In a significant development in the indigenous shipbuilding, Ministry of Defence has issued four shipbuilding Requests for Proposal (RFP) amounting to Rs. 15,000 crore for the acquisition of various ships and craft for the Navy and the Coast Guard. While the RFP for 06 nos Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) has been issued to seven shipyards, RFPs for 08 nos Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) and 12 nos Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) and 08 nos Missile-cum-Ammunition Barges have been issued to shortlisted Indian shipyards. The RFP for ACVs also includes the initial requirement for 06 nos ACVs of the Indian Army. In addition to the above, a few more RFPs for more shipbuilding projects are likely to be issued in the next few months.
In order to make the process of qualifying the shipyards for the issue of RFPs for shipbuilding projects of various ships and craft of the Navy and the Coast Guard more objective and to encourage participation by a larger number of Indian shipyards, an exercise was undertaken by the Ministry along with Indian Navy and Coast Guard. This led to rationalisation of guidelines for capacity assessment of shipyards that have been promulgated recently. Rationalisation and promulgation of financial selection criteria have paved the way for issue of RFPs for a large number of shipbuilding projects that have been pending. Further, in a significant move to encourage smaller shipyards, participation in the projects with the anticipated annual outflow of less than Rs. 75 crore has been restricted to smaller shipyards having an average annual turnover less than Rs. 500 crore. For more information: Click here to read... [2]
Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Major General Abdulla Shamaal is on a three-day visit to India, was given ceremonial welcome with Tri-Services Guard of Honour on the foreground of South Block in New Delhi.
Later he called on Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval and met Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and other Service Chiefs. This is Major General Shamaal’s first visit to India after he assumed office as CDF in December 2018. Earlier, Major General Shamaal visited National War Memorial to pay floral tributes to martyrs. For more information: Click here to read... [2]
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of the Air Staff is embarking on a bilateral goodwill visit to Russia from 09 to 12 July 2019.
The CAS is scheduled to visit various operational and training units as well as fly a sortie in the Russian Trainer aircraft YAK-130. He will interact with senior functionaries of the Russian armed forces amongst others.For more information: Click here to read... [2]
Finance Minister in the budget speech (2018-19) had announced setting up of two Defence Industrial Corridors in the country. In pursuance to this, it was decided to set up two Defence Industrial Corridors in the country, one in Uttar Pradesh and other in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, six nodes have been identified for Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor viz. Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur and Lucknow. Consultation meetings of stakeholders were organized across various nodes of Uttar Pradesh.
During the Aligarh meet held on 11thAugust, 2018, investments of over Rs. 3700 crore were announced for Uttar Pradesh Corridor by DPSUs/OFB and Private industries. For more information: Click here to read... [2]
On 09 July, a dead body was recovered from the Burzil Nala close to Line of Control near Acchura village. The Indian Army established the identity of the young boy through civil administration as a seven year old Abid Ahmad Sheikh resident of Minimarg across the Line of Control in Gilgit region.
As per the reports on social media, Abid was missing since 08 Jul 19 and is likely to have slipped into Burzil Nala. In a humanitarian gesture Indian Army established contact with Pakistan Army on hot line and also convinced the civil administration to delay the last rites. The local religious head and village elders were taken into confidence to support the noble gesture of handing over the dead body to the family of the deceased boy at the earliest. The locals offered prayers for the deceased at the Dawar Mosque. For more information: Click here to read... [2]
This year marks the 20thanniversary of the successful culmination of Operation Vijay wherein the Indian Army overcame seemingly insurmountable odds, hostile terrain, weather, and a determined enemy occupying dominating heights, to win the Kargil war. The Indian Army is celebrating this victory in memory of its brave martyrs with events covering a myriad spectrum.
One of the major events planned during the celebrations is the relay of a Victory Flame from the National War Memorial (NMW) in New Delhi to Kargil War Memorial at Dras. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh handed over the Flame to ace army shooter Subedar Jitu Rai who represented India as the first torch bearer, at theNMW. Before that, Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat ignited the mashal from the eternal flame of the NMW. For more information: Click here to read... [2]
Around 10 people were publicly executed by al-Qa’ida affiliated jihadi group— Al-Shabaab in Southern Somalia. On 03 July, five of them were publicly executed with intentions to intimidate locals. The victims were suspected of spying for Kenyan, Somali, and US Intelligence. For more information: Click here to read... [3]
On 3 July, Islamic State (IS) terrorists attacked a Lidjungo village in Nangade district in Northern Mozambique, killing seven people, including two children, and a policeman. On 5 July, IS issued a statement claiming responsibility of the attack. The identity and motive of terrorists were not yet known, and it is unlikely that IS has direct links with fighters in Mozambique. For more information: Click here to read... [4]
According to a report, post-Balakot strike by India, terrorists of the Pakistan-based terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been shifted to Afghanistan, mainly in Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kandahar provinces. In February 2019, the Indian Air Force had targeted JeM’s terror training camps located in Balakot, Pakistan. Both groups, JeM, and LeT are aligned with the Afghan Taliban, and Haqqani Network for training purposes. For more information: Click here to read... [5]
According to a statement issued by Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), security forces arrested three terrorists including a professor— Mubashir Muslimyar, from Kabul University for alleged links with Islamic State (IS). Reportedly, Mubashir enticed students to join the IS. For more information: Click here to read... [6]
On 04 July, Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced that it had initiated 23 cases against 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Cases were also registered against Saeed’s 12 associates for using five trusts or charities, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) to fund for LeT activities. All the assets of the organisations and individuals will be frozen and taken over by the nation, read the statement released by the CTD. For more information: Click here to read... [7]
On July 05, security forces, after receiving specific intelligence, conducted a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in Batpore-Narwani area of Imam Sahib in Shopian. , From the hideout, a terrorist opened fire on the security forces. During the exchange of fire, security forces killed one Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terrorist—Sameer Seh, and recovered arms and ammunitions from the site. For more information: Click here to read... [8]
On July 10, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached the property of Asiya Andrabi, chief of women’s separatist organisation—Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), located in Soura, on the outskirts of Srinagar. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had attached the residence belonging to the family of another separatist—Shabir Ahmed Shah in a case relating to terror funding and money laundering. Asiya is in jail after her arrest by the NIA in 2018 and her husband—Ashiq Hussain Faktoo is serving life imprisonment.
For more information: Click here to read... [9]
In a video statement, al-Qa’ida’s chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged terrorists to wage ‘unrelenting’ attacks on Indian security forces and government establishments to bleed the Indian economy and make India suffer losses in manpower and equipment. Referring to Pakistan Army, al-Zawahiri said that it could not be trusted in the matter of Kashmir’s freedom. Pakistan military has a history of failures, defeats, corruption, and treachery and they [Pakistan army] cannot be trusted to free Kashmir, said al-Zawahiri in the video.
For more information: Click here to read... [10]
On July 09, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) that due to synergised and focused efforts of the security forces, security situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has seen improvement over the corresponding period of 2018. Post-Balakot strike conducted by the Indian Air Force in February 2019, the net infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan has reduced by 43 percent. The Government of India, along with State government has adopted multi-pronged approach to contain cross-border infiltration, including multi-tiered deployment along the International Border (IB)/Line of Control (LoC), border fencing, improved intelligence and operation coordination, equipping the security forces. For more information: Click here to read... [11]
On July 11, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested three Over-Ground Workers (OGWs) of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Anantnag district. During interrogation the OGWs confessed that they had provided logistic support to one of the JeM terrorist who carried out a terrorist attack on 12 June, 2019 in which the patrol team of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) was attacked at K P Road in Anantnag district, killing five CRPF personnel and causing injuries to three others.
In another incident, security forces arrested Tawheed Ahmad Lone—also an OGW of JeM group in Sopore area in Baramulla district. Police seized a pistol and five rounds of ammunition from his possession. For more information: Click here to read... [12]
On July 06, in a gun-battle, security forces killed four Maoists (including three women) between of Khallari and Mechka villages in Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh. A team of Special Task Force (STF) carried out anti-Naxal operation in the jungle. For more information: Click here to read... [13]
In a gun-battle with the security forces, on July 12, a Maoist identified as Hurra, was killed at Misse Dabba forest area in Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh. According to police officials, Hurra was member of Katekalyan Area Committee of Maoists, and was involved in the killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi. For more information: Click here to read... [14]
The Ministry of Home Affairs, on July 10, declared United States-based pro-Khalistan group—Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) an ‘unlawful association’ under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A]. All major Sikh institutions were consulted before imposing the five-year ban on SFJ. The Sikh institutions supported the ban which is based on the inputs forwarded by the Government of Punjab to impose the ban. For more information: Click here to read... [15]
Post-ban imposed by the Indian government on pro-Khalistan US-based separatist group— Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), its legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannu contacted Chinese authorities and falsely claimed of ‘suppression’ of people not only in Punjab, but also in Jammu and Kashmir, and North Eastern States of India. According to a news report, SFJ has started a new anti-India propaganda on social-media to activate Khalistan issue. Intelligence agencies reportedly claimed that SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun wrote a letter to Yao Jing—Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, informing them about the alleged role that Indian intelligence agency in the attack on Consulate of China in Karachi, Pakistan on 23 November 2018. For more information: Click here to read... [16]
According to intelligence inputs quoted in news report, Pakistan is using pro-Khalistan terrorists for drug trafficking via carpet exports business, and raise funds to fuel terrorism in Punjab. Reportedly, Pakistan uses Sri Lanka and the Maldives to smuggle drugs into India. On 21 May, 2019, the Indian Coast Guard arrested six crew members of Karachi registered fishing boat— Al-Madina, and seized 194 packets of heroin weighing 218 kg, off Jakhau in Kutch district of Gujarat. For more information: Click here to read... [17]
The Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy informed Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) on July 02, that a total of 160 operatives and sympathisers of the Islamic State (IS) had been arrested across India. He added that intelligence inputs on terror threats are regularly shared with the state governments and agencies concerned with the advice to take appropriate steps and sensitise their field formations to prevent any untoward incident. For more information: Click here to read... [18]
The Communications Authority of Kenya has revealed that in the first three months of 2019, Kenyan organisations, mainly in the financial sector, had faced about 11.2 million cyber-attacks, which marked a 10.1 per cent increase as compared to the same period of 2018. Kenya’s Cyber Response Centre detected rise in counts of malware, web applications attacks, system misconfiguration, and online abuse as some of the cyber threats. To assist the affected organisations, the regulatory body has sent 14,078 cyber-threat advisories to the organisations. According to the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report 2018, Kenya has 1,700 cyber security professionals, with 60 per cent of organisations facing manpower shortage. For more information: Click here to read... [19]
During May-June, 2019, around 155 cyber-crime cases were registered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. “Cyber-crime cases such as cyber-fraud must be taken seriously and most police stations in Maharashtra do not register FIRs (First Information Report) in cyber-crimes because it requires expertise and skills to solve the case”, said a Senior IPS (Indian Police Service) officer on the basis of anonymity. For more information: Click here to read... [20]
Links:
[1] https://www.vifindia.org/vifdigest/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2019/july/24
[2] http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=33
[3] https://www.aninews.in/news/world/others/al-shabaab-publicly-executes-10-in-somalia20190708121020/
[4] https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/seven-killed-in-mozambique-jihadist-attack-claimed-by-is-sources-119070600473_1.html
[5] https://www.newsnation.in/world-news/after-balakot-airstrike-pakistani-terrorists-being-trained-in-afghanistan-kabul-kandahar-article-229965.html
[6] https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/afghanistan-university-professor-held-for-links-with-isis-119070800062_1.html
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/04/pakistan-announces-crackdown-on-militant-leader-hafiz-saeed
[8] https://scroll.in/latest/929543/jammu-and-kashmir-suspected-hizbul-mujahideen-militant-killed-in-shopian-encounter
[9] https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-asiya-andrabis-residence-attached-by-nia-officials-5824372/
[10] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/10/al-qaeda-chief-calls-unrelenting-kashmir-jihad-against-india/
[11] https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-infiltration-drops-by-43-after-balakot-strike-government-2770354
[12] https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/4-jem-ogws-arrested/
[13] https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/security-forces-kill-four-maoists-in-encounter-in-chhattisgarh/story-Ti8KpDLjB5a9kGbzUWnaiL.html
[14] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/maoist-wanted-in-killings-of-bjp-lawmaker-4-cops-killed-in-chhattisgarh-2068491
[15] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/centre-bans-pro-khalistan-sfj-under-anti-terror-law/articleshow/70166187.cms
[16] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/sfjs-pannun-approached-chinese-on-punjab-kashmir-ne-intel-agencies/articleshow/70193902.cms
[17] https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=605555
[18] https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/160-islamic-state-members-sympathisers-arrested-across-india-govt-tells-ls/447159
[19] https://www.nation.co.ke/business/Kenya-cyber-attacks-rise-to-11-2m/996-5182266-el3o65/index.html
[20] https://www.mid-day.com/articles/cyber-crime-in-mumbai-cases-go-from-25-to-155-in-two-months/21323184
[21] http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?title= VIF News Digest: National Security, Defence Studies and Terrorism,1-15 July, 2019&desc=&images=&u=https://www.vifindia.org/vifdigest/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2019/july/24
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