The recent comments of the army chief stating that ‘the time has not come for any rethink on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)’, at a press conference last week, has drawn criticism from many quarters, including editorials in leading newspapers. He was accused of crossing his limits as the head of the organization and commenting on topics beyond […]
The US ambassador to India, Kenneth I Juster, proposed during his first public speech in Delhi that scaling up of strategic relations with India can also involve posting of liaison officers in each other’s combatant commands. He claimed that this was aimed at taking the relationship from ‘the strategic to the durable’. This was a gesture to India that the […]
A candid, clear headed army chief shared his views in his press conference preceding army day. The conference covered a wide range of views from handling the Doklam crises to creating an army for the future, handling Pak’s misadventures, impact of education influencing the minds of the youth in Kashmir to the governments decision to cut the funding of education […]
The defence minister recently withdrew the controversial order of 2016, which had degraded army ranks as compared to their civilian counterparts. It was a welcome new year’s gift to the forces. However, there are many other contentious issues which still await her attention. Many are irritants from the past, while a few are recent decisions. Further is the need to […]
The Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pak is almost seven hundred and fifty Kms. Tensions between the opposing armies is permanent all along it and each action needs to be taken in a measured manner. There is absolutely no scope for error for troops deployed to ensure its sanctity. The region is mountainous, forests exist on both sides, […]
In recent times, there have been numerous contentious issues, dominating social media, concerning armed forces personnel, both serving and retired, for which the top hierarchy is blamed for inaction. Some issues being discussed include non-granting of Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU), withdrawal of entitled rations, degrading military ranks as compared to civilian counterparts, denying them status of Group A services and non-implementation […]
The soldier who places his life and limb at risk to ensure that the nation is safe and secure, has no demands, but respect and status. ‘God and soldiers are only remembered in times of trouble’ as an adage, had always been true for India. However, in recent times, there has been a slow but positive change towards respecting the […]
The defence ministry has cancelled a negotiated USD $500 million deal with Israel for the Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) and has tasked the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to indigenously develop a man-portable version of a similar system. The Spike missile is a third generation, fire and forget, top attack ATGM. This implies, that once locked on, it […]
India is a growing military power, which is evident with the number of nations seeking to enhance military ties with it. The recent comment by President Trump that the world’s two greatest democracies should have the two strongest militaries and terming Asia-Pacific as Indo-Pacific, indicates the growing proximity and dependence of the US on Indian military power in the region. […]
A war of words has broken out between the Congress and the BJP on the Rafale aircraft deal, even sucking in the air force chief, who felt it essential to clear the air. It has led to press conferences from both sides, with each blaming the other for dragging their feet on defence procurements and kickbacks, including favouring Reliance Defence. […]