Time for Military Justice Reform? Experts Call for Overhaul of India's Court Martial System

By Rear Admiral Dhiren Vig (Retd)

NEW DELHI: India's military justice system, long regarded as a cornerstone of discipline within the Armed Forces, is facing renewed calls for reform amid concerns over procedural shortcomings, judicial delays and the need for greater transparency in court martial proceedings. The military legal framework operates under a distinct set of laws designed to ensure swift disciplinary action and maintain operational readiness, morale and discipline among service personnel....more

India Needs National Maritime Commission to Safeguard Strategic and Economic Interests: Experts

By Rear Admiral Dhiren Vig (Retd)

NEW DELHI: The growing instability in West Asia and the increasing weaponisation of maritime choke points have renewed calls for India to establish a National Maritime Commission (NMC) to strengthen maritime security, streamline governance and accelerate the country’s blue economy ambitions. Strategic analysts and maritime experts argue that recent geopolitical developments, including disruptions to oil and gas supply routes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), have exposed vulnerabilities in India’s maritime preparedness and highlighted the urgent need for an apex-level maritime body....more

India Signs Rs 1,900-Crore Deal To Lease 2 MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with has signed a contract with US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) for the leasing of two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the Indian Navy for a period of 30 months. The contract is valued at approximately Rs 1,943 crore. It was signed in the presence of Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, A. Anbarasu, at Kartavya Bhawan-2 here on Monday....more

Rajnath Singh clears transfer of DRDO missile tech to Indian defence firms amid regional security concerns

NEW DELHI, Aug 25: Defence minister Rajnath Singh has approved the transfer of technology for all conventional missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to Indian defence companies for production within the country, the Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.

The move is aimed at accelerating indigenous missile manufacturing, reducing India's dependence on imports and expanding the role of domestic companies, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), in the defence supply chain.

The transfer of technology will allow eligible Indian industries to undertake production of DRDO-developed conventional missile systems, subject to applicable qualifications, certifications and regulatory requirements, the ministry said.

The decision is being seen as a significant step towards the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in defence. The ministry said it would help transition missile systems from the development stage to industrial-scale production while strengthening India's domestic defence industrial base.

"The objective is to enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities, strengthen the defence industrial base and create opportunities for the participation of Indian MSMEs and other technology partners in the supply chain," the ministry said.

The move comes at a time when missile capabilities are increasingly being integrated with broader surveillance, communications and precision-strike networks in India's neighbourhood.

India didn't target Pakistan's Kirana Hills; loitering munition hit it inadvertently: Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan

NEW DELHI, Aug 25: Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said that India did not target Pakistan's Kirana Hills nuclear facility during last year's Operation Sindoor, but an Indian loitering ammunition inadvertently hit it.

Chauhan explained that a lot of loitering munitions were sent at Sargodha, which is just 10 km north of Kirana Hills. He said one of those munitions must have come and hit the Kirana Hills nuclear facility after not finding a target.

"Before those strikes, we had sent a lot of loiter ammunition at Sargodha, and Kirana Hills is 10 km north of Sargodha. So the loiter ammunition was looking for radars, which were in and around Sargodha, and it has got a lifetime. It will loiter for about two hours, and if it doesn't find a target, it will come and hit somewhere. It must have come and hit one of those hills," said General Chauhan.

The Kirana Hills is a vast rocky mountain range and a designated area under the Pakistan ministry of defence in Sargodha district. Locally referred to as the “Black Mountains” due to its brownish terrain, it stretches between the township of Rabwah and the city of Sargodha.

Former Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, had said on May 12 last year that the Indian armed forces did not target the nuclear facility at Kirana Hills in Pakistan.

Responding to a query during a press conference at the time, Bharti said, “Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation. We did not know about it. And we have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there.”

India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 2025, in response to the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region on April 22, that left 26 people dead. The operation, launched by the tri-services, targeted terror infrastructure located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Over 100 terrorists were killed in these strikes, according to the government.

In the following days, the Indian armed forces hit back at Pakistan's attempted retaliatory strikes. On May 10, the Pakistani army reached out to its Indian counterpart, leading to a ceasefire understanding between the two neighbours.

Immediately after the operation, as well, heavy speculations and social media chatter had claimed that India had struck the Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha, reportedly linked to underground nuclear storage beneath the Kirana Hills. The Air Force denied targeting the facility, both then and now.

IAF officer held for leaking defence data to Pak operative; was 'honey-trapped' by woman on social media

NEW DELHI, Aug 8:Police on Saturday said a 44-year-old serving Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander was arrested in May for allegedly sharing sensitive defence information and classified documents with a Pakistani intelligence operative after being honey-trapped by a woman on social media.

The officer’s name has not been disclosed, and the police shared details of his arrest nearly 50 days after he was taken into custody on May 30, according to officers aware of the matter.

The Delhi Police issued a statement saying that the investigating team submitted a charge sheet in the case before the concerned court on July 30.

“Based upon a complaint by Indian Airforce authorities, a serving airforce officer was arrested on May 30, for allegations of being honey trapped by a Pakistani Intelligence Operative. Post investigation, a charge sheet has been submitted before the competent court on July 30. The matter is sub-judice,” the statement said.

“He was under active surveillance and was handed over to the suitable law enforcement agencies” IAF spokesperson said.

The IAF officer was booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) after a case was registered at the special cell police station. After his joint interrogation by the special cell and central intelligence agencies, the officer was produced before a city court that sent him to judicial custody in June. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail, the officers said.

India approves ₹52,000 crore defence purchases

NEW DELHI, July 3: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Friday gave its go-ahead for the purchase of weapons and systems worth ₹52,000 crore to boost the armed forces’ capabilities.

The capability enhancement approved by the council, India’s apex defence procurement body, covers the procurement of a raft of systems, ranging from the anti-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) electronic warfare system AKASH TARANG and man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) systems to the medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) weapon system, the defence ministry said.

The DAC also accorded its Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of the very short-range air defence system (V-SHORADS), an active protection system for tanks, and a jet-based kamikaze drone system, the ministry added in a statement.

The military hardware listed above is intended for the Army.

Under India’s defence procurement rules, AoN by the council is the first step towards acquiring military equipment. The DAC convened for the first time under India’s new military leadership—Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, and Army Chief General Dheeraj Seth. The top appointments were made recently.

Seth, who took over as Army chief on June 30, said on Wednesday that the force’s modernisation would form the bedrock of its transformation into a future-ready force.

The defence ministry outlined the capability enhancement: AKASH TARANG will provide effective anti-UAV protection to Army formations; the MPATGM will enhance the infantry’s ability to counter the adversary’s mechanised threats; and the MRSAM system will provide medium-range air defence against various stand-off aerial threats.

“The V-SHORADS with multi-spectral sensing will enhance counter-measure resilience and effectiveness of the Indian Army. The active protection system will improve the defence mechanism of tanks and enhance their survivability. The jet-based kamikaze drones will provide better electronic warfare capability with greater lethality and survivability while also being cost effective,” the ministry said.

The military hardware approved for the Navy includes the multi-influence ground mine (MIGM), the naval shipborne unmanned aerial system (NSUAS), and the establishment of a land-based testing facility (LBTF) for electric propulsion systems.

“The MIGM will deny freedom of manoeuvre to the adversary. The NSUAS, equipped with advanced sensors, will enhance the Indian Navy’s situational awareness. The LBTF will meet the testing requirements for motors and associated propulsion systems of the Indian naval assets,” it said.

The Indian Air Force received approval to procure the fixed-wing-based high-altitude pseudo satellite (FW-HAPS). It will carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), telecommunication, and remote sensing missions for the Air Force, the ministry added.

In February, India hiked its defence spending by more than 15% against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, setting aside ₹7.85 lakh crore for the critical sector in the Union Budget for 2026–27.

This included a capital outlay of ₹2.19 lakh crore to boost the capabilities of the armed forces with new weapons and systems, including fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters, warships, submarines, artillery guns, smart weapons, missiles, rockets, and a variety of unmanned systems.