Indo-China Joint Military Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2015

The Indo-China Combined Military Training Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2015 will be conducted from 12 to 23 October 2015 at Kunming Military Academy, Yunnan, China.

The exercise will bring together troops of an Infantry sub-unit and a formation headquarter of Indian Army and similar participation from the Chinese Army for the joint training. This will be the fifth exercise in the Hand-in-Hand series, which started in 2007. This exercise will strengthen and broaden interoperability & cooperation between both the Armies as well as complement a number of other exchanges between the two forces. Over the years, the two countries have decided to progressively increase the scope and content of the combined training. The twelve day exercise will lay emphasis on joint handling of insurgency at sub-unit level and related issues, while the aspect of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief will be discussed at formation headquarters level.

Commanders and Staff Officers of both sides will work in close coordination to receive and collate intelligence and to issue suitable operational orders to the combined field training components, who in turn will execute these orders on ground. The exercise curriculum has been planned progressively where the participants will initially be made to get familiar with each others organisational structure, weapons, equipment and tactical drills. Subsequently, under Joint Tactical Exercises Battle Drill of both the armies will be rehearsed.

A Consolidation and Validation Exercise will be witnessed by senior officers and observers of both Armies at the end of the Joint Training, in which troops of both nations will carry out sub-unit level counter insurgency operation training. 

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China Emerges as Fifth Largest International Arms Exporter

An international military think-tank said in its report, that China has become the fifth largest arms exporter in the world.

After releasing the data at the Observer's Research Foundation (ORF) Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher of SIPRI said, "This is the first time China has been in the top five arms exporters since the end of the cold war."

The researcher said "A number of recent deals indicate that China is establishing itself as a significant arms supplier to a growing number of important recipient states."

Pieter Wezeman said the volume of Chinese exports of major conventional weapons rose by 162 per cent, raising its share of the volume of international arms exports from two to five per cent.

The largest supplier of major conventional weapons continues to be the United States with a share of 30 per cent of the global arms export. Russia is on the second spot, with 26 per cent of global share, while Germany is in the third position with 7 per cent global share and France is in the fourth with six per cent share.

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China celebrates New Year: the Year of the Snake

The people of Republic of China have been celebrating the New Year today and it festival time there, people are greeting one another with joy.

This new year as considered as the Year of the Snake 2013, as usually their year bases on some themes. The current years theme is based on serpents. People will celebrate their new year for around fortnight.

During this celebration they offer prayers at temples and watch Dragon dances across the country.

On business point of view, this year there would more demand for snakes for various usage. Snakes have been used for medicinal purposes too. Since the year fall on the theme, business community there there would boom in the sale of snakes in China.

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Reduction in Defense Expenses: Needed?

Defense is definitely the first priority of, any country, especially for a country like India. Where the threat is high from the neighboring countries. Only when the country is free and safe, can we think of any progress, and development. When there is threat to the safety of the people and the country, how can we think of development in any aspect? So, defense expenses should not be reduced, considering the safety and security of the people and the nation.

There is another aspect of this issue that is, it is true that we should not reduce, the expenses, but we should neither increase the expenses of the defense. There are other most important matters that are of high priority, in the country in the present circumstances. We are all aware of the increasing inflation, and its effect on common man. There are matters of internal peace that need to be attended to.

Threat from naxals, terrorists, what not there are lot many priority areas that need to be focused on. So, neither the increase nor the decrease in the defense expenses is good for the country and the people. When to increase, where to increase, when to decrease, where to decrease, are the matters that need to be decided based on the time and the situation. When there is need we should not look back, and similarly when there is no necessity to increase we should focus on the priorities.

We should not increase our defense expenses if some other country is increasing, neither should we decrease ours if some other country does so. We should take the decision spending on our own countries situation and our need, only then we will be able to make the right decision that will do good for the country and the people.

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