Page 2 - Military Power

Maldives says it cannot fly three aircraft donated by India. Here's why

The move comes after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, a pro-China leader, insisted on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel by May 10

Top UN court to rule on Nicaragua's plea for Germany to halt aid to Israel

The United Nations' top court is ruling Tuesday on a request by Nicaragua for judges to order Germany to halt military aid to Israel, arguing that Berlin's support enables acts of genocide and breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Nicaragua's case is the latest legal bid by a country with historic ties to the Palestinian people to stop Israel's offensive. Late last year, South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the court. The cases come as Israel's allies face growing calls to stop supplying it with weapons, and as some including Germany have grown more critical of the war. On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel must still do more to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. At hearings early this month, Nicaragua's Ambassador to the Netherlands Carlos Jos Argello Gmez told the 16-judge panel that Germany is failing to honour its own obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect of international humanitarian .

India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report

India was the fourth largest military spender globally in 2023 with an expenditure of USD 83.6 billion, behind the US, China and Russia, according to a report by an independent international think-tank. The report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shared on its website in April also said the "rise" in global military spending last year can be attributed "primarily to the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East". The military expenditure went up in all five geographical regions, with major spending increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, it said. The report comes amid ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world such as the ones involving Israel-Hamas, Iran-Israel, Russian-Ukraine besides volatility in the Red Sea region. "World military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of USD 2443 billion. The 6.8 per cent increase in 202

UK pledges an additional $620 million in new military supplies for Ukraine

The UK on Tuesday pledged an additional $620 million in new military supplies for Ukraine, including long-range missiles and four millions rounds of ammunition, at a time when Ukraine is struggling to hold off advancing Russian forces on the eastern front line of the war, now in its third year. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday morning to confirm the assistance and "assure him of the UK's steadfast support for Ukraine's defence against Russia's brutal and expansionist ambitions, Sunak's office said. Sunak was travelling to Warsaw later Tuesday to meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for talks about further aid for Ukraine. Ahead of the visit, the UK government said Sunak would announce 500 million pounds ($620 million, 580 million euros) in new British military supplies, including 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1,600 munitions and 4 million rounds of ammunition. The shipment wi

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

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

Modernised Indian military has reduced its dependence on Russian arms: US

Observing that India has showcased itself as a global leader, the top intelligence official from the US Department of Defense has told the Congress that in 2023, India took steps to modernise its military to compete with China and reduce its dependency on Russian origin-equipment. During the past year, India has showcased itself as a global leader by hosting the Group of 20 economic summit and demonstrated a greater willingness to counter PRC (People's Republic of China) activity throughout the Indo-Pacific region, Lt Gen Jeffrey Kruse, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency told members of the House Armed Services Committee the subcommittee on intelligence and special operations during a Congressional hearing on defence intelligence countering China. India, he said, has advanced partnerships in the Indo-Pacific with regional South China Sea claimants, such as the Philippines, through training and defence sales and deepened cooperation with the US, Australia, France and ...

The quickest path to WWIII

The Return of Great Powers argues that we are living through a Cold War redux

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel to press on with Rafah assault plan

He later said after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Jerusalem that Israel would not leave civilians trapped in Rafah when its forces begin their assault

New Delhi, Male review withdrawal of Indian military force from Maldives

India and the Maldives on Sunday reviewed the ongoing process of replacing Indian military personnel from the island nation with Male saying the second group will leave by April 10. The two sides held the third meeting of the bilateral high-level core group in Male, days after India withdrew the first team of military personnel that was operating an advanced light helicopter in the Indian Ocean archipelago. The military team has been replaced by civilian technical experts. The Indian personnel are operating three aviation platforms in the Maldives and New Delhi is now deploying civilian personnel to operate them. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu had set March 10 as the deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his country. "During the meeting, both sides reviewed the ongoing deputation of Indian technical personnel to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac (medical evacuation) services t

Around 7,500 central forces personnel deployed in Odisha for elections

Around 7,500 central forces personnel have been deployed in Odisha in view of the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections, which are held simultaneously in the state, an official said on Monday. A total of 75 companies of CAPF have been deployed in Odisha for the smooth conduction of the elections, said CRPF IG Archana Shivhare, who has been appointed as the state coordinator of the forces by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. She said that 35 companies each of the CRPF and BSF along with five companies of CISF have been deployed in two phases since March 1. One company consists of nearly 100 personnel. "The forces have been deployed in sensitive and hyper-sensitive districts from an election point of view," Shivhare said. The central forces are conducting area-dominating exercises, including patrolling and flag marches in the Maoist-affected areas, to instill confidence among the people, she added. "We are continuously coordinating with the state police in all sensitive and

US army soldier arrested for selling sensitive military information

An Army soldier has been arrested on charges of selling sensitive information related to U.S. military capabilities, Justice Department officials said Thursday. Korbein Schultz, who is also an intelligence analyst, was accused in a six-count indictment of charges including conspiring to obtain and disclose military defense information and bribery of a public official. According to the indictment, Schultz who had a top-secret security clearance allegedly conspired with an individual identified only as Conspirator A to disclose various documents, photographs and other national defense materials since June 2022. The indictment claims that Schultz was recruited by the individual not only due to his security clearance but also because he was tasked with gathering sensitive U.S. military information. Some of the information that Schultz supposedly gave to the individual included information related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, hypersonic equipment, studies on future ...

Sweden officially joins Nato after completing its accession process

Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden's instrument of accession to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department. Later Thursday. Kristersson will visit the White House and then be a guest of honor at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to Congress. The White House said that having Sweden as a NATO ally will make the United States and our allies even safer. "NATO is the most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world, and it is as critical today to ensuring the security of our citizens as it was 75 years ago when our alliance was founded out of the wreckage of World War II, it said in a statement. Sweden, along with .

Amid diplomatic row with India, Maldives sign new military pact with China

The new military pact between China and the Maldives comes just weeks after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu requested the withdrawal of a contingent of Indian military personnel stationed there

DRDO hands over 23 licensing agreements for transfer of technologies

Premier defence research organisation DRDO on Sunday handed over 23 licensing agreements to several defence producers facilitating transfer of critical technologies to manufacture a range of military equipment in the domains of armaments, naval systems and aeronautics, among others. The agreements were handed over at the 'MSME Defence Expo' that was organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Pune. The technologies being transferred by the DRDO to the defence producers would cover the domains of electronics, laser systems, armaments, life sciences, combat vehicles, naval systems and aeronautics, the defence ministry said. These technologies would facilitate manufacturing of a series of military equipment including brakes for Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, 100-metre infantry foot bridge (floating), 40 mm high explosive anti-personnel (HEAP) grenade and high pressure water mist fire suppression system (HPWMFSS), officials said. "The products based on these

Security can neither be outsourced nor dependent on others' largesse: Army

The security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the "largesse" of others, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Saturday, asserting that becoming self reliant in critical military hardware will be essential to deal with future challenges. In an address at a defence conclave, he said weaning away from import dependencies for capability development requirements of the Army remains pivotal in its strategic planning to be "future ready". "As the guardians of the nation's security, we are seized of the need to completely wean away from import dependencies for our capability development requirements. This aspect remains pivotal in our strategic planning to be future ready," he said. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflicts world over have shown the impact of external dependencies for critical military components, the Army chief said at the Firstpost Defence Summit. "Technology is emerging as the new strategic arena of geopolitical competitions. The impact of

Indian Army plans Rs 57,000 cr project to replace ageing T-72 tank fleet

The Indian Army is set to issue a Request for Proposal for a project to produce 1,770 future ready combat vehicles to replace its existing fleet of T-72 tanks

Defence ministry clears procurement of military hardware worth Rs 84,560 cr

The procurement proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

World faces dangerous decade as instability, military spending rise: Report

The world has entered an era of increasing instability as countries around the globe boost military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel and China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. That's the conclusion of a new report Tuesday from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which also highlighted rising tensions in the Arctic, North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the rise of military regimes in the Sahel region of Africa as contributing to a deteriorating security environment. The London-based think tank has compiled its annual estimate of the global military situation for the past 65 years. "The current military-security situation heralds what is likely to be a more dangerous decade, characterized by the brazen application by some of military power to pursue claims evoking a 'might is right' approach as well as the desire among like-minded democracies for stronger bilateral and multilateral defense ties in

Myanmar govt activates conscription law against resistance forces

Myanmar's military government on Saturday activated for the first time a decade-old conscription law that makes young men and women subject to at least two years of military service if called up, effective immediately. The announcement of the measure on state television amounts to a major, though tacit, admission that the army is struggling to contain the nationwide armed resistance against its rule. Under the 2010 People's Military Service Law, passed under a previous military government, males between the ages of 18 and 45 and females between 18 and 35 can be drafted into the armed forces for two years, extendable to five years during national emergencies. The current ruling military council, called the State Administration Council, came to power in 2021 after ousting the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The law has been activated in the wake of the army's biggest setbacks since the countrywide conflict erupted after the takeover. A surprise offensive launched last