Defence Plan

India to create new anti-drone unit for border security: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said India will soon create a comprehensive anti-drone unit to secure its borders as the "menace" of unmanned aerial vehicles is going to get serious in the coming days. Addressing BSF troops during the 60th Raising Day event of the force here at its training camp, about 300 km from the India-Pakistan border, Shah said the initial results of a "laser equipped anti-drone gun-mounted" mechanism have been encouraging. This has led to an increase in drone neutralisation and detection cases, up from 3 per cent to 55 per cent, along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, he said. "The drone menace is going to get more serious in the coming days... We are tackling this issue with a 'whole of government' approach with the defence and research organisations and the DRDO joining hands. "We are going to create a comprehensive anti-drone unit for the country in the coming time," Shah said. According to official data, more than 260 drones have been downed

Army Chief reviews preparedness, lauds innovations at Southern Command

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi, was briefed on the operational preparedness of the formation during his visit to the Headquarters Southern Command."COAS also witnessed the Southern Star Idea Innovation Display, which highlighted innovative projects and indigenous R & D initiatives developed in partnership with Pune-based industries," said the Indian Army on a post in X.COAS General Dwivedi interacted with innovators and industry representatives, praising their initiatives and stressing the importance of innovation in tackling modern military challenges.He acknowledged the progressive mindset demonstrated at the event and reinforced the"Indian Army's commitment to harnessing technology and supporting Atmanirbharta to propel the nation towards its vision of Viksit Bharat 2047," the Army Chief said.Earlier on Wednesday, COAS Dwivedi presented the prestigious President's Colours to four battalions of the Mechanised Infantry during a solemn ceremony at the ...

Japan, EU announce security & defence partnership as regional tensions rise

Japan and the European Union announced a security and defence partnership on Friday as they seek to step up military ties, including joint exercises and exchanges between their defence industries, amid growing tensions with China, North Korea and Russia. It is the first security partnership that the EU has concluded with an Indo-Pacific country, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters. We live in a very dangerous world. We live in a world of growing rivalries, climate accidents and threats of war. And there is only one antidote to this challenging world, which is partnerships among friends, Borrell said. It is an historical and very timely step given the situation in both of our regions. Borrell is in Tokyo as part of an East Asia tour that includes South Korea, where he will also hold a strategic dialogue, underscoring the EU's increasing engagement with the Indo-Pacific region, as China and Russia step up joint military ...

India on its way to self-sufficiency in defence: Union minister Sanjay Seth

Union Minister Sanjay Seth on Saturday said India is on the way to achieve self-sufficiency in defence. He was here at Punjab Regimental Centre (PRC), Jharkhand's only garrison town, some 45 km from the state capital Ranchi. "India is taking rapid strides in the field of Defence and will become self-sufficient soon," Seth, Union Minister of State for Defence, said after participating in the annual ritual of worshipping arms and ammunition during Dussehra at Punjab Regimental Centre. Seth arrived at the centre this morning which is one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army. He was welcomed by Brigadier Sanjay Chandra Kandpal, Commandant, Punjab Regimental Centre, in Ramgarh. The minister also interacted with Agniveers, distributed sweets among them and wished them on Dussehra, an official said.

First-ever future warfare course for various ranks to start on Sep 23: CDS

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Thursday said a first-ever future warfare course, which will be attended by the officers of different ranks, is slated to start on September 23. In an interaction session at Bharat Shakti Defence Conclave here, he also spoke of the broader contours of the planned joint theatre commands envisioned by the government. He was asked about the takeaways from a recent conference of commanders from the three Services. "We also discussed how warfare is evolving and what we need to do about it, and that I think is a important. In that we discussed something like a future warfare course, which is going to start after four days, on 23rd (September), the first-ever course, which we are curating it," the Chief of Defence Staff said. It's slightly different from a regular course, where the officers of similar rank attend a course, he said. "This is rank-agnostic, and you will see officers from the rank of a Major to a Major General attending this ..

EU buying too much defence equipment from abroad, especially US: Report

European Union countries are buying too much of their defence equipment abroad, almost two thirds of it in the US, and failing to invest enough in joint military projects, a landmark report on EU competitiveness warned on Monday. The 27 member states are also failing to make best use of Europe's research and development capacities to modernise their armed forces, with just a fraction the level of US investment, said the report by former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi. The report comes as the EU continue to struggle to find enough weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine survive the full-scale Russian invasion, now in its third year, and to kickstart Europe's defence industry. Europe is wasting its common resources. We have large collective spending power, but we dilute it across multiple different national and EU instruments, said Draghi's report, which has been a year in the making and is likely to fuel an overhaul of the bloc's industrial ...

India, Maldives hold fresh defence dialogue focusing on Indian Ocean

India and the Maldives on Friday held a fresh round of "productive" defence dialogue with a focus on the situation in the Indian Ocean and ways to expedite implementation of ongoing defence projects. The defence dialogue in Delhi took place nearly a month after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid a three-day visit to the Maldives, in the first high-level trip from New Delhi after the island nation's pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu assumed office. "The entire range of talks were productive which will advance shared interests of both the nations in near future and bring stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region," the defence ministry said on the defence dialogue. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office last November. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel

Defence ministry to approve major Navy, Army projects worth over Rs 1 trn

The defence ministry is poised to clear key projects, including the construction of advanced frigates for the Navy and the Army's plan to replace T-72 tanks with modern combat vehicles

Tech Mahindra, Marshall partner to drive advancement in aerospace, defence

IT major Tech Mahindra on Thursday said it has inked a pact with UK-based engineering service provider Marshall Group to combine their digital solutions and engineering capabilities to spur advancements in aerospace and the defence industry. Tech Mahindra in a statement said it will assist Marshall's engineering programmes in aircraft design and manufacture, special mission platforms, and the development of digital maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) technologies. Marshall will also make use of Tech Mahindra's suite of data analytics and intelligent field support technologies to enhance its infrastructure solutions' operational efficiency and reliability. "Combining Tech Mahindra's global engineering and technology capabilities with Marshall's rich heritage and specialised knowledge, we are poised to create a powerful collaboration to drive innovation, deliver exceptional customer value, and enable the industry to scale at speed," Narasimham R V, President, Engineering Services,

World in most violent phase since second world war: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan

Gen Anil Chauhan noted that the world is passing through an era of big global disruptions, ranging from technological to environmental, peace, security and other issues

Over 20 NATO allies likely to hit defence spending target amid Ukraine war

A record more than 20 NATO member nations are expected to hit the Western military alliance's defence spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as the war in Ukraine drives worldwide concerns. The estimated figure, announced by Stoltenberg during a talk at the Wilson Centre in Washington, marks a nearly fourfold increase from 2021 in the ranks of the 32 NATO member nations meeting the alliance's defense spending guideline. Only six nations were meeting the goal that year, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO member countries agreed last year to spend at least 2 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence. The surge in spending reflects the worries of Western allies about the war in Ukraine. Some countries also are concerned about the possible reelection of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly characterised many NATO allies as freeloading on US military spending and said on the ...

Soon India will become provider of services to other nations: CDS Chauhan

Addressing the Indian Defspace Symposium 2024 here, General Chauhan said that space is called the final frontier

In a first, India posts defence attaches to African states, Philippines

India is deploying 15-16 new attaches to countries such as Poland, Armenia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, and the Philippines

India upgrading strategic military infra in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

The upgrade will enable the deployment of more military forces and provide facilities for a greater number and size of warships, aircraft, troops

Govt open to change in Agniveer scheme if needed, says Rajnath Singh

As announced, the 'Agnipath' or 'Agniveer' scheme is a process for recruiting soldiers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to be hired for a term of four years on contract

China increases its defence budget 7.2% as it pushes for global heft

China on Tuesday increased its defence budget by 7.2 per cent to USD 232 billion as it continues with the massive modernisation of its military amid prevailing tensions over Taiwan, the disputed South China Sea as well as border frictions with India. China, which is the second highest spender on defence after the US, has allocated 1.67 trillion yuan (about USD 232 billion) for defence spending. The increase in terms of the percentage was the same as last year. China last year hiked its defence budget by 7.2 per cent to 1.55 trillion yuan (about USD 225 billion), marking the eighth consecutive year of increase in its military spending. Like its previous budgets, this year's defence budget of China was almost three times higher than that of India. India's defence allocation this year amounted to Rs 6,21,541 crore (about USD 74.8 billion). China has simmering territorial disputes with some of its neighbours. China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the ...

Army chief holds high-level professional discussions with US counterpart

Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande has held high-level professional discussions with his American counterpart Gen Randy George and other senior military officials on matters of bilateral importance and ways to enhance mutual commitment towards global peace and security. Pande, who is on a four-day official visit to the US beginning February 13, is the first Indian Army chief to visit the country in several years. The discussions were aimed at aspects of bilateral importance and further enhancing mutual commitment towards global peace and security, according to an official post on X by the Additional Directorate General of Public Information of the Indian Army. During his ongoing official visit, Gen Pande reviewed the US Army Honour Guard on arrival at Fort Myers and thereafter, in a solemn ceremony, paid respect by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. Thereafter he engaged in high-level professional discussions with the Chief of Staf

India-France partnership can help build prosperity: Joint statement

Prime Minister Modi and President Macron reaffirmed their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in Horizon 2047 and other documents from the July 2023 Summit

N Korea stresses alignment with Russia against US, hints at Putin's visit

North Korea said Sunday it has agreed to further strategic and tactical cooperation with Russia to establish a new multi-polarised international order, as the two countries work to build a united front in the face of their separate, intensifying tensions with the United States. In describing North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last week, the North's Foreign Ministry said Putin also reaffirmed his willingness to visit Pyongyang and said that could come at an early date. North Korea has been actively strengthening its ties with Russia, highlighted by leader Kim Jong Un's September visit to Russia for a summit with Putin. Kim is trying to break out of diplomatic isolation and strengthen his footing as he navigates a deepening nuclear standoff with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. In a separate statement on Sunday, the North's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.N. Security Council for calling a

IAF indigenised more than 60,000 components in last 2-3 yrs: VR Chaudhari

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has said the IAF has indigenised more than 60,000 components in the last two to three years. He also said the Air Force cannot rely on foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for repair and overhaul maintenance activities and that it has to be done in-house. The IAF chief was speaking with reporters on the sidelines of a programme held in the Bhonsala Military School in Nagpur on Saturday. Queried on tracing the wreckage of a transport aircraft of Indian Air Force in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast, the Air Chief Marshal said, "Unfortunately, it took so long but finally we at least got the technology to (explore) deep sea and locate such things in seabed". "We are grateful to the Ministry of Ocean and Earth Sciences for facilitating this and to be able to discover this wreckage. It brings closure to a long pending sad accident". The wreckage of an IAF transport aircraft has been located at a depth of around 3.4 km in the Bay of Bengal