Soldier and Soldiering -1971 War Story

1971 STORY

From an officer....

During 1971 war my Bn (3 Grenadiers) fought the Battle of Jarpal. 3 Grenadiers captured Jarpal which was defended by 35 FF. In this battle 3 Grenadiers was awarded a PVC (to then Maj Hoshiyar Singh), a MVC (then CO, Lt Col V P Airy), 4 VrCs and host of other awards. Incidentally Kheterpal was also awarded PVC in the same battle.

35 FF launched seven counter attacks on 3 Grenadiers. The last one was led by their CO, Lt Col Mohd Akram Raza. During the counter attack he was hit by a MMG burst on the face and succumbed to his injuries. Lt Col Airy, CO 3 Grenadiers wrote his citation and the offr was posthumously awarded Hilal-e-Jurat (I think eqvt of our MVC).

Later when 3 Grenadiers was in Ethiopia one of the offrs of 35 FF was also in the msn. He was invited to all the functions to mark our battle honour day, in which his bn was decimated ( 8 offrs, incl CO and over 350 other rks KIA). I must say it was to the credit of the Pakistani offr that he attended all the functions, incl Mandir parade. Later the CO of the bn when he came on lve to India got a sari for the Pakistani offr's mother. The Pakistani offr in turn brought a portrait of Lt Col Akram Raza, which is prominently displayed in our mess.

I think that's what soldiering is all about.

Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

Air passengers at a growing number of U.S. airports will no longer need to remove electronics, liquids, and other items from their carry-on luggage at security checkpoints as the Transportation Security Administration rolls out new technology.

The TSA took a major step in a broader plan to revamp its overall screening process with faster, more advanced technology when it signed a contract Thursday for hundreds of new carry-on baggage screening machines, Administrator David Pekoske said on a press call Friday. The agency has tested the new technology at more than a dozen airports since 2017, along with the relaxed protocols that allow passengers to leave items such as laptops and toiletries inside their luggage.

The rollout of the computed tomography, or CT, machines will begin this summer, Pekoske said. The $97 million contract will buy 300 machines, but the list of airports receiving them has yet to be made final, Pekoske said.

A Transportation Security Administration worker screens luggage at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

The technology creates 3-D images of bags’ contents and will eventually be able to detect items automatically that the TSA now asks passengers to remove, he said.

“It’s not a little bit better, it’s a lot better,” Pekoske said of the technology.

In total, the agency expects to replace its more than 2,000 X-ray machines with the CT equipment over the next eight years, he said. The five-year contract was awarded to Edgewood, Maryland-based Smiths Detection, but the next phase of procurement may include multiple vendors, he said.

While the CT pilot program didn’t show reduced wait times at participating airports, the agency is expecting the technology will speed up lines as passengers and staffers get used to the new processes. Pekoske said he expected more staff to be needed initially as the new machines are put in place.

President Donald Trump called for another 300 CT machines to be funded in his fiscal 2020 budget request released earlier this month.

Col Rajendra Shukla(Retd)

MD,Daksh Consultants

Airport Biometrics Trials Expand on Three Continents

Trials of new biometric systems are launching and continuing at several airports around the world, as airports and airlines seek to increase automation to speed up identification processes.

SITA Smart Path has been deployed for a trial of using facial recognition instead of a boarding pass for security processing at Athens International Airport, the company announced. The airport, Greece’s largest, is the first in Europe to use biometric identity at security, according to the announcement.

“Passengers really appreciate the ease of using SITA’s Smart Path trial,” says Alexandros Ziomas, acting director of Athens International Airport’s IT&T Business Unit. “It has reduced the time taken to check in and verify passenger identity at security to only a few seconds. It will solve a key challenge for us by ensuring a steady flow of passengers to the security area. This is a service we would like to extend to other steps in the journey over time.”

The biometric service is being offered to Aegean Airlines passengers, and because Smart Path can be tailored to specific airport or airline requirements, could also be extended to other airlines operating out of Athens in the future.

“As most airports around the world already have self-service infrastructure in place, installing Smart Path is cost-effective and easy to implement,” comments SITA President for Europe Sergio Colella. “Yet, the improvement to security and the passenger experience is tremendously positive. It explains the growing interest in this solution from both airlines and airports in Europe and around the world.”

Palm vein biometrics deployed to 14 Korean airports

The Korea Airports Corporation has deployed Fujitsu’s biometric palm vein authentication system to all 14 domestic airports under its jurisdiction. The system began operation on December 28, 2018, and has been used more than a million times by 160,000 individuals with registered palm vein patterns.

Passenger identity is confirmed with biometrics instead of the citizen ID card which was previously required. The automated process both improves the accuracy of identification and significantly shortens the time taken for the process, according to the announcement.

Facial recognition-powered customer service kiosks reach Chinese airports

Chinese technology expert Matthew Brennan has filmed a kiosk as it identified him with facial biometrics, provided flight plan information, and offered him directions to his gate, Fast Companyreports.

Fast Company suggests that the system represents a warning about the potential of facial recognition and collection of personal data for abuse, and says the Chinese government can clearly identify citizens anywhere with the technology.

Panasonic recently demonstrated similar technology as part of its One ID biometric airport solution.

JFK facial recognition trial to expand

The facial recognition technology deployed to a boarding gate at JFK’s terminal 5 for JetBlue passengers in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reducing the amount of time necessary for passengers to move through the airport while increasing security, according to Collins Aerospace VP of Global Airport Systems Christopher Forrest.

The trial was launched in November, and may soon be expanded to include either self-service baggage drop or an end-to-end system powered by facial biometrics, based on previous comments by Forrest.

Collins Aerospace says in the trial announcement that its SelfPass system is uniquely scalable and hardware-independent, enabling airports and airlines to add biometric capabilities to various touchpoints.

“The innovative use of biometrics for customer processing is driving the aviation industry forward and aligns with IATA’s One ID concept,” said Ian Deason, senior vice president of customer experience for JetBlue. “By working together with Collins Aerospace, we’re bringing JetBlue customers a personal, helpful and simple experience each time they fly.”

SelfPass trials at Bristol and Dublin airports

Collins Aerospace also announced today that its SelfPass airport biometric solution is now being trialed at Bristol Airport and Dublin Airport, enabling passengers to use a single biometric enrollment in multiple countries.

Bristol Airport offers passengers multiple biometric checkpoints, making the process easy from check-in to boarding. When SelfPass rolls out in Dublin next month, passengers will be the first to be able to take advantage of the multi-country solution.

“Dublin and Bristol Airports are changing the way passengers travel and making the process easier and more efficient,” explains Forrest. “For example, it takes less than one second to capture and process a passenger’s facial image and eliminates the need to repeatedly present travel documents. We see this as another leap forward for our biometric technology to play a key role in making the connected aviation ecosystem a reality.”

At Bristol, the new trial will biometrically enable multiple touchpoints, including: check-in, self-bag drop, security and boarding gates and the initial trial will be extended to include website and mobile enrollment, and lounge access.

“The passenger growth at Bristol Airport is increasing, and we are looking at using technology like the Collins Aerospace biometric solution set to help make our airport a high-quality experience for our customers,” said Graeme Gamble, chief operating officer for Bristol Airport. “The cooperation of Collins and the Bristol Airport team is making Bristol a leader in Airport innovation and customer service.”

“We are really pleased to be an early adopter of this new technology designed to further enhance the experience for both our passengers and our airline customers at Dublin Airport,” added Frances O’Brien, vice president of PMO for daa. “We are delighted with the progress of the trial so far and look forward to extending the offering to a wider audience, including those travelling to the U.S. in the coming months.”

Early results of LAX trial

The facial recognition system from Gemalto deployed for a trial of American Airlines passengers’ CBP checks at Los Angeles Airporthas been largely successful through its first 90 days, airport-technology.com reports.

Gemalto VP of Mobile Financial Solutions Amol Deshmukh says the exceptions to the trial’s success involve specific cases such as toddlers, who may not match even relatively recent passport images.

In a recent Department of Homeland Services biometric testing rally, Gemalto’s system successfully acquired images in less than five seconds for 99 percent of subjects, compared to an average of 65 percent, according to the report.

Col Rajendra Shukla(retd)

MD  Daksh Consultants

RAFALE DHAMAKA

राफेल का धमाका :

राफेल सौदे से कांग्रेस को जितना कमीशन मिलने वाला था, उससे भी अधिक रकम चीन से कांग्रेस ने राफेल नहीं खरीदने के नाम पर डकार ली, और ऐ.के.ऐन्टोनी से बयान दिलवा दिया कि भारत के पास फंड नहीं है, खरीद नहीं सकते।
अब मोदी जी के शासन में सौदा हो गया है, तब चीन ने मियां राहुल को तलब किया।
राहुल ने भारत में चीनी दूतावास में जाकर राफेल के बारे में सफ़ाई दी। मगर चीनी अधिकारी संतुष्ट नहीं हुए, और वे बोले "राहुल बाबा, राफेल के मामलों में तुम चीन जाकर बात कर लो, अन्यथा खाया माल वापस कर दो!"
अब राहुल दूतावास से बाहर आकर बोला कि "हम डोकलाम के विषय पर बात करने गए थे!" इस मूर्ख पप्पू ने भारत के लोगों को पप्पू बना दिया।
अब चीन के बुलावे पर चीन जाये तो जाये कैसे? तब युक्ति निकाली गई कि राहुल बाबा मानसरोवर यात्रा चीन के रास्ते जाएगा। मगर सिर्फ चीन जाकर राफेल नहीं खरीदने का कमीशन जो पप्पू ने खाया था, उसके सामने चीन ने दो शर्तें रखीं:
एक, मोदी के शासन में खरीदा सौदा जैसे भी हो, कैंसल करवाओ, या उसमें क्या-क्या उपकरण लगवाए जा रहे हैं, हमें बताओ।
दूसरा, अगर ये नहीं कर सकते तो, खाया हुआ कमीशन वापस करना होगा।
अब पप्पू भारत आकर मोदी विरोधी पार्टियों को प्रलोभन देकर, "चौकीदार चोर-चौकीदार चोर" पागल की तरह चिल्लाने लगा।
जब भाजपा ने पूरी तरह से झाड़ दिया, तब सुर्पीम कोर्ट गया! वहां भी नाकाम रहा!
इधर पप्पू से लोग पूछ रहे थे: मानसरोवर जा कर कैसा लगा? अब वह लोगों को क्या उत्तर दे? दिमाग तो पप्पू का संट था! अगर राफेल मोदी जी से कैंसल न कर सके, तो चीन से खाया माल वापस करना पड़ेगा। तो मानसरोवर वाले मामले में राहुल सटीक वर्णन नहीं कर सका था! शायद वो व्हीडियो (मानसरोवर के विषय में पूछे सवाल पर) वाइरल भी हुआ था।
पप्पू सही उत्तर नहीं दे सका था, और हकलाने लगा था।
इधर, चीन से फिर निर्देश मिला: JPC कराकर, उसमें लगने वाले उपकरण के बारे में हमें जानकारी दे दो, तभी हम तुम्हें बक्ष देंगे!
तब से पप्पू ने जेपीसी की रट लगाई है!
इधर, मोदीजी को सब अनुभव था, चीन की डिमांड के बारे में पता चल गया! तब मोदीजी ने जेपीसी के लिए मना कर दिया, क्यों कि सारी जानकारी चीन तक आसानीसे चली जाती, और पप्पू चीन से खाया माल वापस करने से बच जाता।
इसलिए राफेल मुद्दा चुनाव तक रखकर, चीन का माल वापस करने से बचने के लिए, चुनाव में ये पगला जी-जान लगायेगा! और अन्य पार्टियों को भी खाये माल में प्रलोभन दिया है।
पप्पू ने सोच रखा है: अगर चुनाव के नतीजे मोदी पक्ष में नहीं आए, तब हम चीन के र्निदेशके हिसाब से काम कर देंगे, और राफेल को कैंसल कर देंगे!
मेरा विचार है कि पिछली कांग्रेस सरकार ने "राफेल क्यों नहीं खरीदा?" इस पर मोदी सरकार जांच बिठा दे, तो सारी अकड़ पप्पू की निकल जायेगी।
।। जय भारत ।।
पूर्ण बहुमत की सरकार क्या कर सकती है, पिछले पांच साल में देख लिया। अब प्रचंड बहुमत की क्या कर सकती है, अगले पांच साल में देखेंगे।