Page 2 - Defence Minister

Five soldiers including JCO swept away while crossing river in Ladakh

Five soldiers of the Army are feared drowned after they were swept away while crossing a river in a T-72 tank near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Nyoma-Chushul area in Ladakh early Saturday, officials said. They said the incident occurred near Mandir Morh, 148 kilometres from here, during an exercise around 1 am. The T-72 tank with five soldiers on board sank due to flash floods while they were crossing the river, the officials said. A rescue operation has been launched. Further details are awaited.

India, US release fact sheet on MQ-9B deal, co-production initiatives

The drone deal is part of the broader efforts to strengthen defence ties between the United States and India

Rajnath Singh takes charge as defence minister; MoD's 100-day plan on track

Welfare of serving and retired soldiers and increased self-reliance in producing weapons and defence systems to be major focus areas of the Ministry of Defence's 100-day action plan

Rajnath takes charge, bats for developing self-reliance in defence mfg

A Member of Parliament from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh, had taken up the responsibility to head the Ministry of Defence for the first time on June 1, 2019

Rajnath is gearing up to deal with Agnipath, reform of theatre command

Under the previous Modi government, Rajnath Singh had assumed the office of the defence minister in June 2019. Prior to that, Singh had been the minister of home affairs since May 2014

Indian Army ammo imports down significantly due to indigenisation: Official

Senior defence officials said the rise of the private sector industry in the field of ammunition has helped the force in a big way to achieve this

Putin shuffles security team, replaces defence minister Sergei Shoigu

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed replacing Sergei Shoigu as defence minister on Sunday and appointed him as secretary of Russia's national security council. The appointment comes after Putin proposed appointing Andrei Belousov as the country's defence minister in place of Shoigu, who has served in the post for years. The reshuffle comes as Putin starts his fifth presidential term and as the war in Ukraine drags on for the third year In line with Russian law, the entire Russian Cabinet resigned on Tuesday following Putin's glittering inauguration in the Kremlin. The announcement came as thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar shelling, officials said Sunday. The intense battles have forced at least one Ukrainian unit to withdraw in the Kharkiv region, capitulating more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-cal

Ex-Chinese defence minister resurfaces in public after prolonged absence

China's former Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe whose prolonged absence from the public has sparked speculation about his fate after he paid tribute to a senior Chinese legislator who passed away early this week suggesting that he was politically safe, a media report said on Wednesday. A floral tribute at the funeral of a senior official on Monday suggests Wei, 70, could be politically safe, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. However, there is no word about the fate of Wei's successor Gen. Li Shangfu who disappeared from the public and was later sacked. Former Foreign Minister Qin Gang too suffered a similar fate. Both were not seen in public yet. Wei's name was spotted on a wreath at the funeral of Oyunqemag, 81, who served as vice-chairwoman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee from 2008-2013. In a prime-time news bulletin on state broadcaster CCTV, Wei's tribute was visible among those from other former state councillors at the side of the ..

Defence Minister Rajnath visits Siachen; reviews military preparedness

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday visited Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, and reviewed India's overall military preparedness in the region. Singh's visit to Siachen came over a week after the Indian Army marked the 40th year of its presence in the strategically key region. The defence minister, accompanied by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, reviewed the overall security situation in the region, officials said. Singh also interacted with the soldiers deployed in Siachen. The Siachen glacier, which is at a height of around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram range, is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Under its 'Operation Meghdoot' the Indian Army established its full control over the Siachen Glacier in April, 1984. The Indian Army strengthened its presence in Siachen over the last few years. In January last year, Captain Shiva Chauhan from the Army's Corps of Engineers was posted at a frontline pos

Those who opposed Lord Ram in India faced downfall, says Rajnath Singh

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh claimed on Wednesday that whoever in India has opposed Lord Ram has faced downfall, which is what has happened to the Congress and CPI(M) in the country. Singh alleged that both the parties, which are allies in the INDIA bloc, do not understand the importance of Lord Ram or the festival of Ram Navami. "They have created hurdles in celebration of Ram Navami. We all know that whosoever has ever opposed Lord Ram faced downfall in the country. That is what has happened to Congress and CPI(M)," he alleged at an election meeting. He also claimed there was no difference in words and deeds of the BJP which was the most credible political party in the country. However, the words and deeds of the Congress and Communist parties were different. The minister also expressed confidence that the BJP will win seats in double digits from Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in Kerala on April 26 and the results will be declared on June

BJP doesn't discriminate between Hindus and Muslims, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the BJP does not discriminate between Hindus and Muslims and that the respect of women is of paramount importance to it, citing the ban on triple talaq. He was addressing a public meeting in Rewa Lok Sabha seat, where his party has fielded sitting MP Janardhan Mishra against Congress' Neelam Mishra. Singh also batted for the one nation, one election' idea and called the track record of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government remarkable. People say the BJP always talks of Hindus and Muslims. I want to say that we do not discriminate between Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jews, Singh asserted. The defence minister said his party takes along with it all. We believe all born in Bharat are the children of Bharat Mata. We don't discriminate, he said. The allegations of bias against the BJP grew sharper after it declared its intention to ban triple talaq. We did not end it (instant triple talaq) by fooling people. It was our resolve

Disengagement, de-escalation is the way forward, says Rajnath Singh

The minister complimented the forces for the high standard of operational preparedness and capabilities

Department of Defence Production issues notification to rejig DGQA

This arrangement, coupled with automation and digitisation of standardised QA processes, is likely to significantly improve the engagement of the defence industry with DGQA

IAF chief spells out vision to transition into future ready aerospace force

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari visited the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Tamil Nadu's Wellington on Friday and told a group of officers about the IAF's vision to transition into a "contemporary and future ready aerospace force". The IAF chief also highlighted the significant air power lessons derived from existing conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict, the defence ministry said in a statement. In his address to them, he also covered the challenges confronting the IAF, its capability development plan and jointmanship, it said. He addressed the student officers from the Indian armed forces and friendly foreign countries undergoing the 79th Staff Course and the permanent staff of DSSC. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari "spelt out the transition of IAF into a contemporary and future ready aerospace force". He reiterated the vision as spelt out in the IAF doctrine, which envisages an agile and adaptive air force to provide decisive aerospace ...

Indonesia's defence minister, accused of abuses, is declared poll winner

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto was announced the winner of the presidential election in the world's third-largest democracy on Wednesday over two former governors who vow to contest the result in court over alleged irregularities. Subianto, who was accused of abuses under the past dictatorship and chose the son of the popular outgoing president as his running mate, won 58.6 per cent of the votes. Former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan received 24.9 per cent and former Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo got 16.5 per cent, the General Election Commission said. It posted polling stations' tabulation forms on its website, allowing for independent verification. Subianto said he will respect those who made different choices in the vote. We call on all Indonesian people to look to the future together," he told a news conference. "We must unite and join hands because our challenges as a nation are very big. Subianto has received congratulatory messages from other Southeast Asian .

Rajnath Singh, Lloyd Austin discuss defence ties between India, US

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday spoke over the phone with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin to discuss on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues amidst a "growing momentum in major defence partnership" between India and the US. During the call, Austin and Rajnath "lauded progress on bilateral defence initiatives following the 5th annual US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue in November 2023, including US support for India's military modernisation, initiatives to drive forward the US-India roadmap for defence industrial cooperation, strengthening maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region, and India's support for the rule of law in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waterways, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said. Austin held the call with Singh to discuss "growing momentum in the major defence partnership between the US and India in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region", he said. The two leaders also applauded recent announcements ...

Rajnath approves expanding NCC to 2 mn cadets, build 'future leaders'

Plan will make NCC the world's largest uniformed youth organisation

We converted difficulties into opportunities: Rajnath Singh lauds PM Modi

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said it is the result of the "jan seva" (public service) being done by the double engine government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance that the entire country along with Lucknow is progressing by leaps and bounds. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 782 development projects worth Rs 34,700 crore from Azamgarh that included inauguration of the airports of Azamgarh, Shravasti, Moradabad, Chitrakoot and Aligarh, and the new terminal of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow. Addressing the gathering at an event in his parliamentary constituency, Singh said, "Under the visionary leadership of the prime minister, the specialty of our government has been that we converted difficulties into opportunities. There was already a system running in the country which kept the common man away from the elite class and we removed this system." "If I talk about the infrastructure in the aviation sector, ..

Rajnath Singh to inaugurate new building of Naval War College, Goa on Mar 5

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new administrative and training building of Naval War College at INS Mandovi near Panaji on March 5, a Navy official said on Friday. Rear Admiral Arjun Dev Nair, Commandant of the Naval War College told reporters that the building will help the institute train officers from all three military services three times more than its current strength. "This modern edifice has been named as 'Chola' in commemoration of the mighty maritime empire of the Chola dynasty. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new building on March 5 and the ceremony will be attended by senior naval leadership in addition to ex-commandants of the Naval War College," he said. According to him, the College of Naval Warfare was established at INS Karanja in 1988 in Mumbai to impart advanced professional military education to the middle and senior level officers of the Indian Navy. The college was renamed as Naval War College in 2010 and was shifted to ..

China quietly scrubs ousted defense minister Li Shangfu from website

Picked for the defense minister job in early 2023, Li was ousted from his role without explanation in October. He was stripped of his state councilor title and membership in the government's CMC