India, Sri Lanka and Maldives Agree to Bolster Maritime Security Cooperation

• Top security officials of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives on Saturday agreed to further strengthen cooperation and ensure peace for common benefit as they took stock of the current maritime security environment in the region during the high-level trilateral dialogue which was held here after a gap of six years.
• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval took part in the dialogue along with Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Major Gen (retd) Kamal Gunaratne and Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
• Sri Lanka hosted the fourth National Security Adviser-level trilateral meeting on maritime security cooperation with India and the Maldives. It took place after six years — the last one was held in New Delhi in 2014.
• According to a joint statement issued by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, the three countries—recognising the significance of the forum for promoting meaningful cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region on common issues pertaining to maritime security—took stock of the current maritime security environment in the region.
• They discussed mutual cooperation in the areas of maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, joint exercises, capacity building, maritime security and threats, marine pollution, and maritime underwater heritage, it said.
• They agreed to further strengthen cooperation in dealing with these challenges, to ensure peace and security in the region for common benefit, the joint statement said.
• The three countries also exchanged views on common security threats and agreed to broad base cooperation by expanding the scope to improve intelligence sharing and include issues like terrorism, radicalisation, extremism, drugs, arms and human trafficking, money laundering, cyber security and effect of climate change on maritime environment, it said.
• The meeting took place amidst China’s attempts to enhance its influence in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean.
• China views the Maldives and Sri Lanka as key to its Maritime Silk Road project in the Indian Ocean. It has already acquired the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on long lease and established a military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
• The Heads of Delegations agreed to meet regularly to share, discuss and ensure timely implementation of decisions taken at the meeting. They also decided to hold Deputy NSA level working group meetings biannually for cooperation at operational level, according to the statement.
• Mauritius and Seychelles were represented virtually at senior officials’ level, it said, adding that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dialogue was conducted adhering to strict health guidelines using the ‘Air Bubble’ concept for the visiting delegations.
• Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives launched the Trilateral NSA level Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation in 2011 and three meetings have been held so far.
• The past deliberations and outcomes have helped the three countries in improving close coordination in maritime security of the region. These were supplemented by Deputy NSA level meetings for sustained engagements and implementation of the discussions at the NSA level meetings, the statement said.
• Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena addressed the meeting as the chief guest. Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage also attended the event, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry tweeted.
• Doval, who arrived in Colombo on Friday for the dialogue, on Friday met Didi and held a cordial and detailed discussion on deepening bilateral partnership with the key island nation in the Indian Ocean.
• Doval also met Gunaratne on Friday and they agreed on several steps to further strengthen the “valuable” cooperation between the two countries which also contributes to peace and security in the region.
• “NSA Ajit Doval met Major Gen(Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne, Defence Secretary of SriLanka & discussed matters pertaining to the growing defence and security partnership between the two countries,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a tweet.
• The high-level trilateral meeting is designed to initiate collective action on maritime security including maritime domain awareness, legal regimes, train in search and rescue, maritime pollution response, information sharing, curbing piracy drugs arms and contraband trafficking in the Indian Ocean region.
• On Thursday, the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said the NSA-level trilateral meeting had served as an effective platform for cooperation among Indian Ocean countries.
• “The meeting will provide an opportunity for discussion on issues pertaining to cooperation in maritime security in the Indian Ocean region,” the MEA said in a statement.
• This is Doval’s second official visit to Sri Lanka this year. In January, he visited the island nation and discussed a range of bilateral issues, including strengthening cooperation in defence, intelligence sharing and maritime security with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

HAL delivers biggest cryogenic propellant tank to ISRO

• The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered the biggest cryogenic propellant tank (C32 LH2) ever formed by the company to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) much ahead of the contractual schedule at a program held in Bengaluru, Karnataka, recently.
• The C32-LH2 tank is a developmental cryogenic propellant tank of aluminium alloy designed for improving the payload capability of GSLV MK-III launching vehicle, HAL said in a press release.
• The propellant tank was handed over by MS Velpari, Director (Operations), HAL to Dr V Narayanan, Director (LPSC), Isro in the presence of S Somanath, Director (VSSC) with other senior scientists from ISRO, participating in virtual mode and other senior officials of HAL.
• Somanath acknowledged HAL’s contributions to India’s space program as one of the valuable partners of the Isro in its journey.
• While appreciating HAL’s capability in absorbing any technological advancements and developments in productionising any types of space hardware and structures for the space launch vehicle, he highlighted HAL’s role in developing eco-system by sharing the knowledge among private players towards strengthening the supply chain.
• While receiving the hardware, Dr V Narayanan thanked the entire workforce of HAL for successful production of the developmental project.
• The four-meter diametric tank is of 8 meter length to load 5755 kg propellant in the 89 cubic meter volume. Total length of weld carried out in the tank was 115 meter at different stages to the quality requirement of 100 per cent tests on radiography, Die penetrant check and Leak proof.
• The HAL has mastered the skills and technologies required for fabricating welded propellant tank of Aluminium ally to such stringent quality requirement.
• The company, as a strategic reliable partner, has been associating with the Isro for the prestigious space programs since last five decades. HAL has supplied critical structures, tankages, satellite structures for the PSLV, GSLV-MkII and GSLV-MkIII launch vehicle.
• Various new projects like PS2/GS2 integration, Semi-Cryo structure fabrication and manufacture of cryo and semi-cryo engines are being taken up at HAL, for which setting up of necessary infrastructure and facilities is nearing completion.
• The HAL has also supported the Isro right from the developmental phase of Crew Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment, PAD Abort test for Crew Escape for Human Space Mission and is currently building hardware for full-fledged launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III for Gaganyaan program.

Russian Navy commissions next generation patrol vessel

• Russian Navy has commissioned its new Project 22160 patrol vessel, Pavel Derzhavinm, in a ceremony held on 27 November at Novorossiysk Base.
• “An official ceremony was held at the Black Sea Fleet’s Novorossiysk naval base to accept the new patrol ship Pavel Derzhavin into the Fleet’s structure. Black Sea Fleet Deputy Commander Vice-Admiral Sergei Lipilin congratulated the first crew of the new ship on the commencement of its service in the Russian Navy,” the press office said in a statement.
• The patrol vessel Pavel Derzhavin built at the slipway of the Zelenodolsk Shipyard in the Volga area is the Project 22160 third serial-built ship. The patrol ship was designed and built using the modular concept of armament. The ship is outfitted with the most advanced radio-technical and sonar systems, the statement says.
• “The patrol ships of this type are designated to protect and defend the maritime economic zone and, in wartime, provide for the stability of the Fleet’s forces and facilities in the course of the defense of the areas of its basing,” the statement reads.
• The ships of this class feature sea endurance of 60 days, are capable of developing a speed of 30 knots and displace about 1,700 tonnes. They have a crew of about 80 and an operating range of up to 6,000 nautical miles.
• The patrol ship Pavel Derzhavin has entered service with the naval group for the protection of the Novorossiysk naval base’s water area. The ship’s crew will soon start practicing special course tasks, following which it will switch to accomplishing planned combat training assignments, the press office said.
• Project 22160 patrol vessels have been designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation). They are the first ships in Russia based on the modular design principle.
• Project 22160 ships are primarily designated to defend and protect the maritime economic zone. The patrol ships are also capable of accomplishing escort and anti-piracy missions and carrying out search and rescue operations. They are armed with a 76.2mm artillery gun, an anti-aircraft missile system and machine guns.

South Korea to start production of new tactical ballistic missile

• South Korea plans to enter low-rate initial production of a new tactical ballistic missile designed to destroy underground artillery bases in North Korea, according to multiple reports.
• South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 25 November that it has decided that the initial production of the locally developed Korean Tactical Surface to Surface Missile (KTSSM) system will begin in 2020.
• “This project is to destroy long-range artillery pieces hidden in underground tunnels in order to neutralize enemies’ attack at the shortest time possible,” the arms procurement agency said in a statement.
• DAPA approved plans to acquire at least 200 tactical ballistic missiles, with a flight range of around 120 kilometers, capable of striking multiple targets precisely at the same time.
• The KTSSM are GPS-guided to hit targets within two meters and have a shaped thermal warhead that can penetrate bunkers and hardened, dug-in targets several meters underground or 1.5 m (4.9 ft) of concrete. While it resembles the American MGM-140 ATACMS missile, the KTSSM is cheaper and more accurate with a shorter range, though still adequate to perform the counterbattery role.
• National security correspondent, Ryan Chan also reported that the new missile system is expected to be put into combat operations around 2022.

US Announces Reward of up to $5 Million for Information on 26/11 Attack Mastermind

• Twelve years after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the United States has announced a reward of up to USD 5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba member Sajid Mir for his “role” in the attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
• According to an official statement issued by the US Rewards for Justice program, “Sajid Mir, a senior member of the Pakistan-based foreign terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), is wanted for his involvement in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to USD 5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of Sajid Mir for his role in these attacks.”
• On November 26, 2008, 10 terrorists, trained by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation LeT, carried out a series of coordinated attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai — the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi Hotel, the Leopold Cafe, the Nariman (Chabad) House, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus — killing 166 people.
• In these gruesome attacks, nine terrorists were killed and the lone survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was caught and sentenced to death. On November 11, 2012, Kasab was hanged at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.
• “Sajid Mir was LeT’s operations manager for the Mumbai attack, playing a leading role in its planning, preparation, and execution. Mir was indicted in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division (Chicago, Illinois) on April 21, 2011, and was charged with conspiracy to injure the property of a foreign government; providing material support to terrorists; aiding and abetting the killing of a citizen outside of the US; and the bombing of places of public use. According to the indictment, during the attacks, Mir advised the attackers to kill hostages, set fires, and throw grenades and also sought the release of a hostage in exchange for the release of a captured attacker. A warrant for Mir’s arrest was issued on April 22, 2011. In 2019, Mir was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List,” the department said.
• It added that on August 30, 2012, the Department of the Treasury designated Mir for holding leadership positions within the LeT. “According to the US Department of Treasury, as of 2005, Mir directed training for operatives preparing for overseas recruiting, money laundering, and operational planning. The LeT was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US Department of State in December 2001,” the department added.
• However, Pakistani authorities continue to deny culpability and are yet to take action on the multiple dossiers shared by India. A trial underway in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court against seven suspects has made little headway in more than a decade, as Pakistani officials serially question the sufficiency and legitimacy of evidence against them.
• Pakistan has been placed on the FATF’s grey list of the country with inadequate controls over terror financing in 2018, saying Pakistan “still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity.”
• Pakistan has long been criticised for cultivating terror proxy groups and the country currently faces renewed pressure to act against terrorists.

QUICK REVIEW

1. Russian Navy has commissioned its new Project 22160 patrol vessel which is
2. Nikolay Sipyagin
3. Viktor Velikiy
4. Sergey Kotov
5. Pavel Derzhavinm

ANSWER: D

• Designer of the Russian Pavel Derzhavinm patrol ship
• Severnoye Design Bureau
• Almaz Shipbuilding Company
• Admiralty Shipyard
• Astramarin Design Bureau

ANSWER: A

• Which DPSU recently delivered biggest cryogenic propellant tank to ISRO?
• BEML
• BEL
• BHEL
• HAL

ANSWER: D

• Which country hosted the fourth National Security Adviser-level trilateral meeting on maritime security cooperation with India and the Maldives?
• Singapore
• Sri Lanka
• South Africa
• Russia

ANSWER: B