<ul><li>India started using French Mirage 2000s in 1985 but started facing problems when in 2008 its R-530D and Magic II missiles became obsolete. </li><li>The <keyword id="15141" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> decided to integrate its Russian R-73 missiles with the Mirage and Israeli ‘Elbit’ successfully completed the project. </li><li><keyword id="6355882" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="israel">Israel</keyword> integrated the missiles not only with the fighter jet but also with the DASH helmet it was providing India. </li></ul>The story of Indian Air Force has been written with the aid of many global counterparts. And over time, the country has become an expert at mix and match. Here’s how. An Indian pilot is flying a French Mirage fighter, weilding a Russian missile, with an Israeli helmet! This ‘mix’ is also because Indian forces use legacy equipment, which has been causing concerns. Air Force’s Mirage 2000 fighter jet has been in service since 1985 and officially India is the only country currently operating this aircraft. So much so, its maker <keyword id="6354785" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="france">France</keyword>’s Dassault stopped producing them. In 2008, the R-530D and Magic II air-to-air missiles which Mirage was primarily equipped also became obsolete and the fighter was left without any missiles to fight the enemy aircrafts. Source Code As the procurement of similar aircraft was lengthy, and IAF didn’t have many options, they decided to integrate their Russian R-73 missiles onto Mirage. Putting the R-73, which was then in service with the Sukhoi 30s, Mig-29s and Mig-21 ‘Bison’ jets, with any western platforms had never been tried before. This project did not go down well with the French who refused to assist India in this ‘Jugaad’ project. But an ‘innovative’ Israel was ready to take on the challenge. The integration was finally done with the help of the country’s Elbit, which was also supplying Indian Air Force with its latest sophisticated DASH <keyword id="2734412" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Helmet-Mounted-Display">helmet-mounted display</keyword>. This helps project critical information during missions, right to the pilot’s eye. “There were key challenges,” says an IAF officer who further added that, “This was a new helmet and we were working without source codes.” So they had to go to extra lengths and make algorithms to make Mirage’s <keyword id="47552" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="radar">radar</keyword> ‘talk’ to Russian missiles. While this was done under super surveillance as Elbit has to be given access to the aircraft’s sensitive information. The other countries of France and <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> were unhappy as their assistance was not taken for the project, though France did refuse help. However, it was a success, and all’s well that ends well. Even if the Indian forces have to resort to face multitude of issues instead of buying new equipment. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-army-places-order-for-israels-anti-tank-spike-missiles/articleshow/70175141.cms">Indian Army invokes emergency powers to buy Israel’s fire-and-forget anti-tank missiles</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-brahmos-missile-can-now-travel-at-3-times-the-speed-of-sound/articleshow/70129788.cms">India's flagship missile can now cruise at 3 times the speed of sound</a>

Indian Air Force and the story of how it brought Israel, France and Russia together

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54026475.cms" /> Soldiers from armies worldwide are provided ultra-light helmets made of high-tenacity composite and polyethylene materials, some of which also integrate video cameras, thermal, chemical and biological sensors, along with visors which act as "heads-up computerized display monitors" in front of the eyes. On the other hand, soldiers of <keyword id="6354416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword>, belonging to the world’s fastest growing economy, are struggling to get some basic protection gear for decades. 
 
This wait for light and better helmets could finally be over for the Indian Army, since as per a <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Deal-worth-Rs-170-cr-for-better-lighter-Army-helmets-to-be-inked/articleshow/54023127.cms">TOI </a>report, a contract for 1,58,279 light-weight ballistic helmets is on the verge of completion. The deal is said to be worth around Rs 170 crore. 
 
"The deal would have been inked much earlier after the CNC (contract negotiation committee) was completed. But there has been a complaint, as also some financial queries...these are now being addressed," said a source. 
 
Earlier in March, a Rs 140 crore contract for "emergency" procurement of 50,000 from Tata Advanced Materials Limited was inked after waiting for more than 10 years. 
 The helmets, procured from an Indian manufacturer <keyword id="57367" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MKU">MKU</keyword>, will be equipped with 13mm trauma protection pads, while those for "commanders" will come with integrated communication headsets. 
 
The present lot of helmets that the army has are not only too heavy, but also do not protect soldiers from anything but splinters and rocks. 
 
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/10/article-2127513-12874855000005DC-244_634x463.jpg">Image source</a>

Indian soldiers could finally get better, lighter helmets after two decades of wait

<ul><li>The <keyword id="158152" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Light-Combat-Helicopter" source="Orion">Light Combat Helicopter</keyword> is developed by <keyword id="139970" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hindustan-aeronautics-ltd" source="Orion">Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd</keyword> (HAL).</li><li>LCH features armoured-protection systems, night attack capability, 20mm gun, 70mm rocket and missiles.</li><li>It has a top speed of 268kmph and a maximum range of 550km.</li></ul>The Defence Minister of India, <keyword id="6355121" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rajnath-singh" source="Orion">Rajnath Singh</keyword>, inducted an indigenously- developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) into <keyword id="15141" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="indian-air-force" source="Orion">Indian Air Force</keyword> (IAF). The induction occurred in the presence of the Defence Minister and Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari during the induction Ceremony of Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) in Jodhpur. This light combat helicopter has been developed to boost the Indian Air Force's combat prowess as the helicopter is capable of firing a range of missiles and other weapons. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Key features of Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)" comment="subhead" text="Key features of Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)">Key features of Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)</cmsannotation> The Light Combat Helicopter has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). It has been primarily designed for deployment in the high-altitude region. It shares similar traits with the advanced light helicopter Dhruv. It has a number of stealth features, including armoured-protection systems, night attack capability and crash-worthy landing gear. The LCH can be deployed in high-altitude areas and all-weather combat conditions, thanks to requisite agility, manoeuvrability, and extended range. Besides this, the helicopter can also be deployed in high-altitude bunker busting operations, urban environments, counter-insurgency, and combat capabilities to support ground forces. <div type="image" title="Light Combat Helicopter" msid="94613876" hostid="261" sizebytes="51422"></div> Other than these, several key aviation technologies are used in this helicopter, like glass cockpit, crashworthy bottom structure, anti-resonance isolation system, integrated architecture and display system, IR suppressor, helmet-mounted display system and more. Coming to weapon capabilities, it has a 20mm gun, 70mm rocket and missiles. The helicopter can fire air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. This Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) weighs 5,800 Kg, has a range of 550km and has a maximum speed of 268kmph. It is powered by a SHAKTI engine that produces a power of 1032kW. In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a Cabinet Committee on Security, which approved the procurement of 15 indigenously developed Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH at the cost of ₹3,887 crores. According to the defence ministry, ten helicopters will be introduced, five for Indian Air Force (IAF) and five for the Indian Army. The helicopter has been tested under stringent operating conditions, such as in the desert and cold Siachen regions. Back in February 2020, the helicopter was declared ready for production. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/ins-vikrant-pm-modi-unveils-indias-first-indigenous-aircraft-carrier/slidelist/93944069.cms">PM Modi unveils India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier- INS Vikrant</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/meet-the-former-lieutenant-general-anil-chauhan-the-next-chief-of-defence-staff/slidelist/94530802.cms">Meet the former Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan — the next Chief of Defence Staff</a>

Here’s everything you need to know about the made-in-India lightweight combat helicopter

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/56136063.cms" /><keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword> recently said that there is an alarming lack of lifeprotecting equipment available with Indian peacekeepers, informing India that the ability of troops to undertake operations has been impacted in South Sudan. 
 
As per the officials, India in October that its troops stationed there had "inadequate" life-protecting equipment such as bulletproof helmets and jackets. India has about 2,200 troops in South Sudan. 
 "The situation in South Sudan has been deteriorating. T he <keyword id="6355835" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="UN">UN</keyword> Secretary-General recently went on record that the country is headed for mass genocide. Still, two months later, the situation with our troops remains the same," an official, who did not wish to be identified, told ET. 
 Neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and <keyword id="6354759" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</keyword> also have a better record. "This is undoubtedly making a serious dent to our reputation as a major contributor to UN peacekeeping operations," said an official. 
 
As a result, this has apparently affected the number of operations the deployed troops can undertake. 
 
Even before this, the UN had over the last nine months informed India repeatedly that the serviceability of Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan is barely 60% due to the shortages. This against other peacekeepers deployed in the same area that are much better equipped.China, which has recently increased its contributions to the UN, has an availability rate of 120%, according to the information shared. 
 The matter is still unresolved even after two months despite several rounds of consultations between the <keyword id="43909" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-ministry">Defence Ministry</keyword> and Ministry of External Affairs, with officials saying the safety and reputation of Indian peacekeepers are at stake. 
 
"We must recognise that Indian forces are performing well operationally .There have been no complaints on that front," a South Block official, told ET. 
 India has been requested to provide adequate equipment to the blue berets at the earliest, in what would be one of the first challenges that General Bipin Rawat, who takes over as <keyword id="15350" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Army">Army</keyword> Chief on December 31, will have to face. The officer has an appreciation of the challenges faced in UN peacekeeping missions, having commanded troops as a Brigadier in Congo in 2008. The UN Mission in South Sudan is one of its largest peacekeeping missions with India as the main contributor. 
 The <keyword id="6354416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword> has also been facing shortages of life-saving bulletproof jackets and helmets at home as well, with orders placed for 50,000 jackets only in March this year -a seven year gap when the requirement was first raised in 2009. Even now the jackets ordered are against the full requirement of 1,86,138 that were needed by the Army till 2017.

Indian Army has less life protecting equipments than Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

While everyone knows that it was the strength and valour of <keyword id="6354416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword> that helped us win the <keyword id="152249" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="kargil-war">Kargil War</keyword>, the contribution of a little-known company in Kanpur can’t be ignored. After all, no army can win a fight without its <keyword id="434926" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defence-equipments">defence equipments</keyword>, and this Kanpur-based company, which now calls itself as one of the biggest arms exporter in India, played a crucial role in providing Indian Army what was required. Take for example the requirement of small-sized mountain shoes, which the <keyword id="671353" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gorkha-Regiment">Gorkha regiment</keyword>, known for their mountain-climbing abilities, required to take part in a mission. While no other company could commit to the huge order because of lack of time, <keyword id="57367" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MKU">MKU</keyword> got the emergency order of 10,000 mountaineering boots, even though it had a monthly capacity of 8,000 units at that time. "As the soldiers were being moved to the battle front, we completed the order working day and night before the start of attack. The order was the turning point for our company and our efforts were very much appreciated by the Army after the war," said MKU MD Neeraj Gupta. Since then, MKU has come a long way, and now manufactures a wide range of defence products including bullet-proof helmets and jackets, body armours and night-vision devices, supplying military equipment to more than 100 countries. It has also set up a manufacturing and testing facility in Germany, other than having three local units in Kanpur and Fatehpur.

Here’s the story of a Kanpur-based company that helped Indian Army in Kargil

A digital microscope to see cells in 3-D, a helmet whose strap tightens with the click of a button and components which make buildings earthquake resistant, IIT-Delhi's recent 'Open House' displayed the kind of innovations that are taking place within the campus, but to be put into use by the outside world. While some innovations are near completion, others have even been patented and are now being used by the industries. History is testimony to the fact that what these students have crafted have been making a difference in our lives. While benefiting the common man, there's one more area that <keyword id="137562" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="IITians">IITians</keyword> have contributed to - Defence. Let's for instance take the example of a material called aluminium cenosphere syntactic foam. Work is on so that this can be used to place as a layer in buildings, bridges and flyovers to protect them from collapsing or suffering severe damage during a bomb blast. Another example is that of helmets being used by the <keyword id="6354416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword>. It can only protect a soldier from splinters, rocks and a bullet that only grazes the helmet and is not directly hitting it. But the helmet being made by IIT-Delhi will contain layers of varied materials, including ceramic and cellular foam, which will blunt the bullet, reduce its velocity and absorb its energy. The new helmet will make sure the bullet does not penetrate the helmet there is no 'back face signature', which is a deformity caused on the helmet by the bullet. IITians have also given the defence sector several <keyword id="94769" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword>. whoch are being used in anti-combing operations in <keyword id="21647" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="naxal">Naxal</keyword> areas, for surveillance under waters and to check movements on our borders. S. Basu, Assistant Dean, Research and Development, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi recently said - "the institute's collaborated with <keyword id="490397" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-Development-Organisation">Defence Research Development Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="6355142" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="DRDO">DRDO</keyword>), wherein the former will receive Rs 230 crore over five years to build technologies to thwart mine attacks, assess their impact, and to build a "spy-balloon" -- conceptualized as a drone -- among others." Let's wait to see the kind of innovations that come out of our premier institutes in the days to come!

IIT student innovations empower India's defence sector like never before

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5436a69c6da8114d278483be-1200-858/rtrp20w.jpg" border="0" alt="RTRP20W">ReutersA war diary of dates and locations visited during the offensive on Iraq is seen on the helmet of a US military policemen in Al Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad on June 9, 2003.</img></div></div></div>
The following is an excerpt from <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/224185/the-invisible-front-by-yochi-dreazen">The Invisible Front</a>, Foreign Policy managing editor Yochi Dreazen's newly released book about one army general's efforts to change the military's approach to the mental health of its personnel during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this section, second lieutenant Jeffrey Graham arrives in Iraq for a combat deployment eight months after the US invasion of the country, at a time when the anti-US insurgency was intensifying.
Graham was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Khalidiyah, Iraq, on February 19th, 2004, and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Reprinted from The Invisible Front Copyright © 2014 by Yochi Dreazen. Published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:300px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54369bc26bb3f7150c9ff28c-938-1425/invisible front_final.jpg" border="0" alt="Invisible Front_final" width="300" height="451">Random House</img></div></div>"Hey, LT, where are your stilts?" 
It was 4:30 AM on November 24, 2003, and a young sergeant from the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, was giving Jeff an unofficial welcome to Iraq.
 Jeff's Chinook had just landed at the Al Taqaddum air base, or TQ, a bustling facility directly across the road from Camp Manhattan that served as a staging area for the units moving toward Fallujah and Ramadi. 
Jeff was barely five foot six, and his height quickly became an endless source of amusement to the men around him. He wasn't put off by the gentle mockery. In his letters and e-mails home, Jeff proudly referred to himself as an Oompa Loompa.
Jeff's first day in Iraq flew by in a disorienting rush. A newly arriving officer would normally be given a week or two to get to know his men, adjust to the unfamiliar terrain, and learn the ins and outs of his com­mander's overall strategy for fighting the insurgency.
Jeff wasn't given time for any of that. Matt Homa's unit - 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company - had been rudderless since the young officer's injury, and Swisher needed to get it back into the fight. Jeff led his first mission, a foot patrol through a cemetery in the nearby town of Khaldiyah, just hours after landing at TQ.
Insurgents had been sneaking into the cemetery at night to fire rocket-propelled grenades and crude mortar shells at Camp Manhattan, which was just a few hundred yards away. Jeff didn't find any of the mili­tants, and he thought that slowly making his way around the piles of dirt that marked each individual grave was "scary as hell." Khaldiyah itself was almost entirely deserted. It looked, Jeff thought, "like a Hollywood set of a ghost town."
Jeff had his first meeting with Swisher on November 25, Thanksgiv­ing Day. The battalion commander wasted little time with small talk when they sat down in Swisher's tidy office. He told Jeff that the Centuri­ons were getting hit multiple times per day and had just lost two popular lieutenants, including Jeff's predecessor.
The unit was fighting in one of the most dangerous parts of Iraq, and Swisher wanted Jeff to know ex­actly what was waiting for him each time he left the fortified walls of Combat Outpost Killeen, the tiny base that housed his platoon.
"This is what you're stepping into," Swisher told him. "The enemy is aggressive right now. Get your head screwed on straight if it's not on straight already."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5436a278eab8ea5b02c219ed-1200-858/rtrs3d3.jpg" border="0" alt="RTRS3D3">ReutersA US soldier passes by a car destroyed in a car bomb blast outside a police station in village of Khalidiyah, some 35 miles west of Baghdad on December 14, 2003. </img></div></div></div>
Jeff spent his first days trying to get to know Crane, his unit's top en­listed man, and the other soldiers of his platoon. He was deeply shaken by what he found.
The men were struggling to recover from the shock of Homa's injury and were openly fearful of getting blown up by an invis­ible IED or shot by an unseen sniper. "You're not human if you don't get scared, and we had reason to be scared," Chavez, one of Jeff's soldiers, said later.
As time went on, Chavez added, many of the men from his platoon began to question why they were in Iraq and how they could possibly win a war with no front lines or clear objectives. Soldiers were being killed and wounded virtually every day, and many of the Centurions concluded that further losses were inevitable.
"The morale here is low," Jeff wrote on Thanksgiving Day. "Guys try, but they all think they're going to die."
Jeff quickly got a sense of why his men were so afraid. On Decem­ber 1, his platoon was designated as the battalion's quick response force, or QRF, which meant they would be the first troops called in if other Cen­turions came under attack. Just after 11 a.m., Jeff's radio suddenly crack­led to life.
A convoy of US Humvees had been surrounded by insurgents armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades while the ve­hicles were passing through the rough, tense town of Habbaniyah. The Humvees were coming under fire from multiple directions, and one sol­dier, Sergeant Uday Singh, had already been seriously wounded. Take your men, Jeff was told, and get out there as fast as you can.
Jeff's platoon jumped into their trucks and roared out of Camp Manhattan. They reached the ambush site ten minutes later, just as an army medical evacuation helicopter was setting down to pick up Singh's motionless body. Jeff ordered his gunners to lay down covering fire for the chopper by pounding away at the unseen militants with the powerful .50-caliber machine guns mounted to the roof of each Hum­vee.
He and Mike Crane ran out to link up with some of the other men from Singh's unit, firing their M4s as they ran. The news was grim. A bullet had ripped through the young soldier's helmet, passing through his forehead and then out the other side. Singh never regained con­sciousness and was declared dead during the short flight to a military hospital in Fallujah.
The death hit Jeff hard. He had gone on three patrols with Singh and remembered that the young soldier always seemed to be smiling. Singh, twenty-one, had been born in India to a family with a long history of mil­itary service. His grandfather joined the nascent Indian air force in the 1930s and fought Japanese forces in Burma during World War II. Singh's father, Preet, spent twenty-five years in the Indian army as a tank com­mander and took part in the war against Pakistan in 1971.
Uday had been accepted into the University of Illinois but chose to enlist in the army in the summer of 2000 instead of beginning college. He died just days after receiving his US citizenship.
"Tough day, tough day," Jeff wrote in his journal that night, describ­ing a raid that ended with his soldiers arresting four Iraqis. "I thought my guys were going to kill 'em."
The violence continued. On December 14, the day after US forces captured Saddam Hussein, an enormous car bomb demolished an Iraqi police station in Khalidiya, killing twenty Iraqi cops. Jeff had been in the station more than half a dozen times and knew some of the dead men.
Two days later he was getting ready to go to Camp Manhattan when his radio squawked. "Cobra X-ray, Apache," a panicked voice said. "We've been hit." Jeff escorted the unit medics out to the site of the blast. An IED had blown up a US Humvee, severely wounding two of the Centuri­ons inside.
Jeff watched, horrified, as one of the soldiers readjusted the blood-soaked bandages covering his head and sent half the skin on his face sloughing off, exposing the bone below.
"I finally have seen combat. War. Hell," Jeff wrote. "It's not pretty. I wish I wouldn't have to see it again."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5436a3fe69bedd502b9cf929-1200-800/rtr1bfg.jpg" border="0" alt="RTR1BFG">ReutersA US army Bradley armored vehicle guards the front side of the police station in the town of Falluja, some 40 km west of the capital Baghdad on August 5, 2003. </img></div></div></div>
Jeff woke up and fell asleep to the sound of distant explosions. He began to have vivid, unsettling nightmares. 
In one dream Kevin [Graham's brother, a promising Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet who committed suicide earlier that year] walked up to him at a party, visibly drunk, and began choking so badly that Jeff could see the veins of his face turn blue. In another, Kevin told his brother that he was still alive and had simply taken a nap. Jeff woke up with a start after each nightmare and couldn't fall back asleep.
US troops continued to die, seemingly by the day.
On January 9, in­surgents shot down a Black Hawk helicopter near Fallujah, killing all nine of the soldiers aboard. On January 24 a suicide bomber in a Toyota Land Cruiser detonated his explosives outside the gates of a small American outpost, killing two soldiers instantly. A third died while he was being flown out to a military hospital.
Jeff and Mike Taylor spent the follow­ing day at the blast site, picking body parts and scraps of blackened flesh out of the crater gouged by the bomb. They wanted the families of the fallen soldiers to have something to bury, no matter how small, and they were determined not to leave the remains of a pair of American soldiers to rot in the sun.
Three days later an IED went off less than six hundred meters from Combat Outpost Killeen, killing three of the four soldiers in a passing Humvee, including a company commander and a senior non­commissioned officer (the fourth soldier soon died from his wounds).
Jeff and his men began to feel an overpowering sense of bloodlust and fury. They imposed a midnight curfew in K-Town and talked about killing any Iraqi they saw on the streets. Jeff seemed almost excited by the prospect of retribution.
"This job is tough, but losing 6 guys in 4 days . . . ," he wrote in his journal. "It's time for payback and all the guys are ready."
Not all of Jeff's time in Iraq was so grim. He retained his obsession with Kentucky basketball, unfurled a large University of Kentucky ban­ner near his bed, and was happy to talk trash with fans of other schools. He played football and video games with the soldiers from his platoon to build unit cohesion and try to keep morale as high as possible. He was quick with a joke and never seemed to take himself too seriously.
On Christmas, Colonel Swisher walked over to Jeff's table and handed him a plastic toy that had been mailed in from a McDonald's back home. "Here," he told Jeff. "You forgot the toy from your Happy Meal." Jeff was sitting with his platoon, and there was a moment of nervous silence as the soldiers waited to see how their commander would react to so public a joke about his height. There was an audible gasp of relief when Jeff took the toy, proudly placed it on the edge of his tray of food, and then burst out laughing.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5436a4b0eab8ea600dc219ea-1200-924/rtr8rpw.jpg" border="0" alt="RTR8RPW">ReutersIraqis shout anti-American slogans while US soldier trying to stop them after a car bomb ripped through a police station in Khalidiyah, 60 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad on December 14, 2003.</img></div></div></div>Still, Iraq was changing him. It hardened and conditioned him to withstand exposure to carnage that he would have found unimaginable just months earlier. 
He began sprinkling his letters home with repeated references to "hojies," a racial epithet of sorts about Iraqis. He made ca­sual reference to letting his men rough up Iraqis, run them off the road, or even shoot them. 
Like veterans of other conflicts, Jeff felt transformed by his exposure to war. The world, in a fundamental way, was beginning to feel different to him.
"Most of the time it's like being in a dream," he wrote in a letter to Melanie. "Neither good nor bad. Just a dream."

Excerpt: A Young US Army Officer Copes With The Brutal Opening Days Of The Iraq War

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47148634.cms" />

	 If the Indian army brought laurels to the country by doing a great job in spearheading the relief work for earthquake struck Nepal, the <keyword id="94534" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-media">Indian media</keyword> has actually done a disservice to the nation by permanently denting India’s image in the global arena. 
	 
	Otherwise, what else can justify the rapid popularity of #GoHomeIndiaMedia, which is nothing but a testimony to the outrage by millions of people which includes both Nepalese and Indians against the Indian media coverage of the devastating Nepal quake? 
	 
	The extensive coverage of the earthquake and the aftermath of it by the Indian news channels have only raised one question about this fraternity--- In the race to get exclusive pictures or soundbytes for their respective organisations, did Indian journalists forget their basic sense of ethics? In her open letter to the Indian media, Nepali writer Sunita Shakya clearly called the Indian coverage of the disaster struck Nepal as ‘shooting some kind of family serials’. 
	 
	“There has been one viral news report going on where a reporter presented how people were fighting for food and one woman got injured badly. Thanks to the reporter, who had enough time to grab the victim and bring to the camera to show the victim hurt badly on her head. But how surprising, he did not have a minute to grab a piece of cloth to stop bleeding! That reporter did not have a minute to grab the wrist of that person who was beating others with a helmet. There was of course a cameraman who does not want to miss a second so that a dramatic news could be presented. I think you are a human before you become a media person. As a responsible person, it was your duty to save someone,” writes an agitated Shakya. 
	 
	Next she points out that an Indian journalist, in his bid to get exclusive information about the work (read great) that India was doing in the country, also hampered the on-going relief work, when he asked one of the rescue workers about the kind of technology that has been used. Really, do we have no sense of time or situation? In our attempt to be number one, did we really forget that with every passing second, there is a life lost—maybe a doting father or mother, a wife or a husband and the worse—a child! 
	 The coverage of <keyword id="779649" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="nepal-earthquake">Nepal earthquake</keyword> is a stark reminder of how we behaved when tragedy struck us on November 26, 2008. The terrorist attack that claimed over 200 lives was covered extensively, even revealing the strategic positions of our armed men, who had risked their lives to fight the terrorist and save as many lives as possible. I clearly remember, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had to issue an advisory to the news channels asking them to restrict their coverage of the attack and allowing only video footage with a 10-minute lag to be used on air, as it had become a security threat to those fighting the battle. 
	 It’s truly a shame that on World’s Press Freedom Day, Indian press was being slammed on <keyword id="6354616" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> for their coverage of the Nepal earthquake. While there is no doubt that the Indian media has been a catalyst in many ways in the Indian society as well as globally, but it is during times of distress that the depth and the maturity of a pivotal instrument like media is measured. 
	 
	Veteran journalist and Editor-in-chief of NDTV, Dr Prannoy Roy in his piece, Tabloidization of Indian News, notes that ‘Tabloidization is the death of good journalism’. 
	 
	He talks about applying the Heisenberg principle of quantum mechanics in journalism. “For the second point, I like to use a phrase…it's called the "Heisenberg principle of journalism. The 'Heisenberg principle of journalism' states that if you head towards the sole objective of eyeballs or sensationalism, the very nature of your own journalists and journalism tends to change. Also it is well known that if a journalist gets too close to her or his sources, the nature of the news changes - some call it quid-pro-quo journalism. 
	 
	Our coverage of the Nepal disaster is definitely a cue for us to universally adopt Dr. Roy’s Heisenberg Principle of Journalism as the Kotler’s 4 Ps, governing the rules of journalism.

#GohomeIndiaMedia. Will
this make the Indian media rethink its ways?

<ul><li>India’s defence manufacturing industry will have more contracts coming its way with the Indian government banning the import of 101 defence items. </li><li>The share price of companies like L&amp;T, BHEL, Bharat Forge and others rallying in the stock market today. </li><li>Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) share price was up by over 8% in early morning trade.</li></ul>The Indian government’s ban on the import of 101 defence weapons and military platforms could bring an additional impetus for India’s defence companies. The share prices of companies like Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL), Larsen &amp; Toubro (L&amp;T), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Forge and others are rallying in the stock market today. HAL opened a whopping 8% above Friday’s closing. The ban on big-ticket items like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK I A is a huge boon for the aircraft manufacturing company. <div type="image" title="HAL" msid="77455556" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;HAL&amp;#39;s share price since 1 January 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The other behemoth in the defence space, L&amp;T, saw its share price go up by over 2% in early morning trade. It has the most to gain from this new move coupled with the overarching Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020. Not only does the company manufacture for the Army but for the Navy as well. <div type="image" title="L&amp;amp;T" msid="77455576" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;L&amp;amp;amp;T&amp;#39;s share price since 1 January 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Bharat Forge's chairman and managing director, Baba Kalyani, welcomed the India's government's move to ban 101 defence items. "This strategic step will propel the Atmanirbhar Bharat " he said. As markets opened today morning, the Bharat Forge's shared price jump by over 5%. <div type="image" title="Bharat Forge" msid="77455611" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Bharat Forge&amp;#39;s share price since 1 January 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Cochin Shipyard also saw its stock in the green, up by nearly 4%. Its one of the few companies that manufactures items for the Indian Navy. Even though the company was not immune to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown, it still managed to post a 44% jump in profits year-on-year in the fourth quarter. The true impact of the uncertainty with be reflected in its first quarter earnings, which are set to be announced later today. <div type="image" title="Cochin Shipyard" msid="77455589" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Cochin Shipyard&amp;#39;s share price since 1 January 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> BHEL’s share price saw a jumped of nearly 3%. The company saw a troubled fourth quarter will sales dipped by 54% and a net loss of ₹ 1,532 crore. Due to the impact of COVID 19 and the uncertain circumstances, the board of BHEL also refrained from recommending the final dividend for the financial year. <div type="image" title="BHEL" msid="77455623" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BHEL&amp;#39;s share price since 1 January 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The publicly owned BEML's share price also saw a surge of over 4%. Just last month, the company bagged a ₹ 557 crore order from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to supply 1,512 Track Width Mine Ploughs (TWMPs). Its a demining piece of equipment used by India's Bhishma T-90 tanks. <div type="image" title="BEML" msid="77456083" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BEML&amp;#39;s share price since 1 January 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Even though the ban will be implemented in a phased manner with a deadline of coming into full effect by December 2025, many items will be shunned as soon as December this year. This includes big-ticket items like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK I A and smaller tit-bits like bulletproof jackets and ballistic helmets. Boon for India’s domestic defence manufacturing <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Branch of the Armed Forces </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Companies to Benefit </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Indian Army </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">L&amp;T, BHEL, Bharat Forge, BEML, BEL and Bharat Dynamic </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Indian Navy </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Garden Reach, Cochin Shipyard, and L&amp;T </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Indian Air Force </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HAL and Dynamatics Technologies </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Reliance Securities According to Rajnath Singh, India’s Minister for Defence, the aim is not only to reduce India’s dependence on imports and boost the domestic market but also to one day export defence items to the rest of the world. He estimates that contracts worth nearly ₹4 lakh crore will be placed upon the domestic industry within the next six to seven years. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/indias-defence-ministry-introduces-import-embargo-on-101-items-to-boost-atmanirbhar-bharat-abhiyan/articleshow/77442031.cms">India’s Defence Ministry introduces “import embargo” on 101 items to boost Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/all-the-101-items-that-indias-defence-ministry-will-put-under-import-embargo/articleshow/77442138.cms">All the 101 items that India's Defence Ministry will put under "import embargo"</a>

HAL’s share price jumps by over 8% as defence stocks rally after India announces import ban

Feb 27, 10:15 AM Death toll touches a new high after 32 reported dead and over 200 injured, a senior health department official told PTI. Feb 27, 08:42 AM NSA chief Ajit Doval took over the charge yesterday (Feb 26) and personally visited the affected area. Families of those killed in Delhi violence will get ₹2 lakh, and those seriously injured will get ₹50,000 as compensation, senior officials told on Wednesday. Feb 27, 08:30 AM According to PTI, Delhi violence death toll rose to 28, and more than 106 people have been arrested with almost 18 FIR's, after three days of continuous violence in North-East Delhi. 03:40 PM According to ANI, the death toll from Delhi violence rose to 22, with 21 deaths in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and 1 death in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="ANI" handlename="ANI" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1497864299/ani_mic_logo_normal.jpg" favoritecount="155" retweetcount="44" status="North East Delhi violence: 21 deaths in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and 1 death in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hosp… https://t.co/2vbcGUcNru" createdat="1582708633000" id="1232595463284518912"></div>

















 03:00 PM After watching the ‘hate speeches’ video of BJP leaders, the Delhi HC said, “We can't let another 1984 happen, not under watch of this court." The court Bench also directed Delhi CM <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to visit the affected areas “for confidence-building among people” 02:00 PM Prime <keyword id="6356245" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="minister">Minister</keyword> Modi urged people to maintain 'peace and brotherhood', as he reacted to the violence that has been raging on since Sunday (Feb 23). "Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are working on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy," he tweeted. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134082549041393672/QbihPzrL_normal.png" favoritecount="7776" retweetcount="1876" status="Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are workin… https://t.co/dEDZ6b2Fsx" createdat="1582705315000" id="1232581547175313414"></div>





















 01:50 PM An Intelligence Bureau officer was found dead in Delhi, today(Feb 26). The body was found in a drain in Northeast Delhi's<a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/delhi-violence-intelligence-bureau-officer-dead-chand-bagh-1650159-2020-02-26" data-type="tilCustomLink"> Chand Bagh</a> area, which is among the several regions of the national capital that are impacted by the Delhi violence. 01:40 PM Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police told IANS that, as of now, Police "have not issued any written orders to shoot on the spot. Nor has curfew been imposed in any area. Yes, if the need arises, we will not miss any of these steps." "If the conspirators, who are spreading the violence, are beginning to understand themselves, it is very good. Otherwise, the police will not hesitate to take steps from shooting to imposing curfew. It is better that they understand this," he added. 01:20 PM Sonia Gandhi, the Congress interim president accused that <keyword id="6357801" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="union">Union</keyword> Home minister <keyword id="6355521" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="amit-shah">Amit Shah</keyword> is responsible for Delhi violence, at a press conference.. 11:10 AM Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal writes to MHA to call in Army and impose curfew in the North-East Delhi, as the death toll rises to 20. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="ArvindKejriwal" handlename="Arvind Kejriwal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/945853608389574656/REH_LpUJ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3096" retweetcount="821" status="I have been in touch wid large no of people whole nite. Situation alarming. Police, despite all its efforts, unable… https://t.co/MhF67GLOof" createdat="1582694525000" id="1232536291213901825"></div>

































 10:00 AM Sunil Kumar Gautam MD, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital told ANI that the Death toll has increased to 18 and more than 180 have been injured. 
	
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Delhi Violence scene" msid="74311845" hostid="261"></div>







































 9:40 AM According to First Post, a complicated surgery was performed at GTB Hospital on a 19 year old boy brought from the riots zone. A drill was bored into the boy's skull by attackers. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="firstpost" handlename="Firstpost" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1080740828656463873/-TjuNXeh_normal.jpg" favoritecount="14" retweetcount="12" status="@payalmehta100 The youth, who was attacked on Tuesday by people who bored a drill bit into his skull, was operated… https://t.co/4wTLMx2Ap9" createdat="1582689850000" id="1232516679281913856"></div>











































 9:30 AM According to Deccan Herald, Chandra Shekhar Azad, the Bhim Army Chief approached the SC to consider their plea for registration of FIR against former BJP leader Kapil Mishra and others, who are "responsible for the violence" and "orchestrating attack" on people in North-East part of the New Delhi. Kapil Mishra led a pro-CAA rally in Maujpur hours before violence broke in Delhi on Sunday. 8:45 AM Acid has reportedly been thrown at 2 CRPF in Karawal Nagar where the forces were deployed to control the situation, IANS reported. The new death toll shows 17 dead and more than 180 injured during the clashes. 8:30 AM Delhi violence took a communal turn on Tuesday after a mosque in Ashok Nagar was set on fire. According to GTB Hospital, the violence so far has killed 17 people, while 186 people have been reported injured. In a viral video on Twitter, the mob tries to climb up the mosque with an Indian flag in his hand before setting it on fire. Shops within and around the mosque compound, including a footwear shop, were looted, according to reports from The Wire 4:00 PM Anti and pro CAA protestors threw petrol bombs, stones and fired guns at each other at near the Maujpur-Babarpur metro station. Ambulances are seen running frequently to transport the injured from the area. Helmet wearing protestors are armed with iron and wooden rods are heckled journalists covering the violence to delete pictures or videos, says an IANS report. 2:15 PM Gautam Gambhir, the East Delhi MP visited DCP Shahdara Amit Sharma, ACP Anuj Jain and Head Constable Yashpal in hospital after the police personnel who injured during the violent protests in northeast Delhi. He condemned those making provocative speeches saying, "Nothing can be solved through violence. The solution of any issue comes only through dialogue. The government is ready to have a discussion and clear every doubt. There should be strict action against those who have indulged in violence. Violence is not the identity of Delhi." 2:00 PM Fresh violence erupted in some parts of northeast Delhi after an overnight lull. Several incidents of violence and stone pelting reported from interiors of localities such as Jaffarabad, Brahmapuri which adjoining Maujpur. At Jaffarabad metro station, a large number of people were seen carrying tri-colour and sticks in hands. The protestors tried to break the CCTV cameras installed alongside the roads. 1:55 PM The Delhi High Court agreed to hear a petition seeking independent judicial inquiry, compensation for the deceased and arrest of political leaders for inciting violence in Delhi's north-east area, today (Feb 25). A Division Bench of Justices Anup Jairam Bhambhani and G.S. Sistani has listed the matter for tomorrow (Feb 26). 12:55 PM "This is Delhi's issue and all political parties will work towards ensuring that peace prevails in the national capital. The Home Minister has assured of every possible help," said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, after meeting Amit Shah and other political parties representatives at the Home Ministry for a discussion on Delhi violence. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="ANI" handlename="ANI" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1497864299/ani_mic_logo_normal.jpg" favoritecount="450" retweetcount="69" status="Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: Everyone wants that the violence be stopped. The Home Minister had called a meeting today… https://t.co/kg7qN07aPi" createdat="1582615693000" id="1232205643592826880"></div>









































































 12:00 PM As protests rage on in Delhi over opposing factions over Citizenship Amendment Act, a high level urgent meeting was convened in the national capital to discuss the events. Union Home Minister Amit Shah met representatives of different political parties including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appraise them on the status of violence caused by the protests. As many as seven people died in the violence in which also includes a police head constable. The number of injured also rose to 150 as of 12:45 today. The protests which took a new turn late Saturday (Feb 22) in the Maujpur area and raged on as pro and anti CAA clashed with each other. It was reported that some used guns, other pelted stones and some even tried to set a petrol pump on fire. All of North-eastern Delhi remained tense as Section 144 was imposed in the areas of Maujpur, Kardampuri, <keyword id="3354144" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chand-Bagh">Chand Bagh</keyword> and Dayalpur.areas on Monday. However, the riots and protests went on through Monday night showing little indications of cooling off. On the contrary, the number of deaths, injured and civic complaints to the fire department is swelling by the hour. The violence <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/section-144-imposed-in-parts-of-north-delhi-after-a-violent-caa-protest-led-to-a-policemans-death/articleshow/74284941.cms">was reportedly triggered by a clash</a> between two sets of people— one protesting against the new citizenship law and the other campaigning in support of the legislation that has already been passed by the Parliament. Since Sunday (Feb 23), the pro-CAA groups had assembled at Maujpur metro station while the anti-CAA protesters settled down about a kilometre away, at Jafrabad metro station.

Delhi violence: Death toll spikes to 32 more than 200 people injured, says a senior health department official

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58f233bedd089517258b4a1b-1337/screen shot 2017-04-15 at 143015.png" alt="North Korea military parade" />Damir Sagolj/ReutersAmid ongoing tensions with the US, North Korea has created special-operations forces "<a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/04/17/0401000000AEN20170417005300315.html" target="_blank">for the first time</a>," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.Pyongyang announced the Korean People's Army special forces during a military parade over the weekend, which marked the anniversary of the 105th birthday of Kim Il Sung, who founded the country and is the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.The members of the new forces were reportedly shown marching in the parade, decked out in sunglasses and helmets with night-vision goggles.Their faces were covered in black and camouflage paint, and they carried rifles with grenade launchers."Once Supreme Commander Kim Jong-Un issues an order, they will charge with resolve to thrust a sword through the enemy's heart like lighting over Mt. Paektu," an announced said during the parade broadcast, referring to the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/04/17/0401000000AEN20170417005300315.html" target="_blank">according</a> to Yonhap.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58f655e8f40dae1c008b53cc-2400" alt="North Korea military parade special forces" />REUTERS/Damir SagoljNorth Korean special-forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017.The forces' debut, and the parade itself, came just a few days before the start of US-South Korea <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-south-korea-kick-off-exercise-north-korea-war-2017-4" target="_blank">joint military exercises</a>, and analysts who <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/04/17/0401000000AEN20170417005300315.html" target="_blank">spoke to Yonhap</a> said the formation was related to the exercises - in particular a reported "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-seals-f-35s-decapitation-strike-north-korea-2017-3" target="_blank">decapitation attack</a>" simulation to be performed by the US Navy's SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden.The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-seals-f-35s-decapitation-strike-north-korea-2017-3" target="_blank">Pentagon has told Business Insider</a> that the US does not train for decapitation attacks of any kind but would not comment on whether SEAL Team 6 was in South Korea.While the special-operations forces described by Yonhap report were said to have been formed by North Korea "<a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/04/17/0401000000AEN20170417005300315.html" target="_blank">for the first time</a>," previous reports have referred to North Korean special-operations or special-warfare units.A 2010 report from South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, citing a defense white paper, said North Korean special forces had <a href="http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/12/31/2010123100850.html" target="_blank">grown by 20,000 personnel</a> over the previous two years.North Korea's special forces, according to the white paper, expanded from 120,000 in 2006 to about 200,000 in 2010, accounting for 17% of Pyongyang's forces at that point.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58f233bedd089517258b4a1c-1348/screen shot 2017-04-15 at 143021.png" alt="North Korea military parade" />Damir Sagolj/ReutersNorth Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017.Those roughly 200,000 "special troops are primed to carry out combined operations such as attacks on major facilities in South Korea, assassination of VIPs and harassment in the rear by infiltrating the South using underground tunnels."In <a href="https://www.vice.com/sv/article/how-to-prepare-for-a-north-korean-invasion" target="_blank">a 2012 Vice interview</a>, a purported South Korean-born NATO soldier detailed South Korean defense planning and said that North Korea had "something like 130,000 well-trained special forces" who would land on the South Korean coast to "promote general chaos" in should a conflict break out.Tunnels from North Korea into South Korea have been found before, though none have been uncovered <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/02/world/asia/north-korea-dmz-tunnels/" target="_blank">since 1990</a>.Recent tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have been focused on the latter's nuclear-weapons program and missile testing.US Vice President Mike Pence, visiting the demilitarized zone on Monday, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-trump-adding-fuel-to-fire-nuclear-testing-2017-4" target="_blank">said</a> the US had no more strategic patience with North Korea was considering military force against the regime. North Korean Vice Minister Han Song Ryol <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-trump-adding-fuel-to-fire-nuclear-testing-2017-4" target="_blank">responded</a> that if "the US is planning a military attack against us, we will react with a nuclear pre-emptive strike by our own style and method."<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58f5800e5124c993673539a4-800" alt="U.S. Vice President Mike Pence answers a reporter's question at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea, April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji " />Thomson ReutersVice President Mike Pence at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea, April 17, 2017.The US has also considered shooting down future North Korean missile tests, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/18/us-military-shoot-down-north-korea-missile-tests" target="_blank">according to The Guardian</a>, though experts and former officials warned that such a move risked sparking escalation that the US may not be able to control.US military officials <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/despite-talk-of-a-military-strike-trumps-armada-was-a-long-way-from-korea/2017/04/18/e8ef4237-e26a-4cfc-b5e9-526c3a17bd41_story.html?utm_term=.ec8ddc2946b6" target="_blank">indicated</a> earlier this month that the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its support group would sail toward the Korean Peninsula in response to rising tensions and reports of a looming North Korea missile test.However, on April 15, the carrier was pictured passing through Indonesia toward the Indian Ocean - about 3,500 miles from Korea. The ships are currently operating in the Indian Ocean, conducting exercises with Australian naval forces, <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/articles/us-carrier-still-thousands-of-miles-from-korea" target="_blank">according</a> to Defense One. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mike-pence-warns-north-korea-the-era-of-strategic-patience-is-over-trump-tension-dmz-hermit-kingdom-kim-jong-un-2017-4">PENCE WARNS NORTH KOREA: 'The era of strategic patience is over'</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

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