Heroes who don’t necessarily work on the borders!

 

Fighting from the front isn’t the only way to win a war and that's what every nation's classified army is all about!That part of the army that everyone's heard of but doesn't really know about.

 With every passing day, the rules and strategies of the battleground evolve and to keep up with this growing pace, the armed forces are equipped with not just updated artillery but constantly updated 'information' as well.

As aptly quoted by Lt-Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane,( Vice-Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of the Army Staff designate) “I dare say that none of our military operations would have been successful had it not been for the support we got from various intelligence agencies including the Research & Analysis Wing and the DIA” and truly every success that we as a nation accomplish on the borders is a culmination of synchronous efforts laid down by the armed forces along with the intelligence agencies.

Thus our first post is dedicated to this diligent fragment of the forces who work day and night in the background to protect the sovereignty and integrity of our nation.

 Talking about the creation of this central organization, it dates back to the aftermath of the 1999 Kargil war. A major part of the failure to detect the intrusion of the  jihadi militants was blamed on the lack of competence displayed by the Indian intelligence agencies .It was felt that there was a lack of coordination between the intelligence and the 3 armed forces .To bridge this gap the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)was formed in the year 2002. It’s major role being, to collect , collate and evaluate intelligence from the three Service directorates and other agencies. It closely works with defense ministry , its current director general being Lt Gen KJS Dhillon.

What’s interesting is that we are all aware of popular intelligence agencies like the R&AW and IB but the DIA extensively coordinates with numerous other inter-service technical intelligence agencies like the Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Imagery Intelligence (IMINT). These agencies collect intel with respect to electronic transmissions collected by ships, planes, ground sites, or satellites that   are used in decrypting the enemy communications along with the Defense Information Warfare Agency (DIWA). It also collaborates with  the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) a premier TECHINT agency of the country under the National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister's Office, India with the mandate to collect communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), IMINT and cyber intelligence. It also coordinates with  the National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD) Asia's first of its kind in India! .

Well this had us talking about the ‘know-how’ details , but what makes the DIA a pivotal pillar in India’s security is the officers that work diligently everyday and who better to provide a testimony to it’s relentless operations than its backbone and former head -  Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar.

 Lt. General Kamal Davar, the son of Dr. MC Davar, a veteran freedom fighter, who himself was a part of the troop that fought tirelessly to prevent the partition of India! 

He is also an alumnus of National Defense Academy and served the Indian Army for a span of four decades dauntlessly. He has been awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal by the Government of India. As a young officer he had participated in the 1965 indo-pak war as well as during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war  and although being wounded heavily both the times, nothing could stop him from serving his nation !

He started off with his commission in the 7th Light Cavalry Regiment and later being appointed as Director General of the Mechanized Forces of India in 2001 and it was after this, that he was declared as the Director General of DIA by the Government of India on 5th March, 2002. 

In fact he is not only a fearless veteran but also a very keen environmentalist! He's been the driving force for the plantation of lakhs of trees and cleaning the Harike Bird Sanctuary in Punjab! .  He has also produced his wonderfully inspiring debut book ,Tryst With Perfidy- the deep state of Pakistan which gives the reader an insight into Pakistan’s political tactics and its global influence.

Well its quite evident, that on similar lines, every member of the DIA has experienced an equally tough tenure in his life and yet has a noble attitude towards the country and its well-being. That’s the beauty of a soldier’s life.

To conclude, the Defense Intelligence Agency is just the tip of the iceberg of the vast security forces that seamlessly work day and night to provide people like you and me a life of solace. We salute our heroes at the border and the heroes behind them- India’s faceless agents ! The unknown heroes, the real heroes !

JAI HIND!

We hope you liked our first post! Although we have just scratched the surface here, we will have lots of more 'never before' heard stories  .Do check that out later ! Till then stay tuned for more interesting posts! Let us know your thoughts on India’s faceless agents and any suggestions in the comment section below! We would love to hear you! And don’t forget to subscribe ;)

Thanks you and adios !