Visiting United States Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday, strongly backed America's drone campaign, which flies unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, from Afghanistan into Pakistan's tribal areas to launch missile attacks on terrorists who feature on a detailed hit list, says Ajai Shukla
The sharp increase in firing between Indian and Pakistani posts on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir raises the question: is the decade-old ceasefire of 2003 dead? If one side or both are staging cross-border raids and fire is being exchanged daily, it might seem that the ceasefire has irretrievably broken down, even if New Delhi and Islamabad have not acknowledged that, says Ajai Shukla
It is difficult to remain idealistic, motivated and dead straight -- the defining characteristics of young Indian Army officers -- when so much wrongdoing is evident at the top. Even honest officers are inevitably corrupted by a system in which outright financial dishonesty is condoned as "perks and privileges of office", says Ajai Shukla
Ajai Shukla gives the inside story of the controversial AW-101 helicopter deal and finds that corruption is endemic to overseas defence deals in India
The Indian Navy is on its way to becoming a major air force, with the fleet air arm having achieved several landmarks this year, reports Ajai Shukla.
Ajai Shukla reports from Bangalore, where Asia's biggest air show opened on Wednesday
The military's earthquake relief operations in Gujarat, Kashmir and Sikkim, and rescue work during the Ladakh flash floods highlight that it is the only effective disaster response force in the country, says Ajai Shukla
The underwater leg of the nuclear triad has always been regarded as the most survivable. Going by the January 27 test, the K-15 missile is well up to the task. Ajai Shukla reports
Will Gen Kayani's increasingly conservative soldiers fight the Waziri militants, who have long been lauded as a sword arm of Pakistan, asks Ajai Shukla.
Even jihadis infiltrating across the Line of Control into Jammu and Kashmir have been found to have better night vision devices than the lavishly funded Indian Army, says Ajai Shukla
Even as the prime minister's office and the foreign ministry deepen ties with Washington, the defence ministry cold-shoulders the Pentagon, notes Ajai Shukla.
A dangerous flashpoint in United States-India relations faces visiting US Secretary of Defence, Leon Panetta, who faces tough questions from Indian officials on Tuesday, writes Ajai Shukla
The 'On-Board Oxygen Generation System' developed for the Tejas can produce 1,000 litres of oxygen every minute.
The Chinese navy's growing aggression in the Western Pacific is bringing together a range of allies.
A five-year contract to provide comprehensive maintenance support for India's fleet of 12 C-130J Super Hercules tactical airlifter aircraft.
The notion that New Delhi can talk Beijing into engaging the hated 'Dalai clique' is entirely fanciful, says Ajai Shukla
Establishing dialogue with the Quetta Shura must be recognised as a key strategic requirement. This would allow India to catalyse a favourable settlement in post-2014 Afghanistan, says Ajai Shukla
China will cheerfully discuss human rights, environmental degradation and a raft of issues. But say the word 'Tibet' and the shutters come down, writes Ajai Shukla
Quotas rule promotions in a "Mandalised" army, finds Ajai Shukla
Mahindra's LSV is an extremely agile combat vehicle with all round protection against small arms fire.
Left to fend for themselves by the Indian Army exactly 50 years ago, the Monpas of Tawang refused to cosy up to the well-mannered Chinese soldiers, report Ajai Shukla and Sonia Trikha Shukla.
Seven years before its scheduled completion, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already announced a two-year delay in the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) India and Russia are to jointly develop, says Ajai Shukla
It is important to remember the lessons of the 1950s in planning how to counter any Chinese adventurism, says Ajai Shukla
According to a 2010 CAG report on warship building, this year the navy will have just 44 per cent of the destroyers it needs; 61 per cent of the frigates; and 20 per cent of its requirement of corvettes, reports Ajai Shukla.
Amid a raging debate over AFSPA, a focused internal political dialogue must be launched in Kashmir to reassure the army that yet another hard-won peace will not be squandered by political lethargy, writes Ajai Shukla
16 Indian Army divisions face China, 20 face Pakistan and two divisions are reserves. This powerful signal can hardly be missed in China or Pakistan, notes Ajai Shukla.
New Delhi, as the only agent that enjoys trust in all the key capitals, must offer itself as a back-channel interlocutor, says Ajai Shukla
The Union defence ministry is pressing ahead with the Rs 1,800 crore purchase of seventy-five PC-7 Mark II basic trainer aircraft from Pilatus Aircraft Ltd of Switzerland.
The J-20 fighter prototype, a 5th generation combat aircraft built by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry, made its first flight on January 11, 2011. This necessitates a re-evaluation of the IAF's procurement of 4th generation medium fighters, which is close to being finalised. Ajai Shukla reports
Students and observers of the Indian military and the structure of its relationship with the defence ministry, and the government of India unanimously agree that, over time, the boundaries of "objective control" have been breached says Ajai Shukla.
To date none of the companies that Defence Minister A K Antony publicly named have been told the charges against them, nor has any CBI charge sheet been filed. Ajai Shukla reports
After cost inflation, this year's allocation will buy significantly less than last year's, says Ajai Shukla
Russia has already begun delivery of the first S-400 systems, and the question of sanctions, or of a waiver to sanctions, preoccupies New Delhi.
The selection of Dassault's Rafale as India's new MMRCA fighter was only the latest step in the Air Force's long and painstaking process to pick itself a winner, writes Ajai Shukla.
Peace talks with Pakistan will resume yet again later this month as Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao meets with her counterpart Salman Bashir. The result is predictable -- the dialogue will go nowhere. India instead should renew its military-to-military ties for a positive outcome with its neighbour, believes noted defence analyst Ajai Shukla.
The presence of the private sector at a prestigious military training institution is an important acknowledgement of its growing capabilities in designing and manufacturing cutting edge aerospace and defence equipment, reports Ajai Shukla.
Former cricketer Imran Khan's December 25, 2011 rally at Bagh-e-Qaid, Karachi which was attended by some 1,00,000 people, a bigger crowd than any political rally in the last two decades. Ajai Shukla reports.
After six decades of floundering through dozens of uprisings, India's govt is facing the Naxal challenge as incoherently as ever, writes Ajai Shukla
Where did outgoing army chief V K Singh go wrong, analyses Ajai Shukla.
GSOMIA does not cover the exchange of classified information with Indian private industry. Washington wanted this covered too, given New Delhi's emphasis on the proposed 'strategic partnership' model of procurement.
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