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

A peaceful, stable and economically vibrant Asia-Pacific region augurs well for Russian and Indian interests. When it comes to China’s differences with its neighbours on islands in the South China Sea, India and Russia would prefer a peaceful settlement of disputes, and an evolution of a multilateral framework with China as a key player for resolution of conflicts. Both New Delhi and Moscow enjoy goodwill of the countries in the region. Countries apprehensive of threat to their territorial integrity and sovereignty have sought their cooperation. Vietnam and Indonesia have expressed interest in buying the jointly developed BrahMos missile to buttress their defence. Russia is a key supplier of defence equipments to the region, where India has also recently increased defence cooperation. Indian and Vietnamese signed an agreement to explore oil in 2013, and further during the recent visit of President Pranab Mukherjee signed a letter of intent to explore oil in another location. India c

Akash Missile ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author) Unleashing further defence industrial reforms, the Department of Defence Production (DDP) announced in early September a Strategy for Defence Exports (SDE) followed by a set of standard operating procedures (SOP) for issue of no objection certificate (NOC) for export of military stores by the Indian defence industry. These two initiatives, which come after the government raised the benchmark defence FDI cap from earlier 26 per cent to 49 per cent, and simplified and streamlined the defence industrial licensing process, are part of the larger reform process for incentivising indigenous arms manufacturing and achieving higher self-reliance. The commentary examines some of the salient features of defence exports reforms. While doing so, it also looks at some of the grey areas that need consideration by the policy makers. It is noteworthy to mention that the SDE is not a policy document as has often been demanded by various com

Image credits- PMO, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said al Qaeda will struggle to recruit members in the world's second-most populous nation and he praised Indian Muslims for their commitment to fight for the country. Al Qaeda announced the formation of its first wing dedicated to waging jihad in South Asia earlier this month. A few days later it claimed responsibility for hijacking a Pakistani naval ship. Mr Modi, who was elected in May, said Indian Muslims were patriotic and would not betray their nation, which has a long history of sectarian strife. "Indian Muslims will live for India, they will die for India, they will not want anything bad for India," PM Modi told CNN, which aired excerpts of the pre-recorded interview on Friday. "If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional." Al Qaeda said in a statement that it aimed to end the suffering of Muslims in places such as Kashmir, where violent insurgency raged thro

Image credits- PMO, India Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting an India that for the first time in 25 years has given a  clear mandate to a single party . He is meeting with a prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is known both for his hardline nationalist stance on foreign policy issues and a geo-economic sagacity. Moreover Modi’s government is also being  actively courted by Shinzo Abe’s Japan  at a time when the new normal for Sino-Japanese ties involves dangerous maneuvers in disputed East Asian waters. As such, the Chinese side is clearly keen to position itself as an alternative capital and economic partner for an India looking to boost industrial growth and employment.  Modi’s recent visit to Japan  has created in China concern that an investment relationship between India and Japan might lead to a full-blown “democratic” alliance in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. India, though keen to develop its commercial partnerships in East Asia, will remain committed to freedom o

Image credits- PMO, India During  Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s recent visit to India , he was asked to justify Australia’s signing of a deal to sell uranium to the country. In response, the  prime minister said , “India threatens no one” and “is the friend to many.” This was no mere diplomatic nicety, but a carefully chosen answer based on India’s international image. It is an image that is rare amongst great powers of India’s size and strength, and will give Delhi a unique soft power advantage in the future multipolar world. Much of the globe sees India as a relatively non-violent, tolerant and pluralistic democracy with a benign international influence. Its values are seen as largely positive. The U.S., with its Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, accorded India special treatment in nuclear cooperation. The deal provided benefits usually reserved for Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories. Washington justified cooperation with India by highlighting Delhi’s impeccable non-proliferat

Battle of Saragarh Britain’s Parliament interrupted proceedings and rose to give a standing ovation on September 12, 1897 to 21 valorous soldiers — all of them Indians, all of them Sikhs — for what was undoubtedly a tremendous act of collective bravery, and one of the greatest ‘last-stands’ in military history, the Battle of Saragarhi. The North-West Frontier of undivided India, now a part of Pakistan known as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is a harsh place. Embroiled even today in bloody conflict, it has been home to a multitude of battle-hardened tribes for centuries. In this tumultuous region, between the forts of Gulistan and Lockhart, which were built by one of India’s most proficient military commanders, Maharajah Ranjit Singh, is where Saragarhi is situated. As there was no visual contact between the two forts, Saragarhi was created as a heliographic communication post to signal between them. Afridi and Orakzai tribesmen had started to revolt against British annexation of the area in

Pakistani Army ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author) The words that define 'Pakistan' in the 21st century are Terrorist Attacks, Drone Strikes, Suicide Bombers, Nuclear Weapons, Natural Calamities, Political Instability, Military Rule, Radical Islam and an Economy on the verge of collapse. Currently the country's economy is failing dangerously to even meet its external payment obligations. External debt servicing of Pakistan rose to an alarming $7 billion in 2014 which is 80% of Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves. With no foreign inflows, no release of instalments from the IMF and no interest of foreign investors in the country has made the gravity of the situation even more alarming. The Nawaz Sharif civilian government that was elected 14 months ago has failed to defeat the terrorists or even stop their advance, get the economy back on track and also tame its own military. Islamic Radicalisation in the country has reached a completely new level where the

I can’t help but shake my head when people say, “You have to  work hard  if you want to be successful.”  Really? The most successful people I know are doing something that most others are not -- and it’s not putting in the longest hours at the office. These top performers know what their natural talents are and use them as much as possible in their daily work. They work smarter, not harder.  By tapping into your natural abilities, your work will have more flow and ease. Your chances of being a high performer and attracting opportunities to do work that excites you will skyrocket. Entrepreneurs, in particular, can maximize the success of their companies by being clear on their talents and using them while running their companies. The challenge -- and the opportunity -- is to unearth your talents and systematically apply them at work. This is harder than it might seem, though, because many people are unaware of their talents: Exercising certain skills comes as second nature to

Kadampuzha Devi Temple  is a  Hindu temple  and pilgrimage center at  Kadampuzha ,  Malappuram district ,  Kerala ,  India . The temple is dedicated to goddess  Durga , a  Devi . There is no idol in the temple. Karthikai  day in the month  Vrishchikam  (November–December), is considered a special day and is celebrated in a grand manner at the temple. The deity is considered more powerful on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Annadaana (food offering) is made daily at the temple. Plastic bags are not allowed inside the temple. The coconuts are to be "offered" by carrying them on a non-plastic bags. The temple, owned by Malabar Devaswom Board under the  Government of Kerala , is administered through a trust consisting of the  Hindu - Variar  family and non hereditary co-opted trustees. There is another temple, Madambiyar Kavu Temple, situated a short distance away from the Kadampuzha Devi Temple, which was originally constructed and maintained by the "Thek

B-2 Spirit (Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ United States Air force) A  bomber  is a  military aircraft  designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping  bombs  on them, firing  torpedoes  at them, or, more recently, by launching  cruise missiles  at them History: The first use of an air-dropped bomb (actually a hand grenade) was carried out by Italian Lieutenant  Giulio Gavotti [1]  during the  1911 Italo-Turkish war in Libya , although his plane was not designed for the task of bombing, and his improvised attack had little impact. The first heavier-than-air aircraft purposely designed for bombing were the  Italian   Caproni Ca 30  and  British   Bristol T.B.8 , both of 1913. [2]  The Bristol T.B.8 was an early  British  single  engined   biplane  built by the  Bristol Aeroplane Company . They were fitted with a prismatic  Bombsight  in the front  cockpit and a cylindrical bomb carrier in the lower forward fuselage capable of carrying twelve 10 lb (4.5 kg) b