Indian Defence Review

IS Footprints in Kashmir and challenges ahead

To any security analyst the reported killing of four militants, on June 22, 2018 by synergized operation of security forces, in Anantnag district, with two out of them affiliated to the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), as a sequel to renewed “Operation All Out” is no surprise. While China continues to deal...

Dealing with the Stealth Threat: The Way Forward

The stealth muscle in the air threat vehicles of today is one dimension of survivability that is fast becoming a nightmare to air defence warriors. Why so? Because survivability directly translates into lethality. The relationship is fairly simple. Stealthy machines, by managing to become near invisible to the sensors...

What Made the ‘Sword of Islam’ Conquer Large Parts of the Ancient World?

The deep study of the characteristics of successful Muslim armies is very important for Indian military professionals, because we have Pakistan as our neighbour. Rulers there can unite the polity only when they wage war by overt and covert means onto the territory of Dar al Harab (non-Islamic region). On this important...

India-China-Pak Trilateral – mischievous trap sprung by Luo Zhaouhi

Luo Zhaohui, China’s crafty ambassador to India sprang a surprise on June 18 by proposing an India-China-Pakistan trilateral summit on the lines of China-Russia-Mongolia meet.. Luo was delivering the keynote address at the Chinese embassy, New Delhi at an event titled ‘Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India...

UN Human Rights Commission discredits itself

For the first time in the history of Kashmir question at the UN, the Chairman of Human Rights Commission Mr. Zeid Ra’d Al Hussein of Jordan has issued a 49-page tutored report spread over 20 paragraphs on “abuse and violation of human rights” in the State of Jammu and Kashmir mainly by India and peripherally by...

Has the US conceded more than gained from North Korea at historic summit

If there is one event in recent times that has taken the world by storm is the summit between North Korean President Kim Jong Un and his US counterpart Donald Trump at Singapore. The successful summit is likely to ease decades-long tensions in US-North Korean relationship. The world at large sees the summit as an...

Dealing with the Stealth Threat: The Way Forward

IAF Exercise Gagan Shakti 2018 –Simple Attrition Estimates

The Indian Air Force Conducted its recent Exercise Gagan Shakti 2018 in April 2018. It was an exercise to learn meaningful lessons in a short and intense battle scenario. According to the press release, “lAF exercised its entire war fighting machinery to validate its concept of operations and war waging...

Indigenous ‘Dhanush’ Clears Trials

The indigenous ‘Dhanush’ 155mm howitzer has cleared successful trials which is excellent news. The bad part is the headlines “It took 4,000 rounds and 5 Years for Dhanush to get Yes from Indian Army”. The public has no option to curse this organization called ‘Army’ which only wants phoren stuff. Who has...

IS Footprints in Kashmir and challenges ahead

What Made the ‘Sword of Islam’ Conquer Large Parts of the Ancient World?

Kashmir : From Azadi to Nizam-e-Mustafa

Recently a report by J&K police regarding militancy makes an interesting read. The report traces the life cycle of a local militant in four stages. The first stage is where the youngster feels “disillusionment with the status quo, lack of opportunity and no space for dissent”. In the next stage, he “turns to...

Tata Boeing Aerospace delivers first AH-64 Apache combat helicopter fuselage

Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited announced the delivery of the first AH-64 Apache combat helicopter fuselage ahead of schedule from its state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad. The fuselage will now be transported to Boeing’s AH-64 Apache manufacturing facility in Mesa, AZ, for integration into the final assembly line....

Commissioning of LCU, L-54

Vice Admiral GS Pabby, AVSM, VSM, Chief of Materiel commissioned IN LCU L54 into the Indian Navy today at Port Blair. IN LCU L54 is the fourth Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk-IV class to be inducted into the Indian Navy. The ship has been indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers,...

Successful test firing of BrahMos to validate service life extension

BrahMos, supersonic cruise missile was successfully test fired at 1040 hours today from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore, Odisha as part of service life extension programme. The life extension test firing of BrahMos was conducted from a Static Inclined Launcher, proving the efficacy and longevity of the...

Role of R&AW during Emergency

When Kao had come to Paris to introduce me to Alexandre de Marenches, he was in receipt of a top secret coded...

Jammu and Kashmir: Understanding the true connotation of “Reconciliation...

Mehbooba Mufti, in her press conference post her resignation as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, frequently...

Kargil Controversy: An IAF Response

Lt Gen Harwant’s article “Kargil Controversy : Sorry State of Higher Defence Management”, published in October-December 2009 issue of the Indian Defence Review is laudable for its comprehensive and all encompassing critique. Though written with an advantage of hindsight after a long span of ten years, he somehow ends up making the issue still more controversial, especially with regard...

Recalling the great China-Russia friendship

Openness in China-Russia relations is valuable. The comprehensive strategic partnership suggests that both support each other back-to-back but maintain a positive attitude in developing relations with others, including the West Information coming from Xinjiang, Western China’s...

UNHRC's 'biased' report on Kashmir: India needs to rally its friends

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) established in 1946 was a deeply flawed and over-politicised body which rapidly lost its legitimacy. When it was replaced by the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2006, it was hoped that it would have a more even handed approach to human rights...

Pakistan General Elections July 2018 - Perspectives

Pakistan’s General Elections are scheduled for mid-July 2018 but the perspectives on it remain clouded in that in the run-up what has become abundantly clear is that the Pakistan Army-Supreme Court Chief Justice Combine carried out a “Judicial Coup” and thereby attempting...

Gilgit-Baltistan: Under siege by the Government of Pakistan

Pakistan has its own set of challenges to face, lax law and order, self created militants who have now become literal warlords, extreme poverty, failed politics and virtual rule by the Army etc. Amidst all of this the country somehow remains steadfast in its determination to gobble up the territories of Gilgit-Baltistan. The federal government has exercised a vice-like control over the strategically important and resource rich territory ever...