Armed forces must adapt to tackle future battles The Statesman 26 May 2026 Recent conflicts have two distinct characteristics. The first is war between neighbouring countries primarily with territorial disputes while the second is when a state or alliance, without a common border with the adversary, seeks to force it into submission or accept its terms. The Azerbaijan-Armenia war […]
Unnecessary criticism of CDS appointment The Statesman 19 May 2026 The appointment of Lt Gen Raja Subramani as the next CDS has drawn criticism from multiple quarters, though the logic in some cases is bizarre. Even before the appointment was announced a number of publications appeared suggesting that the next CDS should be from the navy or air force […]
Role of technology: Conflicts moving towards sci-fi warfare realm Raksha Anirveda 13 May 2026 The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict was the first to give the world an inkling on how future wars would emerge. Technology, including effective the use of rockets, drones and missiles, were witnessed for the first time. Armenia employed Russian missiles, rockets and EW systems, while Azerbaijan fired […]
Operations Sindoor and Epic Fury The Statesman 12 May 2026 The anniversary of Operation Sindoor was marked last week with social media comments as also press conferences by members of the government. The armed forces organized a special press interaction, chaired by those who coordinated the operation. Interestingly, there was no comment, even on social media, by members of […]
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 […]