Indian Defence Review

Major Structural Reform for Defence Modernization

Introduction The Union Budget 2021-22 has come in the backdrop of severe economic crisis, induced by a global Covid-19 pandemic. The Indian economy, whose growth was already decelerating in 2019-20,seems to be witnessing a major contraction of the economy to by 7.7%, as assessed by the Economic Survey. Independent...

Afghan Peace Deal: A Review

Review of Situation On 29 February 2020, USA and Taliban inked a landmark peace agreement. It essentially stated that Taliban will eschew violence, will not harbour foreign terrorist groups,and that Taliban will hold peace talks with the Afghan regime in Kabul for power sharing in governance. In bargain 5000 Taliban...

Tenth round of Corps Commander level talks would ensure De-Escalation at the LAC

India and China have completed disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso (lake) in eastern Ladakh as decided at the 9th round of military level commanders talks. Subsequently, the 10th round of Corps Commander level talks were held on 20 February 2021 to discuss pullbacks from other friction...

Afghan Peace Deal: A Review

Tenth round of Corps Commander level talks would ensure De-Escalation at the LAC

On Pakistan’s Minority Persecution ‘Concerns’

Last Thursday, while speaking at a virtual meeting of United Nations Economic and Social Council on “Reimagining Equality: Eliminating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination for all,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister [FM] Shah Mahmood Qureshi was at his eloquent best, pitching strongly for the “forging a global...

Major Structural Reform for Defence Modernization

UAVs: A Great Operational Asset

The precursor to modern day Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) flew more than a century ago as the Curtiss-Sperry Flying Bomb manufactured in 1917 – a 230kg empty weight aircraft capable of carrying 450kg of explosives to a range of 80km. Today, in the military space, diverse terminology is used to describe aerial...

Unmanned Platforms and Artificial Intelligence - Where do we stand now

Drones are the future of warfare. These machines can go anywhere, anytime, almost undetected to the electronic surveillance equipment’s and can carry a lethal punch for the enemy without any risk of collateral damage. These are low cost, smart and highly flexible who are becoming smarter day by day with the use of...

Internal Threat 1950 and now

One of the biggest lessons that can be drawn from the collapse of Soviet Union is that a country may be extremely strong on the external front but will not sustain as a nation if its internal front is weak. It is the internal front which feeds the external front. The internal front of Soviet Union had become...

Kashmiri Pandits offered three choices by Radical Islamists

On Jan, 04, 1990, a local Urdu newspaper, Aftab, published a press release issued by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, asking all Pandits to leave the Valley immediately. Al Safa, another local daily repeated the warning.These warnings were followed by Kalashnikov-wielding masked Jehadis carrying out military-type marches openly....

Indo-Pacific: An Emerging Outlook for the 21st Century

Strategically located in the Indian Ocean, India was a flourishing economic and cultural centre from the dawn of civilisation. As historian KM Panikkar in his seminal work ‘India and the Indian Ocean’, brought out, “Millenniums before Columbus sailed the Atlantic and Magellan crossed the Pacific, the Indian Ocean...

Make in India and The Aerospace Industry

This article delves into ‘Make in India’ and India’s aerospace industry, the two regimes have a lot in common. Each has immense potential, but is hobbled by policy dilemmas. Each is characterised by an exterior of hyperbole which conceals a hollow internal growth and each has the potential to make a significant...

MoU between “BEL & Texmaco” at Aero India 2021, Bengaluru

A Boost to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make-in-India’ through a unique initiative of Public-Private Partnership between Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) & Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd. (TREL). A strategic and a unique MoU signifying Public – Private Sector Partnership, was earlier signed by Smt. Anandi Ramalingam,...

GRSE Signs Contract for 01 FPV for Government of Seychelles

A contract for delivering 01 Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) was signed between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) and Government of Seychelles. Signing of this prestigious contract, that occurred within just a month of the shipyard concluding a contract for 01 Ocean Going Passenger & Cargo Ferry Vessel with...

Need for Reinventing India’s Aeronautical Industry

Whether it was a scheduled visit, or happenstance, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was in Moscow, in June...

Disengagement in Ladakh: Heed words of Army Commander Northern Command

In March-April, 2020, taking advantage of the COVID situation, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China made...

Genius of Shivaji the Great

In 1987 as I was attending the Senior Command course at the College of Combat, Mhow, we had an officer from Bangladesh also as a fellow student officer. Once during a casual conversation, I asked him a question about history of Bangladesh. He proudly mentioned that the 17th century and Governorship of Shahiste Khan is regarded as the ‘Golden Age’ of Bangladesh. He hastened to add that yes...

India’s firmness, Xi Jinping’s political goals, explain China’s withdrawal in Ladakh

A few months ago, most analysts were convinced that the Chinese would never vacate the occupied areas. But several reasons compelled Beijing to change its stance. A great deal has already been written by Indian experts on the decision by the Indian Army and the People’s...

Leadership Challenges for the Armed Forces

“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent”. – Gen Douglas...

Terror and Talks can’t go Together

Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement of advocating peace with India has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Pakistan has not demonstrated a single confidence measure so far to evoke a positive response from India. In fact, Pakistan army is continuing as on...

Trusty old allies India, France can Bond over Big Research

What is required for France and India is to take their relations to the next level Concrete collaborations are, and will be, undoubtedly difficult, they will face obstacles, which in the end can only help deepen bilateral relations. Concrete collaborations are, and will be, undoubtedly difficult, they will face obstacles, which in the end can only help deepen bilateral relations. President Xi Jinping recently affirmed that “time and...