21 May 2022 Daily Defence Current Affairs And Updates [DOWNLOAD PDF]

Divyanshu Pandey
May 21, 2022
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In today’s 21 May 2022 Defence Current affairs and updates, we are going to see the latest defense-related updates national and international current affairs topics. These current affairs questions and major events will be really helpful for your upcoming NDA, CDS, AFCAT, TA, INET, MNS, ACC exams, and other SSB interviews and AFCAT interviews like SSC Tech, TGC, TES, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, and more. Download the current affairs PDF file at the end of this article.

Daily Defence Current Affairs 21 May 2022

BRO Conducts Final Break Through Blast of Nechiphu Tunnel In Arunachal Pradesh

BRO conducted a final “breakthrough blast” to mark the successful completion of excavation work of the Nechiphu Tunnel, in Arunachal Pradesh on May 20, 2022. DG of BRO Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry conducted it remotely from New Delhi. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Rajnath Singh on October 12, 2020.
The Nechiphu Tunnel, at an altitude of 5,700 feet, is a unique 500-meter-long “D-shaped, Single Tube Double Lane Tunnel” on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road in West Kameng District. The tunnel will accommodate two-way traffic and will be equipped with modern lighting and safety facilities.
In tandem with the Nechiphu Tunnel project, the Project Vartak of BRO has also completed the excavation work on another strategic tunnel, the Twin Tube (1,555 meter and 980 meter) “Sela Tunnel Project” on the same road, on January 22, 2022.
Once in service, the Nechiphu Tunnel along with the Sela Tunnel will provide safe, all-weather strategic connectivity on the BCT Road while reducing the carbon footprint in this eco-sensitive area. The ongoing tunnel construction is being accomplished by cutting through fragile and highly fractured rock strata. The attendant challenges are being tackled on daily basis through strict 3D monitoring and through the proactive application of desired tunnel support systems in accordance with the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).
The BRO has been consistently achieving success in the execution of infrastructural marvels in the most challenging areas of the nation over the last two years. It has taken up tunneling in a big way with the successful completion of High Altitude and Mountainous tunnels, in addition to the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh the Chamba Tunnel in Uttarakhand, has also been dedicated to the Nation, in the recent past. The organisation has also embarked on construction of a series of small tunnels, which it will construct with manpower resources integral to the organisation.

Bridge Built by China In Pangong Tso Is In Area Under Chinese Illegal Occupation

India that a second bridge being constructed by China on Pangong lake is in an area that has been under illegal occupation of that country since 1960. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has never accepted such illegal occupation of India’s territory.
“We have seen reports of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong Lake alongside its earlier bridge,” he said.
“Both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since the 1960s,” Bagchi said.
“We have never accepted such illegal occupation of our territory, nor have we accepted the unjustified Chinese claim or such construction activities,” the spokesperson said.
“We have made it clear on several occasions that the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India, and we expect other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
In order to ensure that the nation’s security interests are fully protected, Bagchi added that the government has stepped up development of border infrastructure especially since 2014, including the construction of roads and bridges.
“The government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas to not only meet India’s strategic and security requirements but also facilitate the economic development of these areas”.
Pangong Tso: Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet situated at an elevation of 4,225 m (13,862 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and divided into five sub lakes, called Pangong Tso, Tso Nyak, Rum Tso (twin lakes), and Nyak Tso. Approximately 50% of the length of the overall lake lies within Tibet in China, 40% in Ladakh, India, and the remaining 10% is disputed and is a de-facto buffer zone between India and China.

Biden Announces Another USD 100 Million Military Assistance to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden on Thursday authorized another USD 100 million in security assistance to Ukraine, following the passage of the USD 40 billion Ukraine aid bill by Congress, the US Department of Defence said.
- The aid package includes 18 155 mm howitzers, 18 tactical vehicles to tow those howitzers, three AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars and additional field equipment and spare parts.
- US has provided nearly USD 4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, this year.
- The US provided 90 155 mm howitzers to Ukraine, more than 200,000 artillery rounds, over 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, over 5,000 Javelin anti-armor systems, and more than 700 Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems.

R Adm Rajesh Dhankhar NM Assumed Command of Naval War College

Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar assumed charge of the Naval War College at Goa on 18 May 2022, from Rear Admiral Sai Venkat Raman. The Flag Officer is an alumnus of INA and was commissioned in the Navy on 01 July 1990.
He is a Navigation and Direction specialist and has served onboard frontline warships of the Navy as Navigating and Operations Officer. He has done instructional tenures at Project 15 Training Team, Mumbai, Mids Wing Officer Cadet School, Singapore and at Navigation and Direction School, Kochi. He later served as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Delhi.
A graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar has attended Higher Command Course at the JMSDF Command and Staff College, Tokyo, Japan in 2011-12.
He has commanded Landing Ship Tank (Large) INS Gharial, Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mumbai and the Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya. He has held various important staff appointments which include tenures at the Directorate of Naval Plans, as Principal Director of Personnel at Naval Headquarters, and Chief Staff Officer (Training), SNC. Prior to taking over the reins of the Naval War College, he was tenanting the appointment of the Flag Officer Sea Training. The Flag Officer is a recipient of Nau Sena Medal (Gallantry) for undertaking a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation of Indian and foreign personnel from Yemen as part of Operation Rahat in April 2015. He is a keen golfer and a student of International Relations and Maritime History.
The Naval War College (NWC) is a premier training institution of the Indian Navy, located in Goa. The college aims at developing leadership qualities of the officers of the Indian Armed Forces at the strategic and operational level. It is one of the three War Colleges of the Indian Armed Forces, Army War College, Mhow and College of Air Warfare, being the other two. The NWC operates under the Southern Naval Command, which is the training command of the Indian Navy.

S Somanath: ‘Private Players in Space Sector Can Boost Defence, Manufacturing’

ISRO is centrally funded, and our annual funds are between Rs 14-15,000 crore and most of that is utilized in constructing rockets and satellites. This is a drop within the ocean. The measurement of the area financial system in India is small. To enhance the size of the sector, it’s crucial for personal gamers to enter the market.
Minister of State for the Department of Space (DOS) Dr Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha in the last Parliament session that the government was looking at opening the space sector to foreign direct investment.
Dr Singh had added that the Department of Space was within the strategy of revising current insurance policies to facilitate personal sector participation within the area sector. S Somanath, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space
Dr. S. Somnath said we are creating a brand-new coverage now that ends ISRO’s monopoly of the area sector in India. We will likely be sharing data and expertise, equivalent to manufacturing rockets and satellites, with all those that need to. There have at all times been personal gamers within the sector, however, this has been solely in the manufacture of components and sub-systems. We need to present a fillip to businesses to have the ability to manufacture rockets and satellites. The United States, Europe, and Russia — all have area industries with massive gamers like Boeing, SpaceX, Airbus, Virgin Galactic, and so forth. There is not any such ecosystem in India. This can in flip actually enhance defence methods and manufacturing. We have already begun the method and BHEL will kind a consortium of assorted corporations to fabricate a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV rocket) and ISRO will fund the primary car, which will likely be for coaching functions.

BRICS FMs Asks International Community to Adopt Comprehensive & Balanced Counter-terror Plan

The BRICS Foreign Ministers including Chinese (Pakistan’s all-weather friend) have stressed the need for a comprehensive and balanced approach of the whole international community to effectively curb the terrorist activities, which pose a serious threat, including in the present-day pandemic environment.
This decision was taken at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meet held virtually on Thursday under China’s chairmanship. China holds the current rotating presidency of BRICS.
Counter-terror cooperation is among priorities for BRICS and last year under India’s presidency the group adopted a counter-terror action plan.
History of BRICS: Origin of Idea: The acronym “BRICS” was initially formulated in 2001 by economist Jim O’Neill, of Goldman Sachs, in a report on growth prospects for the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China – which together represented a significant share of the world’s production and population.
Formalised Setup: The grouping was formalised during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers in 2006.
The first BRIC Summit took place in 2009 in the Russian Federation and focused on issues such as reform of the global financial architecture.
South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS.
South Africa subsequently attended the Third BRICS Summit in Sanya, China, in March 2011.

What is the Significance of BRICS?
Big Five Nations: The importance of BRICS can be reflected in the fact that it represents: 1- 42% of the world’s population.
2- 30% of the land area.
3- 24% of global Gross Domestic Product.
4- 16% of international trade.

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