BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//MP-IDSA - ECPv6.15.12.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:MP-IDSA
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://idsa.in
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for MP-IDSA
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Asia/Kolkata
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0530
TZOFFSETTO:+0530
TZNAME:IST
DTSTART:20110101T000000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20121015T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20121015T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T184250
CREATED:20231223T134151Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130740Z
UID:63154-1350279000-1350279000@idsa.in
SUMMARY:Round Table Interaction of IDSA Scholars with members of the Egyptian Council of Foreign Affairs
DESCRIPTION:A senior level delegation from the Egyptian Council of Foreign Affairs visited IDSA for a Round Table Interaction on various issues of mutual interest. The delegation included Amb. Dr. El-Sayed Amin Shalaby\, Amb. Gehad Madi\, Prof. Mostafa-Elwi Saif\, Dr. Mustapha K. El Sayyid and Amb. Khaled El Bakly. \nDr. Arvind Gupta\, DG-IDSA\, welcomed the delegation and termed the interaction extremely important on account of the monumental changes taking place in West Asia with Egypt often being the fulcrum of these changes. After giving a brief academic history of the institution\, Dr. Gupta dwelled on the enormous significance of the region to India’s own geopolitical interests as evident in the stepping up of economic and political interaction between the two long time allies. He said that the Cairo visit of External Affairs Minister Mr. S. M. Krishna and agreements signed pertaining to India’s assistance in election management and administration was a testimony of the strong ties between the two countries. \nIn his opening remarks\, the head of Egyptian delegation Amb. Dr. El-Sayed Amin Shalaby hoped that the meeting should mark the beginning of a new cooperation between the two institutions. With the primary focus of both organisations being strategic\, security and defence issues\, it should be easy to find common themes to debate and discuss.\nWhile continuing the interaction\, Dr. Mustapha K. El Sayyid elaborated on what he perceived to be seven sources of threat to human security in the Arab World: \n\nEnvironmental threat which includes water scarcity\, desertification\, pollution and a lack of bio-diversity across the region. \nForeign military occupation: as felt by Palestinians\, UAE (whose three islands are claimed by Iran) and Morocco (whose two cities are claimed by Spain). Egypt still has to face the repercussions of the erstwhile Israeli occupation of Sinai; wherein Islamist militants that had arrived in droves to fight the Israelis continue to be a nuisance to Egyptian security forces even to this date. \nInternal conflicts which are mostly related to ethnic issues or ideological differences as seen in Iraq\, Sudan and Lebanon.\nState repression as witnessed under Mubarak and in Syria at present.\nEconomic problems with issues like unemployment\, slow economic growth and general deterioration of socio economic situation of people. Economic problems were in fact one of the rallying points of the revolution.\nGeneral health of the people. \nPersonal security.\n\nMoreover\, Dr. Sayyid dwelled on the new Egyptian Government’s ‘vision of the world’. He elaborated on the perceived emergence of a multipolar world which is evident in the economic and cultural rise of different nations on the global stage even though militarily US continues to be omnipresent. The formation of BRICS and the fact that the US has not been able to impose its will in the UN on Syria is an indication of multipolarism in international affairs. Egypt stands for non intervention and non interference in other countries internal affairs\, is in favour of promotion of principle of friendly relations with all and respects international treaties\, particularly the peace treaty with Israel even though it does not always subscribe to Israeli practises in the territories occupied by it. Nations have a right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and a nuclear free Middle East would be in the interests of all. However\, the possibility of a Shia-Sunni conflict\, in the backdrop of the Iranian nuclear programme\, is highly exaggerated.  \nDr. Sayyid highlighted the security implications of the Arab Spring\, which he termed a transitional phase\, with there being real threats to national integration in the region. This is evident in Yemen wherein small groups have called for the separation/secession of the country\, in Libya where feelings of greater autonomy still persist in areas around Benghazi and in Syria where there are demands of a Kurdish and Alawite states. Therefore\, maintaining internal security is of paramount importance. \nThere is also increasing tension in inter-Arab relations. Arab world is divided between countries that have succeeded in overthrowing authoritarian regimes and the ones that are some of the most conservative in the world.  \nHowever\, the two countries which are not threatened by any kind of disintegration are Tunisia and Egypt on account of theirs populations being highly homogenous.    \nTwo important developments that can have wider implications in the region include: \n\nArab League condemning\, for the first time\, human rights violations in Libya and Syria.\nRegional actors\, on the invitation of Egypt\, have been trying to resolve the Syrian issue but it is an extremely complicated task. Egypt has invited Iran\, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to join it in search of a diplomatic solution to the crisis. But it will take a lot of deft and innovative diplomacy for Saudi Arabia and Iran to agree to a middle ground. \n\nAmb. Shalaby highlighted the thinking behind Egypt’s Syrian initiative. The present government in Cairo is interested in making the Egyptian foreign policy more proactive and this coincides with its stated policy of a regional solution and opposing foreign military intervention. The close influence of Iran in Syria cannot be underestimated and Egypt would like Iran to be a part of the solution even though Saudi Arabia is not too keen to participate in this enterprise. However the Egyptian initiative has not received due international support. \nAmb. Gehad Madi described the ‘uncertainty’ in the present day Syria as one of the key elements of the political scenario in the region. The prevalent situation in Syria is extremely complicated and has assumed an international dimension. The fact that the world’s superpowers have divergent and often contrasting views has further accentuated the problem with prospects of any solution to the issue appearing bleak at the moment. There is a civil war raging there and the possibility of a sectarian war\, with the potential to divide the country\, cannot be ruled out. The gridlock persists despite involvement of the Arab League and the UN. This has brought to light some key elements of the current crisis: \n\n  Even though many people feel that Bashar al-Assad must go\, the question is how and what comes after that? The opposition is no longer only in form of rebels carrying arms who also lack effective leadership. \nHumanitarian factor cannot be ignored for too long with an influx of refugees (majority of them being unaccompanied children) to Turkey\, Jordan and Lebanon rising by the day. However\, international community is not yet ready to deal with the human catastrophe. \nThere is a possibility of military confrontation between Syria and Turkey and flaring up of sectarian conflict within Syria. In this worst case scenario\, one has to factor in the role of Iran and Gulf countries when it comes to the Shia-Sunni equation. \n\nOn the issue of developments in Egypt\, Amb. Madi highlighted some of the positive changes in the country after the revolution. The country has a civilian regime and the army did not intervene in any way during the elections that were generally free and fair. However\, it will be crucial to analyze emerging issues like the affiliation of the new regime and provisions of the new constitution.  \nOn the issue of India-Egypt relations\, Amb. Madi observed that the overall image of India in Egypt is extremely positive. India is looked upon as a model country with its scientific\, technological and economic growth much appreciated.    \nProf. Mostafa-Elwi Saif dwelled on factors that separate Syria from Libya. Geographically Syria is 1/5th of the size of Libya while its population is five times bigger. These factors will ensure that the proposed no-fly zone will be ineffective right from the word go. The only military solution to the crisis is by sending ground troops. Moreover\, the Syrian issue is an important element in the Israeli-Arab conflict and in the Iranian-Arab and Turkey-Arab relations. It has also managed to maintain very good relations with both Russia and China. Therefore\, the issue is very complex and any conflict is expected to continue for years and not just a few months.  \nProf Saif elaborated on the possible scenarios in Syria: \n\n Division of Syria into a number of countries. This will serve the interests and policies of both US and Israel in dealing with the Arab Israeli conflict. \nEnd of Assad’s regime and emergence of Muslim Brotherhood to fill the political vacuum. In such a scenario\, Tunisia\, Egypt Syria and to an extent Libya will be governed by the same political force. This will represent a major change in the security posture and structure of the whole region.\n\nAmb. Ranjit Gupta (retd)\, highlighted the strength of India-Egypt relations during the era of Nasser and Nehru and welcomed the return of Egypt to the mainstream of the Arab world. He observed that India’s interaction with the Gulf and Arab world started at the dawn of history and dwelled on the importance of India’s relationship with the region\, especially the GCC countries\, by terming it existential to India’s interests. The GCC countries constitute India’s largest socio-economic partner anywhere in the world\, is its largest trade partner\, two thirds of the country’s oil requirements come from Gulf\, approx 6.3 million Indians reside there and Indians are the largest nationality of outside workforce in each GCC country. He hoped that the coming years will see the dawn of a new era in Indo-Egyptian relations.  \nIn his concluding remarks\, Dr. Arvind Gupta re-emphasised India’s economic\, societal and security interests being deeply linked to the Arab world and said that India cannot remain a bystander to the developments in the region. India had to evacuate close to 20\,000 Indian nationals in Libya and its ships are at the forefront fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Therefore\, there is a need to re-strategise India’s policy towards the region. The positive image of India in the Arab world can be leveraged to build up contacts there. Attention should be on critical issues of security with establishment of a security dialogue being a good opportunity to understand the regional perception of India’s participation in the region. International seminars and joint academic and research work on all key areas should be taken up. After all\, a changing global order affects both India and Egypt.     \nReport prepared by Rajorshi Roy\, Research Assistant\, IDSA.
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/round-table-interaction-of-idsa-scholars-with-members-of-the-egyptian-council-of-foreign-affairs
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS,EVENT REPORT
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20121023T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20121023T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T184250
CREATED:20231224T111212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130740Z
UID:64482-1350970200-1350970200@idsa.in
SUMMARY:How DPSUs / Ordnance Factories Could Spearhead Transformation of Indian Defence Industrial Base
DESCRIPTION:Venue: Room No 005\, IDSA \n \nConcept Note\n1.	In the quest for self-reliance in the crucial sector of defence\, the Government has been continuing its efforts to indigenize defence equipment wherever technologically feasible and economically viable. It has been a part of indigenization efforts to locate and develop broad-based indigenous supply source – both in the public & private sector for many complicated and intricate equipment.  After the announcement of policy changes from 2001 onwards\, there has been a shift in the role of private sector in the field of indigenisation\, i.e.\, from the role of supplier of raw materials\, components\, sub-systems\, they are now expected to become partners in the manufacture of complete advanced equipment/system. Despite these efforts the share of the private sector in the supplies procured domestically is very small. India has emerged as the largest arms importer. High level of imports tacitly admits to the failure of the domestic defence production establishment\, barring a few exceptions\, to meet the requirement of the armed forces\, both in terms of requisite volume and cutting-edge sophistication. Lack of policy clarity and the risks perceived by the private sector has restricted private sector participation in defence procurement to supplying components and subsystems.  \n2.	The Govt has continued the process of reforms to facilitate private sector participation in defence. The Defence Production Policy issued on 01 Jan 2011 emphasises Government’s endeavour to build up a robust indigenous defence industrial base by\, proactively encouraging larger involvement of the Indian private sector in design\, development and manufacture of defence equipment. Towards this end\, it has also stated that efforts would be made in progressively identifying and addressing any issue\, which impacts; or has the potential of impacting the competitiveness of the Indian defence industry in comparison to foreign companies. \n3.	The Govt’s resolve is conveyed through this policy which seeks to synergize and enhance the national competence in producing state of the art defence equipment/ weapon systems/ platforms within the price lines and timelines that are globally competitive; all viable approaches such as formation of consortia\, joint ventures and public private partnerships etc. within the Government approved frame work will be undertaken. The Academia\, Research and Development Institutions as well as technical and scientific organizations of repute will be involved for achieving this objective. \nOrder Book\n4.	Defence PSU’s are faced with the enviable situation of having an ever growing order book reflecting the appetite of the customers for modernisation of weapon systems with the DPSU’s struggling to timely meet the customers expectation. (As per 2010 -11 annual report\, HAL had firm orders for new aircraft and Helicopters worth Rs 68\,265 Crs with more orders in the pipeline. BDL has a healthy order book position of around Rs 20\,000 Crore as per the annual report of 2010-11 and has challenging times ahead with delivery commitments with respect to major ATGM & SAM projects.) The other DPSU’s and shipyards are similarly placed.  \nCapacity Augmentation\n5.	To meet the challenges of augmenting their capacity for meeting the future orders as well as timely delivery against the existing orders\, the DPSUs need to harness the potential of SME’s and create capabilities and capacities so as to outsource production and processes to SMEs. The economy of SME operations has the potential to reduce the production cost for the DPSUs.  \nExport Potential\n6.	The economies of scale can be achieved by the DPSUs if they could pursue the export potential of indigenously designed & manufactured systems for meeting the requirement of friendly foreign countries. This would have to be done concurrently while meeting the demands of our own defence services. SME’s could be harnessed both for capacity augmentation as well as product support to the friendly foreign countries.  \nProduct Support\n7.	DPSUs being the nominated production agency in license production (ToT) projects also have the responsibility to provide product support over the life of the product. The life cycle costs of product support could be brought down and the response times improved if the SMEs are mentored to be able to be provide product support of select items. The DPSUs can then concentrate on weapon system upgrades and development of higher versions of the systems.   \nOff Sets\n8.	The recently issued Defence Offset Guidelines (DOG) provide for a multiplier factor of 1.5 in the discharge of offset obligations where the Indian Offset Partner (IOPs) are SMEs. This would provide an incentive to the foreign vendor to seek IOP in MSME category. DPSU mentored SMEs would be the default choice given their exposure to defence manufacturing. The DPSUs through such partnerships will be the indirect beneficiary of new technology\, processes\, upgrading of skills and infrastructure of which they would be the long term users.  \nJoint Ventures\n9.	The Govt has issued guidelines for formation of JV’s and MDL has been first off the block to sign two JVs with two private sector shipyards\, Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Co Ltd and Larsen & Toubro Ltd for construction of surface warships and conventional submarines.  \nPublic Private Partnership (PPP)\n10.	The country has already witnessed considerable growth in PPPs in the last one and half decade. It has emerged as one of the leading PPP markets in the world\, due to several policy and institutional initiatives taken by the central as well as many state governments. PPPs are now seen as the preferred execution mode in many sectors and an elaborate eco-system for PPPs has developed\, including institutions\, developers\, financiers\, equity providers\, policies and procedures. For implementing a larger number of projects across diverse sectors a National PPP Policy has been formulated by the Govt to facilitate the expansion in the use of PPP and PPP rules have also been drafted and would be issued soon.  \n11.	The time is therefore ripe for DPSUs to use these policy changes for creating conditions conducive for the private industries to play an active role to achieve the objective. DPSUs need to mentor and enhance potential of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for indigenisation as also for broadening the defence research and development base of the country and use the policy changes to form JVs and PPPs with Tier II & III private sector defence industry to meet their production targets and enable these industries to graduate to Tier I.
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/how-dpsus-ordnance-factories-could-spearhead-transformation-of-indian-defence-industrial-base
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20121030T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20121030T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T184250
CREATED:20231223T134107Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130740Z
UID:63151-1351575000-1351575000@idsa.in
SUMMARY:Round Table with Mr. Micheal Krepon on Space Security
DESCRIPTION:IDSA organized a Round Table Discussion on October 30\, 2012. The speaker for the Round Table was Micheal Krepon\, co-founder of Stimson Centre\, and director of the South Asia and Space Security programmes at Stimson Cenre. Dr. Arvind Gupta\, DG IDSA\, chaired the meeting and it was attended by Amb. (retd) R. Rajagopalan\, Wg Cdr Ajey Lele\, Dr. Rajeshwari Rajagopalan\, Mr. Sam Rajiv\, Mr. Kapil Patil\, Ms Nupur Brahma and Ms. Gunjan Singh.  \nMr. Krepon discussed the idea of space security in terms of norms. He argued that norms could be used to strengthen responsible behaviour among space faring nations. He said that space and cyber are very closely interlinked. However\, even though norms are being created for developments in space\, cyber security is still not being given due attention. \nAccording to Mr. Krepon\, developing a space treaty in the present day international context when China and Russia are holding different opinions vis-à-vis the United States is a very tough task. The process is also very time consuming and difficult. Thus\, it would be right to start and frame widely accepted transparency and confidence building measures. Under this framework\, the Code of Conduct (CoC) is a good and workable option. Codes are expected to be voluntary in nature and it will also help in creating increased awareness. According to the Simson Centre\, “a CoC is needed to insure the safe operation of satellites while at the same time increasing cooperation in space\, thereby reducing tensions that might lead to conflict in space”.  \nThere are three areas which need to be put in norms\, with respect to Space Security: \n\nSpace traffic management\nDebris management\nNo purposeful harmful interference with objects in space\n\nThe following points emerged during the discussion: \n\nThere is a need to work towards establishing mechanisms to ensure space security. However treaty route is difficult to follow as there are a number of hurdles. \nSpace CoC can be regarded as one option. However CoC is non-enforceable and it is an accepted fact that the CoC does not prevent arms race in space. It is a political document and is non-binding. \nIt is difficult to prevent development of military capabilities in space; it argued that CoC could be helpful in preventing another ASAT\, even though it is not perfect. \nIndia does not have a history of engaging in multilateral forums and thus it should try and work on the CoC. CoC can be helpful in containing Chinese capabilities and thus would be helpful to both India and the United States. \nThe discussion also indicated that it is difficult to keep China out of space negotiations but there can be ways and means to embarrass China by means of naming and shaming. \nThere is a need for the international community\, especially the space-faring nations to work on CBMs to ensure traffic management\, debris management and prevent purposeful interference. \nMr. Krepon stated that the negotiations scheduled for November 2012 may not take place and also that the EU has not given any indication about the future plans. \nAnother important point which emerged during discussion was regarding the Hague Code of Conduct. It was argued that even though this document has been signed by many states\, the important players in the field of ballistic missile defence technology have not signed it. Similar thing may happen with respect to the Space CoC as a number of non space-faring nations may sign it. However this would have little relevance. \n\n(report prepared by Gunjan Singh\, IDSA)
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/round-table-with-mr-micheal-krepon-on-space-security
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS,EVENT REPORT
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR