Defence

Syrian insurgents entered two central towns early Friday just north of the central city of Homs, bringing them closer Syria's third largest city, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media both reported. The break into Rastan and Talbiseh came a day after opposition gunmen captured the central city of Hama, Syria's fourth largest, after the Syrian army said it withdrew to avoid fighting inside the city and spare the lives of civilians. The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have said that they will march to Homs and Damascus, President Bashar Assad's seat of power. The city of Homs, parts of which were controlled by insurgents until 2014, is a major intersection point between the capital, Damascus, and Syria's coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus where Assad enjoys wide support. Homs province is Syria's largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Insurgents are now 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from Homs, according to the Britain-ba

Bipartisan support and cooperation on security and defense is the most important dimension of India-US partnership, a top Indian American defense leader said amidst presidential transition. In an interview with PTI, Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation, said One of the most important strategic partnerships of the 21st century is that of India and the United States. One of the most important dimensions of this alliance is bipartisan support and cooperation on security and defense, he said. In Jun 2016, the world's largest unmanned deal was advocated by the then president Donald Trump and it was concluded by his successor Joe Biden this year. It is a reflection of the bipartisan support that this relationship's defense and security aspects enjoys, he said. As the capitals of large, vibrant democracies, Washington DC and New Delhi are natural partners and share many of the same broad goals for peace, stability and security throughout the globe, Lall sa

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record $126 billion defence budget for 2025, as the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to strain Russia's economy

Lebanon's parliament Thursday renewed the term of army chief Joseph Aoun, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in next year's vote. The parliament has seldom met since Israel's war with Hezbollah began 14 months ago, and has not convened to try to elect a president since June 2023, leaving the country in a political gridlock. Thursday's session is the first since a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday which has left the Lebanese military responsible for ensuring Hezbollah militants leave the country's south and its facilities dismantled. The army is expected to receive international aid to help deploy troops to deploy in the south to exert full state control there. Gen. Joseph Aoun is seen as a likely presidential candidate due to his close relationship with the international community and his hold on an institution that is seen as a rare point of unity in the country facing political and sectarian tensions. Lebanon has been without a president since ...

Global OEMs like Boeing, Lockheed Martin partnering with domestic players for world-class facilities

Southeast Asian defence chiefs and representatives are meeting in the Laotian capital on Wednesday for security talks at a time of increasing maritime disputes with China in the Asia-Pacific and as the transition to a new US president looms. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was set to join the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defence ministers in Vientiane, where many will be looking for assurances ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to power in January. Austin just wrapped up meetings in Australia with officials there and Japan's defence minister, where they pledged their ongoing support for ASEAN and their "serious concern about destabilising actions in the East and South China Seas, including dangerous conduct by the People's Republic of China against Philippines and other coastal state vessels". In addition to the US, other nations attending the two-day ASEAN meetings include Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and China. Along with the ...

Antariksha Abhyas 2024 successfully met its objectives of improving interoperability, fostering mutual understanding and enhancing cohesion between the tri-services and Defence Space Agency

This will be the fourth edition of the Pan-Indian coastal defence exercise, with officials from the National Security Council Secretariat participating for the first time

Defence minister says interconnectedness as much a blessing as a challenge; if our threats are transnational, so should be our solutions

The phased induction of control and reporting systems under 'Project Akashteer' of the Indian Army is currently underway and out of a total requirement of 455 systems, 107 have been delivered, official sources said on Tuesday. The project aims to deliver a situational awareness and control for the force to ensure safety of friendly aircraft and engage hostile aircraft in contested airspace. Through this project, a cutting-edge initiative designed to automate air defence control and reporting processes by digitising them, the Indian Army is positioning itself at the forefront of air defence technology, ensuring a secure and vigilant airspace over India, a source said. "Project Akashteer's phased induction is already underway. Out of a total requirement of 455 systems, 107 have been delivered, with an additional 105 expected by March 2025. The remaining units will be delivered by March 2027, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the Indian Army's defence units and formations," the ..

India and the US held a key two-day military cooperation group meeting ending on Wednesday during which both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding the scope of the bilateral military cooperation with a shared understanding of the dynamic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region. The 21st edition of India-US Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting was conducted from November 5-6 at the Manekshaw Centre here. Senior officials from both countries took the opportunity to review the ongoing initiatives and explore new areas of cooperation. "The meeting covered a wide range of topics, including capacity building, training exchanges, defence industrial cooperation and the advancement of joint exercises that bolster preparedness for conventional and hybrid threats," the Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The meeting was co-chaired by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lieutenant General J P Mathew, representing India, and Deputy Commander of the US ...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said his ministry will make changes to the charter of the Civil Defence and Home Guards within four months to make it more relevant and useful. Civil Defence and Home Guards will become irrelevant if their roles are not changed in accordance with the present requirements of the country, Shah said while addressing the 14th All India Conference of Civil Defence and Home Guards here. "I believe that keeping in mind the requirements of the country today, there is a need to rethink the role of these two organisations to make them more relevant," the minister said. The changes will be effected in four months, he said, adding that a lot of new things will be added. ".....we will make it relevant and also try to make it useful and work towards bringing a new consciousness, a new life into the movement," Shah said. If the charter of any organisation is not changed for fifty years, both the organisation and charter become irrelevant, he said. "India

The European planemaker aims to implement the cuts, which represent 7 per cent of its workforce in the Defence & Space unit, by the middle of 2026

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi is on a four-day visit to Japan with an aim to bolster defence cooperation between the two countries. During his visit from October 14-17, the Army chief will also visit Hiroshima, wherein he will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Park and pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue at the Peace Park. The visit marks a "significant step in bolstering defence cooperation between India and Japan," the defence ministry said in a statement here. On Monday, Gen Dwivedi will interact with Sibi George, India's Ambassador to Japan and would thereafter engage in a discussion on India-Japan relations at the Embassy of India in Tokyo. He will engage in dialogue with the senior military leadership of Japan at the defence ministry in Ichigaya on Tuesday. During his visit, the Army chief will hold meetings with Gen Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff, Joint Self Defence Force; Gen Morishita Yasunori, Chief of Staff, Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF);

The port call on October 5 further signifies strengthening of existing defence relations between India and Oman in maritime domain, said a statement from Ministry of Defence on Sunday

India has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to disputes and has sought to promote cooperation among nations in the Indo-Pacific, with a strong emphasis on the centrality ofEAN, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. His remarks come amid China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the region. In his address at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2024 here, he also expressed concern over "certain attempts to monopolise and weaponise critical resources for strategic reasons", terming these tendencies as not conducive for the global good. Singh emphasised that India's engagement with its partners is guided by the understanding that true progress can only be achieved through collective action and synergy, and due to these efforts, it is now considered as a "credible and preferred security partner and first responder" in the region. "India's vision for the Indo-Pacific is based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in

New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba opened his first policy speech in office Friday by expressing deep regrets over the governing party's slush funds scandal that dogged his predecessor. Ishiba replaced Fumio Kishida on Tuesday with the paramount mission of quickly pacifying public anger over financial misconduct in the Liberal Democratic Party and regaining support ahead of an Oct 27 parliamentary election. I will achieve politics that is not for politicians but for the people, Ishiba said, pledging to provide sincere explanations and ensure that lawmakers abide by the rules. He set five policy pillars to uphold, including security, economy and disaster resilience. Ishiba said he will bolster Japan's military capability to defend itself from threats from China, Russia and North Korea under the framework of the Japan-US security alliance. He did not mention two goals he advocated before taking office making the Japan-US security alliance more equitable and establishing a .

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Friday said there is a need for future strategic leaders to enhance quick decision-making in technology-driven battlespace where timelines are shrinking rapidly. In his address at the closing of the pioneering tri-Services Future Warfare Course, General Chauhan underscored that artificial intelligence, machine learning, advancements in stealth technology and hypersonics and also robotics will dictate the character of future wars. The course aims to create a cadre of tech-enabled military commanders equipped with handling the complexities of the modern battlespace. Apart from being personally driven by the Chief of the Defence Staff, the course was rank-agnostic, with participants having service ranging from 13 to 30 years, the defence ministry said in a statement. "A dynamic security environment coupled with the proliferation of niche technologies, changing character of warfare and lessons learnt from recent and ongoing conflicts ...

During the field trials conducted in the desert terrain, the Light Tank demonstrated exceptional performance

The military's growing number of women officers highlights the need for gender sensitisation. Recent harassment cases show systemic flaws that must be addressed for true gender equality