DEFENCE UPDATES 02 JULY 2021

7^th INDIAN OCEAN NAVAL SYMPOSIUM (IONS)

• Hosted by the French Navy at La Réunion from 28 June to 01 July 2021.
• Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, participated virtually.
• SME presentations were made by French Institute of International Relations – Observatoire du Climat, European Union, Indian Ocean Commission, IFC Singapore, RMIFC Madagascar and EU led Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO).
• It seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states of the IOR.
• The chairmanship of IONS has been held by India (2008-10), UAE (2010-12), South Africa (2012-14), Australia (2014-16), Bangladesh (2016-18) and Islamic Republic of Iran (2018-21). France has assumed the Chairmanship on 29 Jun 21 for a two-year tenure.
• 6^th IONS and Conclave of Chiefs was conducted by Iran Navy in April 2018 at Tehran.

IONS includes 24 nations that permanently hold territory that abuts or lies within the Indian Ocean, and 8 observer nations:

• South Asian Littoral Members: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory)
• West Asian Littoral Members: Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE
• East African Littoral Members: France (Reunion), Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania.
• South-East Asian and Australian Littoral Members: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
• Observers: China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain.

Rajnath Singh holds virtual interaction with his Vietnamese counter-part

• RM interacted with Minister of National Defence of Vietnam Sr Lt Gen Phan Van Giang on July 01, 2021.
• Both Ministers acknowledged the significance of the Joint Vision Statement of 2015-20 in strengthening defence cooperation engagements between both the countries thus far and looked forward to concluding the Joint Vision Statement of 2021-25 at the earliest opportunity.

Air Marshal BR Krishna AVSM SC is the new AOC-in-C of Western Air Command

• He was commissioned in the IAF in Dec 1983 as a Fighter Pilot. In a distinguished career spanning nearly 38 years, he has a flying experience of nearly 5000 hours, including operational, instructional and test flying in varied environments.
• He previously has commanded Air Force Test Pilots School, Chief Operations Officer of a forward base, Commandant Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) and has commanded a frontline Fighter base and many more.

01 July 2021 – 75^th Raising Day of Army Physical Training Corps (APTC)

• The APTC consists of a small body of dedicated service members on deputation from other arms and services form the smallest, yet perhaps the most potent corps of the Indian Army.
• Called as “Red Socks”, churning soldiers out of young civilian recruits, they are also tasked to scout for talent and are groomed to have the potential to represent India at the highest level of sports.
• Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT) is situated near the Chusal Lines, Pune along the Sholapur Road in Maharashtra.
• Plethora of instructor courses at AIPT:
• Assistant Instructor Basic course (AIBC),
• Swimming and Lifesaving Course,
• Boxing Instructor Course,
• Basketball Coaching Course,
• Volleyball Coaching Course,
• Refereeing and Judging Course
• Yoga course.
• These courses allow the men and officers to gain a degree of mastery over their sport of choice and will enable them to train service athletes at the highest levels.

BrahMos to ink Defence Deals Worth $1 Billion in 2021

• 40 percent orders were placed by land forces followed by 30 percent orders by Navy and Air force each. Presently, the worth of BrahMos’ contracts signed in 2021 is more than $5 billion.
• Earlier this year, India and the Philippines had inked an agreement for a potential supply of BrahMos missiles.

About BrahMos:

• Fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world (2.8 Mach – upgraded land version).
• Precise 400 kms range.
• >1000 kms range for advanced versions and speeds of Mach 5 under development.
• Tested for the first time from the IAF frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal on November 22, 2017.

Lt Gen Sunil Puri Goswami – DG Army Air Defence

• He took over the charge from Lieutenant General AP Singh who proceeded on superannuation on June 30, 2021.
• The General Officer is an alumnus of Sainik School, Chittorgarh, National Defence Academy, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.  He was commissioned in 1984, commanded an AD Missile Regiment and an Independent Air Defence Brigade in a Strike Corps.

Operation Sagar Aaraksha 2 – INS Sarvekshak surveying areas around MV X-Press Pearl

• MV X-Press Pearl, the Singapore-flagged cargo ship, which caught fire on May 20, was reportedly carrying 1,486 containers out of which large numbers fell into the sea before the fire was doused.
• 176 Sea Turtles, 4 Whales and 20 Dolphins were killed in Sri Lanka past few weeks due to environmental pollution caused by the fire and sinking of this ship.
• On Govt. of Sri Lanka’s request, Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Survey ship INS Sarvekshak is carrying out extensive underwater survey around MV Xpress Pearl. Large number of submerged objects were detected.
• Work is being progressed with survey boats and integral helo for aerial recce in coordination with National Aquatics Resource Research & Development Agency (NARA) and Hydrographic Office of the Sri Lankan Navy.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• 7^th IONS is hosted by ____ Navy at La Réunion from 28 June to 01 July 2021.
• Russian
• Indian
• French
• Lebanese

ANSWER: C

• IONS includes how many nations that permanently hold territory that abuts or lies within the Indian Ocean?
• 34
• 24
• 26
• 36

ANSWER: B

• Number of observer countries in IONS:
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9

ANSWER: C

• Air Marshal BR Krishna AVSM SC is the new AOC-in-C of:
• Western Air Command
• Eastern Air Command
• Southern Air Command
• South-Western Air Command

ANSWER: A

• Lt Gen Sunil Puri Goswami took over as the Director General of which corps of Indian Army?
• Army Aviation Corps
• Army Air Defence Corps
• Army Ordinance Corps
• Army Medical Corps

ANSWER: B

• Under which operation, an Indian survey boat is surveying areas around MV X-Press Pearl after its disaster in Sri Lankan marine territory?
• Operation Sagar Suraksha 1
• Operation Sagar Suraksha 2
• Operation Sagar Aaraksha 1
• Operation Sagar Aaraksha 2

ANSWER: D

• On Govt. of Sri Lanka’s request, Indian Navy’s which Hydrographic Survey ship is carrying out extensive underwater survey around MV Xpress Pearl?
• INS Sarvekshak
• INS Sandhayak
• INS Darshak
• INS Nirdeshak

ANSWER: A

• Earlier this year, India had inked an agreement for a potential supply of BrahMos missiles with which nation?
• Seychelles
• Philippines
• Maldives
• Mauritius

ANSWER: B

• Brahmos missile was tested for the first time from which fighter aircraft against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal on November 22, 2017?
• Sukhoi 30MKI
• LCA Tejas
• Dassault Rafale
• Jaguar

ANSWER: D

1. Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT) is situated in:
2. Chandimandir
3. Goa
4. Hyderabad
5. Pune

ANSWER: D

• Personnel of Army Physical Training Corps (APTC) who participate and train in sports are also called as:
• Yellow Socks
• Red Socks
• Green Socks
• White Socks

ANSWER: B

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