DEFENCE

• Successful Test Firing of BrahMos by Indian Navy.
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff Addresses Bangladesh National Defence College on Security Challenges Post COVID -19 Pandemic.
• Webinar with Australia on Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership and Expo held.
• Passage Exercise (PASSEX) between Russian Federation Navy and Indian Navy in Eastern Indian Ocean Region.
• Chief of Army Staff proceeds on a visit to United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Webinar with Brazil on Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership and Expo held.
• Quantum Communication between two DRDO Laboratories.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, addresses ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus online.
• Chief of Staff, Japan Air Self Defense Force on Goodwill visit to India.

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Slovenia

• Hezbollah designated as a terrorist organisation.

Africa

• Somalia
• Somali National Army killed 51 al-Shabaab terrorists in Mudug region.

Afghanistan

• Security forces eliminated 65 Taliban terrorists and prevented an attack in Kandahar province.
• Afghan NDS arrested 8 members of Haqqani Network, said Afghan V-P.
• Security forces killed 18 Taliban terrorists in Kandahar province.
• Islamic State claimed rockets attack in Kabul.

Pakistan

• Police and CTD arrested a TTP terrorist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
• CTD arrested two terrorists of SMP from Sindh province.

Philippines

• Security forces killed BIFF terrorist in Mindanao province.

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Jammu and Kashmir

• NIA to investigate Nagrota terrorist attack case.

Left-Wing Extremism

• 12 Maoists surrendered in Andhra Pradesh.

Senior Maoist leader arrested from Kerala.

Khalistan-inspired Extremism

• Five Khalistan terrorists arrested from Delhi.
• NIA filed supplementary charge sheet in KLF narco-terror case.

Cyber, Information Warfare & Artificial Intelligence (Security Perspective)

• Australia and the US signed “first-ever” agreement to develop cyber training environment.
• UK’s NCSC issued steps for safer online Christmas shopping.

Defence

Successful Test Firing of BrahMos by Indian Navy.

BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile in Anti-Ship mode was successfully test fired on 01 December 2020 against a decommissioned Ship. BrahMos is the supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by DRDO and NPOM of Russia as a Brahmos Aerospace joint venture. The missile has established itself as a major force multiplier in modern-day complex battlefields with its impeccable anti-ship and land-attack capabilities with multi-role and multi-platform abilities and has been deployed in all the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces. The first launch of Brahmos took place in 2001 and till date numerous launches have taken place from various ships, Mobile Autonomous Launchers and Su-30 MKI aircraft, making it a versatile weapon.

Vice Chief of the Army Staff Addresses Bangladesh National Defence College on Security Challenges Post COVID -19 Pandemic.

The Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) addressed the participants of National Defence Course Bangladesh on “Security Challenges Post COVID – 19 Pandemic” via a virtual platform on 02 December 2020. The address covered the impact of Corona virus on the emerging world and focused on its impact on military, the security challenges and his views on ways and means to tackle them.

On the impact of the virus, the VCOAS said that “strategic security of most nations have been impacted due to reduction in funds for military capability and projects since vast sums of money have been diverted for urgent health requirements”. Commenting on the trend of “De-globalisation” the Vice Chief, remarked that “many countries fuelled by ultra-nationalism are experiencing accelerated process of de-globalisation leading to closing of borders for movement of goods, people, services and even ideas”. He noted that “while countries are struggling to rein in the virus, certain countries have seized the opportunity to extend their influence militarily, economically and politically which does not augur well for the world community”.

Commenting on future wars, the Vice Chief mentioned that “future wars may gravitate towards zero cost wars, wherein a very virulent pathogen may immobilise high-technology arsenal”. He also mentioned that “weaker militaries will continue to seek an asymmetric advantage in an unrestricted warfare milieu” while “social media will continue to be the vector of choice for the battle of narratives”.

On the impact of COVID-19 on military, the VCOAS spoke on its impact on force readiness, training, operational logistics and HR issues highlighting that “force sustainment is a challenge due to delays in delivery schedules owing to production halts and workforce disruptions”.

Towards suggesting recommendations for post COVID era, to the future senior military leadership attending the course, the VCOAS emphasised that the “militaries of the region must evolve a defence cooperation plan since they will become the first responders during such health disasters”. He also called for “technology-enabled solutions for integrated identification, control and management of such threats”.

Webinar with Australia and Brazil on Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership and Expo held.

A webinar between India and Australia was held 03 Dec and between India and Brazil was held on 08 Dec 2020. The theme of webinars was “Indian Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership: Webinar and Expo”. It was organized under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence through SIDM. This webinar is the part of the series of webinars which are being organized with friendly foreign countries in order to boost defence exports and achieve defence export target of $5 billion in the next five years.

High Commissioner of India to Australia, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia to India and Senior MoD officials from both sides participated in the webinar and spoke about bolstering the relationship between the defence production and manufacturing ecosystems of the two countries. Shri Sanjay Jaju, Additional Secretary (DP) stated that Australia-India defence relationship encompasses almost all major areas of military partnerships which indicate a greater degree of interoperability in defence and technological cooperation between two countries. The webinar was attended by more than 140 delegates and more than 100 virtual exhibition stalls from Indian companies and 12 virtual stalls were setup by Australian companies in the Expo.

In the webinar with Brazil which was the first being organized with a South American country. High Commissioners of the countries, Secretary SEPROD Brazil and senior MoD officials from both sides participated in the webinar and spoke about multifaceted relationship and strategic partnership between two countries. Shri Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary DIP / (P&C), Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India stated that broad-based bilateral defence cooperation is important in enhancing the strategic partnership. Further, he mentioned that partnership between industries of both the countries through Joint Ventures, Co-Development and Collaboration in sharing advanced technologies will be a win-win situation for both the nations to achieve their objective of self-reliance in Defence. The New Year 2021 appears promising for India – Brazil defence cooperation as many MoUs and JVs are likely to show results. The webinar was attended by more than 150 delegates and more than 100 virtual exhibition stalls from Indian companies were setup in the Expo.

Passage Exercise (PASSEX) between Russian Federation Navy and Indian Navy in Eastern Indian Ocean Region.

The Indian Navy (IN) undertook a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from 4 to 5 December 2020. The exercise involved participation of RuFN guided missile cruiser Varyag, large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev and medium ocean tanker Pechenga. IN was represented by the frigate Shivalik and anti-submarine corvette Kadmatt alongwith integral helicopters. The two navies have built a robust relationship through regular exercises such as INDRA Navy conducted biennially, with the last edition held in the Northern Indian Ocean Region from 4 to 5 September 2020.
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Chief of Army Staff proceeds on a visit to United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

General MM Naravane, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) proceeded on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 09 to 14 December 2020. During the visit, he would be meeting his counterparts and senior military leadership of these countries. The visit is historic in the sense that it will be the first time an Indian Army Chief is visiting the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The Army Chief is visiting the UAE from 09 to 10 December 2020. He is scheduled call on senior military officials where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-UAE defence relations.

The Army Chief will then travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the second leg of his tour from 13 to 14 December 2020. He will take forward the excellent defence cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India through multiple meetings with senior functionaries of security establishment and exchange views on various defence related issues. The Army Chief will visit the Headquarters of Royal Saudi Land Force, the Joint Force Command Headquarters and King Abdul Aziz Military Academy. The COAS is also scheduled to visit the National Defence University and address the students and faculty at the institution.

Quantum Communication between two DRDO Laboratories.

Secure communications are vital for defence and strategic agencies world over and distribution of encryption keys from time to time is an important requirement in this context. Sharing of keys over the air or wired links requires encryption, which in turn requires encryption keys to be pre-shared. Quantum based communication offers a robust solution to sharing the keys securely. Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) undertook the project for development of this technology. A milestone of this project was achieved today when DRDO developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology underwent trials in Hyderabad between two DRDO labs, DRDL and RCI, to show secure communication.

The technology is developed by CAIR, Bengaluru and DYSL-QT, Mumbai. Quantum Communication using time-bin Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) scheme was performed under realistic conditions.
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RakshaMantri Shri Rajnath Singh, addresses ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus online.

Rakshamantri attended the 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus organized online at Hanoi, Vietnam on 10 December 2020 that marked the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus. Rakshamantri was extended the privilege to address the celebratory session as a special gesture reflecting India’s recognition by the forum. He complimented the achievements of the seven Expert Working Groups in sharing best practices in key domains including Maritime Security, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Counter-terrorism and Peace Keeping Operations.

In the thematic discussions during the ADMM plus meeting on the Regional and International Security Environment, he emphasized that Indo-Pacific region in particular confronts numerous traditional and non-traditional security threats. The RM recalled the launch of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) by the Prime Minister in last year’s East Asia Summit and stated that IPOI is an open global initiative which draws on existing regional cooperation architecture and mechanism. He noted the commonality between India’s IPOI and ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific, both being opportunities for cooperation. In his speech addressing the Defence Ministers of ASEAN member countries, USA, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, RM emphasized India’s call for a open and inclusive order in Indo-Pacific based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, peaceful resolutions of disputes through dialogue and adherence to International rules and laws. He also reiterated India’s support to freedom of navigation and over-flight for all in International waters in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Shri Rajnath Singh underlined the importance of mutual trust and confidence based on restraint in activities and actions that may further complicate the situation in the region.
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Chief of Staff, Japan Air Self Defense Force on Goodwill visit to India.

General IzutsuShunji, Chief of Staff, Japan Air Self Defense Force (CoS-JASDF) arrived in India on 09 December 2020 on a formal invitation from Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Indian Air Force. Besides being hosted at Air Headquarters by the CAS, CoS-JASDF called on Raksha Mantri and held meetings with Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff and Vice Chief of the Army Staff.In subsequent discussions, CAS and CoS-JASDF recognised the progress made in defence ties between India and Japan and discussed avenues to further enhance cooperation and interoperability between the two Air Forces. They also discussed scope for enhancement of joint exercises and training between the two Air Forces. A broader cooperation for strengthening collective response to HADR contingencies was also discussed. The press release further stated “Overcoming the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19, the visit reaffirms the deep rooted commitment to maintain and strengthen the relationship between the Air Forces.”

International Terrorism

Slovenia

Hezbollah designated as a terrorist organisation

In a press released on 04 December, the United States’ Department of State welcomed Slovenia for designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. According to the press release, the Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) considers Hezbollah’s political and military wings a “criminal and terrorist organisation posing a global threat to peace and security”. In the last two years, the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands have decided to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. In April 2020, Germany made the designation.
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Africa

Somalia

Somali National Army killed 51 al-Shabaab terrorists in Mudug region.

On 01 December, the Somali National Army (SNA) eliminated 51 al-Shabaab terrorists in a gun-battle, who were planning an attack on the military base in the southern town of Baladweyne in Mudug region of Somalia. In the operation, six al-Shabaab terrorists were also arrested, said Minister for Information—Osman Dubbe.
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Afghanistan

Security forces eliminated 65 Taliban terrorists and prevented an attack in Kandahar province

On 13 December, Afghan security forces prevented a terrorist attack conspiracy and killed at least 65 Taliban terrorists in different counter terrorism (CT) operations in Zheria, Arghandab, Panjwae, and Shahwali Kot districts of Kandahar province. The terrorists were carrying out an attack on the Afghanistan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) positions in the districts.
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Afghan NDS arrested 8 members of Haqqani Network, said Afghan V-P.

In a meeting held on 05 December, the Afghanistan’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh has informed that the National Directorate of Security (NDS) has arrested eight members of the Haqqani Network (HQN), including its leader—Matiullah, from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.
In another incident, at least 28 Taliban terrorists were killed, and eight others were injured in a gun-battle with Afghan security forces in Kandahar province. During the operation, 27 bombs road-side bombs planted by Taliban terrorists were discovered and defused.
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Security forces killed 18 Taliban terrorists in Kandahar province.

In a counter terrorism (CT) operation carried out on 05 December, Afghan security forces killed at least 18 Taliban terrorists in Dand, Jelai, and Maroud districts in Southern Kandahar province. Along with, anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines have been discovered and defused, read the statement released by the Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence.
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Islamic State claimed rockets attack in Kabul.

On 12 December, Islamic State (IS) carried out rockets attack from the Labe Jar neighbourhood in Kabul, targeting Kabul airport and residential areas. In the attack, one civilian was killed, and two others were injured. According to the reporting by the SITE, IS issued a statement claiming the terrorist attack, targeting the military section of Kabul airport.
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Pakistan

Police and CTD arrested a TTP terrorist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In a joint operation, on 02 December, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested a Terik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist—Zakiraka Yasir, from Charsadda district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. During preliminary interrogation, Zakir confessed to be involved in 21 terrorist operations, including suicide attacks on Frontier Constabulary Fort in Shabqadar, Judicial Complex in Tangi, suicide attacks in Ghallanai in Mohmand.
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CTD arrested two SMP terrorists from Sindh province.

On 08 December, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested two Sipah-e-Muhammad (SMP)’s Agha Hassan Group’s terrorists—Qarar Hussain and Kamran Haider, during a raid conducted near Bagh-e-Korangi in Korangi area of Karachi in Sindh province. The duo was involved in the killing of workers from Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and MuhajirQaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H).
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Philippines

Security forces killed BIFF terrorist in Maguindanao province.

On 01 December, Philippines security forces carried out a raid and eliminated Abraham Abad Abdulrahman aka Abu Suffian—a Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) terrorist at his home in Southern Catabato city in Maguindanao province. Abraham was involved in 2018 bombing at a shopping mall in Cotabato city. Security forces recovered a .45 calibre pistol, a hand grenade, and explosive-making material from the raid. The BIFF is a split group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and later pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) in 2015.
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Domestic Terrorism

Jammu and Kashmir

NIA to investigate Nagrota terrorist attack case.

The Government of India (GoI) has handed over the investigation of Nagrota terrorist attack case to India’s federal investigation agency—National Investigation Agency (NIA). As the case has cross-border implications where Pakistan is prima-facie evident, NIA would better agency to lead further investigations. On 19 November 2020, four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists allegedly entered India from Pakistan using a tunnel at Jammu border and were on their way to Kashmir before security forces intercepted their truck. While searching, terrorists opened fire on security force personnel and after three-hour gun-battle, all four terrorists were eliminated, while two security force personnel were injured. Click here to read...

Left-Wing Extremism

12 Maoists surrendered in Andhra Pradesh.

On 05 December, 12 Maoists surrendered before the Andhra Pradesh police in Chintapalle area of Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh. “The surrendered Maoists were disturbed with the ideology of Maoists, such as branding [innocent] people as police informers and killing them on the basis of mere speculations. Surrender of Maoists is an indication of diminishing ideology of Maoists in Chintapalle Subdivision”, said Chintapalle Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)—VidhyaSagar Naidu.
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Senior Maoist leader arrested from Kerala.

On 08 December, Kerala police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials arrested RajanChittilapilli—a senior Maoist leader, from a hospital at Koorkenchery in Thrissur district in Kerala. Rajan—a senior leader of the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee of the CPI (Maoist), was undergoing a treatment at the hospital. Arrest of the senior leader of the proscribed group would be a setback for the Maoists operations.
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Khalistan-inspired Extremism

Five Khalistan terrorists arrested from Delhi.

On 07 December, Delhi Police’s Special Cell officials arrested five Khalistan terrorists after the exchange of fire from Delhi’s Shakarpur area. Police have also recovered weapons and incriminating materials from their possession. Out of five, two terrorists—Gurjeet Singh and Sukhdeep Singh belong to Punjab, whereas terrorists—Shabbir Ahmed, Ayub Pathan, and Riyaz Rather are from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Although, the name of the group was not revealed but Delhi Police officials, on the basis of anonymity, informed that the group was involved in narco-terrorism with support from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
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NIA filed supplementary charge sheet in KLF narco-terror case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on 04 December, has filed a supplementary charge-sheet against Dharminder Singh (32 years-old), for his involvement in furthering illegal activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation—Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), through selling narcotic substances smuggled from Pakistan, said the NIA official on the basis of anonymity.

The supplementary charge-sheet was filed before the NIA Special Court in Mohali (Chandigarh) under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the accused.
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Cyber, Information Warfare & Artificial Intelligence (Security Perspective)

Australia and the US signed “first-ever” agreement to develop cyber training environment.

With a vision of the United States’ (US) Department of Defense (DoD) to sharpen lethality and strengthen the partnerships in cyberspace, the US and Australia has signed a “first-ever” agreement—“Cyber Training Capabilities Project,” to continuously develop a virtual cyber training range in collaboration. The bilateral agreement would enable the US Cyber Command to incorporate Australian Defence Force (ADF)’s feedback into the USCYBERCOM’s stimulated training domain—the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE). The PCTE is a cyber training platform for real-world defensive missions across borders and virtual networks; its shared use and development will constantly evolve it and sharpen readiness in cyber tactics, techniques, and procedures.
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UK’s NCSC issued steps for safer online Christmas shopping.

As Christmas festival approaching, the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has launched an advertising campaign—Cyber Aware, supported by cyber companies including Microsoft. The Cyber Aware outlines six steps to protect accounts and devices from the various forms on online crimes. According to the statistics from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), during Christmas shopping period (01 November-31 January) in 2019, total 17,405 incidents of online shopping fraud were reported resulting in total losses of GBP 13.5 million—an average of GBP 775/incident.

Cyber Aware campaign provided following measures for safe online shopping: i) Use of strong and separate passwords for e-mails, ii) Creation of strong passwords using three random words, iii) save passwords in browsers, iv) Turn-on two factor authentication feature [when available], v) Update devices and applications, and vi) [secure] back-up of the data.
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