Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar will take charge as the next chief of the Indian Navy after the incumbent, Admiral Karambir Singh, retires on November 30, the defence ministry announced on Tuesday.
Gen Singh, who is right now the general officer commanding-in-chief, Western Command, will become the first Sikh officer to head the army.
Armed forces of India and United States on Tuesday executed a joint cordon and search drill to neutralise suspected insurgents, in a specially-constructed training area at the ranges in an abandoned village as part of the ongoing Yudh Abhyas 2012 exercise.
China on Tuesday announced that its Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will visit India this week to attend the meeting of SCO defence ministers from April 27 during which he is expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on ending the prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff which has severely strained bilateral ties.
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.
'I told my commander that they were not militants, but full-fledged soldiers with machine guns.'
'They will continue to keep pricking at places where both of us are sensitive and keep the LAC alive.'
India is set to press for early disengagement of troops from the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh at a fresh round of high-level military talks with China on August 14, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
It was for the first time that the high-level military talks on the lingering border row spanned two days.
During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 39 years, the Admiral has served in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments.
The Punjab police, which is investigating the matter along with their military counterparts, said according to the information gathered so far, the incident was not a terrorist act. The four personnel, in their mid 20s, were sleeping when the firing took place around 4.30 am near the barracks behind a mess.
This exercise is part of the Army's systems approach to training which aims at transforming it into a modern, lean, agile and well-equipped force, capable of accomplishing assigned tasks thus showcasing its rapid response capability
India also went on an overdrive in expanding its military engagement with like-minded countries in its neighbourhood and beyond in the face of China's relentless attempts to become a regional hegemon and establish its primacy in South Asia.
Saturday's drone attack on MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In a projection of India's growing maritime prowess, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday addressed the top naval commanders onboard the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea and witnessed a mega wargame, amid China's increasing military posturing in the Indian Ocean region.
With the announcement of the new Air Force chief, a massive reshuffle is taking place in the service as new vice chief and two Commanders-in-Chief have been announced on Friday.
Despite the presence of legendary sprinter Milkha Singh, cricketer Kapil Dev and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games received a cold response in Chandigarh, on Saturday.
Gen Pande, who was serving as the vice chief, became the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to helm the force.
China on Wednesday said the latest round of the border talks with India was held in a "candid and pragmatic atmosphere" and the two sides had a "positive, constructive and in-depth discussion" on the resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector.
Besides being the President, 62-year-old Xi is already General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
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.
Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash, former military secretary who is facing court martial in the Sukna land scam, is likely to approach the Armed Forces Tribunal against the disciplinary action initiated against him by the army.
Singapore to use IAF station to train personnel
Several military veterans said that the "insulting" tweet reflected what civilian officials in the ministry of defence thought about the military.
A Pakistani national, who allegedly used to pass vital defence information to his masters across the border, was arrested on Saturday. Twenty four-year-old Kashif Ali, hailing from Faisalabad in Pakistan, was arrested from sector 44 of the Union Territory on Saturday evening, police said.
Built at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai, the ship's construction also marks the end of the Project 15A to build Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers.
"The two main accused -- Hottam Singh and Iftikhar Khan, working as nursing attendants at the army hospital, have been arrested and further investigations are on," Senior Superintendent of Police (Panchakula) Sandeep Khirwar told PTI over phone.
Six Indian Army officials, including a colonel and a major, and a proprietor of a private firm have been convicted by a Central Bureau of Investigation court in four graft cases.
The Punjab government has ordered the closure of schools till July 13 while in Chandigarh schools are closed till Thursday.
Army Red defeated a second string Pune FC 2-0 in the opening match of the quarter-final league stage of the 126th Durand Cup Football Tournament in New Delhi on Monday.
A preliminary internal assessment has concluded that the three-member suicide squad had chosen the Samba-based armoured unit with deliberate care, since a Cavalry or armoured unit is normally not as adept at counter-insurgency operations as an infantry unit, reports RS Chauhan.
Having known Vice Admiral Hari Kumar personally and professionally, Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd) wishedshim a fantastic tenure as Chief of the Naval Staff. Under his command may the Indian Navy grow in all dimensions as the nation strive to establish itself as a credible sea power in future.
In 2017, a retired R&AW officer conveyed that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was keen to get monarchy restored in Nepal and suggested that I support these efforts.
The Bombay high court on Thursday ordered an interim stay on further sale of flats in an 18-storey building named Harsiddhi at Worli in Mumbai as the Indian Navy has raised it objections to the project.
DRDO's failures over the decades have contributed significantly to India becoming the world's biggest weapons importer, points out Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
The Defence Ministry on Saturday said it would probe allegations of the Army spending Rs 1.17 crore on golf carts from special funds. Referring to the Comptroller and Auditor General slamming chiefs of the Army's Northern and Western Commands for alleged misuse of special financial powers during April 2002 and August 2007, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said that "irregularities, if any, will be addressed."
The unexpected missile attack on a second India-bound ship carrying Russian crude, just three weeks after the first, has complicated matters for domestic refiners. India now counts the Vladimir Putin-led nation as its biggest oil supplier, according to Paris-based market intelligence agency Kpler, and these attacks come on top of US sanctions since December, where vessels that bring crude to India are facing heightened scrutiny. Panama-registered Pollux, which loaded crude at the Sheshkaris oil terminal in the Russian port of Novorossiysk on January 24, was scheduled to deliver the medium, sour Urals grade to Paradip port on February 28.
It is the first warship to have been named after a city from the Northeastern region, the approval for which was accorded by the President in April 2019.
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