What Sets Assam Rifles Apart From Other Paramilitary Forces
Assam Rifles is India’s oldest paramilitary force, which was set up as ‘Cachar Levy’ in 1835 by the British, to defend their commercial interests flowing from the tea gardens in India’s North East. Since then, its role and sphere of operations have undergone a sea change. In this episode of Simply Nitin, StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief […]
AMCA: India’s 5th Gen Fighter
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security on March 7 approved the project to design and develop the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft more popularly known as AMCA as a fifth-generation, medium weight low observable fighter jet. To be designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) which functions as a Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) […]
India, Pakistan Drew Different Lessons From Balakot
On Simply Nitin this week, we look back at a groundbreaking event: India’s strike five years ago on a jihadi camp in Balakot, in Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was in retaliation for the attack on Feb 2019 in Pulwama J&K, on a bus carrying CRPF personnel in which 40 were killed. A […]
The Terrain Is Unforgiving, The Stats Staggering, But It’s Not Siachen
Like in any other operational area, there’s no scope to let your guard down, as Southern Army Commander Lt Gen AK Singh
As Military Spending Across The Globe Rises, How India Is Doing
A rise in conflicts in various parts of the world has meant governments are spending more on their militaries than they did earlier. And defence spending is projected to rise further, says the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in its Military Balance report for 2024. The Russia-Ukraine war is almost two years old and […]
What Happened At The Seventh Indian Ocean Conference In Perth?
Why is the Indian Ocean important and what makes the Indian Ocean conference so special that the seventh edition of the annual event which took place in Australia’s Perth on February 9 and 10 saw ministerial representations for 17 countries? External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too was present. The theme of the conference this year […]
One Year After Launch, Where Does iCET Stand?
The Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) by India and the United States has added an extraordinary layer to the bilateral relationship. It involves not just the two governments but private entities too—industry, academia, research institutes, etc. One of the key components of the mechanism is its thrust on joint innovation and building an […]
Fencing India-Myanmar Border: The Ground Realities
The Indian government, led by Home Minister Amit Shah, has recently announced plans to erect a fence along the 1650 km-long India-Myanmar border. This border spans across four Indian states, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. This proposed fencing project has stirred a significant debate, as it would potentially bring an end to the […]
DRDO National Asset But Needs Smart Changes
NEW DELHI: India’s premier defence research body—the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)—which was set up over 60 years ago needs to change the way it operates. That’s what a committee headed by K. VijayRaghavan, former principal scientific advisor to the government, has recommended. So what is wrong with DRDO and what changes has the […]
Throwback To The Agonising ULFA Years… And A Peace Deal
NEW DELHI: The pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) led by Arabinda Rajkhowa recently signed a tripartite peace accord with Centre and Assam Government. According to the deal, ULFA has agreed to give up violence, disarm and disband the insurgent group and join the democratic process. However, a faction of the […]
Retracing India’s Finest Military Operation
NEW DELHI: On this day 52 years ago, India won the war against Pakistan, which led to the creation of a new country (Bangladesh). It was a swift military operation but was planned over months after the Pakistani army went on a killing spree in late March that year in what was then East Pakistan. […]
‘iCET Marks The Most Transformative Phase In The India-US Relationship’
NEW DELHI: The India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) is emerging as a key pivot around which the India-US relationship will be defined in the coming year. In a session moderated by Nitin Gokhale at the recently held Global Technology Summit hosted in conjunction with Carnegie India and the Ministry of External Affairs […]
Remembering 26/11: Terrorists, Camera-Loving Officials & Mindless Coverage
NEW DELHI: A decade and a half has passed, yet the wounds of one of India’s worst terrorist attacks remain raw and the emotional scars refuse to heal. The 26/11 Mumbai attacks did not just expose holes in the intelligence and security set-ups but showed how all norms of responsible reportage by a section of […]
Why Myanmar Clashes Bother India
NEW DELHI: In the past couple of weeks, Operation 1027—an alliance of three armed anti-junta groups in Myanmar which was formed on October 27—has intensified its offensive against the country’s military and gained more ground. To escape the fighting, thousands of Myanmarese have crossed the border and taken refuge in adjoining Mizoram. Ever since the […]
Fifth India-U.S. 2+2 Dialogue: Key Takeaways
NEW DELHI: Building on the visits of PM Modi to the U.S. and President Biden to New Delhi earlier this year, the foreign and defence ministers of both countries met here on Friday under the 2+2 format that was instituted in 2019. They noted the substantial progress in transforming India-U.S. relations across domains, according to […]
How India Regained Control Of Zoji La From Pakistan
NEW DELHI: This week seventy five years ago, the Indian army launched ‘Operation Bison’ to regain the strategic Zoji La captured by Pakistani raiders who had been in control of the mountain pass at an altitude of over 11,000 feet, which links the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh, for nearly five months. The operation was headed […]
China-Bhutan Border Dispute & India’s Security Concerns
NEW DELHI: Earlier this week, Bhutan and China held the 25th round of border talks in Beijing, with reports suggesting that both sides may have moved closer to a settlement. Negotiations have been going on for nearly four decades and China has often tried to impose its say on Bhutan by raising new territorial claims but […]
‘Opportunity To Take India-Australia Military Ties To Sophisticated Level’
NEW DELHI: Amid Chinese belligerence and expansionism in its immediate maritime neighbourhood and beyond, the Indo-Pacific remains a region of global attention. The strategic importance of the region is not lost on India and Australia who have a working defence relationship. We cannot deter major powers on our own, so need trusted and transparent relationships […]
‘Indo-Pacific Will Remain Area Of Future Contestation’
NEW DELHI: The Indo-Pacific (which has forged new geopolitical alignments mainly due to Chinese aggression and muscle-flexing) will remain an area of future contestation, says Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. In his first media interview after taking over the top job a year ago, Gen. Chauhan said “due to compulsions of geography, our […]
Emerging Technologies, Defence And National Security
NEW DELHI: On Tuesday (October 10), key stakeholders in the defence sector, government officials, members of think tanks, MSMEs, Indian and foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), foreign defence attachés, the military brass and top scientists will be under one roof, at the eighth edition of the India Defence Conclave, an annual event organised by Bharat […]