Revision as of 20:35, 27 July 2014

INDIAN ARMED MUSCLE

Global firepower index: The Indian military vis-à-vis the militaries of the USA, Russia, China and the UK.Chart: The Times of India

The Times of India Jul 26 2014

Annual DefenceBudget 2.29 lakh cr

ARMY 38,600 officers 11.32 lakh other ranks

Indian Air Force 12,000 officers 1.3 lakh other ranks

NAVY 9,000 officers 52,000 other ranks

MILITARY MIGHT

149 warships, including two aircraft carriers, 14 submarines, eight destroyers and 15 frigates 34 Fighter Squadrons (16-18 jets each) of Sukhoi-30MKIs, Mirage-2000s, Jaguars, MiG29s, MiG-27s and MiG-21s Over 3,200 main-battle tanks 382 infantry battalions

THE NUCLEAR TIP

The Times of India Jul 26 2014

90-110 nuclear warheads Prithvi (350-km), Agni-I (700-km), Agni-II (2,500km) and Agni-III (3,000-km) missiles inducted into Strategic Forces Command No ICBM (inter-continental ballistic missile) or SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) yet The over 5,000-km Agni-V

ICBM tested two times successfully over last couple of years but will take at least three years more to become fully-operational The 750-km K-15 SLBM yet to be tested from India's first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant, slated to head for extensive “sea trials“ later this year. This will be a major plus

War widows

We have largest number of war widows, yet no war memorial

Indian army martyrs

The Times of India Jul 26 2014

India has an unusual -possibly unique -military history . There are few countries that have won in dependence through non-violence despite having a sterling martial past.

It has sent over a million soldiers to different parts of the world to fight wars. It is said no country has as many war widows -estimated at 25,000 -as in India. There may not be another nation-state that has lost more men fighting the enemy within than aggressors from across the borders.

UNPARALLELED HISTORY

Indian history is mostly a narrative of battles. But it was the empire that took Indian soldiers on a global odyssey . More than 1.1 million Indian soldiers took part in World War I ¬ in France, Egypt, Palestine and Mesopotamia, and East Africa. They spent gruelling months in the trenches of death. Their soldiering skills and gallantry became legendary . The story wasn't different in World War II, nor in other major wars of modern times.

After Independence the Indian military became a strategic player, helping the country's leadership build a unified, pluralistic democracy . They arrived in the nick of time to secure Srinagar, [and liberate areas annexed by Pakistan, then the fourth biggest nation in the world, from the then independent princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which had all of nine infantry battalions] liberated Goa and Hyderabad. They fought the hostile stand-offs with Pakistan in 1965, 1971 and 1999 brilliantly . In 1962 the Chinese war-machine won, but not before Indian soldiers scripted stories of raw courage and heroism. By late 1950s, they were in Nagaland tackling insurgency . It's a role they continue to play to this day. In these six decades the Indian military has lost more men fighting militancy than external hostilities.

At times, they've had to fight insurgents away from home, as in 1987-1990, in Sri Lanka. Not surprising, therefore, India is home to the world's largest population of war widows.

But the Indian military's role isn't limited to fighting. In every national disaster, they've been on the forefront -floods, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis.

The Indian military has always stood apolitical, a shining example of a force in the service of democracy .

Josy.Joseph@timesgroup.com

Memorials to Indian war heroes

Indian Salutes - `When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today'

The Times of India Jul 26 2014

`When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today'

This evocative epitaph is enshrined on the Kohima war memorial in Nagaland, built to commemorate soldiers of the empire who laid down their lives to repel Japanese assault in 1944 during World War-II

The majestic India Gate on Rajpath in New Delhi was built by the British to honour the 84,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Empire in World War-I and the Afghan campaign.

The Amar Jawan Jyoti was built under the India Gate arch in 1972 as a tribute to the almost 4,000 soldiers killed in the 1971 war..

In 2014 finance minister Arun Jaitley, who holds additional charge of Defence, earmarked Rs 100 crore for the longawaited national war memorial and museum in his Budget.