The Surprisingly Swift Decline Of U: Fill & Download for Free

A few months ago I ran across Mark Skinner’s 500-plus page book “CHIEF OF STAFF:PREWAR PLANS AND PREPARATIONS” available online at PREWAR PLANS AND PREPARATIONSand as a PDF file https://history.army.mil/html/books/001/1-1/CMH_Pub_1-1.pdffrom the CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY UNITED STATES ARMY and in hard copy see CHIEF OF STAFF: PREWAR PLANS AND PREPARATIONSA through examination of the problem in its complexities on preparations during the 1930s for the next war. I imagine that the US is constantly building up its military since training, maintenance and replacement of equipment, and development of new weapons system continue.The big question is what kind of war will the US be fighting in the future? How will that affect military preparations? How will we hedge against the unexpected and the unlikely but who knows?Will we ever fight again such a large scale conventional war as World War II? In the high tech world of cheap and highly capable satellites, will the role of aircraft carriers decline just as battleships had their day and are less central now?Table of Contents:ContentsChapterPageI INTRODUCTORY1The Influence of Two Decades3The Large Influence of President Roosevelt5The Chief of Staff and Congress7Controlling Decisions on War Policy9Training of the Individual and the Team13II PREWAR SENTIMENT AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ARMY15Deterioration of the Army Between Wars23A More Realistic Planning Basis26Scant Funds Allowed for New Weapons31The Accepted Policy of Arming Solely for Defense35The Psychological Effect of Repression36The Quest for New Types of Weapons38The 1936 Paradox-a Halt in Research Expenditures42The Air Corps Breaks Through Earlier Restrictions44Protests Against Methods of Fiscal Control47The Chief of Staff and the Research Effort50III THE GENERAL STAFF: ITS ORIGINS AND POWERS57The General Staff's Changing Pattern59Changes After World War I62The Chief of Staff's Powers64The Deputies' Powers69The Secretary of the General Staff71Duties of the Five Assistant Chiefs of Staff72All-Inclusiveness of the Chief of Staffs Responsibility75How Staff Divisions Functioned76The "Joint Board" of Army and Navy79Was the Prewar Staff Effective?81IV FOREIGN POLICY AND THE ARMED FORCES85Army Planners' Advance from Principles of Passive Defense87Secretary Hull Provides the Initiative89A Start at Combined Planning with Britain92Hemisphere Defense a Factor in Rearming94The Role of the Joint Army and Navy Board97The Growing Strategic Importance of the Airplane100Revised Interest in Ground Force Development101The Joint Board Initiates the Rainbow Plans103The "Phony War" Gives Way to "Blitzkrieg"104Japan's Imperial Aims Encouraged107The Joint Estimate of 22 June 1940110Resultant Policy Conferences with Great Britain113The Coordination of Arms Production and Supply115Priority of Interest in Europe or the Far East?117A Firm Proposal for Anglo-American Military Coordination119Mr. Roosevelt's Strategy Statement of 16 January 1941124V REARMING BEGINS: A CONFUSION OF AIMS126The October 1938 Impulse to American Rearming131The Army Begins Revising Its Ordnance Planning134The Momentous White House Meeting of 14 November 1938136The Army Plans a Balanced Development139The Effort to Accomplish Too Many Objectives143The Obstacles to Thorough Planning145VI REARMING GETS UNDER WAY148April 1939 Anticipation of War152War Planning in August 1939155The September 1939 Troop Increase: Only 17,000 Men156Restraint in Requests for Funds161Isolation Sentiment Still Strong in Early 1940164Congressional Sentiment Begins a Marked Shift166General Marshall Warns of Further Needs168Plans for a Rapidly Increasing Army-and a Draft171Advance Planning for 4,000,000 Men172Discouraging Discovery of Production Barriers177VII TROOP-TRAINING PROBLEMS OF 1940183Draft or Volunteers for Prewar Recruitment?184The Regular Army's Role in Training187Civilian Leadership in Draft Legislation189Urgent New Reasons for- Early Draft Legislation192Costliness of the Delay in 1940 Draft Legislation196The Question of How Best to Use Trained Units197Mid-1940 Aids to Materiel Production201Difficulties in Planning Amid Uncertainties204Training Entrusted to GHQ206The Obstacles to Training208Summer Maneuvers of 1940209General Marshall's Attention to Training Program210The Timing of Troop Inductions212Extension of Service Term Is Considered214Marshall Asks for Retention of Guard, Reserves, and Draft Troops218The Fierce Fight on Draft Extension220General Marshall's Role in the Legislative Battle222Attention to Soldier Morale231Last and Largest Maneuvers of the Prewar Period237VIII OFFICER SELECTION, PROMOTION, AND REJECTION241Precautions Against Discriminatory Treatment of Reserve Components244Expediting Promotion of the Specially Deserving247A New Bill for Selective Promotion249Policy Determining Selection and Promotion253Efforts to Stimulate Promotion of National Guard Officers258A Halt in Promotions to Attain Uniformity263Attention to Complaints from Within the Service264Declaration of War Brings a New Promotion Policy266Controlling the Inflow of Young Officers269Special Attention to Important Personnel Assignments272IX THE MOVEMENT TOWARD AIR AUTONOMY278Attitude of the New Chief of Staff in 1939280The Slow Progress Toward Air Autonomy282General Arnold Advises Against Haste286An Unsuccessful Compromise in October 1940289General Marshall's Move of March 1941 Toward Solution291The First Step: Consolidating the Air Elements292Command Responsibility Requires a New Arrangement295No Autonomy, But Great Progress Toward It297X AID TO BRITAIN VERSUS REARMING OF AMERICA299Sharing "Secret" Weapons with Other Nations300The Army Declines to Endorse Further Exports303Foreign Shipments Provoke a Departmental Crisis304German Victories of May 1940 Accentuate Disagreements305European Pressure for Other Weapons309Search for Legal Authority for Sale of "Surplus" Arms310The Critical Shortage in Small-Arms Ammunition312Need for Allocations and Accurate Scheduling314Britain's Fruitful Proposals for Coordination of Effort316A Restatement of the Plan for Army Expansion318Lend-Lease Fails to Solve the Problem of Satisfactory Allocations321The Long-Range Influence of Lend-Lease325A Basis Reached for Co-ordinated Supplies327Early Differences with the Soviet Union329XI THE VICTORY PROGRAM331Other Influences Calling for a Firm Statement of Objectives333WPD Suggests Action by Chief of Staff335President Roosevelt Orders a Survey338A Large Task Is Undertaken342The Method of Calculation Employed343The President Enlarges the Objective346Last-Minute Discussions with the Navy349A Restatement of National Policy352WPD Again Records Its Difference with the Navy357Isolationist Inquiry into the Administration's Intentions358Materiel and Personnel Programs Again in Conflict360Suggestions for Reducing the Army with Minimum Injury363Tentative Plan to Send Certain National Guard Units Home365XII COORDINATION WITH BRITAIN367Establishing the American Position Prior to the British Parley370The American-British Conversations of January 1941374The Agreements Reached at ABC375American Interpretations of the Agreement380Rapid Developments in the Atlantic War382The Start of Formal Military Co-operation of Britain and America384American Involvement Causes Anxiety386Proposals for Cooperation in the Pacific391American Objections to Helping Reinforce Singapore393Stark and Marshall Reject the Singapore Proposals397The Atlantic Conference, August 1941400U S Staff Criticisms of the British Suggestions406Efforts to Harmonize Views on a Bombing Policy408XIII DARKENING CLOUDS IN THE FAR EAST411Limitations of Planning for the Philippines412General Grunert's Pressure for Reinforcement417Evidence of a Changed Attitude in 1940419December 1940 Brings New Action423General MacArthur's Large Plan for Defense425General MacArthur Given a New Command434Factors in the 1941 Change of Attitude438Items in the 1941 Rearming of the Philippines440A Hopeful View of Philippine Defenses445Swift Developments of November 1941446XIV THE NATION'S OUTLYING DEFENSES IN 1941453The Situation in Alaska454The Panama Situation458United Command Becomes an Issue462The Situation in Hawaii465The June 1940 Alert in Hawaii468Change in the Hawaii Command471The Defense Establishment in Hawaii on 7 December 1941474The Air Commanders' Remarkable Prevision475The New Defensive Screen of Atlantic Bases477Priority for Newfoundland479Early Anxiety over Bermuda Security481The Dwindling Importance of Trinidad482Early Jamaica Plan Soon Abandoned483Minor Bases Planned for the Bahamas, Antigua, St Lucia, and Guiana484Delay in Utilizing Greenland485The Situation in Iceland487In the Dutch Islands, Aruba and Curacao491The Fixed Defenses in Both Oceans492XV THE WAR REACHES AMERICA494Factors Contributing to the 7 December Surprise496Evidence of Japan's Southeast Asia Objectives502The Warnings of Late November505Attention Is Again Diverted509On the Eve of Pearl Harbor512A Fateful Series of Mischances518The End of Prewar Planning519BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE521GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS527INDEX533TablesNoPage1Strength of the United States Army: 1919-1941162Percentage Distribution of U S Army Strength by Component: 1940-19412023U S Army Personnel in Philippine Islands: 30 November 19414494Modern Combat Aircraft on Hand in the Philippines: 8 and 9 December 19414495Number of U S Army Aircraft on Hand in the Hawaiian Air Force Before and After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor: 7 and 20 December 1941474ChartsNoPage1Chief of Staff's Responsibilities: 1 December 1941652Chief of Staff's Command of the Field Forces as Exercised through GHQ: 1 December 1941653Exercise of the Chief of Staff's Command of the Army Air Forces: 1 December 1941654Exercise of the Chief of Staff's Command of Overseas Establishments, Including Departments, Defense Commands, and Bases: 1 December 194165IllustrationsGeneral of the Army George Catlett MarshallFrontispieceCivilian Authority Late in the Prewar Period19Chiefs of Staff, 1918-3020General of the Army Douglas MacArthur27General Malin Craig28The Chief of Staff in World War II and His Successors46Four Deputy Chiefs in the Late Prewar Period67Secretaries of the General Staff in the Late Prewar Period68A Warning from the Chief of Staff427A Revision by the Chief of Staff428Clarifying the Instructions430

Several. We do have to make a distinction, however, between the Medal of Honor’s contemporary status and its historical use.The Medal of Honor used to be the U.S. military’s only award for gallantry in combat. It wasn’t until World War I that the U.S. military began to establish different grades of awards to recognise actions in combat and set the Medal of Honor as the award for exceptional-most conduct.During the Civil War in particular, the Medal of Honor was awarded for a wide array of actions, with many soldiers earning multiple awards. Indeed, two-in-five of all Medals of Honor awarded were for actions during the Civil War.As such, when Civil War veterans started to get elected to Congress, many were recipients.That isn’t meant to diminish any of the past recipients’ actions, just to note that the award had a somewhat different character that doesn’t necessarily allow for direct comparison to its modern use.The first Member of Congress to have received the Medal of Honor in its elevated status was Representative Edouard Izac (R-CA), first elected in 1936, whose citation reads:When the U.S.S. President Lincoln was attacked and sunk by the German submarine U-90, on May 21, 1918, Lt. Izac was captured and held as a prisoner on board the U-90 until the return of the submarine to Germany, when he was confined in the prison camp. During his stay on the U-90 he obtained information of the movements of German submarines which was so important that he was determined to escape, with a view to making this information available to the U.S. and Allied Naval authorities. In attempting to carry out this plan, he jumped through the window of a rapidly moving train at the imminent risk of death, not only from the nature of the act itself but from the fire of the armed German soldiers who were guarding him. Having been recaptured and reconfined, Lt. Izac made a second and successful attempt to escape, breaking his way through barbed-wire fences and deliberately drawing the fire of the armed guards in the hope of permitting others to escape during the confusion. He made his way through the mountains of southwestern Germany, having only raw vegetables for food, and at the end, swam the River Rhine during the night in the immediate vicinity of German sentries.The next recipient to serve in Congress was Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who first joined Congress on Hawaii’s admission to the United States. His citation is something to sit down for:Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 21 April 1945, in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy. While attacking a defended ridge guarding an important road junction, Second Lieutenant Inouye skillfully directed his platoon through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire, in a swift enveloping movement that resulted in the capture of an artillery and mortar post and brought his men to within 40 yards of the hostile force. Emplaced in bunkers and rock formations, the enemy halted the advance with crossfire from three machine guns. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Second Lieutenant Inouye crawled up the treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and neutralized a second machine gun nest. Although wounded by a sniper's bullet, he continued to engage other hostile positions at close range until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation and continued to direct his platoon until enemy resistance was broken and his men were again deployed in defensive positions. In the attack, 25 enemy soldiers were killed and eight others captured. By his gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, Second Lieutenant Inouye enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance, and was instrumental in the capture of the ridge. Second Lieutenant Inouye's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.The next - and, to my knowledge, last - recipient to enter Congress was Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), whose citation reads:For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 14 March 1969 while serving as a SEAL Team Leader during action against enemy aggressor (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. Acting in response to reliable intelligence, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey led his SEAL Team on a mission to capture important members of the enemy's area political cadre known to be located on an island in the bay of Nha Trang. In order to surprise the enemy, he and his team scaled a 350-foot sheer cliff to place themselves above the ledge on which the enemy was located. Splitting his team in two elements and coordinating both, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey led his men in the treacherous downward descent to the enemy's camp. Just as they neared the end of their descent, intense enemy fire was directed at them, and Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey received massive injuries from a grenade which exploded at his feet and threw him backward onto the jagged rocks. Although bleeding profusely and suffering great pain, he displayed outstanding courage and presence of mind in immediately directing his element's fire into the heart of the enemy camp. Utilizing his radioman, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey called in the second element's fire support which caught the confused Viet Cong in a devastating cross fire. After successfully suppressing the enemy's fire, and although immobilized by his multiple wounds, he continued to maintain calm, superlative control as he ordered his team to secure and defend an extraction site. Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey resolutely directed his men, despite his near-unconscious state, until he was eventually evacuated by helicopter. The havoc brought to the enemy by this very successful mission cannot be overestimated. The enemy who were captured provided critical intelligence to the allied effort. Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey's courageous and inspiring leadership, valiant fighting spirit, and tenacious devotion to duty in the face of almost overwhelming opposition, sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.If you’re keeping track, that means there has only been one Medal of Honor recipient who served in Congress from each of WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War. Many other recipients unsuccessfully ran for Congress or had long careers in politics at the state level[1] , but given the relative rarity of both the award and numbers of people who’ve served in Congress (and low representation of veterans in both Congress[2] and the general population) that very few entered Congress isn’t a surprising result[3] .Footnotes[1] Politicians Who Received the Medal of Honor[2] Veterans Still Outpace Civilians in Congress, But Declines Continue[3] Total Members of the House & State Representation | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

NOTE: Answer has been updated with recent developments and hence split into multiple sections written in different periods… Please consider the respective time period and developments related to each of the section…Original Answer:After many years of negligence towards Pakistan's aggression and a mere spineless defense, India seems to have awoken to the fact that "offense is the best defense"...Modi and his team are working on many parallel things in international politics... Pakistan seems to be simply clueless about how to react to these masterstrokes from Modi...First good move was to invite Mr Nawaz Shareef for swearing in ceremony in May 2014... that showcased to the world that India is open to dialogs and is proactively seeking peace in the region... That negated long standing accusation from Pakistan that India is reluctant to dialogs and is not cooperative...Modi soon made his intentions and direction clear by asking UN observers to leave the Bungalow in Delhi... The UN observers group was formed as a result of agreement between India - Pakistan and UN in 1949... however with subsequent Simla Agreement in 1972, Kashmir was mutually accepted as bilateral issue by both nations and hence 1949 treaty became void..‘No relevance’, Centre asks UN mission to vacate Delhi officeNext shock felt by Pakistan was in August 2014... when it invited separatist leaders for discussions ahead of official dialogue between India and Pakistan...India cancels talks with Pakistan over Kashmir row - BBC NewsNext was the SAARC summit in Nepal (Nov 2014) which not only revived the almost forgotten SAARC movement but also singled out Pakistan who was playing on the Tunes of China... When Pak tried to block India's proposals, all nations except Pak showed readiness to sign the treaties for free road movements, cross border co-operations and infrastructure setup areas, singling out Pakistan... with the danger facing to become irrelevant in the SAARC region, Pakistan was forced to agree on some of the treaties proposed by India... however Pak's proposal to include China as an active member (currently only observer Role) was blocked successfully by India... Pak was again on back-foot...News | Albright Stonebridge GroupThings started to move more rapidly when Pakistan played an old trick of attacking Indian border posts and villages .. a routine practice for last decade or so... to keep the issue highlighted ... however this time they were taken aback by massive retaliation launched by Indian side and soon found themselves burning under the massive Indian attacks which hold no reservations making clear the intentions ... Pak, clearly taken by surprise even tried to pacify things at local level, but India did not respond... it was only after Pakistan's higher authorities got involved India toned down its response..."You may start the firing, but it will be us who will decide when to stop it" or "if you fire one bullet, we will fire 100 in reply"...Ceasefire violations: BSF intensifies retaliatory attacks along the international borderIndia seemed to be on a correction course when it's new defense minister talked about need of deep assets... the statement was widely criticized and hyped by media, however that made intentions very clear...Some former PMs 'compromised deep assets,' Says Defense Minister Manohar ParrikarPakistan was caught in a difficult situation when it was asked by UAE to actively participate in Yemen attacks... the situation was soon capitalized by Modi which enhanced India's relations with Arab world and put Pak in a difficult spot...How India's strategic partnership with UAE will hit Pakistan where it hurts - FirstpostNext was Ufa when Modi and Sharif met and agreed to hold bilateral NSA level talks on issue of terrorism... this was significant since Pakistan has been long stating that no dialog can take place without Kashmir... Nawaz Shareef was highly criticized in Pak media and also received a strong reply from more powerful Shareef (Rahil) ...Pakistan tried to jump all the buttons to push India to cancel NSA talks .. since they did not wanted to take the blame to cancel talks and R Shareef did not wanted to talk on terrorism since that is Pakistan's Achilles's heel...They tried to invite separatists again but this time Modi moved smartly to detain them and put under temporary house arrest... then they played K card again... hoping that India would call off the tasks since Kashmir was not part of original agenda... however India stuck to its stand and made clear that it will stay open to talks as long as they follow the Ufa agreement... left with no other option Pak called off the NSA dialogs accusing India of Flip-flopping and adding new conditions...http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/08/24/what-the-indian-and-pakistani-media-said-about-cancelled-nsa-talks/http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/indiapakistan-national-security-advisorlevel-talks-called-off/article7569679.eceLatest shock came when Pak tried to raise the Kashmir issue at UN... when India gave an unusually sharp and direct reaction to every point raised by Pakistan... Pakistan also seemed to be losing relevance in International politics fast vis-a-vis India...http://www.dawn.com/news/1210207at the same time news of unrest and gross violations of human rights by Pak govt in Pakistan occupied Kashmir surfaced for the first time in international media...Pakistan was caught in its own trap...http://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-fomenting-unrest-pak-to-complain-to-us/20150601.htmhttp://www.thequint.com/india/2015/09/29/living-hell-in-pakistan-pro-india-voices-in-pok-brutally-crushedit will be interesting to see what next master stroke Mr Modi can play, as Pakistan seems to be running out of Ideas and loosing steam fast...EDIT - Thank you for an overwhelming response.. share count already over 1.5 million... uff... !!EDIT 2 -To keep up with the latest developments, some of the points I am adding below...There are many people in India who are questioning the dialogs that took place between NSAs in Bangkok, Modi's visit to Lahore and also Latest Pathankot attacks and its investigation fiasco...Let me first clarify that I am not certified person to talk on Foreign policies... My knowledge is limited to my observations only... hence I could be wrong at places... Suggestions Welcome....Let us check out what happened between India and Pakistan between last 6 months...NSA Meeting in BangkokFirst major change in the policy was the meeting of NSAs in Bangkok... Many in India criticized the move without actually getting the insight of decision... This for me was a major shift in India's diplomatic policy towards Pakistan...Remember Pakistan is a country with 2 parallel Power centers.. 2 Sharif's.. Nawaz is the head of Civilian govt and more powerful Rahil Sharif heads a more hardliner and aggressive unit of Defense forces in Pakistan... Pakistan military has always been very critical of India and wants the relations to become as worse as possible... since that allows them to threaten people in the name of India, show themselves as the need of time and saviors of Pakistan... Also Don't forget the Money factor... when the borders are peaceful, who would want to give more money to army... This was why Kargill happened...Hence after the NSA talks were called off in Delhi, Modi took a bold step and caught everyone off guard... The meeting was arranged in Bangkok, away from media trials and Pak army was almost caught off-guard... This also boasted the confidence of Civil govt of Pakistan who is otherwise dependent on Defense forces for all small decisions as well...This marked a start of era, when India would be dealing separately with multiple fractions within Pakistan instead of a single unit...Message is clear,... Engage with civilian govt... Empower them... Keep military powers in check... Deal with hardliners, off the record... secretly...2. Lahore VisitThe next Major thing was Modi's sudden Lahore visit ... That came as a real shocker to everyone... It was a very clear and bold step from Modi...He killed many birds in one arrow..Pakistan defense forces were totally sidelined in the meeting of 2 leaders... also the bigger shock was they were clueless on how to react, since the relationship and warmth between two leaders and govts was clearly on rise... Secondly this was another major failure of Pak intelligence after Osama incidence... they were completely uninformed, clueless and confused...At international level, this took many by surprise.. Again India was benefited since it was India who took the first step towards better relations...At the same time, Modi played it smart enough not to convert this into any official visit, instead a private one... India kept its cards closed, did not change its stand... still got the credit...3. Pathankot attacksAfter the Lahore incidence it was very clear that Pakistan Military forces and extremists would definitely hit back... security and intelligence was stepped up around routine and usual targets...Pathankot attacks were inevitable, however there were some flaws in its handling... The response was very sloppy and there is a definite scope for improvement in that area...4. Pathankot attacks investigationFor investigation of Pathankot attacks Pakistan sent a team and India allowed the team to visit the place of attacks and also shared the evidence India had collected... Pakistan refused to acknowledge the evidence and instead, as always, cried foul... This was expected...Big question was "Why India allowed Pakistan team to visit?" "Pakistan back-stabbed India again.. so what change has Modi brought ?"Let us analyze who gained and who lost ?After India accepted proposal of Pak team visiting the spot and sharing the evidences with them, there was no other option for Pakistan left by Mr Modi... If they would have accepted the evidence, they would have to accept the fact that terrorists indeed came from Pakistan and would need to act against them.. or at least pretend to do so...In case of India not allowing Pakistan investigation team, Pakistan would readily have got a reason to deny evidence... Instead with this gesture, India stood in positive lights...Now Pakistan is under immense pressure as it is being exposed as a irresponsible and terror-supporting nation... By rejecting the Pathankot evidence, Pakistan once again shot themselves in the foot...At the same time, Modi has got the Global support required to isolate Pakistan...In case of Hafeez Saeed, China came to rescue of Pakistan... but there are limits to how much China can support Pak at international level...China's intentions are to establish themselves as Global power vis-a-vis USA.. but for that it must be accepted as a responsible and reliable nation at global level... In case of Hafeez Saeed, China was completely isolated and its reality was exposed on Global canvas...China has big intentions and hence there are many limitations to how much China can support Pakistan internationally... Nevertheless, Modi is playing very smartly by exposing China as well as Pakistan...International politics is a complex thing... We cannot judge or criticize anyone unless you understand the complete puzzle and inter-dependence of the things... However this needs deep analysis to understand moves and dig out the contextual meanings..Hence no surprise that people and news channels are busy critisizing Modi's actions as a U Turn... Read between the lines and you will start realizing how smartly this man is playing...==========================================================EDIT 3:I had been planning to write an additional section in this article in the wake of recent Uri attacks… Many had raised doubts over the capability of Mr Modi to handle situations like Uri and Pathankot attacks..So here it goes…Modi has been traveling around the world making new friends for India.. with an exception of China, he has already been able to establish a mutual trust and healthy relationship with many nations in the world… For those who criticize him, I don’t even want to say anything.. but for those who want to see beyond his suits and record-breaking flying hours, it is simply amazing to see, how many things he has achieve for India till now, that too single-handedly … He got new friends like Iran and Chabahar port pact was a real masterstroke from him… Even Saudi Arabia, known for its extremist support was lured into a respectable relationship capitalizing on India’s status as an attractive investment destination and falling oil prizes…His visits to Japan, Mongolia and Vietnam were really crucial .. Signals were loud and clear for China and Pakistan…Soon Pakistan started feeling the heat and China was forced to take an awkward position in order to protect its interests in Pakistan… Hafeez Saeed fiasco was a trailor of the difficult questions China would have to face in coming days at international level…On one Side USA decided to stop all kinds of Military aid to Pakistan… at the same time Afghanistan and Bangladesh (both muslim countries) were accusing Pakistan of meddling in their internal affairs…For Pakistan, options were getting very limited day by day… Their economy is on a downward spiral and naturally people are not happy with government… however this time People were also against Pakistani military as it had to act against their own people (read Trained terrorists) in order to get the money from USA… The hardened stand from US and thorough scrutiny of every military action was soon being seen as US interference in Pakistan’s internal matters by Pakistani people…In order to win back the trust of people and also get the fat cheques from US, it had to do something… They soon got a chance to do same…Burhan Wani, a slain terrorist from Hijbul Mujahedin was killed in an encounter in Kashmir… Pakistan did not waste any time to capitalize on the situation… All the separatists and pro-pakistan people jumped in to use Wani’s death as a tool to fuel anti-India emotions in Kashmir… Soon we found Kashmir burning like anything…Curfew was implemented in many parts of Kashmir… Many people took to streets in protest of the killing… Indian government had to ask Military and police to use force in order to keep the Law & Order situation under control… Some people unfortunately lost their lives… and unrest continued…2016 Kashmir unrestPakistan tried its old tried-and-tested formula to raise the issue of Kashmir in the name of Indian atrocities and Human rights at international level… However this time it was simply no match for Modi and team…Pakistan shot itself in the foot by decorating Burhan wani, who was associated with declared terrorist outfit, as a martyr..Pakistan declares Burhan Wani as ‘martyr’; to observe July 19 as black dayModi took an unprecedented step to mention Baluchistan in his Independence day speech from the Red Fort on 15th August…Indian PM Modi's Balochistan comments upset Pakistan | Asia | DW.COM | 15.08.2016Baluchistan was forcefully occupied by Pakistan and Baluchi people are denied their rights in terms of representation and social justice in Pakistani establishments … Though Baluchistan is rich in terms of natural resources, but Baluchi people had always been exploited by Punjabi-dominated Pakistan govt… Baluchistan has long been demanding freedom from Pakistan and seeks to establish itself as an independent country..Modi just hit the bulls eye when he mentioned Baluchistan … It hit Pakistan where it hurts most…Pakistan had no moral basis to raise issue of Indian atrocities in Kashmir when it has been committing more grave crimes in Baluchistan..its double standards were exposed in front of the world community and it was seen as a country which says one thing and acts the other way…Baluchistan separatist movement gathered new steam and Anti-Pakistan demonstrations started in many of the western countries, who are the main decision makers of UN bodies.Remember, Baluchistan comments was not a knee-jerk reaction to Pakistan’s continued provocation effort.. the necessary things were getting in place since quiet some time.. There is a lot of effort required to provide a support mechnism before making such comments..when Kashmir seemed ho have settled down, Pakistan gifted Modi with a Birthday blast…in a routine practice of a decade or so, Pakistanis helped terrorists to infiltrate the military camp of Indian defense forces in Uri sector near J&K… in the attack on military camp, 19 Indian soldiers were killed…2016 Uri attackAfter this unfortunate incidence, enough was enough for Mr Modi…He just gave one public statement “Those responsible for this cowardly act, will be brought to justice”..After the statement, there was a flurry of actions…India isolated Pakistan by using its diplomatic channels, so much so, that no one was in mood to even listen to Mr Nawaz Shareef in UN..India decided to review the water treaty of 1960 with Pakistan which allocated 80% of the water of 6 major river systems which originate in India but mainly flow through Pakistan… Though this step will take time to implement the required infrastructure, the intent was loud and clear…Remember the 1960 water treaty had survived 2 Major wars and Kargil conflict too..3. Pakistan was openly referred to as a terrorist state by many nations…4. India signed agreement with French govt for speedy induction of Rafael jets in IAF…And just when everyone thought that India did well to get Pakistan into lot of trouble using diplomatic pressure and international politics… All hell broke loose for Pakistan…Modi, cleverly hiding his intentions under the blanket of diplomatic moves, had launched a secret mission no one had thought about..on 28th September late night, Indian soldiers crossed over the Line of control and carried out surgical strike in Pakistan occupied Kashmir… Destroying 7 camps and killing at least 40 terrorists…Kashmir attack: India 'launches strikes against militants' - BBC NewsPakistan, clearly taken aback by the strikes was completely confused and unprepared to even put its responses in a single line… While Pakistani military tried to pay down the incidence as a routine cross border firing, PM Nawaz Shareef warned India about any misadventure and said Pakistan will retaliate with full force as it is an attack on its sovereignty …It was a very successful operation considering the fact that strikes were carried out even as Pakistan was on full alert and was anticipating such a strike… Not a single causality was reported from Indian side…The message from Indian Prime minister is very clear…“We are a mighty nation with both pride and responsibility… DO NOT MESS WITH US”…Now I can proudly say that Nation is indeed in safe hands…Yes, there will be retaliation from Pakistan for sure… As it a matter of survival and pride for their defense and govt.. but writing on the wall is clear… Winds are not flowing in their favor…EDIT 4:It has been more than an year since last edit of the answer.. an update is overdue…Last year may seem less eventful than earlier ones, but the impact it has has been more damaging to Pakistan that it had ever been..Modi did something unthinkable even for his standards ..Demonetization struck Pakistan hard than a nuclear bomb..All of the plans of bleeding India by thousand cuts were thrown away down the gutter and Pakistan had to scramble back to drawing board to chalk out a new strategy.. They lost very valuable time digesting the impact of demonetization.. the time was used by Modi to regain control in Kashmir valley and also curb in black economy which was mainly operated by fake currencies and benami accounts..Note ban: J&K sees 60% dip in terrorism-related violence, hawala operations down 50% - Times of IndiaI do not want to debate if it was good or bad for Indian economy, but was certainly disastrous for Pakistan…Soon after gaining some control over Kashmir situation, Modi decided to go all offensive against Pakistan and also China.. Unfortunately for Pakistan, this coinsided with regime change in US.. With Mr Trump in office, it was becoming tough for Pakistan to continue the double game of playing a victim card and diverting the “Anti terrorism” funds from US to terrorists in J&K… China seized the opportunity and pushed Pakistan to accept CPEC…Any normal economist should be able to tell you, how bad CPEC inherently is for Pakistans economy..Pakistan Can’t Afford China’s ‘Friendship’Pakistan was brought under tremendous pressure during the UNSC meet 2016..Old trick and traditional ways of handling conflicts are long gone…We have a new master who is playing with his own set of rules and everyone else is just dancing on his steps…EDIT 5: May 2019Adding a new set of information is really needed now to keep this answer relevant with current developments…Since 2018 beginning lot of water has flown under the bridge… So here is a recap of what happened…2018 began more or less calmly with demonetization halting the funding to terrorists and overall stone pelting activities on a decline.. however not everything was quiet calm behind the curtains… BJP think tank was actually making quiet a bit of movement in background…Firstly BJP Ministers resigned from Mehbooba Mufti cabinet… then BJP withdrew its support to the J&K govt… this was a smart but risky move indeed… They could have lost the complete control of the state administration including Jammu and Ladakh regions… However once again the naivety and stupidity of opposition parties came to BJPs assistance…Instead of reading between the lines and understanding the political complexity, CM Mehbooba Mufti called for reelections by resigning… This was completely unwarranted stunt for gaining publicity… instead she could have aligned with Congress and NC.. but Omar Abdullah was equally arrogant and ignorant…BJP dumps PDP: Mehbooba rues lost opportunity, Omar calls for fresh electionsSeizing the opportunity, BJP suspended the parliament … but there was one problem… the Governor appointed by previous regime of UPA was not in favor of dissolving the assembly..So the assembly was kept suspended and Governor was replaced..Satya Pal Malik To Replace NN Vohra As Jammu And Kashmir GovernorNow they had a governor who was more aligned to central govt than his predecessor. So it was time for action… but they waited till the right time came… Congress, PDP and NC realized their own blunder quiet late and tried to form a makeshift coalition… but Governor getting a sniff dissolved the assembly overnight…Just notice the dates… out of curiosity.. on August 17, Imran Khan was confirmed to be next PM of Pakistan… and BJP Swiftly moved to removed governor on 21st August.. I do not know the relation but cannot be a sheer co-incidence…Now BJP had indirect control over J&K Administration through governor’s office for 1 year (J&K has special provision of 1 year to elect new government as against 6 months for other states)… This gives BJP enough time till next LS elections in may 2019 and Rajyasabha elections in May June 2019… That means by the time of J&K elections BJP will be more strong in RS and expected to be stronger in LS… (if it wins 2019 elections)…2019 Indian Rajya Sabha elections - WikipediaAfter the Governor was removed BJP focused on cleansing of the system and eliminated the moles and sympathizers of separatists/Terrorists in a systematic way.. also parallely security forces launched an all offensive mission to eliminate terrorists…Security forces achieved major success in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018The terrorist recruitment process seems to be hit hard with dual blow of Demonetization and offensive attacks launched by India’s defense forces…J&K: Fewer youth joining militancy in the ValleyDecline in trend of youths joining militancy in J&K: ArmyEDIT 6: May 2019Just as Imran Khan looked to settle as Pakistan PM, Pakistani defense forces felt a need to reassure their position in public opinion and also provide some motivation to terrorists… this time, a CRPF convoy was chosen as target of the terrorists… and deliberately a local J&K recruit terrorist was used to carry out the attack…India paid a very heavy price by lives of 40 CRPF jawans..2019 Pulwama attack - Wikipediaat the same time, out of the media focus and attention, several things were achieved which have long term strategic impacts..Separatist leaders security is withdrawn signifying a drop in their overall importance from India’s point of view..Security withdrawn over Pulwama attacks, separatist leaders say ‘don’t need it’Import duty hiked for all imports from Pakistan…India hikes customs duty to 200 per cent on all goods imported from PakistanMFN status was withdrawn with immediate effect by India…Pakistan’s most-favoured nation status scrappedIndia’s withdrawal of MFN status to Pakistan: meaning and implications – Indian EconomyIndia plans to stop the water flowing into Pakistan by utilizing its share to the full … While it does not have significant impact as of now, what it achieves is, India will have a mechanism and infrastructure in place to divert water flowing into main rivers of Pakistan in future…Pulwama fallout: Government to stop India's share of water flowing into PakistanHowever this time, Modi was in no mood to let go of things easily… He openly stated the will to revenge the martyrs and ask forces to plan retaliation action…Fearing the repeat of Cross border surgical strikes, Pakistan immediately withdrew the terrorists from near border areas to inland of Pakistan (not part of India claimed J&K)…. However everyone was caught wrong-footed when India carried out an Air-force Raid on Balakot Terrorist camp well within the borders of Pakistan… The safe heaven was indeed turned into path to heaven (Hell) by Indian air-force…2019 Balakot airstrike - Wikipediain the heightened atmosphere Pakistan tried to retaliate by carrying out air raids… however it quickly backfired as Pakistan lost one of its F16 and also lost one of their own pilot to Local villagers lynching him to death for mistaken identity …one Indian Mig 21 also crashed and Indian Pilot was captured alive by Pakistan… However Pakistan had realized by then that they cannot simply sustain if India keeps in raising the heat… They tried to de-escalate the tensions by releasing the Indian Pilot as a peace gesture..After days of captivity, IAF pilot Abhinandan returns home from PakNot stopping here, Modi started to build pressure internationally to get Masood Azahar listed as International terrorist… An very long overdue thing which was blocked by China till now…Top Pakistani militant named as terroristIt would be really interesting to see what is the next tactical move by Modi as he is a master of international politics in an unprecedented fashion…I will just say, Indians recognize the sheer intelligence and dedication this man brings and elect him again with even bigger margin this time to be a PM…EDIT 7: 5th August 2019So here is a new overdue update to include recent and perhaps most significant developments for this Topic..After triumphing win in general elections 2019 and completely out doing the opposition parties, Modi trusted his man with the most important job of Home Minister… Amit Shah is a man who gets things DONE and is a real badass…Then started the long overhaul of the J&K state machinery…I have already explained in earlier sections, how PDP and NCP let go the control of situation to Modi by not reading between the lines…This time Mr Shah started on 2 fronts..He strangled the money supply to terrorists happening through hawala racket by the means of J&K Bank .. The CEO was compulsorily retired and soon ACB and tax department raided the bank offices to unearth the wrongdoings..Jammu and Kashmir Bank plunges after top boss' exit2. Security forces went on full offensive against terrorists eliminating them en masse..J&K: 101 terrorists killed, 50 new recruits in 2019 | India News - Times of Indiahowever the biggest shock came when Government today, scrapped the article 370 of constitution by notifying a signed ordinance from President of India..since article 370 is now null and void (also making 35A section of constitution thereby ineffective) true integration of J&K with India’s mainland can now be fast tracked..Government on its part, seems to have done the Legal Homework done as Legal experts say that the decision does not seem to violate the authorities and principles laid down by constitution of India…Constitution expert Subhash Kashyap on #Article370: I can only say, constitutionally it is sound, no legal & constitutional fault can be found in it. Govt has carefully studied the matter. As for the question, if it's a political decision, I have nothing to say on that. pic.twitter.com/FNDbeh6jBt— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2019For those who are interested to know in detail, any change in article 370 and section 35A by Union Government of India was required approval of the state legislation (J&K Assembly)… However since there is no sitting assembly in J&K when revocation was notified by president, the legislative powers are transferred automatically towards Governor representing the central government…Meaning parliament and President can make the decision unilaterally to revoke article 370 when J&K Assembly is not in session provided it is agreed upon by the Governor…Hence the scrutiny is expected to stand the review by Supreme court, if challenged…And there is a much bigger decision is to bifurcate the state of J&K into 2 union territories… That means, though J&K will continue to be a state, the state government will have much less powers than other full states in India, almost minuscule in comparison to their existing powers..This will mark an end of era of appeasement politics and alienation of J&K from mainland India… The move today will have far reaching impacts in future…KUDOS MR MODI… !!!!56″ Rocks….JAI HIND…