'If you go by the capital expenditure, this is a good defence budget. But we will have to see if the government can keep defence spending at 2 per cent or higher in 2027-2028.'
China's latest defence budget surges to $275 billion, fueling its ambitious military modernisation program and intensifying geopolitical dynamics in the region.
In 2025-26, the government allocated Rs 6,81,210 crore for defence budget.
Pakistan has increased its defence budget by 17.6 per cent to PKRs 3,000 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, as announced by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The federal budget, estimated at PKRs 18,771 billion, targets 4 per cent GDP growth, with significant allocations for debt service and pensions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted economic stability and ongoing discussions with the IMF, while the opposition protested Imran Khan's incarceration during the budget session.
Pakistan on Tuesday increased its defence budget by 20 per cent, allocating PRs. 2,550 billion ($9 billion) for the fiscal year 2025-26, amid tensions with India.
China has announced a 7.2 percent increase in its national defence budget, bringing the total to USD 249 billion for the year. This rise comes amidst China's ongoing efforts to modernize its armed forces, including the development of new warships and fighter jets. The budget increase, exceeding last year's 7.2 percent rise, reflects China's commitment to bolstering its military capabilities. Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized the importance of the Communist Party's leadership in guiding the military, with President Xi Jinping at the helm of the Central Military Commission. China's defence spending is now three times that of India's and is viewed by critics as a sign of the country's growing military ambitions.
Under capital expenditure, Rs 48,614 crore has been set aside for aircraft and aero engines while Rs 24,390 crore has been allocated for the naval fleet.
'The share of the private sector is at its all-time high of around Rs 42,000 crore in FY26, reflecting its expanding role in the defence ecosystem.'
'Make-in-India played a key role in India's effective action against terrorism during Operation Sindoor.'
Defence expenditure was pegged at 1.4 per cent of GDP in the Budget for 2025-26 but it may widen, depending on tensions between India and Pakistan.
The political confidence required to place high-end Japanese aircraft and personnel on Indian soil is itself a data point.
It indicates a level of trust that would have been difficult to imagine when India-Japan defence ties were largely symbolic, explains Varun Arya.
India spends significantly less on defence than could be expected from a country that faces simultaneous armed threats from two hostile neighbours -- China and Pakistan.
The ongoing US conflict with Iran has cost the Trump administration an estimated $45.1 billion, according to a Pentagon estimate provided to the US Congress on Friday, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
The defence budget was on Thursday increased to Rs 6.21 lakh crore for 2024-25 in a modest hike of 4.72 per cent from last year's allocation of Rs 5.25 lakh crore amid India's continuing border row with China in eastern Ladakh as well as concerns over evolving security situation in the strategic waterways.
China, which is the second highest spender on defence after the United States, has allocated 1.67 trillion yuan (about USD 232 billion) for defence spending.
'An instruction came from somebody in Delhi saying, "don't go with the launch".'
4 Rivers 6 Ranges finds its strongest moments in the moral conflict between non-violence, survival and the fight for freedom.
'Improved law and order and transparent governance have helped change UP's investment image.'
Operation Safed Sagar is prime purpose may be to honour IAF warriors but it is an inadvertent reminder of how we went from a nation of Jung na hone denge to Ghar mein ghus ke marenge, observes Sukanya Verma.
The Tamil Nadu assembly descended into chaos, leading to the eviction of DMK MLAs, as they vehemently protested Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's statements.
The most worrying aspect of defence budgeting is that the military's long-term equipment planning is based on fundamentally flawed fiscal assumptions.
To threaten China and Pakistan, and then to sharply cut back on military funding, bespeaks a remarkable trust in Beijing and Islamabad that is not borne out by anything they say or do, notes Ajai Shukla.
The capital outlay for the three services, for modernisation, stood at Rs 78,586.68 crore
In the Union Budget presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a total of Rs 1,52,369 crore has been set aside for capital expenditure that includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware.
The increase in defence budget from Rs.147,344 crore (Rs 1,473.44 billion) in fiscal 2010-11 to 164,415 crore (Rs 1,644.15 billion) in fiscal 2011-12, reflects a gain of 11.59%.
Tashi Network and DroneVerse successfully conducted a live drone swarm field trial in Delhi, demonstrating advanced autonomous capabilities for defence and internal security. The trial showcased decentralised mesh technology, allowing drone swarms to maintain mission coherence even with communication disruptions, marking a significant step towards India's technological sovereignty in autonomous warfare.
'If the Chinese intent is to be gauged based on its aggression in the South China Sea, greater forays in the Indian Ocean, a hawk's attitude towards Taiwan, flying its fighters repeatedly over the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea and creating strategic assets globally, there would be a requirement for strategic partnerships for India,' says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
'China's opaque defence allocation processes are shrouded in mystery and have triggered security dilemmas among its neighbours and others,' notes China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
The Lok Sabha's monsoon session concluded on Thursday, marked by relentless opposition protests over critical issues like the NEET paper leak and police action on students, yet saw the passage of several key bills without extensive debate. Home Minister Amit Shah expressed readiness to debate the student protest issue, urging the speaker to allocate time.
Rs 193,407 crore provision made for defence services in 2012-13.
'We won not (only) because we were able to carry out long-range precision strikes.' 'That is, of course, one of the reasons but we had better situational awareness about what's happening than Pakistan.'
China hiked its annual defence budget by 7.1 per cent.
China on Friday hiked its defence budget to $209 billion, maintaining a single-digit growth for the sixth consecutive year with a 6.8 per cent increase in 2021.
The outlay for defence sector almost remained unchanged compared to what was allocated in the interim budget on February 1.
Expressing determination to eliminate "all delays" in modernisation of the armed forces, the government on Thursday hiked the defence budget by a whopping 23 per cent to Rs 77,000 crore as against the revised estimates of Rs 63,000 crore.
China is the second largest spender on defence after the US. T
Under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, the country's national security shield is to be expanded by 2035 to ensure comprehensive protection of both strategic and civilian critical infrastructure.
The conflict may disrupt Budget 2026-2027 projections, squeezing revenues and raising subsidies, prompting fiscal adjustments and potential reforms, echoing lessons from the Covid-era shock, points out A K Bhattacharya.
India's defence expenditure surged to $92.1 billion in 2025, making it the world's fifth-largest military spender, according to SIPRI data. This 8.9 per cent year-on-year rise was primarily driven by operational and procurement needs following heightened regional tensions with Pakistan in May 2025.
The Pakistani government has allocated an additional amount of Rs 35 billion for the defence budget for 2009-10 claiming expenses on anti-militancy operations and the need to acquire modern equipment to counter a perceived threat from India, according to a media report.
