Defence Minister

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow on an official visit during which he will witness the commissioning of a stealth warship into the Indian Navy and attend the 21st meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation.Singh received a warm welcome on late Sunday night by Indian Ambassador to Russia, Venkatesh Kumar, and Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, Alexander Fomin.During his visit, Singh will also pay tributes at 'The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' in Moscow to honour the Soviet soldiers killed during the Second World War. He will also interact with the members of the Indian community, a release said.During his visit, Singh is set to hold crucial discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC M & MTC) alongside Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov.Sharing a post on X, the Embassy of India in Russia wrote,

South Korean prosecutors on Sunday detained a former defence minister who allegedly recommended last week's brief but stunning martial law imposition to President Yoon Suk Yeol, making him the first figure detained over the case, news reports said. The reported development came a day after Yoon avoided an opposition-led bid to impeach him in parliament, with most ruling party lawmakers boycotting a floor vote to prevent the two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party said it will prepare a new impeachment motion against Yoon. On Sunday, ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun voluntarily appeared at a Seoul prosecutors' office, where he had his mobile phone confiscated and was detained, Yonhap news agency reported. Other South Korean media carried similar reports, saying Kim was moved to a Seoul detention centre. The reports said police were searching Kim's former office and residence on Sunday. Repeated calls to the Seoul

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit the Russian Federation from December 8-10.During the visit, Rajnath Singh and the Defence Minister of Russia Andrey Belousov will co-chair the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M & MTC) in Moscow on December 10, a Defence Ministry release said.The two leaders will review the entire range of multi-faceted relations between the two countries in the field of defence, including military-to-military and industrial cooperation. They will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest.As part of the visit, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also commission the Indian Navy's latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate 'INS Tushil' at Yantra Shipyard, Kaliningrad on December 09, 2024. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi will accompany Rajnath Singh for the commissioning ceremony, the release ...

India and Korea share a Special Strategic Partnership which has made significant progress in recent years and is bound to move to the next higher level, a release said

Emphasises confidence building between India and China through de-escalation

The IAF commanders reviewed national security challenges, especially the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday stressed the importance of unity in the country, saying divisions have always led to defeat. He also asserted that securing the country's culture is as important as keeping the borders safe. "Whenever our unity has weakened, invaders have tried their best to destroy our civilisation and our culture," Singh said. Therefore, a pledge of unity should be taken by learning from history, he added. "Those who divide, they try to divide in many ways, including into different religions, castes and sects," the minister said. "But, you should not get divided. You should neither divide nor divide others, the whole country has to stay together. We have to stay united. If we avoid division, we will move towards development and build a developed and strong India," Singh said. He was speaking at 'Koti Deepotsavam', an event of mass lighting of 'Deepam' during the Hindu month of Kartik organised by a private TV channel here Monday night. Quoting from anci

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India is aiming to become a drone hub of the world and it would not only help the Indian economy but also significantly contribute to Make in India and the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.He was speaking at Delhi Defence Dialogue organised on theme "Adaptive Defence: Navigating the Changing Landscape of Modern Warfare" at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.He said the government has taken several initiatives to make India as drone hub of the world."We are already working to improve Research & Development thorough reliable certification mechanisms, and Indian Intellectual Property creation in this sector. Additionally, we have also introduced rewards for innovation through the schemes of iDEX and ADITI," he said."Drones and swarm technologies are bringing fundamental changes in the ways and means of warfare. The development has changed the post-World War II understanding of warfare completely. The ...

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant officially stepped down Friday in a ceremony that replaced him with Israel Katz, the former foreign minister, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant earlier this week. Israel has been rocked by Gallant's dismissal, with the news setting off mass protests across the country. Many in Israel view Gallant as the sole moderate voice in a far-right government, and see his removal as a sign that the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu has lost interest in returning hostages still held in Gaza. Israel Katz, his replacement, currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister. Also Friday, the Israeli military body handling aid to Gaza, COGAT, said it is preparing to open a new aid crossing into Gaza as the deadline for a US deadline to increase desperately-needed aid into the war-ravaged territory approaches. But the body did not say when the crossing will open nor if aid will be .

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the best way of dealing with multiple challenges posed by India's geo-strategic location was to ensure border area development

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India's aim is to walk hand in hand together at a time some countries are at war with each other. He also asked friendly nations to elevate their partnership and collaboration to new heights in view of the evolving global challenges. "Today, there is a race in the world to get ahead of each other, wars are going on between countries at different places. In this changing situation, India's goal is that we hold each other's hands and walk together," he said while speaking at 'Tarang Shakti' -- the largest multilateral air exercise in India hosted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the air base here. "Seeing the way the world is changing and new challenges are emerging, we need to take our partnership and collaboration to new heights," he said. Singh's remarks come in the backdrop of calls for India's potential role in pushing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as New Delhi has good relations with both the nations. The minister said I

The government is aiming to transform the villages along the frontier with China in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh into "model villages", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday. In an address at a conclave, Singh said New Delhi is fully committed to the holistic development of border villages and described them as India's "first villages" and not remote areas. His comments came amid the government's increasing focus on boosting infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China following the eastern Ladakh row. The civil-military collaboration in border areas is leading to reverse migration to the frontier areas, Singh said at the 'Border Area Development Conclave'. The defence minister pointed out that India's geo-strategic position is such that it is exposed to different kinds of challenges and the best way to deal with them is to ensure border area development. "Our objective is to transform the villages along the Northern borders, .

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has met the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and shared perspectives on "key" strategic matters of mutual interest, a day after India and the US signed two key agreements to further boost their comprehensive global strategic partnership. Singh arrived here on Thursday on a four-day official visit to further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the US and India. "Delighted to meet the National Security Advisor of the United States @jakesullivan and share perspectives on key strategic matters of mutual interest," Singh said in a post on X after his meeting on Friday. He also had a "fruitful" exchange with leading US defence companies and invited them to work with Indian partners to accelerate the Make in India programme. "Had fruitful interaction with leading US defence companies at the Defence Industry Roundtable organised by @USISPF (US India Strategic Partnership Forum). Invited them to work with Indian partners to

India and US also ink 'Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers'

India and the US have signed two key agreements as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh began his official visit to Washington to further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries. The agreements signed on Thursday pertain to the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers. "Two important documents have been signed in Washington DC as Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh's visit to the United States begins. Senior defence officials from both sides concluded the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA), and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers," the Ministry of Defence (MoD) shared in a post on X on Friday, along with some photographs of the event. Singh arrived here on Thursday on a four-day visit to the US. The US and India entered into a "bilateral, non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA)", the US Department of Defence (DoD) said in a press ..

Rajnath further elaborated on India's economic progress in last 10 years, emphasising that India has brought 250 mn people out of poverty and is poised to become world's third-largest economy by 2027

Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was misleading the nation on the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath initiative and added that he was ready to make a statement in this regard in Parliament. Speaking in the Lok Sabha shortly after Gandhi's remarks on the Union budget, the defence minister said the opposition leader had tried to spread a lot of misconceptions about the budget and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would provide clarification when she replied to the debate. Singh said Gandhi was trying to mislead the nation about the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath initiative. "Our jawans protect the country's borders, it is such a sensitive issue of our national security. There are attempts to mislead the nation on the Agniveer issue, I am ready to make a statement whenever you permit," Singh said. Gandhi said the defence minister had told the House that the family of an Agniveer martyr was paid

This Budget is unique in many ways and by clearly outlining the NDA Government's 9 key priorities for all-round and inclusive development, defence minister Singh added

The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Ministry of Defence on a plea of the Nagaland government challenging denial of sanction to prosecute 30 Army personnel, who were accused of killing 13 civilians in a botched-up operation to ambush militants in the state in 2021. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, on Monday, took note of the submissions of the state government and issued notices to the Centre and the Union Ministry of Defence. The bench has now fixed the plea of Nagaland on September 3. In April last year, the Central government had denied sanction to prosecute the Army men who were allegedly involved in the botched up ambush at Oting in Mon district of the state. The state government has filed the writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution. A plea under this Article can be filed alleging violation of fundamental rights. The state, which had filed an FIR, claimed it has clinching evidence

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families of five army soldiers who were killed in an ambush by terrorists in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on July 8.In a message on social media platform X, Rajnath Singh said, "I am deeply anguished at the loss of five of our brave Indian Army Soldiers in a terrorist attack in Badnota, Kathua (J & K). My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the Nation stands firm with them in this difficult time".Rajnath Singh said, "The Counter Terrorist operations are underway, and our soldiers are determined to usher in peace and order in the region"."I pray for a speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries in this dastardly terror attack," he further said.Meanwhile, security has been tightened along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after five army soldiers were killed in an ambush by terrorists in Kathua district on June 8.An encounter is still underway between troops and ...