Israel has put together a multilayered shield designed to intercept rockets and missiles

Israel has put together a multilayered shield designed to intercept rockets and missiles capable of striking it from as close as the Gaza Strip and as far away as Iran, reflecting concern that future conflicts will target Israel’s civilian population centers.

At this sprawling air base in central Israel, soldiers in a fortified control room are training to activate a cornerstone of this shield the Arrow missile defense system, meant to protect Israel from its enemy Iran’s expanding array of missiles.

The Arrow, produced jointly by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. and Chicago-based Boeing Co at a cost of more than USD1 billion, is being deployed in Israel after successful tests in both Israel and the US. It has not been tested in combat, but the system is already in its third generation, having been fine-tuned to deal with increasingly complicated threats.


The Arrow was designed to counter Iran’s Shahab ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and whose range of 2,000 kilometers, puts Israel well within striking distance. Despite Iranian denials, Israel is convinced Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

Threats also come from much closer to Israel.

In 2006, Israel fought a fierce monthlong war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, when Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets at Israel. That pointed up two stark facts: Israel had no tool to knock them down neither did anyone else and Israel’s civilian population, concentrated mostly along the nation’s Mediterranean coast, was increasingly vulnerable to attack.

In response, Israel has developed additional systems: “Magic Wand,” aimed at stopping intermediate-range missiles, and the “Iron Dome,” which shoots down rockets fired from short distances of just a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Last month, Israel successfully introduced the Iron Dome and shot down several Palestinian-fired rockets from Gaza. Palestinian militants have fired thousands of crude, short-range weapons at Israel in recent years, and up to then the military had no answer except airstrikes after the fact.

The Arrow, first deployed in 2000, was the first brick in what Israel hopes will be a wall of protection against incoming rockets and missiles.

The Indian Navy which has been using Nethrani Island, situated 20 nautical miles from Karwar, for bombardment practice has written to the government to reserve its rights to use the area as target practice location.

The Western Ghats Task Force, however, is opposing the move and along with the biodiversity board has written to the naval command at Karwar and the defence ministry to ask Kadamba naval base to find other locations for target practice.

“This island is very precious. It is the last island that has the Western Ghats’ biodiversity intact and the state government has already declared it as a state biodiversity heritage site. The Navy should understand what that means. It is shocking that the Western Command has written to the Navy headquarters to retain Nethrani Island as a target practice,” said Ananth Hegde Ashisara, chairman, Karnataka Western Ghats Task Force.

Speaking on the sidelines of a three-day event, Sahyadri Festival, organised by the Save Western Ghats Movement at Mijar village near Mangalore on Friday, Ashisara said, “Sources in the central government secretariat had told me that the Navy will not let go of the Nethrani Island. But Iam determined to stop this madness of bombarding theisland. It has several types of endangered species, including Nest Swiftlet (a bird) which is in the critically endangered species list. The Corals and many other varieties of fish including white sharks are also found in the area.”

Ashisar said that the Navy had remarked that the island was uncharted. In reality, the Nethrani Island came under the jurisdictional territory of Uttara Kannada district.

“I have survey reports to prove it. When called for, I will provide them to the government. Right now I have a bone to chew with the Navy and the defence ministry,” he said.

Don't worry, India's deterrence is robust: Pokhran II scientist

Don't worry, India's deterrence is robust: Pokhran II scientist

Sify

New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) Allaying apprehensions about reports of Pakistan doubling its nuclear arsenal, a veteran Indian scientist who played a key role in India's second nuclear test has said India need not be alarmed as its credible minimum deterrence was robust and it can produce more than 100 weapons.

'Our credible minimum deterrent is robust and strong. There is no cause for undue alarm,' K. Santhanam, a former scientist with the Defence Research and Development (DRDO) and the chief pointsman for the weaponisation programme for India's second nuclear test, told IANS.

'Our plutonium-based nuclear programme is stronger and the plutonium produced can help make more than 100 weapons.

'The numbers are not the only thing that matter. Our nuclear programme is completely indigenous and stronger,' he said.

Santhanam was reacting to disclosures by a US daily that Pakistan has doubled its nuclear arsenal over the last several years and now has more than 100 deployed weapons.

The Pakistanis have significantly accelerated production of uranium and plutonium for bombs and developed new weapons to deliver them, the influential US daily, the Washington Post, reported Monday citing estimates by non-government analysts.

Navy busts Somali pirates, frees captives

Navy busts Somali pirates, frees captives

kochi: Indian Navy and Coast Guard have busted a Somali pirate ring and rescued 20 Thai and Myanmarese fishermen held hostage since April on board a captured Thai fishing vessel off Lakshadweep islands, Defence authorities said in Kochi yesterday.

The captured Thai vessel, Prantalay, which was being used as a mother ship by pirates to launch their skiffs for attacks along the international shipping lanes, was ablaze after being hit by intercepting firing.

The operation started with a Coast Guard ( CG) Dornier aircraft locating two skiffs with the Somali pirates after getting a distress call from a Bahamas flagged merchant vessel on Friday.

On being spotted, skiffs headed towards Prantalay, which hastily hoisted them on board and sped off westward. The Navy ordered it’s recently commissioned water jet fast attack craft, INS Cankarso, to intercept Prantalay.

By evening, INS Cankarso closed in on Prantalay and ordered it to disclose mercantile information but the vessel continued to flee, without responding.

INS Cankarso then fired a warning shot, triggering an exchange of fire and a blaze on Prantalay, where fuel drums were kept to power the skiffs. Soon pirates and hostages jumped off board to escape the blaze.

The Navy rescued 20 fishermen, the original crew of the fishing vessel and continued the search for possibly more fishermen and pirates still out at sea, Defence sources said.

Somalian pirates are believed to have collected nearly $ 100 million in ransom last year using which they acquired more sophisticated equipment and spread their operations near the Indian waters.

South Eastern Arabian sea has been a focal point of international traffic and the security of these sea lanes in the Arabian Sea is critical to the flow of global trade and India has stepped up surveillance along its coastlines in view of the increased threats from pirates in the Indian Ocean region.

The Navy has deployed its warships on round-the-clock patrolling around the Lakshwadeep and Minicoy islands where a new headquarters of the Coastguard was set up last month in view of the rising incidents of piracy and fears of terrorists misusing small uninhabited island territories in the Arabian Sea.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also announced its plans to deploy fighter aircraft squadrons in southern parts of the country to tackle the threat from “non-state actors and to secure sea lanes”.

According to the Indian Navy, it has deployed 23 ships by rotation in the piracy-infested Gulf of Aden since October, 2008 and escorted over 1,400 merchant vessels so far to safety, over 1200 of them from about 50 other countries, and 26 piracy attempts foiled.

With its eyes on China, Delhi woos Jakarta

With its eyes on China, Delhi woos Jakarta

Rediff

India and Indonesia have a vested interest in ensuring that China's hegemony in the region does not go uncontested, says Harsh V Pant.

In a sign of the new significance that India is attaching to its ties with Southeast Asia, India hosted Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at its Republic Day celebrations this year.

Sixty years go then Indonesian President Sukarno was the chief guest at the first Republic Day celebrations in 1950. This visit was intended to give a boost to India's 'Look East' policy, underscoring the need for greater integration and deeper engagement between India and East Asia in trade and other strategic sectors.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ,who travelled to Japan and Malaysia for bilateral visits and to Vietnam for the 8th ASEAN-India Summit last November, has made it clear that his government's foreign-policy priority will be East and Southeast Asia, which are poised for sustained growth in the 21st century.

The basis of India-Indonesia partnership dates back to the founding fathers of these two nations -- Jawaharlal Nehru and Sukarno -- who offered a distinct foreign policy world view that drew on their shared colonial experiences. They visualised an Asian region that could challenge the Cold War threat perceptions of the two superpowers. Nehru and Sukarno were among the founder members of the Non Aligned Movement.

In the contemporary context, the rise of China has drawn the two States closer. The last few years have witnessed a new phase in this relationship where the two States have pushed their ties to a historic high with strong emphasis on economic and security issues. India with its 'Look East' policy decided to substantially enhance its presence in the region while Indonesia took the lead in bring India closer to ASEAN.

The changing strategic landscape of Asia during the post Cold War era has broadened the canvas of India's engagement with Indonesia. Both want to seize the opportunities being offered by the landmark economic growth being witnessed by the Asian region.

Economic engagement between the two is growing rapidly and will gain further momentum with the signing of the India-ASEAN free trade agreement last year. Indonesia is an important source of energy and raw materials for India.

Bilateral trade exceeded the target set by the two states in 2010 of $10 billion. Major Indian companies, including the Birla group, the Tatas, Essar, Jindal Steel, Bajaj  Motors, are now operating in Indonesia. Indian investment is spread across a range of areas including banking, mining, oil and gas, iron and steel, aluminium, IT, textiles and telecommunications.

It was in 2005 that the two signed the strategic partnership agreement and in 2006 a defence cooperation agreement was announced. Negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation agreement have already begun. Several other treaties including an extradition treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance treaty were signed during the Indonesian president's visit.

Being the most formidable military power in Southeast Asia, Indonesia can effectively work with India in ensuring safety of the Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs) and tackle non-traditional security challenges in the Indian Ocean.

Both have a vested interest in ensuring that China's hegemony in the region does not go uncontested. Their location makes then crucial in the emerging maritime calculus in the region as they together control the entry point from the Indian Ocean to the Bay of Bengal in the north and Malacca Straits to the east.

Viewing Indian maritime presence as largely benign, Indonesia has openly invited India to help the littoral States in the region in maintaining security in the Malacca Straits. Jakarta now also views India as a major source of military hardware. Joint naval exercises and patrols as well as regular port calls by their respective navies have been a regular feature of India-Indonesian naval cooperation for some time now.

Cultural links between the two nations have always been significant and they are flourishing. After all, Indonesia's name is derived from the Latin word 'Indus,' meaning India. As the most populous Islamic nation committed to pluralism and democracy, India has huge stakes in the political and economic success of Indonesia.

Indonesia's role has been and will remain critical in supporting India's engagement with its Southeast Asian neighbours. And as the US tries to project Indonesia as a bastion of moderate Islam and political stability, India will only reinvigorate its ties with Jakarta. India has made a strong case for its growing relevance in the East Asian regional security and economic architecture in recent years.

India's free-trade agreement with ASEAN, signed last year, commits New Delhi to cut import tariffs on 80 per cent of the commodities it trades with ASEAN, with the goal of reversing India's growing marginalisation in the world's most economically dynamic region.

Having signed a free-trade pact for goods last year, India and ASEAN are now engaged in talks to widen the agreement to include services and investments. India hopes to increase its $44 billion trade with ASEAN to $50 billion by next year.

New Delhi's ambitious policy in East and Southeast Asia is aimed at significantly increasing its regional profile. Smaller States in the region are now looking to India to act as a balancer in view of China's growing influence while larger States see it as an attractive engine for regional growth.

It remains to be seen if India can indeed live up to its full potential, as well as to the region's expectations. But with the wooing of Indonesia, India is signaling that it is indeed serious about its presence in Southeast Asia.

SBI, Indian Army sign MoU for customised salary package

SBI, Indian Army sign MoU for customised salary package

The public sector State Bank of India (SBI) and the Indian Army have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for offering a customised salary package to Army personnel across the country.

The package will offer, among other facilities, a "unique lifelong account number" which can be retained despite transfer and even after retirement to draw pension.

Under the MoU, SBI will offer, free anywhere banking and free additional ATM cards even for a single account holder so that even the family members away from the Army troops will be able to transact on the same bank account through ATMs.

This package also offers automatic sweep to multi-option deposits ensuring higher yield on the salary savings and also free personal accident insurance, the bank said in a statement. There are also free drafts, free cheque books and free transfer of funds.

SBI has also tied up with some manufacturing majors like HCL Infosystems, Maruti Suzuki India and Tata Motors to offer attractive schemes to defence personnel like sizeable discounts, free foreign trips and free maintenance warranties. All these come with loans at attractive interest rates.

Other initiatives under this package include installing point of sale machines at their CSD canteens, which can be used free of cost and opening of new ATMs, multi-function kiosks and branches to suit the needs of Army personnel in the remotest places.

Beating Retreat weaves soul-stirring musical evening

Beating Retreat weaves soul-stirring musical evening

The Times of India 

NEW DELHI: It is very rare when a show of lights and sounds penetrates the body and also leaves one bristling with patriotism. The Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Saturday evening was one of those rare moments. 

Under a partly cloudy sky, with the sun on the verge of disappearing, a thousand bandsmen wove a magical musical evening in Lutyen's Delhi, bringing an end to the Republic Day celebrations. 

On the first sounds of drums, the tricolour was unfurled and the grand square began reverberating with the notes of the national anthem. 

With President Pratibha Patil taking her seat and behind her the three Service chiefs firmly placed, the massed bands marched down the slopes of Raisina Hills, cushioned on both sides by the magnificent North and South Blocks. 

The national flag fluttered in an animated motion with the gentle breeze playing on it. The next one hour was filed with moments like these with pipes and drums, brass bands, buglers, trumpeters, drummers and bagpipers creating a stupefying spectacle. 

With a mix of slow and fast marches, the bandsmen in vivid reds and greens, and saffrons and blues marched in unison to the beats of military tunes. They walked with measured precision, broke into separate lines to weave exhilarating shapes and merged again to become one. 

They slowed down when the notes went low, and moved swiftly with a flash as the notes went north. 

Conceived by the Indian Army's Major Roberts in the 1950s, the Beating Retreat ceremony portrays the rich military customs and warfare practices, when soldiers were recalled to their camps at sunset from the battlefield. 

The Saturday ceremony was exceptional in more ways than one. It probably radiated more Indian flavours than ever with the martial bands playing mostly Indian compositions. As many as 19 of the 25 performances were composed by Indian musicians. 

The two tunes, "Gajraj," composed by Captain Mahendra Das, symbolising the fanfare associated with elephants and "Reshmi" - a silky melody, were played for the first time at a Beating Retreat ceremony. 

Just four popular tunes by foreign musicians were retained, interspersed twice with "Fanfare", a collage by buglers, and the "Drummers' Call", a traditional performance only by the drummers. 

A total of 12 army bands and four each of the navy and air force, apart from 15 pipes and drums bands, 72 buglers and 12 trumpeters, in their traditional finery performed at the ceremony. 

The last 15 minutes of the ceremony were the most spellbinding of the entire ceremony. The moving "Abide By Me", most widely known as Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn, set the tone for the mind numbing moments to come. 

With the buglers sounding the "Retreat", the flag was lowered and the packed audience stood up to soak the patriotic fervor in the air. 

With the soul-stirring sounds of "Sare Jahan Se Acha", the bands started marching up the stunning Raisina Hill. 

Just when you think it's all over and start processing the newly constructed rich memories of a true spectacle, thousands of electric bulbs decked up on Rashtrapati Bhavan, the secretariat blocks and the parliament complex come alight in a flash. 

The audience was knocked over and a marathon applause followed. The crowd kept sitting for a few empty moments, hypnotised by the dazzling show of light and the rousing notes of the retreat music.