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India – Future Hub of Defence, Aerospace and Disaster Management By Lt Gen PR Shankar (Retired)

Raksha - Anirveda.  Vol 01, Issue 4, Jan-Mar 2019. . http://www.raksha-anirveda. com/india-future-hub-of- defence-aerospace-and- disaster-management/ Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurating UP Defence Industrial Corridor (Launch of projects) in Aligarh M EGATRENDS:  Certain discernible megatrends are impacting the Defence, Security and Disaster Management firmament. The first is that there is a growing shift in global economic power from West to East. Secondly, the rate of demographic changes taking place all over the world due to migration and varying birth rates is giving rise to new conflicts. It triggers a further demographic change-conflict cycle. Thirdly, rapid urbanisation fuelled by growth is creating social tension and conflicts. Fourthly, new technologies are changing/driving the nature of conflicts. Lastly, climate change and resource scarcity give a whole new dimension to conflict. It has succeeded in bringing disaster management on par with secur...

UNRESTRICTED WARFARE: A PRESCRIPTION FOR CHINA BY LT GEN P R SHANKAR (RETIRED)

Two Unrestricted Chinese Hammers and All Nails “If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail. ” So said Colonels Qiao and Wang when they outlined the concept of “Unrestricted Warfare”. Though primarily postulated to contend with America, the Chinese have been using this concept widely against India. Off late, Chinese have started behaving as if they have only two tools – economic and military hammers. Anything and everything concerned India are nails to be hammered. All one must do is look around – trade imbalance, CPEC and BRI, String of Pearls, cyber war and more. Time to give China a taste of its own medicine in appropriate dose. Return Gift Contours The thought process of a return gift of unrestricted warfare was first outlined in an earlier article - Slaying The Dragon: Unrestricted Warfare ( https://bharatshakti.in/slaying-the-dragon-unrestricted-warfare/ ). At that time only the tenets of unrestricted...

AN UNSTABLE CHINA – THE INDIAN WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY BY LT GEN P R SHANKAR (RETIRED)

The O utline of Instability China has commenced re-balancing its forces by downsizing its Army and boosting its Navy, Missile Force, and Strategic Support Force.  Army personnel are to be reduced to below one million for the first time in its history.   Xi, has ordered the PLA to be transformed into a world-class fighting force in the next three decades. A tacit admission that it is not yet so. The trade war is brewing and is not likely to taste well for China.  Its economy has perceptibly slowed. The ambitious BRI is not going well. There are rumbles in China’s internal politics. There is a shift taking place. A window is opening which gives India some consolidation space. It tells us to re look at the China threat without over-hype.    Instability of Change Any system will be unstable during change or transformation.  That is a law of nature. China is no different. It has entered an instability phas...

AN APPROACH TO ESTABLISHMENT OF TAMILNADU INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR (TANDICO) By LT GEN P R SHANKAR (RETIRED)

General The Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor Defence was inaugurated by our Defence Minister, on 20 Jan 2019. It comprises of industrial hubs in Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli. Next week, during the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet at Chennai, aerospace and defence along with the defence corridor featured prominently.   At the outset it is a great initiative and a laudable step to achieve self-sufficiency in defence production. It was also great to participate in a discussion with yesterday between some MSMEs and the Dassault team as to how offsets can be discharged through the Corridor and how to prepare and train for the future. However, it emerged that there were many blanks to be filled. These need to be addressed for tangible realisation on ground and long-term sustainability. In order to establish the Corridor, Ernst & Young have been hired to carry out an assessment and submit a report. Why Ernst & Young? Cannot we do it...