Arms and The Men
Considering possible causative factors for accidents reported in media, with ammunition components beyond shelf life, the Eastern Command has decided to take a holistic rather than a piecemeal approach. Meetings have been held with an investigation by collegiate committees comprising all stakeholders. The issue reported earlier relates to ammunition accidents being reviewed regularly at the highest level of Department of Defense Production.
Accidents of each type of system have been analyzed and action plan finalized, though accidents have not been eliminated. Some of the points they have come up with after discussions are, that in case of 130mm, recommendations of five defect investigation committees have been implemented. Views of OEMs have been obtained.
Secondly, for the L-70 gun system, accidents have occurred with Indian as well as imported ammunition. Action plan for validation firing has been chalked out to check compatibility or serviceability of guns.
Fuze and primers were also imported from the OEM by the Army. Imported fuzes have failed to perform in the safety test during DGQA evaluation in September 2019. For 105mm ammunition, DGQA has been asked to examine the cause of accidents in a holistic manner. 125mm Tank accidents is a dated issue wherein various investigations have been carried out, including investigations involving OEM specialists, over more than two decades. Several recommendations for improving weapon/ ammunition/ usage/ equipment maintenance have been implemented.
Vijay Diwas- Saluting Heroes in Uniform!
Like every year, this year a Bangladeshi delegation of Mukti-Jodhas and their families along with serving senior Bangladesh Armed Forces officers are participating in Vijay Diwas celebrations at Fort William, Kolkata. Celebrated on December 16th, Vijay Diwas is meant to commemorate the victory of Indian Armed Forces along with Mukti-Bahini over Pakistan. This historic military victory resulted in Pakistan ceding control of then East Pakistan and paving the way for Bangladesh as a Nation.
Eastern Command has traditionally been celebrating this day as a mark of respect to the fallen heroes of the Indian Armed forces and Mukti-Jodhhas who made this victory possible. This day is celebrated as a day of remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.
The four-day celebrations start with a Military Band concert on the 13th and 14th of December at Princep Ghat. This would be followed by a Military Tattoo on December 14th and 15the at RCTC grounds and a Red Road Marathon on December 15 as well. Celebrations would culminate on December 16th by the wreath-laying at Vijay Smarak.
Change of Guard at the Ordnance Factory Board
Hari Mohan, I.O.F.S. has taken the baton from Saurabh Kumar, I.O.F.S as Chairman of Ordnance Factory Board from 1st December 2019. In a career spanning 39 years, he has contributed significantly in various positions in BHEL in Hardwar, Vehicle Factory in Jabalpur, Engine Factory in Avadi and Heavy Vehicle Factory in Avadi. He has also served at the Ammunition Factory in Khadki, Ordnance Factory in Bolangir, Ordnance Factory in Chanda, Ordnance Factory Dehu Road and OFB New Delhi Office & Ministry of Steel & Mines.
His expertise is in the field of manufacture of armoured vehicles, artillery, tank and ammunition, small arms ammunition, projects management and corporate governance, among other areas. Significant contributions have been made in improving the production of armoured fighting vehicles like Ajeya tanks, MBT Arjun, Bridge layer and Trawls tanks. He has also made a significant contribution to the modernisation of steel plants of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) during his tenure in the ministry of steel and mines.
Meet And Greet
Chairman of Ordnance Factory Board, Hari Mohan greeted Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on the 5th of December with a bouquet of flowers.
Hari Mohan had also met the Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar at Raj Bhawan after assuming charge on December 1st. The discussion centred around the Governor and his work executed. He also exchanged notes on the rich history of Ordnance factories which are intertwined with the growth of Kolkata. He also highlighted Ordinance Factory Board’s contribution to the development of modern manufacturing in India.
WING COMMANDER MANDEEP HOODA TAKES OVER AS CPRO DEFENCE
Wing Commander Mandeep Hooda has taken over as the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Ministry of Defence (MOD) at Kolkata on Monday, 9th of December, 2019. He was formerly posted at Advance HQ Eastern Air Command at Fort William, in his last assignment.
Wing Commander Mandeep Hooda was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the Indian Air Force on 21 Dec 2002. With over 3000 flying hours on the Mig-21 and Jaguar aircraft to his credit, the officer is also a Fighter Strike Leader.
The officer is qualified on all roles on Jaguar aircraft and flown extensively in Northern and Western Sector in his flying tenure. He has done his education from Sainik School Kunjpura and is an alumnus of prestigious National Defence Academy and Defence Services Staff College. He has served in Mig-21 and Jaguar Squadrons in Central, South Western, Western and Northern Sector in his flying career.
The officer is a golf enthusiast and harbours a keen interest in reading
