Controlling the internal armed forces narrative Raksha Anirveda 15 Apr 2026 Two forthcoming actions, appointing of a new CDS, as General Anil Chauhan finishes his tenure in end May, as also likely formation of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs), has reignited the battle between services for dominance. There have been discussions and articles highlighting individual service viewpoints. A serving air […]
Removing tax breaks on disability pensions The Statesman 24 Feb 2026 The Finance bill 2026 aims to terminate income-tax benefits accruing from pensions of those who superannuated with disabilities in the armed forces. The supreme court has, over the years, insisted that disability pensions ‘are deferred compensation for past service and are neither dependent upon the grace of […]
AI in defence The Excelsior 22 Feb 2026 Warfare is changing. It will no longer restricted to conventional or kinetic but will be hybrid and multi-domain. Wars may also no longer be short and intense but prolonged while remaining below the nuclear threshold. Today’s warfare will involve large scale employment of drones, cyberattacks, space and informational warfare, guided by […]
India must use defence allocations prudently The Statesman 10 Feb 2026 Historically, a year following a crisis, the defence budget witnesses a jump, whether it be 1962, 65, 71, Kargil or Sindoor. The reason claimed is making up deficiencies but more likely the crisis has been a wake-up call for a government, which sidelined defence allocations. This year was […]
Modernize or perish Raksha Anirveda 15 Jan 2025 Every war provides lessons, some suitable, some not. Added is the growing impact of technology on the battlefield which ensures that nothing can be hidden from the adversary. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict of 2020 and 2023, the Hamas terrorist strike on Israel of Oct 2023 and Tel Aviv’s subsequent retaliation, the Russo-Ukraine […]
A modernizing army The Excelsior 15 Jan 2026 The army is celebrating its 78th Army Day on 15th Jan this year. 15th Jan 1949 was the day when Lt Gen KM Cariappa took over as the first Indian army chief from Gen Francis Roy Bucher and that day is celebrated as Army Day. The army has been witnessing modernization […]
Enhancing military capabilities Prabhat Khabar 07 Jan 2026 Towards the end of last year, the defence minister headed Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for procurements worth a total of Rs 79,000 crore for the armed forces. The AON is a formal approval that the item is essential for the forces and has budgetary backing. Based on […]
Armed forces must be ready on both fronts The Statesman 30 Dec 2025 The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on China, titled, ‘Military and Security Developments involving the People’s Republic of China,’ released last week, mentions, ‘China’s leadership has extended the term “core interest” to cover Taiwan and China’s sovereignty claims amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea, […]
Realigning security concerns The Excelsior 21 Nov 2025 The Indian army’s Eastern Command recently established three new military stations in and around the vital Chicken’s neck, which links the country with the North East. The military stations are located at Bamuni (near Dhubri), Kishanganj, and Chapra. The intent is to monitor the Bangladesh border, enable rapid deployment in case […]
War on terror continues The Statesman 18 Nov 2025 The Delhi blast is an indicator that India’s war on terror is nowhere near concluding, despite conveying strong messages to Islamabad by means of military strikes. However, till the Red Fort blast, terrorism was largely restricted to Kashmir, at least in the past decade. Continuing counterterrorist operations in Kashmir have […]