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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Indian base in Tajikistan to be operational in 2006 |
| 2006-04-19 |
| Indian base in Tajikistan to be operational in 2006 Rahul Bedi JDW Correspondent New Delhi India's first international military base is expected to become operational by the end of 2006 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, as part of New Delhi's thrust into the oil-rich Central Asian Region (CAR). Official sources said once the base is completed the Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to deploy a squadron of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG-29s to Aini, 15 km from Dushanbe, for varying periods in two of three hangars that are being built by India's quasi-military Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The third hangar will be utilised by the Tajik Air Force which is being trained by IAF personnel following the April 2002 defence co-operation agreement between New Delhi and Dushanbe. For this purpose the IAF also plans on stationing trainer aircraft at Aini. The IAF is also helping Tajikistan retrofit its Soviet and Russian fighters while Indian civilian and military personnel are teaching Tajik service personnel English. Military sources said the BRO, supervised by a contingent of army and air force personnel, is expected to complete the restoration of Aini by 9 September. India's Ministry of Defence declined to comment on its military's role in rebuilding the Tajik air base, but defence planners said it would provide India with "longer strategic reach" in the CAR once IAF fighters begin landing and assist its efforts to secure much needed oil contracts. The air base's refurbishment includes restoring its runway, an aircraft taxiing track and parking apron, as well as building accommodation for a sizeable Indian defence contingent. India's energy requirements are expected to more than double by 2010 from 1.9 million barrels per day to around 4 million barrels per day. India has also been seeking alternative fuel sources in the CAR through a combination of purchasing oil blocks, constructing pipelines and conducting barter trade. India's recent diplomatic thrust into the CAR has also been triggered by the region's security realignments. The ensuing conflict of interest in the area between India's Cold War ally, Russia, the US, its strategic partner and nuclear rival China is also fuelling Delhi's Central Asian policy. Former Brigadier Arun Sahgal of the United Service Institution in Delhi said: "Though India remains powerless to engineer or overtly influence the ensuing New Game, its size, military and nuclear capability make it a not altogether insignificant part of the emerging complex jigsaw". Indian Navy to lease station in Madagascar The Indian Navy is planning on a high tech monitoring station in Northern Madagascar to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, terrorism and other crimes. Crime in the high seas has shot up in the last four years, particularly in the Indian Ocean, but there is lack of timely law enforcement in the absence of infrastructure and coordination among states. India will pay $2.5 million to lease the station, because it apprehends threats to its strategic naval assets and its political, economic and military interests in Africa, which has become a second base for the Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The station will have high-tech digital communication systems. |
| Posted by:john |
| #1 Blending ancient martial arts theory and the knowledge of the high-tech era, the authors explain how the strong can be defeated by the weak through merciless unconventional methods: 'the first rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules, with nothing forbidden.' |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-04-19 22:31 |