National
1st Indian Military Heritage Festival 2023
⇒ Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the first edition of Indian Military Heritage Festival in New Delhi on October 21, 2023.
Organised by:
The Indian Military Heritage Festival was organised by the United Service Institution of India (USI) in New Delhi.
- The aim of the 2-day festival was to celebrate India’s rich military culture and heritage that has evolved over the centuries, through conversations, art, dance, drama, story-telling and exhibitions.
- It primarily brought forward different understandings and perspectives through panel discussions by eminent scholars, practitioners and serving as well as retired officers.
» During the event, the Raksha Mantri also launched ‘Project Udbhav’, a joint collaboration of Indian Army and United Service Institution of India, to promote indigenous discourse through exploration and integration of the country’s ancient strategic acumen into contemporary military domain.
About Military Heritage Festival:
- Despite a long and glorious military history and strategic culture going back many centuries, people are largely unaware of its different facets.
- The festival created a benchmark in the domain of public engagement with military history and heritage through interaction while adhering to the goals for developing the Armed Forces in the 21st century.
- The aim of the festival was to give a new thrust to the study of Indian military culture, traditions & history and add tangible value to the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiative.
- It also provided a platform for discussing various contemporary issues relating to India and the world pertaining to security, strategy and international relations.
- The festival showcased military culture through military band performances, including the Army Symphony Band presentation and Brass band displays and a Cultural Gala Evening.
- An exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Heritage, Ministry of Culture to highlight and celebrate select milestones and achievements in the nation’s long and illustrious military history.
Launch of 'Project Udbhav': A collaborative initiative by Indian Army and USI of India
⇒ Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched ‘Project UDBHAV’, during the inauguration of the Indian Military Heritage Festival on 21 October 2023.
Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) highlighted that Project UDBHAV, a collaboration between the Indian Army and the United Services Institution of India, is an endeavour to revisit the roots of India’s ancient military thoughts.
‘Project Udbhav’:
» ‘Project Udbhav’ is set to emerge as the centre of indigenous strategic developments. The initiative is designed to weave a strategic vocabulary and conceptual framework that is deeply embedded in India’s philosophical and cultural heritage.
- ‘Udbhav’, which translates to ‘origin’ or ‘genesis’, acknowledges the vintage scriptures and writings of our Nation, that span centuries in the past and contain profound knowledge that can benefit modern military strategies.
Objective:
The objective of the Project is to synthesize ancient wisdom with contemporary military practices, forging a unique and holistic approach to address modern security challenges. It is a visionary initiative by the Indian Army that seeks to integrate age-old wisdom with contemporary military pedagogy.
Key Points:
- An initiative in this research was earlier taken by the Army Training Command, who after delving into the ancient Indian Scriptures such as Arthashastra, Nitisara by Kamandaki and Mahabharata compiled the ‘Compendium of 75 Stratagems’. Other academic institutions like College of Defence Management have also conducted a study to establish linkages between Indian Culture and the art of strategic thinking. These studies will also provide valuable inputs for Project UDBHAV.
- Project UDBHAV aims to effectively integrate this ancient wisdom with modern military pedagogy through interdisciplinary research, workshops and leadership seminars. It will facilitate emergence of previously under-explored thoughts and theories related to strategic thinking, statecraft and warfare, foster deeper understanding and contribute to enriching military training curricula.
- Project UDBHAV is an attempt to bridge the gap and sustain this knowledge creation, of Indian heritage, in terms of grand strategy, strategic thinking and discussions on statecraft.
- By marrying age-old wisdom with modern military pedagogy and operations, ‘Project UDBHAV’ sets the stage for a robust, progressive and future-ready Indian Army; that not only resonates with the nation’s historical military sagacity but is also attuned to the demands and dynamics of contemporary warfare and diplomacy.
- As part of Project UDBHAV, a series of events and workshops, focused on various facets of our strategic culture and culminated in January 2024, with a publication, to document and institutionalise such knowledge.
Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair takes charge as Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces)
⇒ Air Marshal Sadhna S Nair assumed the appointment of Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) in the office of DGAFMS on October 23, 2023.
- She became the first woman to hold the position on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal.
Prior to this appointment, the Air Officer was tenanting the appointment of Principal Medical Officer (PMO) at HQ Training Command (Air Force), Bangaluru.
About Air Marshal Sadhna S Nair:
- A graduate from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Air Marshal Sadhna S Nair was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in Dec 1985.
- She is the first and only woman Principal Medical Officer of Western Air Command and Training Command.
- For her meritorious service she has been awarded the AOC-in-C (WAC) and CAS Commendations as well as the Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India.
International
Joint Bilateral Training Exercise between Indian and Malaysian Army – “Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023”
⇒ Joint bilateral training exercise “Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023”, between Indian & Malaysian Army commenced on 23 October 2023 in Umroi Cantonment, India. Joint bilateral training exercise Harimau Shakti concluded on 5 November 2023.
- Last edition of the Exercise was conducted in Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia in November 2022.
Participation:
- The Malaysian Army contingent comprised troops from 5th Royal Battalion of Malaysian Army. The Indian contingent was represented by a Battalion of THE RAJPUT REGIMENT.
- Around 120 personnel from both sides participated in the joint bilateral training exercise.
Aim:
The aim of the exercise was to enhance the military’s capability to conduct multi-domain operations in sub-conventional scenarios.
During the exercise, both contingents established a Joint Command Post & established an integrated surveillance grid along with a Joint Surveillance Centre.
- Both sides rehearsed employment of joint forces in jungle/ semi urban / urban environment. In addition, intelligence collection, collation and dissemination drills were also rehearsed.
- The Exercise also witnessed employment of Drones/UAVs & Helicopters. Two sides also practiced casualty management and evacuation drills.
- Both the contingents discussed logistics management and practiced survival training at the Battalion level.
- The training focused primarily on high degree of physical fitness, conduct of drills at tactical level and sharing of best practices with each other.
» “Exercise HARIMAU SHAKTI” was aimed to enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army and the Malaysian Army, which also fosters the bilateral relations between the two nations.