Accusing Defence Minister A K Antony of making a "false" statement on Poonch killings, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Wednesday said he should apologise as his remarks are intended to "exonerate" Pakistan as government wants to continue talks.
Strengthening India's presence over the Indian Ocean region, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday inaugurated the first fighter aircraft base here in southern India where the IAF is stationing its most lethal Su-30MKI combat aircraft.
In Jammu and Kashmir, compared to last year, the violence level had come down by 50 per cent, he said. The only concern now was of cross border militancy which was continuing even after three years of ceasefire, he added.
The Pakistani military on Sunday dismissed reports that army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani would meet Indian Defence Minister A K Antony on the sidelines of a regional defence meeting in Singapore.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday cautioned the three services chiefs to be 'transparent' in the process of weapon trials and procurement as he cleared proposals worth around Rs 6,000 crore for the armed forces.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said he would "seriously" pursue the inquiry into allegations of corruption in the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters by India. "I have not seen the (news) report. I can assure you I will seriously pursue the inquiry," Antony told reporters outside Parliament House when asked about allegations of corruption in the helicopter purchase deal.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday slammed China for raising objections to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, describing Beijing's comments on the issue as "most unfortunate" and "really objectionable".
Three days after denying that Defence Minister A K Antony's office was bugged, army on Monday admitted that "some abnormality" was noticed which it claimed later turned out to be malfunctioning of an instrument.
Army was "handling" the situation arising out of the latest incursion in Ladakh, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday after Chinese troops prevented Indians from patrolling up to LAC in Finger-VIII area where they have built a road inside Indian territory.
Defence Minister A K Antony today made it clear that India is not paranoid over China and said the relationship between the two countries is improving and getting better even though the border dispute existed.
Senior Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony on Sunday alleged that disengagement in both the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Lake areas and the creation of a buffer zone was a 'surrender' of India's rights.
The strategic and security implications from Af-Pak region, China's strategic rivalry and domestic and trans-national terrorism were the challenges outlined by Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday who said these cannot be felt in the same measure by other countries.
With India's coastal security already breached by terrorists in Mumbai, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday warned the armed forces of possible terror attacks from airborne platforms similar to the 9/11 attacks in the US.
The Congress has alleged that the government caused loss of over Rs 41,000 crore to the exchequer and endangered national security by bypassing the state-run HAL in favour of some businessman "friends".
Reviewing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday said the 'visibility' of troops should be reduced as much as possible in the state without compromising efficacy.
Not willing to give up on the age issue, General V K Singh has filed a statutory complaint with the defence minister seeking a reexamination, in a first by an army chief.
The minister's clarification comes in the wake of reports of the army's internal records showing two different dates of birth of the general, who is in line to take over as the next army chief in November 2009 after the retirement of the present incumbent General Deepak Kapoor.
After he failed to get any relief from the high court before army chief's retirement, Lt Gen Tejinder Singh on Tuesday approached Defence Minister A K Antony for taking disciplinary action against Gen V K Singh for issuing an alleged defamatory press release against him.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony is learnt to have disapproved of the proposal mooted by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in four districts in Jammu and Kashmir as it would affect the confidence of the armed forces, which were already managing in very difficult circumstances.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders led by L K Advani on Wednesday raised with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh their objections to Defence Minister A K Antony's statement on the killing of Indian soldiers along the LOC, terming it as a "goof-up", and pressed for a clarification on the serious matter.
The raft of prompt decisions by the usually sluggish Ministry of Defence have been triggered by the simmering row between army chief General V K Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony. Rahul Bedi reports from New Delhi
Even as a controversy raged over 'wife swapping' charges in Navy's Southern Command in Kochi, Defence Minister A K Antony today ordered the dismissal of a Naval officer after he was found guilty of having illicit relations with the wife of his superior.
The Indian Navy has ordered a probe into the bribery allegations against its officers made in a letter from Meera Shankar, the Indian ambassador to US, to the Prime Minister's Office, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Thursday.
The government has impressed upon the Sri Lankan navy to act with restraint and not to fire on Indian fishermen sailing along the International Maritime Boundary Line, Defence Minister A K Antony told the Lok Sabha on Monday.
India and Pakistan need more time to resolve the "complicated" Siachen issue and have agreed to continue the dialogue process further, Defence minister A K Antony said on Friday.
India has deferred until the next financial year its plan to finalise a deal for purchase of 126 Rafale combat aircraft from France since there is "no money left" for this now, Defence Minister A K Antony has said.
Defence Minister AK Antony leaves New Delhi on Thursday on a 4-day official visit to the People's Republic of China.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday accused Pakistan of 'not willing' to act against terrorists infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir from its side of the border, even after the Mumbai attacks last November.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday faced an embarrassing situation in the Rajya Sabha when he laid a corrected version of a statement made in the House last week on the purchase of MiG fighter aircraft, triggering protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Recent events in Jammu and Kashmir indicate Pakistan's continuing proxy war and China's assertiveness in the region is increasing, Defence Minister A K Antony cautioned on Monday, while asking the armed forces not to drop their guard.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday differed with former Army chief general Deepak Kapoor's deposition before the Adarsh Commission that the high rise was not a security threat.
Army chief General Bikram Singh on Thursday briefed Defence Minister A K Antony on the Chinese incursion issue in Ladakh and the present situation there. After reviewing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the Ladakh area with military commanders in the Northern Command, General Singh briefed the defence minister on the incursion issue on Thursday, army officials said.
Indication to this effect came as Antony was allocated the seat next to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at cabinet meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.
On a question regarding the difficulties faced by tribal people in Naxal-affected areas, Antony said steps had been taken to solve their problems and the issue was discussed at the meeting of chief ministers convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday concluded his four-day visit to Moscow leaving for home without meeting with President Vladimir Putin. He is the second senior Indian minister to have visited Moscow in one week who the president hasn't met, the other being External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The defence minister will also be on board the country's latest indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik and witness the live firing of lethal missiles including the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, Defence Ministry officials said in New Delhi on Monday.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday indicated a revamp of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, to give it capability to produce futuristic systems within the country."DRDO will have to play a crucial role in providing strategic defence with suitable delivery systems to the nation," Antony said. The DRDO and the end-users, the armed forces, would have to work with greater synergy to achieve the goal of self-reliance and minimise dependence on foreign nations.
A week after government auditors exposed Army supplying stale food to jawans, Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday gave an assurance that efforts were in progress to improve quality of rations given to them.