EDITORIAL

Finally India has a full time Defence Minister with the taking over by Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar as the 36th Defence Minister. He said that he would maintain the fast pace of acquisition set in motion by the government for the defence forces while ensuring transparency at every stage. Parrikar said that his predecessor Arun Jaitley has initiated work on many issues relating to defence despite several constraints and that he is confident of taking these steps forward with speed. Parrikar expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reposing confidence in him and entrusting him with this important and sensitive ministry. Referring to the Make in India drive of the government, Parrikar said, the mea- sure will not only lead to self-reliance in Defence manufacturing but also generate employment and would ultimately contribute to economic development. All at SP Guide Publications welcome Parrikar and wish him a very successful tenure. We also hope that he will encourage us as his predecessors have done in the past, to serve the nation and the defence forces through our publications.

The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the building of six submarines in India at an approximate cost of

53,000 crore (about $8 billion). The lead article gives details of the global key submarine programmes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been building bridges with regional nations like China, Japan and Nepal and also with the United States where he made quite an impact. During such visits, defence cooperation, terrorism and security-related issues are always an essential part of the agenda under discussion. Thus an article by the former CNS Admiral Arun Prakash on the Prime Minister's visit to United States is included. The author articulates that as it became painfully obvious during Xi Jinping's recent visit to India, India needs a diplomatic hedge to provide some leverage with Beijing. It is fortuitous that the US, too, happens to have a somewhat similar requirement at this juncture .

Recently Indonesia has elected a new President - Joko Widodo . Considering that Indonesia is the world's biggest Islamic nation and its strategic location straddling the sea lines of communications, it is essential for India to engage Indonesia closely. Thus an article on the subject is included.

This issue also includes show report on Euronaval 14 and some other newsy items including the News in Brief, which just about wraps up the issue. Wish you all happy reading!