Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

DPRK Soldier ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ Kristoferb) With little progress made on the denuclearization of North Korea since the failed Agreed Framework two decades ago, Washington’s approach to Pyongyang is largely defined by the number of sanctions imposed on the country and, in particular, its leaders. However, according to a  Daily NK   interview  with Dr. John Park, an expert on North Korean state trading entities, the current sanctions against Pyongyang have been of questionable effectiveness. Likening sanctions to antibiotics, Park said the regime may be developing immunity to sanctions because they have been over-prescribed. This is not to suggest that sanctions are bound to fail. Rather, Park encourages policymakers to study the nuances of each target and assess the secondary effects of the measures. There is definitely room for further research to “preserve the effectiveness of sanctions overall.” In the meantime, other factors beside sanctions are plaguing t

Image credits- The Diplomat/Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is holding its biggest joint military exercises ever, as Russia seeks to strengthen ties with China in the wake of its collapsing relations with Europe and the United States. The scale of the exercises suggests that the organization, which had lately seemed to be focusing more on economic and law enforcement cooperation in Central Asia, may be again emphasizing its military component. This year’s iteration of the annual Peace Mission exercises are scheduled for August 24 to 29 in China’s Inner Mongolia province. About 7,000 troops are slated to take part: mostly from China, but also from SCO members Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. (Uzbekistan, while an SCO member, traditionally declines to participate in the group’s military drills.) The size of the Peace Mission drills has  declined  in recent years, but Chinese officials  say  this is the largest SCO drill ever: “It’s th

Image credits- Reuters/Wang Zhao/ Pool Following her recent participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, which included bilateral meetings with counterparts from 11 countries, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj  declared , “I myself feel that the visit was very successful.” Her trip will set the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Myanmar in November. These engagements come as public and government  opposition to Chinese infrastructure projects  in Myanmar rises, offering India the opportunity to fill the strategic gap left by China’s waning influence in the Southeast Asian country. While China remains Myanmar’s largest trade partner and supplies the bulk of the Myanmar Armed Forces’ weapons, the Myanmar government seems to be losing interest in Chinese investment in its infrastructure. On July 18, Myanmar’s Ministry of Rail Transportation announced the cancellation of an agreement with the Chinese government to build a r

Written by Steven Bancarz|  A lot of people are resistant to the idea of a  “soul” because of how this term has gotten wrapped up in religious superstition and dogma.  Some people think it is outright silly.  But the concept of consciousness being able to detach from the body offers a lot of explanatory power when it comes to phenomenon such as Near Death Experiences, Out-Of-Body Experiences, astral projections, and even reincarnation.  In fact, the evidence for reincarnation is the best hard scientific evidence we have for the existence of a soul.   This is a bold claim, but the evidence for reincarnation is undeniable and cannot collectively be attributed to chance or any other physical explanation.  If reincarnation exists, the soul exists.  Let’s take a look!  Before we explore the evidence, it’s helpful to remember that we do not need hard PROOF in order to be justified in believing in something.  If the weatherman says there is a 70% chance of showers, I don’t need proof

INS Kamorta ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ Indian Navy) INS Kamorta, the first of the four indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes is being equipped with many state-of-the-art systems from city-based Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). Commissioned into the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam today, the INS Kamorta has added a new dimension to the ASW capability of the Indian Navy and in particular, the eastern fleet. BEL has been a silent partner to some of the most advanced programmes of the Indian Navy, has supplied all the major sensors and electronic systems onboard INS Kamorta. These include a 3-D Surveillance Radar (Revathi), Active-cum-Passive Integrated Sonar System (Humsa-NG), EW System Sanket, Combat Management System, Fire Control System (Lynx), Ship Data Network, Composite Communication System (CCS Mk III) and Data Link (Link II). INS Kamorta is well equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions. “The Revathi radar from BEL

MIG-29 K of The India Navy ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Indian Navy) Increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean will soon have to put up with some mean company from the skies. Two weeks ago the navy received orders to implement a tectonic shift. The most lethal fighters flying the Indian colours as on date, navy's MiG29K/KUB, will for the first time in over four years of their service, 'look east'. Preparations have begun to deploy and permanently base a full squadron (consisting 17 aircraft) of these fighters to strengthen the security of India's energy-rich and trade-wise vital, eastern seaboard. Next year onwards, these jets will make the naval airbase INS Dega, in Vishakapatnam, their home. Earlier this month, an initial sanction of Rs.450 crore was accorded for building related technical support and infrastructure facilities here. Barring training and detachment duties, these fighters, till date, have remained at their home base INS Hansa in Goa wh

INS Arihant ( Credits- DRDO) Prime minister Narendra Modi extolled “Made in India” products from “satellites to submarines” in his Independence Day address. A day later he demanded that “Instead of having to import even small things...India...become an exporter of [military] equipment over the next few years”. And, he exhorted foreign countries and companies to “make in India”. Rendering the country self-sufficient in armaments, it turns out, will help India emerge as workshop of the world manufacturing all kinds of quality goods economically. But it will require the PM to do to the Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs) overseen by the ministry of defence (MoD) what he did to the Planning Commission—utilise their resources more effectively. At the core is a fact that cannot be glossed over: DPSUs are deadweight. Despite outputting some 800 combat aircraft and thousands of jet engines not an iota of any of the technologies, for example, have been absorbed let alone innovated over

RSAF F-16 ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ Luhai Wong) The Minister of Defence of Singapore, Dr Ng Eng Hen, who is on official visit to India, met Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, at South Block, here today. The Singapore Defence Minister was accompanied by the High Commissioner of Singapore in India Mr Lim Thuan Kuan and other officials of the Singapore Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces. The Indian delegation included Defence  Secretary Shri RK Mathur and Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chief of the Staff Committee (CISC) Air Marshal PP Reddy as well as other senior officers of the Ministry of Defence, MEA and Armed Forces. Prior to the meeting, the Singapore Defence Minister laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. He was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at South Block. During the meeting, both Ministers expressed satisfaction over the wide ranging and comprehensive defence exchanges between both countries and agreed that the enhancemen

North Korean Soldier In a sign of the continuing decline in relations between North Korea and China, Pyongyang moved a number of tanks and armored vehicles away from South Korea to the Chinese border, according to  The Chosun Ilbo , citing an anonymous source.  North Korea has reportedly deployed 80 tanks to Ryanggang Province, directly across the border from China. The tanks were reinforced with armored infantry units, multiple rocket launchers, and a sharpshooter brigade.  According to Chosun Ilbo, this is the first time that such military units had been deployed in Ryanggang Province. Ryanggang was the birthplace of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, and it is subsequently  revered  by the North Koreans. The province is also strategically located, as it shields North Korea's eastern port cities.  The tanks are part of North Korea's 12th Corps. Established in 2010, the 12th Corps is one of the North's most modern units and, according to Chosun Ilbo'

Naval ships in exercise \( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ United States Navy)  ON 7 JULY 2014, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (‘the Tribunal’) in The Hague delivered its judgment on the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and India in the Bay of Bengal. This helped settle a long-running dispute between the two parties and will help provide a solid basis for cooperative management of the bay and its resources. It is significant because as well as the dependence of the littoral countries on the fish stocks of the bay, the area is believed to be rich in deep-water deposits of oil and natural gas. ‘Win-win’ or ‘lose-lose’outcome? After complex considerations regarding historical and cartographic evidence, the Tribunal determined the location of the terminus of the land boundary between the two countries, and then delimited the boundary between them of their territorial sea, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf within and beyond 200 nautical miles. Bangl