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

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States Navy Source- The National Interest Author- Geoff Wade In a quiet but undoubtedly significant event, Admiral Wu Shengli (吴胜利), commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and a member of the PRC’s Central Military Commission recently visited Malaysia with an entourage of 10 senior officials. During his visit, Admiral Wu secured agreement from the Malaysian Navy for the ships of the PLA Navy to use the port of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo as a "stopover location" to "strengthen defence ties between the two countries." What’s remarkable is the environment in which this agreement has been reached. China’s military vessels have been active in Malaysia’s territorial waters off Borneo from 2011. Since 2013, the number of Chinese naval and coast guard vessels patrolling and anchoring around Malaysia’s Luconia Shoals and James Shoal, both of which are within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, has inc

USS Lassen ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States Navy) Source- The National Interest Author- Michael Mazza President Obama will land in Manila this week at a crucial time in the Philippines’ quest for security in the South China Sea. Following on the heels of U.S. freedom of navigation operations in the Spratly islands, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that it had jurisdiction in a case brought by Manila against Beijing regarding the latter’s South China Sea claims and, a few days later, word leaked that the Philippine Supreme Court was set to uphold as constitutional the US-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The PCA case and the EDCA represent parallel tracks in Manila’s efforts to halt China’s creeping expansion in the South China Sea. Both tracks are likewise crucial to the United States’ own Asia strategy. The Supreme Court has unfortunately delayed issuing a ruling on the EDCA. If it ultimately rules in favor as expected,

Image credits- Indian Army We salute this brave son of this great nation, Colonel Santosh Mahadik SM for the ultimate sacrifice in service of this great nation. May his soul rest in peace, VANTE MATHRAM

Image credits- MEA Official images, Govt of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Harsh V. Pant Away from the glare of television cameras and his domestic critics, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom last week has managed to radically reshape the contours of the India-UK partnership. Where the media was keen to highlight the controversies surrounding Modi, he has managed to redefine the India-UK relationship for the new century. Though the two countries sealed £9 billion worth of commercial deals in the retail, logistics, energy, finance, IT, education, and health sectors, it was the perceptual change in this bilateral relationship that will have a lasting impact on its future trajectory, which was seemingly headed nowhere before this visit. Modi’s visit came at a time when there were widespread doubts in the UK regarding New Delhi’s seriousness about the bilateral at all, despite British Prime Minister David Cameron’s impressive outreach to

INS Kolkata ( Image credits- Indian navy) As Indian navy undertakes rapid modernisation and transformation, it is time to look at some of the ships and their capabilities which will play the leading role or the Indian navy for decades to come. Each week we feature a class of ships that is entering series with the Indian navy or are planned for the future. We begin with the Kolkata class destroyer which is comparable to the best in the world. A stealthy boat by design, Kolkata along with the upcoming Visakhapatinam class will play a vital role for the Indian navy for the next three decades.  The Kolkata class: The Kolkata class (Project 15A) are a class of stealth guided missile destroyers constructed for the Indian Navy. The class comprises three ships – Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai, all of which are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in India, and are the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy. Due to delays in their construction, and a problem found d

Iranian foreign minister with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ( Image credits- Narendra Modi Official) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Shebonti Ray Dadwal / IDSA As the P5+1 prepares to roll back the nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in accordance with the July 2015 accord, the question that springs to mind is whether this will bring about a revival of energy ties with India. More pertinently, once sanctions are rolled back, which way will Iran go? Will Tehran prefer to focus on the more lucrative European energy market, particularly market for natural gas, or will it focus on Asia? Undoubtedly, Iran will be looking at its oil to bring in the much-needed revenue to its cash-starved economy; however, it is Iran’s potential as a gas supplier that is likely to play a bigger role in realising its ambition of becoming a regional as well as geopolitical power, based to large extent on its energy reserves. Many European countries, including the European Commission, desperate to

Terrorist attack at Paris, November 2015 ( Image credits- VOA) Source- The National Interest Author- Zalmay Khalilzad The U.S. response to Islamic extremism has gone through two phases since the 9/11 attacks.  In the early years after the attacks, the Bush Administration treated Islamist terrorism as an existential threat and assumed that it was a symptom of the political and economic dysfunctionality of the greater Middle East.  Washington during this period not only strengthened homeland security and went after al-Qaeda and its affiliates, but also undermined and overthrew state sponsors of terrorism.  The Bush Administration calculated that the Middle East, like Europe and East Asia after World War II, could become a functional and normal region. Facing massive costs in Afghanistan and Iraq and increased sectarian conflicts in the region, the United States recalibrated. Under President Obama, America maintained robust policies on homeland security and counterterror

Image credits- Wikimapia / Author Source- The National Interest Author- Lyle J. Goldstein Now that the China Coast Guard is viewed as a major vector of Beijing’s maritime strategy, Washington think tank analysts are working late into the night trying to divine a way to counter China’s armada of imposing “white hulls.”  Powerful water cannon are the new “assassin’s mace” of “grey zone conflict,” so it seems. Giving aid to Vietnam’s maritime law enforcement or having Japan donate patrol cutters to the Philippines are among the ideas that have become fashionable over the past two year. Sowing the first island chain with U.S.-financed radars to enhance “maritime domain awareness,” and by turns embarrass China, forms another fashionable concept.  Of all these proposals, the most ludicrous is to send the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol the beat regularly in the South China Sea. Surely, this most venerable American service is plenty busy saving lives, maintaining good order on th

JF-17 Thunder ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Andres Ramirez) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and its and its partner, the Pakistan Aeronautical complex (PAC) Kamra, is once-again reiterating that it has signed a deal to sell the JF-17 Thunder to an unnamed customer at the Dubai airshow. Pakistan and China had previously made similar statements at the Paris airshow earlier in the year. China has geared the lightweight fighter—which is also known as the FC-1 Xiaolong—to aim for the low-end of the international fighter market. “After several years’ co-development and marketing, China and Pakistan have signed a contract with third party customer for the purchase of JF-17 Thunder,” reads a statement released by AVIC. “As China and Pakistan improve their ability and skills in co-developing JF-17 Thunder, the aircraft is becoming a ‘Blue Ocean product’ with much market potentials as an ideal repl

Image credits- VOA Source- The Diplomat Author- Xue Li After enjoying rapid development for nearly 40 years, China is at a turning point in terms of both economic growth and social development. In this series, Dr. Xue Li examines the five most critical challenges and potential pitfalls China faces today. See his previous pieces on Pitfall #1, Pitfall #2, Pitfall #3, and Pitfall #4 as well. China’s final potential pitfall is the foreign threat, which comes principally from the United States. Westernizing China remains the long-term goal of the United States, and the medium-term goal of dragging China into the current world order is also a westernization tactic. Over the short term, Americans are working hard to establish win-win cooperation with China. But if China should fall into difficulties, the U.S. will adjust its policy goals. If economic stagnation and mass social unrest should appear in China, the forces aiming to divide the mainland will grow stronger, an

INS Chakra SSN ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Indian navy) Source- Russia & India Report Author- Rakesh Krishna Simha Russia and India – either through design or happenstance – are set to engage the western navies in an interesting game of undersea hide and seek. Chasing nuclear submarines is how major navies earn their keep. The Russian and US fleets track each other’s subs on a 24/7 basis by listening to the acoustic signatures – a combination of noise emissions – that are unique to each type of submarine. For several decades the Americans held the advantage as they claimed to have quieter submarines. The Russians closed the gap by the mid-1980s and today their submarines have got the inside track on the US Navy. The net result is this undersea contest has become more intense now and the stakes are a lot higher too. Unlike surface ships and aircraft, submarines do not have markings or IFF (Identify Friend/Foe) codes that can out them. The only way