NSCN (IM) – AR standoff continues; onus of maintaining peace falls on civilians
April 30, 2019

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Assam Rifles at Sihai village local ground, Ukhrul district, on April 29. (Photo Courtesy: NSCN-IM)

Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 29



The situation on Monday remained tense in Sihai village, Ukhrul district (Manipur), as the standoff between the NSCN (IM) and 27 Assam Rifles (AR) continued. With the two parties sticking to their positions, the onus of maintaining peace in the region, as well as among the two sides, has fallen upon civilians of Ukhrul district.

“We will hold a peaceful procession on April 30 (Tuesday) from the nearby Kharasom village till Sihai to give the message of solidarity and peace to all civilians of Sihai and surrounding villages. We are with them,” said Veronica P Zingkhai, President of the Tankhul Shanao Long (TSL).


Women from seven villages of Ukhrul district will join the procession that will give an additional message. “We stand with both the parties, that is, the NSCN (IM) and 27 AR, hoping that they will refrain from any kind of armed conflict and work to re-establish the peace that we have witnessed here over the years,” said Zingkhai.


The peace procession has been necessitated as the Indian military presence grew on April 29. Witnesses reported two helicopters with more than 30 Para Commandos (Special Forces) of the Indian army landing at the Sihai village playground on Monday morning. By evening, at least two-three trucks full of AR personnel were also reported to have reached the spot (5-6km away from Sihai village), where they have surrounded an NSCN (IM) ‘undesignated camp’ with an unknown number of cadres inside.


“Some villagers have fled Sihai and gone to Ukhrul district headquarters,” informed Asha Wungnam, President of the Naga Women’s Union (NWU), who visited the area today in an attempt to mitigate the situation. “We have asked village elders to ask them to return but we cannot blame them.

Civilians remember the pre-1997 ceasefire violence and are obviously scared,” maintained Zingkhai, referring to the heightened militarization.


It was reported that two Sub Divisional Police Officers have been posted at Sihai village and the Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul district visited the spot on Monday. This could not be confirmed as the DC did not respond to The Morung Express’ phone call. The Superintendent of Police did not respond to messages from the newspaper either.

Up to ‘higher-ups’

On Monday, a civil society team consisted of the NWU, All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) and the United Naga Council (UNC) met the AR Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Brigadier Mohit Sethi, at a hilltop near the NSCN (IM) camp, from where the latter is personally monitoring the operation.


“We have requested both parties to avoid armed confrontation,” said Joseph Adani, President of the ANSAM. The UNC, NWU and ANSAM were told by the AR that the orders to vacate the camp have come from “higher ups” and it is up to them to settle the matter. The AR officials, however, did not specify who the “higher ups” in this case are.


“If that is the case, then why have they created such a situation on the ground? The peace talks are happening at the highest level and it should be resolved there in which case,” held S Kho John, President of the UNC. The NWU President also maintained that while the civil society is trying its best to get the two sides to avoid armed violence, it is not possible to settle the matter “on the spot” and they will approach NSCN (IM) “higher ups” too.


Meanwhile, “this has started impacting people in the other Naga districts in Manipur State – Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong,” noted Adani. A common question being asked to the leaders is, “are the Assam Rifles and Government of India not honouring the Indo-Naga peace talks?”
“We appeal to both parties to honour the Indo-Naga peace talks,” said the ANSAM President.


TSL President, Veronica Zingkhai, backed the appeal and reiterated that the peace procession on Tuesday will also be in “support of the Indo-Naga peace talks which should not be disturbed nor should civilians be victimized.”

NSCN (IM) – AR standoff continues; onus of maintaining peace falls on civilians The Morung Express



My personal take is that the additional deployment is to coerce the splinter factions of NSCN to participate in peace talks.
 
So pressure tactics did work :

NSCN-IM vacates unauthorised camps in Manipur
By MT News Desk
-
May 2, 2019
New Delhi, May 02 (IANS):

The NSCN-IM has vacated an “unauthorized camp” which it had set up in Ukhrul district of Manipur by committing a serious violation of ceasefire ground rules, Indian Army sources have said.
The setting of an unauthorized camp in violation of ground rules agreed upon is most unfortunate and almost betrays the hopes of Naga people for the final accord anytime soon, a source said on Wednesday.
In fact, the source said, in the spirit of maintaining the momentum in negotiations achieved after signing of the framework agreement, the security forces have been extremely careful not to escalate in spite of provocation from NSCN-IM and approached the chairman Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) though he has no mandate beyond Nagaland.
“Using the good offices of chairman CFMG and civil society organisations, it was ensured that the camp is vacated by NSCN-IM in conformity with the ceasefire ground rules.”
NSCN-IM had occupied a temporary camp in Sihai Village about 5 km from Khamasom near the India-Myanmar border in Ukhrul district of Manipur.
Setting up an unauthorized camp in gross violation of ceasefire ground rules and against the spirit of ongoing ceasefire agreement resulted in great inconvenience to the local residents residing in the adjacent areas, the official said.
The matter was addressed by the security forces at the appropriate level to ensure no further inconvenience is caused to the people.
Sources said that during the routine aerial recce on April 25, some suspected temporary hutment type structures were observed in the forest in “Sihai Khunou/Khamasom, Ukhrul”.
Troops were deployed to verify the existence of an unauthorized camp of NSCN-IM in the area.
The commander, they said, requested the villagers and the pastor to inform NSCN-IM cadres to vacate the camp immediately as it was unauthorized and “in gross violation of existing ceasefire ground rules”. The same day, General Secretary of United Naga Council gave a phone call to commander of Assam Rifles Sector and confirmed the presence of NSCN-IM camp.
The sources said the chairman of CFMG was briefed about the prevailing situation and existence of unauthorized camp on April 26 by Inspector General of Assam Rifles.
The next day at around 2.15 p.m., it was confirmed by the Chairman CFMG that instructions have been issued for immediate vacation of the NSCN-IM camp.
Accordingly, Assam Rifles asked the villagers whether the camp had been vacated or not.
The sources said that area has been reinforced by additional troops and the unauthorized camp is under constant surveillance by air and other means.
They said that aerial reconnaissance on April 27 morning revealed that the camp has not been vacated and the onus for inconvenience to villagers is entirely due to the irresponsible actions by the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) cadres.
Despite extreme restraint being shown by Assam Rifles troops, no action was taken by the NSCN-IM to vacate the unauthorized camp.
The government and NSCN-IM had arrived at a ceasefire agreement in 1997

https://meghalayatimes.info/nscn-im-vacates-unauthorised-camps-in-manipur/
 
India gets first crack special operations unit

India is boosting its firepower for more frequent surgical strikes like tactical operations and secret missions with setting up of the first-of-its kind special operations division

Abhishek Bhalla I New Delhi I May 15, 2019 I UPDATED: May 15, 2019 03:27 IST
1557886199856.png

The division will work under the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) responsible for synergising the functioning of the three forces and headed by a Lt General rank officer

India is boosting its firepower for more frequent surgical strikes like tactical operations and secret missions with setting up of the first-of-its-kind special operations division, comprising elite commandos from all three services -Army, Navy and the Air Force.

Sources told India Today TV that a Major General rank officer from Army's Special Forces, the Para Commandos, has been appointed to head this division which will soon start functioning.

"Recruitment for tri-service special operations division is underway and soon it will have a substantial number," said an official.

The Special Forces or the commando wings of each force work separately but the idea is to have a common pool that can train and carry out sensitive missions within and outside the country, while maintaining secrecy.

Carrying out operations across the borders, and specific anti-terror missions targeting terror infrastructure will be the focus of this tri-service special force.

"Sometimes, these kinds of operations require skills that need to be synergised from all three wings of the armed forces," sources said.

"A special division specifically meant for these high-value operations will be better prepared in executing these operations to get better results," said an official. It will also be able to launch missions at a short notice. The Para Commandos of the Army, marine commandos popularly known as Marcos of the Navy and Garud commandos of the Air Force will be part of this special operations division.

The division will work under the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) responsible for synergising the functioning of the three forces and headed by a Lt General rank officer. "The concept is that all three services can come together whenever required but for that, it's important that they train and live together. To begin with, the headquarters have to be raised comprising personnel from all three services. Once that's done, people can begin to be posted," said Lt Gen Satish Dua (Retd) who headed the IDS till last year when the planning was underway.

Sources said, "To begin with, it will have 150-200 personnel but the numbers will be gradually increased and the plan is to have a 2,000-strong commando tri-service division. The numbers from the Army will be more than the other two services."

It was the Naresh Chandra Committee, formed in 2012, that recommended the setting up of three special commands -Cyber, Space, and Special Operations to meet new challenges regarding national security.

India gets first crack special operations unit
 
Playing around with the various community-created clothing & equipment add-ons (aka Mods) for ARMA 3....thought I'll put together a rendition of the weapons & equipment carried by a Para (SF) commando as of today, using various items from various mods. Couldn't put together some stuff like knee-pads as they weren't available with the particular clothing, but otherwise I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out:

20190517203129_1.jpg


20190517203145_1.jpg


20190517203200_1.jpg


Typical stuff that you'd see on a Para SF operator nowadays.

  • Tavor TAR-21 rifle w/ ITL MARS reflex sight
  • Railed ACH helmet
  • BEL-made single-tube Night Vision System (analogue of AN/PVS-7)
  • Vest with MOLLE retention system
  • Both the standard Army uniform pattern (PC Disruptive) and MARPAT Woodland patterns are used heavily by Paras, though for this I chose a Syrian camouflague model that looked closest to the regular Indian Army pattern

Going forward, I also made a rendition of what Para SF commandos are likely to look like in the near future:

20190516232125_1.jpg


20190516134957_1.jpg


20190516232315_1.jpg


20190516232224_1.jpg


I've tried to incorporate some of the trends we are seeing increasingly nowadays, such as follows:

  • Increasing usage of Multicam pattern in many forces
  • Near-widespread adoption of Quarter-zip combat shirts in Para SF
  • Increasing usage of High-Cut helmets with a complete set of rails & velcro patches
  • High-set Plate Carrier vests

Some indicators from confirmed purchases that are in the pipeline, like the planned buy of SCAR rifles. I've also made a few assumptions:

  • Dual-tube Binocular Night Vision System like PVS-15 (could be part of the planned deal with US which also includes aforementioned SCAR rifles, though I'll be more than happy if what we're getting are the quad-tube GPNVG-18)
  • I've also assumed the MARS sights we use on Tavor would continue to see service on the SCARs as well, though it's also likely we'll switch to a new sight
@Maximus @randomradio @Milspec @Falcon @Gautam @GuardianRED
 
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Excellent work ! the present look is on point. The future is a bit more iffy. Still great work.(y)
Increasing usage of Multicam pattern in many forces
Agreed.
Near-widespread adoption of Quarter-zip combat shirts in Para SF
Widespread ? Really ? I thought it was a experimental/limited use thing.
Increasing usage of High-Cut helmets with a complete set of rails & velcro patches
Agreed.
High-set Plate Carrier vests
When did this happen ?

Also, integrated comms. headsets, integrated knee pads ? I've not seen a single operator using this. Have you ?
When are we getting those SCARs by the way ?
 
Widespread ? Really ? I thought it was a experimental/limited use thing.

It's more widespread now than you think. Make no mistake - it is still very ad-hoc in terms of usage, but that doesn't mean they are rare. Pretty common to see Paras with these shirts nowadays.

When did this happen ?

Been seeing new plate carriers since the last few months. Right now they are pretty limited, but I'm pretty sure they'll catch on.

D5ySWTVUYAAJEEs.jpg


Also, integrated comms. headsets, integrated knee pads ? I've not seen a single operator using this. Have you ?

So far, nope. But I'd bet that's the way they'll eventually turn out. Already seen Crye G3-type shirts with Paras, they have integrated pads (can't find the pic now, I'll try). It's pretty obvious they are taking notes from repeated joint exercises with US Tier-2 units. It'll take time, but it'll happen.

When are we getting those SCARs by the way ?

The deal did not receive DAC clearance yet, so can't say for sure when it'll happen, probably after new Govt forms. But it's confirmed to be in the pipeline.
 
Been seeing new plate carriers since the last few months. Right now they are pretty limited, but I'm pretty sure they'll catch on.
I've missed this one. Looks rather poorly built, I must say. Those AK mags are mis sized for the pouches, or rather the other way around. When you said "High-set plate carriers", I thought something along the lines of what the US uses. More tighter fitting, well designed pouches etc. Also the AK seems to have a light. That's unusual.
 
Armed Forces Special Forces Division: A good beginning to make but according higher status in future key for better efficiency

Syed Ata Hasnain I May 16, 2019 15:32:56 IST

Ideally, an officer with Special Forces (SF) credentials needs to write this. However, having served alongside all three SF units of the Indian Army which existed in the late 80s, in Operation Pawan (Sri Lanka) and having handled some of their tasking and deployment at operational and tactical level at different stages of one’s career I do perceive myself reasonably qualified to write this public information piece.

One was fortunate to also have had some excellent Marine Commandos (Marcos) functioning with the army in Kashmir. The context here is the report that the government has decided to set up an Armed Forces Special Forces Division (AFSFD) under the Headquarters (HQ) Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). With public interest at a high pitch on issues related to the Armed Forces and numerous queries about the new organisation, it is only correct that information of an unclassified nature is placed factually in the public domain with a ‘need to know’ analysis of the initiative undertaken.


Representational image. PTI

Maj Gen AK Dhingra, an SF officer himself has been asked to raise the new organisation by November 2019 and a suitable location for the same is under consideration. The General Officer is eminently suited to do the honours of raising this elite force having more than sufficient experience in SF operations at different levels and having tenanted the appointments of Commander of India’s only Parachute Brigade, and Military Attache at Washington (US). The latter appointment would have given the General Officer sufficient insight into the complexities of the Special Operations Command of the US Armed Forces (USSOCOM) from where this concept of command and control apparently has been drawn.

SF is military terminology for troops who conduct special operations. The NATO definition states that these are military activities conducted by specially designated, organised, trained and equipped forces using operational techniques and modes of employment not standard to conventional forces. These activities are conducted across the full range of military operations independently or in coordination with operations of conventional forces to achieve political, military, psychological and economic objectives. Our teaching always describes SF as a strategic organisation to be tasked to achieve strategic objectives. In plain words, what everyone else can do the SF must be kept away from. Only a task suitable to the expertise, equipment and advance leadership techniques possessed by SF must be allotted to them. The objective and target must invariably be worthy of being tackled by SF.

Two decades ago there were just four SF units in the Indian Army; one each allotted to four operational commands. The Marcos in their sub-units (prahars) and the Air Force Garuds were with their field organisations. These were considered insufficient considering the array of tasks identified for them in the field and at the central level. The emerging strategic threats also demanded centralised and integrated response. The increasing need for some central, concentrated resource for the government to employ without affecting operational capability of field forces led the Naresh Chandra (NC) Task Force on Security to examine the necessity of having an organisation akin to USSOCOM.

There a certain number of SF units of different US Armed Forces (Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force) are placed under a central organisation for joint tasking at the central strategic level. Besides that, the equipping, training, and transportation are all centrally executed without reference to the parent Service. I am unaware whether there is any permanent secondment of any of the component SF units in USSOCOM. The NC Task Force recommended a Special Forces Command for the Indian Armed Forces, along with the raising of two other Tri-Service organisations -- Cyber Command and Space Command. It all seemed to fit in perfectly to overcome the highly charged, transactional and ego-driven inter-service rivalry; one integrated Command each for the three Services, on the basis of their core expertise and domain; Cyber going to the navy, Space going to the Air Force and SF going to the Army; each under a Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) level officer.

Seven years later AFSFD, the first of these organisations, has emerged but with a watered down status. The AFSFD could have been allotted a status similar to Strategic Forces Command (SFC) which is responsible for all strategic nuclear assets and functions under a C-in-C. The Strategic Forces Command (now AFSFD) could cater to emerging threats beyond just conventional warfare include irregular warfare and terrorism, both essential components of hybrid war, subsets of which are always strategic in nature; as strategic as the nuclear threat. Perhaps the problem was of command and control.

An independent Special Forces Command recommended by the NC Task Force could not have reported to the Chief of the Integrated Staff to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) who is the head of the HQ IDS because both the heads would have the status of C-in-C. Ideally it, along with Cyber Command and Space Command, also with Cs-in-C in command, should have been placed directly under the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) if the government was prepared to create the post. Since that is not being done at the moment for various reasons it has probably been decided to reduce the status of these organisations such that they can be placed under the CISC. The command and control aspect will be debated for long; alternatively, the AFSFD, Defence Cyber Agency and Defence Space Agency could have been placed under the Chiefs of Staff Committee with the CISC designated as the functional head.

This is actually the likely arrangement with some interplay of words in the command and control instructions. Thus at the inception stage, it is only practical to give these organisations a status of agencies or divisions (not in the classic military sense of a formation) and vest their command in the CISC. However, I do suspect we have not seen the end of the issue related to the status of these organisations being reduced to agencies and divisions as against commands.​
Fleshing out information on the new organisation it is learnt that initially, 150-200 personnel will form the seed elements to work out the nuances before actualisation. The latter will lead to force strength of about 2,000 personnel which could be increased if required. One can reckon that 2-3 SF units in the rotation could be placed as integral elements along with a suitable number of Marcos and Garuds. Whether these elements will be integrated with the Army’s SF units or remain independent and provide sub-units to form mission-related task forces, is something Maj Gen Dhingra will have to work out. As to the location of the organisation it is always good to have the entire entity together.

An airfield in close vicinity with requisite infrastructure and very highly integrated communication support is absolutely essential. The troops should not have to move far and wide for training or for launch into operations. At the same time, it should not be far from Delhi either. Ambala, Meerut, Bareilly and Saharanpur do fit in as potential locations. However, the infrastructure for such an elite organisation must not wait a decade to emerge; it should be ready in the next two years.

Finally, what is AFSFD going to do that National Security Guard (NSG) will not do? Is it fair that AFSFD is headed by a two star officer and NSG by a three-star officer with no commensurate experience in handling special operations? Relevant questions which I am sure many SF veteran experts will give more adequate answers to. I leave the second and more contentious issue of rank aside but the issue related to the NSG is a more interesting one.

Do recall the controversy in early 2016 regarding the detailment of the NSG to Pathankot to cater to the terrorist threat as against an SF unit located not too far away. The NSG is a superb resource whose charter must remain specific to anti-hijacking and intervention operations, particularly in urban terrain. It must not take on offensive special missions which must remain the charter of AFSFD. Of course, as with any other new organisation flow of ideas must continue to evolve the AFSFD into a world class entity. Lastly, with AFSFD in place the role of the SF units under field armies would probably be re-designated to the operational-strategic environment as against the strategic; enough scope for debate there too.

Armed Forces Special Forces Division: A good beginning to make but according higher status in future key for better efficiency - Firstpost
 
I've missed this one. Looks rather poorly built, I must say. Those AK mags are mis sized for the pouches, or rather the other way around. When you said "High-set plate carriers", I thought something along the lines of what the US uses. More tighter fitting, well designed pouches etc. Also the AK seems to have a light. That's unusual.

Pouches are not part of the carrier though - you can always change them. That's the point of having MOLLE.

DafEfi6WkAAbrg7.jpg


The best plate carriers in the country's military though undoubtedly belong to MARCOS.

image.jpg


Paras have been attaching flashlights to AKs ever since the FAB kit made it into India.
 
Pouches are not part of the carrier though - you can always change them. That's the point of having MOLLE.
Agreed. Who makes them though ?
The best plate carriers in the country's military though undoubtedly belong to MARCOS.
No doubt. Look at the mag holding mechanism there. That's what I meant by tighter fitting pouches, elastic bands no flap cover. Same question again, who makes them ?
Paras have been attaching flashlights to AKs ever since the FAB kit made it into India.
Right, I didn't realise that was a FAB mod gun.
 
This is apparently from a special operation carried out long ago :
View attachment 6588View attachment 6589
View attachment 6590
Was this the Eid Mubarak writing on the wall attack? @Falcon

Playing around with the various community-created clothing & equipment add-ons (aka Mods) for ARMA 3....thought I'll put together a rendition of the weapons & equipment carried by a Para (SF) commando as of today, using various items from various mods. Couldn't put together some stuff like knee-pads as they weren't available with the particular clothing, but otherwise I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out:

View attachment 6608

View attachment 6609

View attachment 6610

Typical stuff that you'd see on a Para SF operator nowadays.

  • Tavor TAR-21 rifle w/ ITL MARS reflex sight
  • Railed ACH helmet
  • BEL-made single-tube Night Vision System (analogue of AN/PVS-7)
  • Vest with MOLLE retention system
  • Both the standard Army uniform pattern (PC Disruptive) and MARPAT Woodland patterns are used heavily by Paras, though for this I chose a Syrian camouflague model that looked closest to the regular Indian Army pattern

Going forward, I also made a rendition of what Para SF commandos are likely to look like in the near future:

View attachment 6611

View attachment 6612

View attachment 6613

View attachment 6614

I've tried to incorporate some of the trends we are seeing increasingly nowadays, such as follows:

  • Increasing usage of Multicam pattern in many forces
  • Near-widespread adoption of Quarter-zip combat shirts in Para SF
  • Increasing usage of High-Cut helmets with a complete set of rails & velcro patches
  • High-set Plate Carrier vests

Some indicators from confirmed purchases that are in the pipeline, like the planned buy of SCAR rifles. I've also made a few assumptions:

  • Dual-tube Binocular Night Vision System like PVS-15 (could be part of the planned deal with US which also includes aforementioned SCAR rifles, though I'll be more than happy if what we're getting are the quad-tube GPNVG-18)
  • I've also assumed the MARS sights we use on Tavor would continue to see service on the SCARs as well, though it's also likely we'll switch to a new sight
@Maximus @randomradio @Milspec @Falcon @Gautam @GuardianRED
Do you still play ARMA 3 ?
 
Playing around with the various community-created clothing & equipment add-ons (aka Mods) for ARMA 3....thought I'll put together a rendition of the weapons & equipment carried by a Para (SF) commando as of today, using various items from various mods. Couldn't put together some stuff like knee-pads as they weren't available with the particular clothing, but otherwise I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out:

View attachment 6608

View attachment 6609

View attachment 6610

Typical stuff that you'd see on a Para SF operator nowadays.

  • Tavor TAR-21 rifle w/ ITL MARS reflex sight
  • Railed ACH helmet
  • BEL-made single-tube Night Vision System (analogue of AN/PVS-7)
  • Vest with MOLLE retention system
  • Both the standard Army uniform pattern (PC Disruptive) and MARPAT Woodland patterns are used heavily by Paras, though for this I chose a Syrian camouflague model that looked closest to the regular Indian Army pattern

Going forward, I also made a rendition of what Para SF commandos are likely to look like in the near future:

View attachment 6611

View attachment 6612

View attachment 6613

View attachment 6614

I've tried to incorporate some of the trends we are seeing increasingly nowadays, such as follows:

  • Increasing usage of Multicam pattern in many forces
  • Near-widespread adoption of Quarter-zip combat shirts in Para SF
  • Increasing usage of High-Cut helmets with a complete set of rails & velcro patches
  • High-set Plate Carrier vests

Some indicators from confirmed purchases that are in the pipeline, like the planned buy of SCAR rifles. I've also made a few assumptions:

  • Dual-tube Binocular Night Vision System like PVS-15 (could be part of the planned deal with US which also includes aforementioned SCAR rifles, though I'll be more than happy if what we're getting are the quad-tube GPNVG-18)
  • I've also assumed the MARS sights we use on Tavor would continue to see service on the SCARs as well, though it's also likely we'll switch to a new sight
@Maximus @randomradio @Milspec @Falcon @Gautam @GuardianRED
Excellent take :)

Couple of Queries

1) The need of Velcro Patches ? - Why ? other than identification - since most SF Units will be operating within the Indian Sub continent - so there is no need to identify among themselves
2) The communication system - would be see local sets (Eg BEL SDRs) or imports
3) Whats your take on
Indian Army plans certain changes in its uniforms
Indian Army plans certain changes in its uniforms
 
Do you still play ARMA 3 ?

The game itself occasionally...mostly use the Virtual Arsenal tool to visualize such outfits & loadouts.

Excellent take :)

Couple of Queries

1) The need of Velcro Patches ? - Why ? other than identification - since most SF Units will be operating within the Indian Sub continent - so there is no need to identify among themselves

More than couple of reasons:

Identification - not necessarily unit identification alone but also flag patches (if we have the option, I'd reckon many troops would love to wear a flag patch).

Plus, there are certain models of tactical cameras, flashlights, IR strobes, NVG battery packs/Counter-Weights that make use of Velcro interface. Examples:

MOHOC_0726_300ppi.jpg

CORE_Survival_HEL-STAR_F2_Combat_Tactical_Helmet_Strobe_Beacon_Light_SOFIC_2016_David_Crane_DefenseReview..com_DR_3.jpg

products-BatteryPouch_Helmet.jpg


In short, Velcro on the helmet has myriad uses for the operator who learns to make proper use of it.

These Velcro-based attachments become all the more necessary if the particular model of comm headset you have uses the side rails for retention, occupying that spot.

2) The communication system - would be see local sets (Eg BEL SDRs) or imports

The radio itself (which can be stored on the vest somewhere) doesn't matter, more than likely it will be indigenous one. The point in question is the headset that allows for comfortable push-to-talk communication without having to reach for the radio brick handset every now and then, and also affords a level of protection against shrapnel, hearing loss (common problem for soldiers) etc.

i.e. this part -

001__90527.1551144062.jpg


The headset is connected via the cables to whatever radio system you have, the radio itself is typically carried in one of the pouches on the vest like this (right-most pouch) -

ThB01u2.jpg


Or on the back -

Jeff_Gurwitch_Top_Tactical_Gear_for_Deployment_DefenseReview.com_DR_Pic_H.jpg


3) Whats your take on
Indian Army plans certain changes in its uniforms
Indian Army plans certain changes in its uniforms

It's a welcome change in my opinion. Most important part would be if we remove the need to tuck in the shirts (a tradition we only carry forward as a hangover from old British Indian Army days).

The_Chief_of_Army_Staff%2C_General_Bikram_Singh_with_the_Central_Army_Commander_Anil_Chait%2C_on_his_arrival%2C_at_Gauchar%2C_for_a_day-long_visit_to_flood_affected_areas_in_Uttarakhand_on_June_28%2C_2013.jpg


Instead, I feel we ought to go in for the American approach of an untucked uniform, it would be far more comfortable for the wearer. The difference between the British & American styles is clearly visible here:

19222599_1116706618461928_2453128209153134668_o.jpg


That, and the next major improvement would be if we change the camouflage patterns we have. It is clear that IA requires theatre-specific colors on their camo patterns. The Multicam pattern and its numerous color variants, in my opinion, would be the perfect replacement for the current camouflage.

qvo10-3.jpg
 
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