May 17, 2007:
India has ordered another $25 million
worth of night vision equipment from Israel. Over the last few years, India has
been equipping its two mountain divisions, as well as some border guard units,
with night vision equipment. These units guard the Pakistani border in the
disputed Kashmir area. The widespread use of night vision gear (mainly rifle
scope units, as well as larger, longer range, stand-alone devices) has sharply
reduced the number of Islamic terrorists getting across the border in Kashmir.
Much of this border is mountainous forest, providing a determined terrorist a
good opportunity to get into Kashmir. But the night vision gear, and other
types of sensors, have made it much more difficult to just sneak through the
woods.
There has been one down side to all this. The rest
of the army now knows how effective the night vision gear is, and wants it. But
that would cost about half a billion dollars. The Indian army does not have
that kind of money, at least not for night vision gear.