General Awareness

DEFENCE - August 2019

Aug 2019

May 16, 2023

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Takes over as Deputy Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff on Monday.
He succeeded Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986.
The Air Marshal is a qualified flying instructor as well as an experimental test pilot, with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer and transport aircraft. Air Marshal Dixit commanded a Mirage 2000 squadron, a frontline fighter base in the Western sector, as well as a premier fighter training base.
He has earlier served as Principal Director Air Staff Requirement, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects) and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans) at Air headquarters.

Indian Army Launches Initiative 'Together for Peace in Manipur'

With the centre closely monitoring the situation in violence-hit Manipur, the army came up with a pitch for unity. The army, after consultations, started an initiative called "Together for Peace in Manipur".
The army jointly with the state government and other stakeholders will work to make people of all communities - especially those living in remote places away from Imphal valley - feel safe.
Over 128 army and Assam Rifles columns and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been engaged in area domination exercises to ensure early restoration of complete normalcy in Manipur.
The army has listed out a four-point plan to ensure peace in Manipur. This includes day and night area domination, surveillance over designated flashpoints, engagement with civil society organisations of all communities across Manipur and deployment of quadcopters, tracker dogs and UAVs.
The forces are also stressing on domination of the Indo-Myanmar border, which is being effectively undertaken to deter any misadventure from insurgent groups.

Lt Gen Devendra Sharma Appointed Chief of Staff, Western Command

Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma was appointed as the Chief of Staff, Western Command, Chandimandir. Prior to this, he was the General Officer Commanding, Vajra Corps, at Jalandhar.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), he had taken over the command of Vajra Corps in February 2022. He has held varied command and staff appointments and has served in counter insurgency environment along the Line of Control, Operation Parakram, Operation Vijay and Operation Rakshak.

May 15, 2023

MoD Approves 4th Positive Indigenisation List for DPSUs

Continuing the efforts to minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU), Defence Ministry approved the 4th Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 928 strategically-important Line Replacement Units (LRUs), sub-systems, spares and components, including high-end materials and spares, with import substitution value worth Rs. 715 crore. These will only be procured from the Indian Industry after the timelines indicated on the list.
This fourth list is in continuation to the previous three PILs, involving LRUs, sub-systems, assemblies, sub-assemblies, spares and components, which were published in December 2021, March 2022 and August 2022, respectively. These lists contain 2,500 items, which are already indigenised and 1,238 (351+107+780) items, which will be indigenised within the given timelines. Of the 1,238 items, 310 (1st PIL - 262, 2nd PIL - 11, 3rd PIL - 37) have been indigenised.

South Korea Air Force Begins Regular Large-scale Exercise

The South Korea Air Force kicked off a regular large-scale exercise to bolster its combat capabilities and ensure the country's defence posture.
The eight-day Soaring Eagle exercise began at an air base in Cheongju, 112 kilometres south of Seoul, amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea's firing of a purported solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last month. The exercise will conclude on May 20.
The exercise mobilises more than 160 personnel and nearly 60 warplanes, including F-35A stealth fighters, F-15Ks, KF-16s and KC-330 tanker transport aircraft.
It will take place under various scenarios, such as infiltrations by enemy special forces and aircraft as well as cruise missile launches, with participants set to stage attack formation drills focusing on striking core enemy assets and the origin of provocations, the armed service said.
Launched in 2008, the Air Force has conducted the Soaring Eagle once or twice a year.

Navies of India, Indonesia Begin 6-day Exercise

The navies of India and Indonesia began a six-day maritime exercise Samudra Shakti in sync with their overall efforts to expand bilateral military engagement.
The Indian Navy deployed its indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti, a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and a Chetak chopper for the Samudra Shakti exercise.
The Indonesian Navy is being represented at the exercise by warship KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235 maritime patrol aircraft and AS565 panther helicopter.
The six-day maritime exercise Samudra Shakti concludes on may 19, 2023.

Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood is New CBI Director

The high-powered selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of two years. He will take charge from Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, who completes his tenure on May 25.
Sood's appointment was announced in an order issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, a day after the Congress emerged the winner in the Karnataka Assembly elections.

May 14, 2023

Kerala 1st Indian State to Have Drone Surveillance in All Police Districts

Kerala became the first state in the country to have a drone surveillance system in all police districts in the state.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan distributed the drones to all police districts and the drone pilot licences to the specially trained drone pilots.
He also launched indigenously developed anti-drone software on the occasion.
Kerala police had sent 25 police personnel to the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, for specialised training, and another 20 were given basic drone operation training from the drone lab in Kerala.
Kerala is the first state to develop a drone forensic lab and an anti-drone system at the state level. The drone forensic lab can identify malicious drones and recover full data from them for detailed analysis.

May 13, 2023

CDS Awards Unit Citations to 3 Tri-service Units for Exemplary Performance

General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Defence Staff, conferred CDS Unit Citations award to the Strategic Forces Command, College of Defence Management, Secunderabad & 2 PARA (Special Forces) for their exemplary performance for the Year 2021-22 in a ceremony held in New Delhi.
The CDS unit citations award was constituted after the establishment of the Office of Chief of the Defence Staff in 2019 to boost jointness and integration in the Armed Forces.
It was decided to award the selected tri-service units/establishments which function directly under the Chiefs-of-Staff Committee biennially, as an incentive to excel as joint & integrated entities.

May 12, 2023

India and Thailand Conduct 35th Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol(CORPAT)

The Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy conducted the 35th edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT). The exercise was aimed at reinforcing maritime linkages between the two countries and ensuring the safety and security of the Indian Ocean.
The Indo-Thai CORPAT has been conducted bi-annually since 2005 along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) to enhance understanding and interoperability between the two navies. The exercise aims to prevent and suppress unlawful activities such as Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, piracy, and armed robbery. It also facilitates the exchange of information for the prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration, and for the conduct of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations at sea.
The Indo-Thai CORPAT is an essential step towards enhancing regional maritime security, in line with the Government of India's vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region).
The Indo-Thai CORPAT saw the participation of Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari, an indigenously built LST (L) and His Thai Majesty's Ship (HTMS) Saiburi, a Chao Phraya Class Frigate, along with Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies. The exercise involved coordinated patrolling along the IMBL in the Andaman Sea, with the focus on enhancing communication, interoperability, and sharing of best practices between the two navies.

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