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

Pic credit- Wikimedia China announced a military budget of 808.23 billion Yuan ($131.57 billion) for 2014, a roughly 12.2 percent yearly increase. Naturally, this has raised concern among many of China’s neighbors that are locked in territorial disputes with Beijing, as well as in the United States. For the countries concerned about China’s growing defense spending, there is both bad news and good news (or at least less bad news) contained in this announcement. Let’s begin with the bad. First, as is well known, China’s military spending in 2014 is almost certain to far exceed $132 billion, as Beijing is notorious for keeping much of its defense spending off the books. Many estimates of China’s 2013 defense spending put it closer to $200 billion, although any credible sources contain a caveat that the margin of error is high. Nevertheless, assuming it was around $200 billion in 2013, a 12 percent increase this year would put China’s defense spending at about $224 billion. The

Image courtesy- The Wikimedia Commons Amid escalating tensions between Japan and China, a 12.2 percent  budget increase  in China’s defense spending, and fears that budget cuts for the U.S. military could have a negative impact  on the United States’ ability to “pivot” to Asia, U.S. and Japanese officials have announced plans to co-develop a new high-speed vessel capable of carrying helicopters. Following a meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on March 4, the two governments announced that the Japanese Defense Ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense would hold studies for the joint development of the vessel under the bilateral Mutual Defense Assistance (MDA) agreement. Although very little information has been released about the project, analysts contend that the trimaran would likely be a lighter variant of the U.S. Navy’s 3,000-tonne littoral combat ship (LCS), a platform designed primarily for missions in

Pic courtesy- Wikimedia and United States Navy As the United States prepares plans to downsize its military, the Navy is set to order fewer Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets than previously expected over the next five years. Citing an unnamed defense official, Reuters reported that beginning in the 2015 fiscal year, the Navy will request the purchase of 36 F-35C fighter jets, which are designed to land on aircraft carriers. That’s nearly half as many as the 69 originally projected. The Air Force, meanwhile, is postponing its own request for four F-35A jets for one year. Beginning in 2016, however, it remains on track to move forward with its purchases as planned, an arrangement that will see the Air Force purchase about 238 jets total. The Marine Corps stands out as the sole player committed to its original plan, still expected to request 69 F-35B jets over five years. These are scheduled to be combat ready and in use by mid-2015. According to Pentagon Comptroller Ro

Image Courtesy- Wikimedia and the Author Ukraine’s Navy flagship, the Hetman Sahaidachny frigate, has reportedly refused to follow orders from Kiev, and come over to Russia’s side and is returning home after taking part in NATO operation in the Gulf of Aden flying the Russian naval flag. There has been conflicting information on where exactly the vessel is, but a Russian senator has confirmed to Izvestia daily that the frigate defected to the Russian side. “ Ukraine’s Navy flagship the Hetman Sahaidachny has come over to our side today. It has hung out the St Andrew’s flag, ” Senator Igor Morozov, a member of the committee on the international affairs, told Izvestia daily. He said the flagship is on its way back to the Black Sea after drills in the Mediterranean. “ The crew has fulfilled the order by the chief commander of Ukraine’s armed forces Viktor Yanukovich ,” he added. The move comes after the Navy command resigned Friday. Self-appointed President Aleksandr Turchin

Image Courtesy- Wikimedia and the author The Indian fighter jets have begun the process of changing over to desi tyres, probably signalling an end to escalating cost and non-availability concerns. The Indian Air Force sources confirmed to Express that the ‘India shining’ story is being scripted by the MRF, which has got the clearance from the military airworthiness officials to produce the main wheel tyres of frontline fighters Sukhoi (Su-30 MKI). The indigenous tyres named Aeromuscle are 30 per cent cheaper than the imported ones. The IAF started looking within the country after facing difficulties in sourcing tyres from abroad. It was even forced to use tyres from war reserves for some aircraft, after supplies from Russia became an issue. The idea to approach Indian companies was taken up during P V Nayak’s tenure as the IAF chief. “The MRF agreed to do all design, development and quality tests at their own cost in the nation’s interest,” an IAF official s

There may be accidents. But be proud of our navy and what it will become in years to come 

So this year's edition of the annual reference book - The Military Balance - published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) will be eagerly scrutinised to see who is up and who is down, and what this might mean for the global balance of power.................. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26054545

Ashok Parthasarathi: Some myths about the Indian military-industrial complex As a student of military and security affairs, I find both analysts and the media having many misconceptions about our military industrial complex. This article deals with some major ones to promote a correct understanding of the matter. First, our defence hardware imports are around 60 per cent, and not 70 per cent. Second, delays and cost over-runs in our defence production programmes also occur in all North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) countries; the reasons are many and complex. These have been documented in numerous reports of the General Accounting Office of the US Congress. The UK Comptroller and Auditor General has done likewise. A specific major example is the M-88 aero-engine for the latest French fighter-bomber Rafale. France's sole and public sector aero-engine manufacturer, Snecma, which has been making military aero-engines for 30 years, took 11 years to design and develop th

Image Courtesy- Wikimedia and the author Maha Shivratri  (the 'Great Night of Shiva') is a  Hindu  festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord  Shiva . The Mahashivratri festival, also much popular as 'Shivratri' or 'Great Night of Lord Shiva', is observed on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha every year on the month of Maagh according to the Hindu calendar. Alternate common spellings include  Sivaratri ,  Shivaratri ,  Sivarathri , and  Shivarathri . It marks the convergence of Shiva and Shakti. Maha Shivratri is celebrated on the Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi of Hindu calendar month  Maagha  which falls in  February  or  March  as per the  Gregorian calendar . Of the twelve Shivaratris in the year, the MahaShivarathri is the most powerful [3] . The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of  Bael  or golden apple or  Bilva / Vilvam  leaves to  Lord Shiva , all-day fasting and an all-night-long vigil (jagarana). All through th

20 Home Remedies Everyone Should Know:  1. Having pomegranate’s juice daily is good for heart and useful for people suffering from low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) 2. One natural treatment for acidity is chewing a few Basil (tulsi) leaves after a meal. This not just works as an antacid as it helps the body absorb food but also prevents reflux and the formation of ulcers. 3. Sucking a piece of Clove after meal helps in reducing acidity problem. 4. A flake of garlic swallowed with water taken empty stomach daily in the morning can be helpful in solving many stomach & gastric problems. 5. Headache caused by summer heat is cured by consuming watermelon juice. Just one glass a day works wonders… 6. Eating an Apple on an empty stomach in the morning relieves one of migraine pain. This must be done for a few mornings. I have been a migraine patient for past 10 years and this one worked most for me. 7. Open 6 dates and boil in 1/2 liter of milk for 25 minutes over low heat. Drink

Image courtesy- Wikimedia and the author  In the maritime world, submarines has a special place of pride being the centennials of maritime security. They are the prowlers who sneak up to the enemy and get the job done before the enemy even realize that they are there. They are the enforcers who lie hidden in the depth of the sea and who pounce upon an unsuspecting enemy and can inflict maximum damage to an enemy fleet, the legendary "U" Boat of the Germans being the best example.  The history of the Indian navy operating submarine goes long time back and they have successfully ensured that no hostile country were successful in penetrating the Indian sovereign waters. The potency of the submarine was demonstrated in 1971 a fleet of Russian submarines ensured that the mighty American fleet were forced to withdraw rather than help Pakistan at the time of the formation of Bangladesh. India currently operates two major class of submarines, The Kilo class and the German