MiG-21 crashes in Punjab

MiG-21 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Rajpura in Punjab on Tuesday morning. However, it was a miraculous escape for the pilot, Flight Lt Arnav Ghosh, who ejected safely. No civilian causality was reported as it crashed in the open fields.

Incident took place on Tuesday when the ill-fated aircraft MiG-21 type 96 of the IAF taken off from Ambala based air base on a routine training sortie. At around 11 am it crashed in the fields of Rajpura near Ambala. The pilot immediately ejected safely and he did not receive serious injury. Though, he was taken to the hospital for first aid. Army and air force personnel from Ambala airbase and cantonment cordon off the entire crash area and to gather the remains of the aircraft.

The single-engined-MiG-21s have a horrifying track record. Of the 793 MiG-21s inducted into IAF since 1963, over 340 have been lost in accidents.

Known as 'Flying Coffin' or 'Widow Makers', it is third MiG type aircraft that has crashed in this year in the country.
During the last three years, around 42 accidents of Indian Air Force (IAF) aircrafts have taken place. In these accidents 17 pilots, 24 service personnel and 5 civilians have lost their lives.

Army Survey finds 30% overweight

A study on the health of Indian Army personnel has thrown up worrying results. Four out of five personnel surveyed, including officers, were found suffering from pre-hypertension, about a third were overweight and two-thirds had low levels of good cholesterol (HDL), caused by lack of exercise.

The sample survey was conducted by the defence ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research on 767 'healthy' personnel including 130 officers. Their ages ranged from 18 to 50 years.

The study also found a majority of the personnel had bad eating habits. Most of them added salt or pickle to their food and used ghee/butter regularly.

Alarmingly, the prevalence of pre-hypertension in the group was higher than in the general population. While 40-60% of Indians show these symptoms, it was as high as 80% among the Armymen. Pre-hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and is characterized by mildly high blood pressure - 120-139mm Hg systolic pressure and a diastolic pressure of 80-89.

Almost 67% were found to have low HDL cholesterol level - a sign of low physical activity. More embarrassingly, 30% had a body-mass ratio of over 23, putting them in the overweight category.

Young Armymen must cut down on smoking and go easy with their salt and ghee, says a recent survey that found more than 80% personnel suffering from pre-hypertension, a risk factor for heart disease.

"Lifestyle modifications such as reducing the intake of saturated fats and salt in diet and reducing smoking can achieve a downward shift in the overall blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease," says the survey conducted by the defence ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research.

The study, published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research, was conducted over two years. Of 767 personnel studied, 670 were married. Personnel with known history of ischemic heart disease, hypertension, obesity and diabetes were excluded from the study and only "healthy" ones included.

Most of the soldiers identified as pre-hypertensive were in the habit of using extra salt and pickles and had a lot of ghee or butter. "In the Army, we have an authorization scale for ration which includes fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, butter, rice and milk among others. But people also eat from outside. The diet differs from person to person," an Army officer said.

R.K. Dhowan assumes charge as Naval Vice-Chief

Vice-Admiral R.K. Dhowan has assumed charge as Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff at the Integrated Headquarters succeeding Vice-Admiral D.K. Dewan.

Vice-Admiral Dhowan has held key command and staff appointments, including operational command of missile corvette INS Khukri, guided missile destroyers INS Ranjit and INS Delhi and Flag Officer Commanding (Eastern Fleet).

Assignments

His staff assignments include Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at New Delhi; Commandant of the ‘National Defence Academy' at Khadakvasla; Indian Naval Adviser at the High Commission of India, London; and the Chief Staff Officer (Operations), Western Naval Command, Mumbai.

A Navigation and Direction Specialist, Vice-Admiral ‘Robin' Dhowan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College and Naval War College, Rhode Island, U.S. He also excelled during his initial training winning the coveted ‘telescope' as Best Cadet and later the ‘Sword of Honour' during his Midshipman training.

The Navy also announced the retirement of Vice-Admiral Dewan as Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff after 38 years of service. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Pune, he was commissioned in 1973 and held several key appointments, including the Chief of Personnel, and Vice-Chief of Naval Staff between August 2009 and 2011.

His tenure as the Vice-Chief was marked by special achievements such as ensuring cent per cent utilisation of naval budget in the last two fiscal years with over 80 per cent increase in capital expenditure. He was instrumental in promulgation of the 15-year Maritime Capability Perspective Plan 2012-2027.

Bangladesh Navy purchases two modern Do 228NG’s

The Bangladesh Navy has purchased two modern Do 228NG (New Generation) turboprop aircraft to be used for maritime air patrol and rescue missions along the countries’ coastline. The Bangladesh order follows customers in Japan, Norway and Germany. With the Do 228NG, RUAG Aviation has asserted itself against the competition.

“The cost-effectiveness and, despite its sophisticated technology, ease of use, sealed the decision in favour of the Do 228NG,” said vice president military aviation, Germany, Alexander Müller.The two Do 228NG’s are the first fixed wing aircraft to be purchased by the Bangladesh Navy for patrolling its coastline. For this purpose, both aircraft are being equipped with special equipment for maritime air patrol operations. This includes radio and navigation aids along with other selected systems as well as rescue equipment.

In addition to the two aircraft, the contract includes comprehensive pilot and aircraft maintenance training for the navy ground crew on location. Delivery of both aircraft is scheduled for early summer 2013. The Do 228NG is a versatile turboprop aircraft. Alongside transporting up to 19 passengers, it can also be configured as a special mission version for various purposes including maritime air patrol.

Let Parochialism not Afflict the Services

Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD

Parochialism is a commonly used term with wide-ranging definitions that are pejorative in connotation. Essentially, parochialism denotes narrowness of views both in substance and scope. It implies inability to consider issues in larger and wider perspective. In other words parochialism is a manifestation of narrow-mindedness and pettiness. As human beings are products of their environment, their attitude and disposition get moulded in the formative years, both at home and work place. Although the underlying reason for all types of parochialism is an attitude of insularity, they get manifested differently.

Parochialism is a human weakness. According supremacy to local and immediate interests over larger issues is a common trait and phenomenon. While parochialism remains harmless within acceptable limits, it becomes cancerous when allowed to proliferate to unhealthy intensity. It can afflict body politic of any nation, society or organization with fatal consequences. History stands testimony that a nation infested with the virus of parochialism has always been an easy prey for subjugation. No one knows this bitter truth better than India, whose centuries-long suffering under foreign rule was the direct fallout of the malaise of parochialism.

Unfortunately, India has learnt nothing from the past and similar trends are raising their vicious heads again all over the country. In this dismal scenario, the armed forces stand as the solitary bulwark against fissiparous forces. Being united India’s only hope, they cannot fail the nation. Therefore, it is vitally important that they be kept scrupulously free of the virus of parochialism lest it destroys organizational cohesion and degrades their fighting potential.

Regrettably, due to lack of progressive exposure, many service officers fail to acquire broader vision even while occupying higher ranks. They grow in career but fail to outgrow narrow mindsets. They remain weighed down with local issues. Their excessive deportment towards immediate affiliations is a result of their inability to grasp and fully appreciate criticality of larger issues.