise between Russia and India.  It was also the first time that Russia has hosted a Tri-Services Exercise on its soil. More than 900 soldiers, sailors and air warriors from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force participated in the exercise along with over 1000 personnel from the Russian Defence Forces.

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History Created! Indian Army Commands Foreign Army Contingent During UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

Indian Soldiers in UN peacekeeping Mission in Congo (Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@adgpi)

For the first time in history, The Indian Army has commanded a foreign army contingent during the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission. A company of Kazakhstan Army has been co-deployed with 11 JAT Infantry Battalion of the Indian Army in Lebanon. The 11 JAT Infantry Battalion received the Kazakh company which arrived at Rafik Hariri International Airport at Beirut. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Defence Nurlan Yermekbayev flagged off the ceremony of the Kazakhstan contingent which will join the Indian Army battalion in the UN Peacekeeping mission.  Troop reinforcement will also be routed through India.

According to reports, there are about 120 Kazak troops out of 900 troops deployed in the region. A total of 30 Kazak soldiers will be part of Battalion Headquarters to take decisions on the operational and administrative issues. The Kazak Company is commanded by Major Ayan Nurkassov, whereas Colonel Jeevan B is Commanding Officer of the 11 JAT. He is also the overall commander of the unit located in Marjayoun area.

The Indian Unit in Lebanon is deployed in about 40 kilometres out of the total 121 kilometres of the Blue Line demarcating the border between Lebanon and Israel. Indian and Kazakhstan share a strong defence ties. Kazakhstan defence personnel generally undergo training at various Indian army institutes including Indian Military Academy and Officers Training Academies.

If we talk about India’s contribution in the UN peacekeeping missions, so far the country has taken part in 43 peacekeeping missions, and close to 2 lakh Indian soldiers participated in them. The country is sending its soldiers in peacekeeping missions since 1950. Currently, India soldiers are serving in 13 missions out of 16. During the Defence Expo held in Chennai in April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded India’s contribution in UN peacekeeping missions.

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EXERCISE INDRA – 2018: Joint Military Exercise Between Indian And Russian Armies Will Begin From November 18

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Soldiers of Indian and Russian armies in action during INDRA-2017 (Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@adgpi)

The 10th edition of the joint military exercise between India and Russia – Exercise Indra 2018 will be conducted at Babina Field Firing Ranges, Babina Military Station from 18 November 2018. The military exercise will focus on combating insurgency under the aegis of the United Nations (UN). Company sized contingents of the 5th Army of the Russian Federation and a Mechanised Infantry Battalion of the Indian Army will participate in the training exercise spanning for eleven days including induction and de-induction of the Russian contingent. The training will be supervised by a joint directing panel comprising of senior officials of both the national contingents.

The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance interoperability of the two Armies in the peace keeping/ enforcement environment. It focuses upon training on enhancing team building, special tactical level operations such as Cordon and Search, house intervention, handling and neutralisation of Improvised Explosive Devices and integrated employment of force multipliers. The primary focus of the tactical field exercise is to share best practices amongst the militaries and hone existing skills of the troops in the backdrop of interoperability between the two Armies in the peace keeping/ enforcement environment.

The topics chosen for the exercise are both live and contemporary affecting both the nation alike. The tenth exercise in the series of Exercise INDRA is aimed at sending a strong message to the world with an intent of appreciation of interoperability between Indian and Russian Armies.

The ninth edition of the Exercise Indira was successfully conducted from 19 to 29 Oct 2017 at Vladivostok in Russia. The name of the exercise INDRA has been derived from INDia and RussiA. Exercise INDRA-2017 was the first Joint Tri-Services Exercise between Russia and India.  It was also the first time that Russia has hosted a Tri-Services Exercise on its soil. More than 900 soldiers, sailors and air warriors from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force participated in the exercise along with over 1000 personnel from the Russian Defence Forces.

Recently, the first joint military exercise between the Indian Army and the Japanese Army – ‘Dharma-Guardian 2018’ was held from November 1 to 14 at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairengte, Mizoram. The 6/1 Gorkha Rifles will represent the Indian contingent, while the Japanese contingent will be represented by 32 Infantry Regiment.

(Source: http://www.pib.nic.in)