Meet Rob O'Neill, a man who grew up in a mining town in the US state of Montana. He's also the highly decorated US Navy SEAL who shot dead Osama bin Laden during the 2011 raid on the terrorist mastermind's secret lair in Pakistan.
'It was almost as though there was widespread relief that the defence bureaucracy, and the minister, could find someone willing to shoulder the blame for everything that had gone wrong with the services under Antony's charge -- the poor preparedness of the forces, slow acquisitions caused by indecision, cancellation of contracts and whimsical blacklisting of defence contractors over the tiniest suspicion that they may have paid speed money or kickbacks.'
Diplomat Madhuri Gupta, arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, joins a list of several top Indian officials accused of leaking sensitive information or falling into honey trap in the past few decades.
Under attack from opposition parties over his response on the killing of Indian soldiers, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the armed forces have the freedom to respond appropriately to a developing situation along the Line of Control with Pakistan.
Since 2016, when India was officially recognised in US law as a 'major defence partner', Washington has purposefully upgraded the defence relationship.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari allegedly received millions of dollars in kickbacks for the purchase of three French submarines for the Pakistani navy in 1994, a French daily has reported. Citing documents acquired by it, the daily Liberation in Tuesday's edition claimed Zardari received $4.3 million in kickbacks from the sale of three Agosta-90 submarines for 825 million euros (currently $1.23 billion).
Dhanteras, the prime minister said, has become even more special.
'Admiral D K Joshi's resignation is certainly an example worthy of emulation by anybody who is in a leadership role. Unfortunately, over the last 30, 40 years, I can think of very few politicians or bureaucrats who could be termed real "Leaders". Without leaders, where will there be leadership?' asks Vice Admiral P J Jacob (retd), former Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey conducted a patrol within 20 kilometres of Mischeef Reef, part of the Spratly Islands.
'Sri Lankan army chief General Fonseka told me that 10 minutes before they were killed, ambassadors were calling up Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse to save Prabhakaran and top LTTE leaders. Fonseka said any fool would have known that a ceasefire appeal was to save Prabhakaran and not the people, because there were no people there,' reveals Nitin Gokhale, author of the new book, Sri Lanka: From War to Peace.
In a pessimistic assessment of the Afghan war, a top US military official said on Wednesday that after years of neglect, America is basically "starting over" its battle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, whose alliance is now stronger than ever.
The India-Japan 2+2 dialogue added strategic heft to the special relationship in the wake of growing Chinese assertiveness on regional affairs, points out Dr Rajaram Panda.
There is no reason to believe that anyone in the highest ranks of the Pakistan government knew about the location of Osama bin Laden, the White House has said.
Last year, the country's defence budget was $175 billion.
SC tells the Centre that any deviation from its stand that the issue of Indian Prisoners of War languishing in Pakistani prisons cannot be taken to the International Court of Justice, will have its own ramifications.
Former ruler Ayub Khan launched a secret operation in 1965 to send infiltrators into Jammu and Kashmir.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar conducted a special screening of the much-awaited film on his life, 'Sachin: A Billion Dreams' for the Indian Armed Forces personnel at the Indian Air Force Auditorium, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
'China's actions at the NSG will certainly taint India-China bilateral relations and enhance suspicion of China's intentions. A fresh clear-eyed and objective evaluation of the India-China relationship is necessary, especially as India tries to correct adversely balanced bilateral economic ties and the two countries engage over the long-term,' says Jayadeva Ranade.
Unperturbed by reports about China selling 36 advanced fighter jets to Pakistan or its plans to launch an intelligence satellite, the Indian Air Force on Friday said there was 'nothing to worry' as Indian armed forces were capable of protecting the country's interest. "Do not worry and do not make people worry. Our country is strong enough. Our Army, Navy and Air Force are capable of looking after the interest of our country," IAF Chief P V Naik said.
'If there is one certainty in this visit, it is that Trump does not follow a script. He is unpredictable,' highlights Ambassador B S Prakash.
The alarm raised at the naval base turned out to be a hoax after nothing was found.
Pakistan's cash-strapped new government announced a hefty 15 per cent hike in its defence budget to Rs 627 billion, with the powerful army getting the lion's share of the outlay.
Those who plotted the deadly attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, are still alive and planning to carry out more terror strikes, a top United States military general has said.
Nawaz Sharif's appointment of a new army chief will influence India-Pakistan relations
Major General Sujan Singh Uban, a legendary veteran of the Second World War, was a natural choice to raise, train and command the Special Frontier Force and mould them into a well oiled fighting machine, recalls his son Inspector General Gurdip Singh Uban (retd), who led SFF troops during the Kargil War.
The SpyLite aerial system will help our soldiers in border flashpoints like Doklam and in encounters with terrorists in Kashmir.
'The Chinese mindset and approach to India is far different from that in Pakistan.' 'This reality makes it possible for us to follow an engagement policy with one, while militating against engagement with the other.'
Swamy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should convene a conference of "insiders" to draw up a new policy especially after the recent Lakhvi episode.
Eleven Indians along with 172 others have been evacuated by a Pakistani ship from strife-torn Yemen's southeastern city of Mokallah, which is now almost entirely under control of Al-Qaeda militants.
The Sri Lanka Air Force and Egypt has also shown some interest in procuring the Tejas.
As Raazi hit theatres, Harinder Sikka -- author of Calling Sehmat, the book on which the film is based -- reveals the thrilling real life story of an Indian spy named Sehmat.
"If India has some concerns over the Gwadar port, it may be discussed. However, we cannot stop our progress due to concerns from any quarters," said Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir. Last month, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta had said that the Gwadar port has serious strategic implications for India.
In the years to come, India's space assets will play a much bigger role if and when hostilities break out on our borders, says Pallava Bagla.
There are many interesting facts and stats about Dhoni's fabulous career.
With an eye on beefing up maritime security, India is negotiating a deal with 24 countries for exchange of neutral merchant shipping data as it rolls out a national hub to tackle all aspects of coastal security to prevent another 26/11-like attack.
Sources in the poll panel said, prima facie, Adityanath has violated the EC's advisory of keeping armed forces away from political campaign.
The bogey of the 1962 defeat must be laid to rest with a finality that is unquestionable. The myth of Chinese invincibility is a tall tale that belongs to an era gone by, says Vivek Gumaste.
When asked if the Indian investigating agency would be allowed to visit Pakistan, Basit said that 'the whole investigation is not about reciprocity in view'.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances