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Showing posts from April, 2015

The U.S. Miilitary's Fighter Aircraft Crisis: What Comes After the F-35? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- James Hasik)

The X-47 B UCAV on trials ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- United States Navy by MC2 Timothy Walter) Source- The National interest Author- James Hasik Earlier this year, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said that he believed that the F/A-XX, the Navy’s planned eventual follow-on to the F-35C, would be "optionally manned". On April 15 at the Sea-Air-Space conference, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus leaned further forward, noting how he believed that "the F-35 should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” At the same time, Mabus announced that he would be establishing a new post of deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for unmanned systems—a secretary of drones, so to speak. That evening, Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John McCain said that “I hope the sentiments expressed by Secretary Mabus… will be reflected in the Navy's future program

China's South China Sea Strategy Is Asia's Worst Nightmare ( Source - Eurasia Review/ Author- Benjamin Schreer)

Boeing USAF, F-15 (E) Strike Eagle ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- USAF) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Benjamin Schreer In a remarkable public speech at ASPI’s Future Surface Fleet conference last month, the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet—Admiral Harry B. Harris—criticized China for engaging in an “unprecedented land reclamation” effort, creating a “great wall of sand” in the South China Sea (SCS). He went on to point out: “When one looks at China’s pattern of provocative actions towards smaller claimant states – the lack of clarity on its sweeping nine-dash line claim that is inconsistent with international law and the deep asymmetry between China’s capabilities and those of its smaller neighbors – well it’s no surprise that the scope and pace of building man-made islands raise serious questions about Chinese intentions.” As usual, China’s government had a different understanding of the augmentation of large features in the Fiery Cross Reef and s

THINKING ABOUT MILITARY HISTORY IN AN AGE OF DRONES, HACKERS AND IEDS – ANALYSIS (SOURCE- EURASIA REVIEW/ AUTHOR- PAUL J.SPRINGER)

X-47 B UAV ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- United States navy by Eric Hildebrandt)  Source- Eurasia Review Author- Paul J. Springer We live in a transitional period in the history of human conflicts. Military robotics and cyber capabilities constitute a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) that will permanently alter the nature of warfare. The United States, which leads in the creation and adoption of these forms of technology, has the unique opportunity to shape the RMA and prevent some of its negative consequences, but only if it acts quickly and decisively to lead an international movement that can address the worst potential consequences of these developments. Absent such a determined effort, military robots and cyber capabilities are likely to make human conflict even more painful and costly, not only for uniformed military organizations but also for the noncombatant civilian populations of the world. A Brief Introduction to RMAs RMAs permanently

Pakistan's Neutrality in the Yemen Crisis: Brought to You by China ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Ankit Panda)

Image credits- www.people.cn Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan to a warm welcome. He left having signed scores of agreements that commit, over several years, billions in Chinese financing and support for various Pakistani infrastructure projects. Beset with a range of problems, Pakistan lacks the indigenous capacity to invest adequately in its own power and infrastructure needs, despite facing major shortfalls in these areas. China and Pakistan enjoy a special relationship by their own admission: they refer to their partnership as an “all weather” one and Xi, prior to arriving in Islamabad, remarked that he felt as if he was “going to visit the home of [his] own brother.” Still, despite the warm rhetoric toward China and years of positive ties between the two countries, when it came to backing Pakistan, both financially and politically, Islamabad had always found support flowing in from the Arabian penins

Is India Finally Getting Modern Artillery? ( Source- The Diplomat /Author- Franz Stefan-Gady)

Indian Army's artillery gun ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Gopal 1035) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan-Gady Yesterday, New Delhi announced that it has successfully tested an upgraded howitzer for use in the Indian Army. “The indigenously designed and manufactured 155mm x 45mm caliber artillery gun, Dhanush, has successfully met all technical parameters during the winter and summer trials,” a press release said. This announcement came somewhat as a surprise since Dhanush howitzer prototypes suffered repeated barrel bursts during firing trials last August and during the winter of 2013, after which India’s state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) had to change the metallurgy of the canon. India’s Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar noted that the Dhanush incorporates many improved features in comparison to the guns which the Army possesses at present. The Dhanush is an improved version of the FH-77B 155 mm/39-caliber towed howitzer manufactur

ECONOMIC DRIVERS OF INDIA’S EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY – ANALYSIS ( SOURCE- EURASIA REVIEW / AUTHOR- INSTITUTE OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES)

Image credits- Narendra Modi  Source- Eurasia Review Author- Institute of South Asian Studies India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to France, Germany and Canada marked the continuation of a pattern of external engagement that is now becoming increasingly identifiable by its economic drivers. In less than a year since assuming office, Mr Modi has travelled to more than a dozen countries. Most of these travels have been state visits, occasionally interspersed with multilateral missions (e.g. Brazil and Australia in July and November 2014).2 In what has been a vigorous and robust engagement spanning across continents and regions, Mr Modi’s travels have generated considerable enthusiasm among the host-country administrations, local media and the resident Indian communities. Unlike the more sedate and relatively low-profile foreign tours by India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Modi’s foreign visits have been well- orchestrated and meticulousl

CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING’S SOUTH ASIA POLICY: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA – ANALYSIS (SOURCES- EURASIA REVIEW / AUTHOR- D.S RAJAN)

Karakoram Highway ( Image credits- Internet Image) Source- Eurasia Review Author- D.S Rajan China’s leader Xi Jinping seems to have shifted the focus of his regime’s foreign policy including that towards South Asia from core interests to economic interests. Xi’s statement that China is prepared to sign friendship treaties with the country’s neighbors and the PRC’s willingness to adopt a ‘trilateral’ ( i.e China, India and the concerned South Asian country) approach towards tackling issues in South Asia , signal Beijing’s new conciliatory thinking. Nonetheless, in terms of strategy, China under Xi Jinping shows no sign of any change – balancing India by supporting Pakistan appears to be the corner stone of Xi’s regional policy; suggesting it, is the China- Pakistan agreement on the need to have a ‘strategic balance’ in South Asia. In a broader sense, through his regional initiatives, Xi seems to be conveying a firm message to Asian nations- China will use its increasing