The government is working on second ‘Positive Indigenisation List’ as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan on domestic procurements. It is pursuing initiatives to achieve higher levels of indigenisation and self-reliance in the defence sector by harnessing the capabilities of the public and private sector industries in the country. Case for procurement of Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) and Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) is being progressed in accordance with extant procedures. Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework was launched in April 2018 with an aim to achieve self-reliance and to foster innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging industries including MSMEs, startups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia. iDEX provides grants for prototype development and promotes innovation and entrepreneurship among the defence startups. Various initiatives being undertaken under iDEX are as follows:

1. Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC): iDEX is emerging as a front runner & has gained substantial traction in the Defence Startup Community. Various MSMEs/Startups have been funded so far, to evolve services related research towards challenges/Problem Statement of Indian Forces. DISC IV was launched on 29 September, 2020 by the RM.

2. iDEX Open Challenges: As part of the iDEX Open Challenges, the received proposals are reviewed for approval by the High Powered Selection Committee (HPSC).

3. iDEX 4 FAUJI: iDEX 4 FAUJI was launched, along with Defence India Startup Challenge IV to support innovations identified by grass root service personnel serving in the field conditions. This would incorporate the first-hand experience for improving and bringing operational and maintenance improvements in existing platforms, as also generate futuristic ideas for innovations in defence manufacturing. These would then be issued as challenges under iDEX with the shortlisted startups being assisted by the applicant servicemen.

4. As part of iDEX initiative, OFB has taken up in-house R&D projects for development of Armament, Ammunition & Equipment items of Land Systems pertaining to i.e. Artillery & Air Defence Gun Systems, Small Arms Weapons Systems, Armoured Fighting Vehicles and futuristic smart ammunition systems.

5. DRDO through Technology development scheme (TDF) scheme aims to fund private sector industry especially MSMEs including Start-ups. Total 25 Projects have been awarded to various private industries including MSMEs and start-ups under TDF scheme so for. The DRDO has also launched a pan India contest’ to bring innovators, entrepreneurs, individual and startups for innovative ideas in the field of defence and aerospace.

6. There are 11 projects of Indian Army as part of DISC and Open Challenges of iDEX which involves hand holding of 23 start-ups. Indian Navy has leveraged iDEX scheme and is presently engaging 21 startups in design and development for 9 projects. IAF, as part of these initiatives, is progressing 11 cases and is engaged with 17 start-ups/individual innovators/MSMEs for design and development of innovative equipment through iDEX.

Following are the steps to bring down the delays in timelines of capital acquisition:

1. The aim of the Defence Acquisition Procedure- 2020 (DAP) is to ensure timely procurement of military equipment, systems and platforms are required by the Armed Forces in terms of performance, capabilities and quality standards, through optimum utilisation of allocated budgetary resources. The following measures have been envisaged in DAP for achieving timely, efficient and effective procurement:

• Exemption of CNC (Contract Negotiation Committee) from furnishing Reasonability of Cost Certificate for DPSU Equipment already Priced by Committee constituted under orders of the Defence Minister.

• Delegation of Financial powers to Services Headquarters from Rs 150 crore to Rs 300 crore.

• Broad timeframe for completing procurement activities (from AoN to award of contract) had been reduced from 80-117 weeks to 70-94 weeks in multi vendor cases and form 92-137 weeks to 82-114 weeks in resultant Single Vendor cases.

• Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) validity has been reduced to six months (from one year) for ‘Buy’ cases and to one year (from two years) for ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ cases.

• Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) has to accompany Statement of case (SOC) for AoN.

• Single vendor cases at the bid submission and TEC stages will not be automatically retraced but processed with due justification with the approval of Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).

• Guidelines for change of Name of Vendor have been incorporated in DPP-2016 and Guidelines for Handling of Complaints have been notified to address avoid delays on this account.

• To rationalise time taken for Field Evaluation Trials (FET), it has been provided that FET be held in conditions where equipment is most likely to deployed. In addition, provisions have been incorporated for increased use of certification and simulations in the technical evaluation of equipment.

2. Monitoring Mechanism: As part of DAP-2020, various monitoring mechanism have been introduced. Some of the existing monitoring mechanism for the Acquisition schemes is as follows:

• Periodic review of pre-contract schemes by PSO/APSO at SHQ and by DG (Acq) at MoD.

• Periodic review of delayed cases by DPB/DAC.

• Six monthly Review of shipbuilding cases by the Apex Steering Committee, headed by Secretary (DP) and Quarterly review by CWP&A.

• Empowered Project Committee (EPC) for SP Model 10(1) schemes, FTP cases.

• Monitoring of Make cases by Secretary (DP) and Head PMU-Make.

• Post Contract Monitoring for Projects.

This information was tabled in a written reply by Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik to a question asked by Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy and Vanga Geetha Viswanath in the Lok Sabha.

SCHEME FOR PROMOTION OF MSMEs

Following measures have been taken for promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in defence production sector:

• Cases with Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) cost < Rs 100 crore are reserved for MSMEs, provided there are at least two or more MSMEs eligible to participate in the category.

• In order to encourage startups/MSMEs, procurement cases where the estimated cost is not exceeding Rs 100 crore/year based on delivery schedule at the time of seeking AoN or Rs 150 crore, whichever is higher, may be considered for issue of RFP without any stipulation of Financial parameters.

• Project under the Make categories, with procurement not exceeding Rs 100 crore/year based on delivery schedule at the time of seeking AoN are earmarked for MSMEs.

• Offset Policy has been revised in the year 2020, to provide a multiplier of 1.5 where Indian Offset Partner (IOP) is a MSME.

• Department of Defence Production (DDP) regularly conducts outreach programs in various parts of the country to interact with industry associations, industry especially MSMEs and academia, to spread awareness about the potential export opportunities. A scheme aimed to promote MSMEs in defence has been accorded approval. Under this scheme, conclaves/seminars are organised in Tier II and Tier III cities across the country with strong industrial and MSME presence, with the support of DDP. Three state level conclaves and one national level conclave in form of webinar have been organised during last two years under the scheme.

• An innovation ecosystem for defence titled Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) has been launched in April, 2018. iDEX is aimed at creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, startups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia and provide them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D which has potential for future adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs.

• An indigenisation portal namely SRIJAN has been launched in August 2020 for Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)/Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)/Services with an industry interface to provide development support to MSMEs/startups/industry for import substitution.

• Government has established two Defence Industrial Corridors, one each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to serve as an engine of economic development and growth of Indian defence industry including MSMEs.

• Ministry of MSMEs implements various schemes and programmes for promotion and development of MSMEs including defence sector MSMEs across the country. These include Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Scheme of fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), A scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industries and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE), Credit Guarantee scheme, Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Technology Upgradation Scheme (CLCSSTUS), Technology Centre Systems Programme (TCSP), Micro and Small Enterprises-Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), Procurement and Marketing Support Scheme etc. Ministry also reviews and monitors the progress of the implementation of the Public Procurement Policy for MSEs Order, 2012.

As per information provided by Ministry of MSMEs, the details of procurement in terms of value from MSEs in Defence Sector by the Defence Department/CPSEs in the last two years and current year are as under:

Further, regular Vendor development programmes and webinars are organized for MSMEs by OFB and DPSUs for development of supply chain. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, many webinars were conducted due to Covid-19 restrictions on physical accumulation. This information was tabled in a written reply by Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik to a question asked by Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma in the Lok Sabha.

INDIGENOUS AIRCRAFT AND SUBMARINES

Indian Navy has placed orders for following indigenous aircraft and submarines:

(1)Aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL): 12 Dorniers

(ii) 16 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH MK III).

(iii) 8 Chetak helicopters.

(2)Submarines: Six Scorpene class submarines are being built by Mazagon Dock and Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) under Project-75.

There are some delays in the projects. Reasons for delays are as follows:

(1) Aircraft: The deliveries have been delayed due to the supply chain disruptions caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

(2)Submarines: The delays have been caused due to the various defects observed during the trials of the submarines, requirement of certain modifications and delays in the supply of items required for construction by the collaborator / ToT provider-Naval Group, France. The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has further impacted the delivery schedule of the submarines. In the interest of national security, the details cannot be divulged. However, the existing submarine fleet is being maintained combat worthy through life extension & modernization/upgradation.

This information was tabled in a written reply by Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik to a question asked by Ravindra Kushwaha and others in the Lok Sabha.

Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58, the eighth and last ship of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark IV Class, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands on Thursday. Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) Lieutenant General Manoj Pande was the Chief Guest and Chairman & Managing Director, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena, IN (Retd) was present for the event.

Commander Krishan K. Yadav read the Commissioning Warrant as the first Commanding Officer of the ship. The ship is manned by a motivated team of five officers and 50 sailors. Indigenously designed and built by GRSE, Kolkata, the ship’s commissioning has added one more feather in the cap of the nation’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ programme in the field of warship design and construction.

The LCU 58 is an amphibious ship which can carry 160 troops, in addition to its crew. With a displacement of 900 tons, the ship is capable of carrying various types of combat vehicles such as Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), BMPs, Armoured Vehicles, trucks, etc. The ship measures 63 meters in length and is fitted with two MTA 4,000 series engines, which are capable of propelling the ship at speeds of up to 15 knots (28 kmph).

The ship is also fitted with an advanced Electronic Support Measure (ESM) suite to intercept enemy radar transmissions, an advanced Integrated Bridge System (IBS) and a sophisticated Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), which allow single station monitoring of the ship’s navigational and machinery equipment respectively. The main armament of the ship includes two indigenously manufactured 30 mm CRN 91 guns which are controlled by a Stabilised Optronic Pedestal (SOP), an electronic day-night director sight manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). In addition, the ship is fitted with six Machine Gun Posts to neutralise air, surface and sub-conventional threats.

The LCU 58 would be based at Port Blair and will be deployed in a variety of roles such as Beaching, Search and Rescue, Disaster Relief, Coastal Patrol and Surveillance operations along the Andaman and Nicobar Group of Islands, Bay of Bengal and in the Indian Ocean. It will augment the Indian Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility, furthering the Andaman and Nicobar Command’s motto, ‘Victory through Jointness’.

Lt Gen B.S. Raju handed over command of the strategic Kashmir-based 15 Corps to Lt Gen D.P. Pandey earlier this week. The General commanded the Corps in critical phase in 2020 where Kashmir was confronted with the twin challenges of terrorism and Covid-19. Lt Gen Raju’s tenure over the last one year is defined by an improved security environment prevailing both on the Line of Control and in Kashmir. With the civil administration and security forces synergising their efforts to bring normalcy back to Kashmir, terrorism is on decline with assessed residual terrorist numbers being the lowest in a decade.

On the Line of Control, his approach combined a forward heavy deployment enabled by a dense electronic and surveillance grid. Pakistani cease fire violations were dealt punitive responses resulting in operational ascendancy by the Indian Army. To complement relentless and successful counter-terrorist operations, Lt Gen Raju ensured an improved Soldier-Citizen connect. This effort included many successful events all over the Kashmir Valley, co-opting the Awaam in various sports, culture, arts, education, skilling and health initiatives.

The Army effectively used its deployment grid, especially in far-flung areas to be the first respondent in case of need. Grass-root interactions such as intra-dialogue within the youth and ‘Day with Company Commander’ received overwhelming response. Gen Raju strongly propagated for a second chance to the misguided youth, as he believes this to be critical to achieving lasting peace in J&K. The Army has taken proactive steps to connect with the youth including those who have picked up the weapons against the state. There has been a collaborative effort along with society members, families and other stake holders to encourage and facilitate return of the misguided youth from the path of terrorism. The effort has got an encouraging response, success in terms of surrenders and support from all sections of the society, and will get additional impetus in the coming months.

Having served as Uri Brigade Commander, GOC of Victor Force and now as GOC Chinar Corps, Gen Raju reinforced and institutionalised high professional standards and ethical conduct in combat operations. He moves to assume higher responsibilities as Director General of Military Operations of the Indian Army. On the occasion of Republic Day, Lieutenant General B.S. Raju was awarded the prestigious Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM), in recognition of this contribution in taking Kashmir on a positive trajectory on the path of lasting peace.

In his farewell message, Gen Raju complimented all ranks of Chinar Corps for their dedication and hard work, he also thanked JKP, CAPFs, Civil administration and the Awaam for their relentless support in the joint efforts towards peace and prosperity in J&K. He conveyed his greetings and best wishes to the Awaam of Kashmir and the entire Chinar Corps fraternity.

The Indo-Pacific comprises most of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. For long, the Indian Navy has ensured that this very large oceanic realm, with its many choke points and seas, as well as vast and expansive littoral, remains open and secure for all those who wish to use this area for peaceful and legitimate purposes. As the focus of the world shifts to this region through ‘pivots’ and realignments, the Indian Navy continues to silently go about an onerous task that it has performed with aplomb, steadfast commitment and resilience.

The strategic attention of nations shifts either by economic interests or by threats posed to such interests. The focus of the world has now decisively shifted to the Indo-Pacific for some very compelling reasons. This region is presently the centre of global economic growth, vibrant trade and innovation, as also increasing prosperity. This attracts nations which wish to sell their products in large undeveloped markets, and those who want to source affordable talent and goods.

The Indo-Pacific is also witnessing many challenges to ‘Good Order’ at sea. These include an increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, both military and otherwise, excessive and illegal fishing and exploitation of resources that rightfully belong to the nations that share EEZs and coastlines within the region, piracy and armed robbery, illegal migration, drug smuggling from the Makran coast and a thriving arms trade that threatens peace and stability in the region. These challenges have always existed, and, it is to the credit of the Indian Navy, the largest ‘Force for Good’ in the region, that these challenges have been met with resolve and not disrupted or denied freedom of the Seas.

In 2017, Indian Navy’s Commanders at their bi-annual meet in New Delhi, unveiled a plan to further improve the security of the region and meet new challenges posed by enhanced technological capabilities of inimical forces. The new ‘Mission-Based Deployment’ operating philosophy of the Navy envisaged a more robust and sustained presence by warships and aircraft in critical and vulnerable areas of the region. The plan was put into action by the end of 2017 and three years later, it has paid rich dividends to the Navy’s endeavours to be the Preferred Security Partner for nations in the region and be a force for peace, stability and equal opportunity for prosperity.

Whether it be the IOR, the Asia-Pacific or the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Navy has been tending this oceanic swath over the last half century with robust presence, nimble and agile responses. With increasing challenges to maritime security comes the need to increase presence and sustain it. Today, the Indian Navy is operating at a high operational tempo for which personnel and assets are deployed for prolonged periods, in difficult seas and conditions. This ‘Stretch’ is being mitigated through capacity development – more platforms, capability and technology, which the Navy seeks to achieve through carefully formulated acquisition plans under the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan, leapfrogging technology induction curves and improving synergy with other services.

Externally, the Indian Navy is seeking collaboration with friendly and like-minded nations with interests in the region. Back-to-back bilateral and multi-lateral exercises/ operations with the navies of USA, Russia, Japan, Australia, France, South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, Indonesia, Thailand and other nations of the region, is evidence that the global comity recognises the Indian Navy’s efforts of the past decades. The Indian Navy continues to work with these navies to maintain good order at sea and welcomes all like-minded partners to work together to keep the region open and free.

Joint Exercises, Coordinated Patrols, Information and Intelligence sharing, Logistics Support Agreements, pooling of resources such as the Information Fusion Centre-IOR (IFC-IOR), etc, are Indian Navy’s endeavours to ensure that the arduous task of keeping the seas secure is undertaken by committing forces and jointly deploying across the Indo-Pacific. The Indian Navy of today recognises its responsibility in this region and would continue to be the pillar around which a combined ‘Force for Good’ could be built, and deliver.

NAVY’S MULTI-MISSION DEPLOYEMNTS

INS Jalashwa: Highlighting India’s role as first responder in Indian Ocean Region, in consonance with PM’s vision of Security & Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), INS Jalashwa arrived at Port Anjouan Comoros carrying 1,000T relief material. This will be followed by port call in Madagascar. 

INS Talwar: On 11 March, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Talwar, deployed for ‘Operation Sankalp’ in Gulf of Oman received a distress call from a stranded cargo ship MV Nayan, requesting for assistance. The cargo ship, on transit from UAE to Iraq, was adrift since 9 March owing to failure of its propulsion, power generation machinery and navigational equipment. 

INS Kalpeni: Indian Navy’s INS Kalpeni & Dornier aircraft & Indonesian Navy’s Corvette KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda participated in Passage Exercise PASSEX (2nd in last two months) in Southern Indian Ocean.

INS Shardul: On the occasion of 53rd National Day of Mauritius, giving a befitting tribute to India-Mauritius relations, INS Shardul at Port Louis dressed overall, presented arms in a solemn Flag Hoisting ceremony to the tunes of national anthems of the two countries.

INS DARSHAK: India-Maldives major landmark was achievement for both MNDF & bilateral maritime cooperation with the first joint hydrographic survey of northern islands. This will have a positive impact on coastal zone management, navigation, fisheries, environment protection & economic growth.

The Survey was conducted under the MoU on Hydrography signed in June 2019. Hydrographic surveys will help chart Maldivian waters accurately which in turn will facilitate the ‘Blue Economy’ identified as 1st of the 5 priority sectors in the strategic action plan of government of Maldives.

There are a lot of issues with an US-led world order. It is not perfect by any stretch of imagination. However, a Chinese-led world would be even worse. To predict that, one does not need even imagination. All one has to do is to look around with open eyes—coercive diplomacy, wolf warriorism, breaking international rules-based order, debt traps and more. Lack of trust in China is palpable.

China does what is good for itself resulting in debilitating other nations and its people. It can continue to ‘rejuvenate’ and have its ‘dreams’, but it must be contained for the common good. China is too big for any one nation to contain. It is also beyond regional nations to control it. That is the sense I got after participating in two webinars recently. One organised by the Indo-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The other by CASA. The participants were international, and the views were wide-ranging. The insights indicated that there is no alternative to Quad 3.0.

This is reinforced by sharp increases projected in the forthcoming Chinese defence budgets. For a country like ours, it is foolish to get into the trap of competitive increases of defence expenditure with China with a ‘go it alone’ approach. In a larger sense Quad 3.0 is not only an international necessity but a national imperative. It enables us to have affordable security on a collective basis. However, Quad 3.0 is still an idea without a form. More importantly as much as the Quad nations bring value to the table, they place huge differences on it too. If Quad 3.0 is to evolve further, it is these differences which have to be tackled. They need to be either resolved, skirted around or left out of the ambit for a later date. The Quad 3.0 platform will only be as strong as the way the differences are treated. Thankfully, China is driving the Quad 3.0 to set aside its in-congruencies. The more predatory the Chinese behaviour, the greater will be the coalescence. Newton’s third law is at work.

Before looking at other issues let us reiterate the potential. The Quad 3.0 is ideally positioned to lead the post pandemic world economically, diplomatically and militarily. After all it is a combination of a superpower and three middle level powers which are vibrant democracies representing three civilisations—Western, Japanese, and Indian. They represent four of the top twenty global economies with a healthy mixture of raw material, manufacturing, and consumer power as also a tremendous innovation capability. The Quad nations also have experienced armed forces irrespective of their size or national orientation. They also have strong internal bilateral and trilateral ties. From any point of view, they have the potential to outmatch China in any dimension. However, the real challenge before them is to convert the bilateral and trilaterals into a strong quadrilateral framework which can carry along regional players like ASEAN, Quad Plus nations and EU.

The Quad 3.0 is an idea which will take time to form into anything potent. That statement is both right and wrong. Let us understand the wrong part. If signals coming out of China are an indicator, they are worried about the Quad. In my surmise, China fears it. The Quad is amorphous and ambiguous. China will desire that it remains so. It will do its utmost to sow differences and enhance the ambiguity. The more it does so the more it will drive the Quad to assume a definite form. China has this habit of spurring people into action. So whichever way one looks at it—Chinese behaviour to pole vault to the top predatorily or its attempt to sow dissent will lead to the inevitability of the Quad 3.0 assuming shape. Turning to ambiguity, this carries a threat of its own. It will be unclear as to how the form will emerge and where it will hit China. Hence, they have to guess and prepare for a wide range of undefined options; which will auto-correct the situation. In this entire range of possibilities, one issue which is not ambiguous is the military capability of Quad and the level of existing cooperation.

The value of the Quad truly lies in its potential to present an alternative economic model to the Chinese one to the world. However, the dependence and intertwining of the Quad nations with the Chinese economy is also a reality. Also, the Quad nations have different economic outlooks and interests. These divergent issues will take time to resolve since there are huge ‘peoples issues’ involved. Many of them are intangible and vexatious. They need time to evolve. On the other hand, the military value of Quad is relatively lesser but easier to realise. There is already some level of understanding achieved. Also, there is no necessity for a deep level of interoperability or interdependence to pose a credible military threat to China in any domain. If one has learnt anything in the past year it is that China should permanently be posed with a two-front situation. The two-front situation of facing India in Eastern Ladakh and USA in the South and East China Seas, contained China fully. China backed off from any cross straits action against Taiwan in this period, despite the fact that it had recovered from the pandemic, US forces were debilitated by the pandemic, Taiwan was vulnerable and there was a nationalistic hype to do so. Creating such situations does not need interoperability. It needs political will. Further defence cooperation and arrangements generate economic linkages and generate trust at people level. Hence the large idea is to use the militaries to form Quad 3.0 and then transit to the economic agendas. Militaries by nature, are pretty cut and dry in getting the job done. With a troublesome adversary like China, all militaries will like to get the job done faster! The militaries will be accompanied by diplomatic and political moves which will generate the desired synergy.

There is also a need to understand that the Quad nations have an ‘odd one out’ phenomenon. Economically, Japan, US and Australia are rich nations and India is a poor nation on a per capita basis. Constitutionally, the US, India and Australia have no military restrictions, but Japan can take up arms only for self-defence. The US, India and Japan have military disputes with China, whereas the Australian dispute is more economic. The US, Australia and Japan are more Pacific Ocean focused whereas India is more Indian Ocean focused and is the only country to have a large land border with China. The US is an extra-regional player whereas the others are not. In any sphere of activity, one country is different from the other three. This ‘odd one out’ phenomenon will keep putting some difference or the other on the table. The need to understand the constraints and conditionalities of this ‘odd one out’ construct and behave accordingly is very important. Contentious issues need to be skirted around. Otherwise, Quad will play as per the Chinese game plan. To some extent that has already happened with Japan and Australia joining RCEP. Quad 3.0 has to give serious thought to take matters further.

One of the ways to do that is to look at what can be done and build on that rather than what is difficult to achieve. The doables are clearly military and diplomatic in nature. Hence after the Quad foreign ministers meet, it is time to have a Quad defence ministers meet or a Quad 2+2 dialogue. Further some military-to-military programmes and exercises should commence. The Malabar series is a good platform to build upon. The Armies and Air Forces should have similar exchanges in the Quad forum. Very clearly military issues which can be progressed on common structures are intelligence sharing, logistics basing, perception management, and common communication protocols. Enhanced training and periodic military conferences are part of this. In addition, there is significant room for defence industrial cooperation. Defence Industrial cooperation can be extended into economic cooperation. If China expects an Asian NATO why not give it what it expects—ambiguously or otherwise? Use the perception value of this expectation.

The Indo Pacific concept has its roots in the 2004 tsunami. Very importantly, the region is also disaster prone—major earthquakes, floods, typhoons/storms. Hence HADR is a good place to start from. Invariably, the resources required for HADR operations are specialist and similar to those required for military purposes. There is also a requirement for the Quad to seriously look at combating climate change. Overall HADR and climate change have the potential and ability to boost economies. I will put the common fight against the pandemic in this bracket. It needs serious focus.

A major contentious issue is to have a Quad economic agenda. The contentiousness stems from the fact that we are looking at old aspects of deep-rooted economic structures. The Quad needs to jettison the brick-and-mortar economy and chart a path in the new economy where common interests can be put on the Quad platform without major issues. The subjects which form part of this new economy are over the horizon and digital in nature—AI, Cyber, Space, Energy and more. In these evolving disruptive technologies, there is significant scope to cooperate on a win-win basis for all Quad nations.

Last but not the least, Quad needs to provide leadership to the new global order. Gone are the days when one country could lead the way. A multipolar world needs a multipolar leadership based on the Quad. For all this to happen, Quad needs some kind of a formal structure. Unless a structure comes in place a road map and action plan will not evolve. The day a road map is put out, red lights will flash all round China. The question is will that happen? I am very hopeful of that since there is intent. All one has to do is look at all the press releases of Quad nations from the beginning. As days have gone by, the tone and tenor of the press releases indicate a faster convergence of ideas and emergence of an outline plan. Let us hope for the best.

Lt Gen P.R. Shankar was India’s DG Artillery. He is highly decorated and qualified with vast operational experience. He contributed significantly to the modernisation and indigenisation of Artillery. He is now a Professor in the Aerospace Dept of IIT Madras and is involved in applied research for defence technology. His other articles can be read on www.gunnersshot.com.

There is also a need to understand that the Quad nations have an ‘odd one out’ phenomenon. Economically, Japan, US and Australia are rich nations and India is a poor nation on a per capita basis. Constitutionally, the US, India and Australia have no military restrictions, but Japan can take up arms only for self-defence. The US, India and Japan have military disputes with China, whereas the Australian dispute is more economic. The US, Australia and Japan are more Pacific Ocean focused whereas India is more Indian Ocean focused and is the only country to have a large land border with China.

Sainik School Balachadi, Jamnagar, is going to get its first batch of girl students after the Defence Ministry has taken the decision to open the doors of Sainik Schools for girls from session 2021-22. The girls initially will get admission in class VI from next academic session.

The All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination 2021 for the admission in Sainik Schools was conducted first time by National Testing Agency (NTA) on 7 February 2021. Results of written examination have been declared by NTA and hosted on the website https://aissee.nta.nic.in

Group Captain Ravinder Singh, Principal of the school said that the school is ready to welcome its first girl students’ batch. An exclusive hostel for girls is being earmarked in school and other necessary arrangements are being made for them. Along with studies, military training will be imparted to girls in the same manner as it is being conducted for boys which, will prepare them to join as defence officers in Armed Forces.