India-Russia ties hold amid US pressure, but manoeuvres are likely, analysts say

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow on July 8, 2024 (Photo: Reuters)

Business Standard

What India's Integrated Rocket Force would mean for deterrence, doctrine, and defence

Representational image (Photo: Shutterstock)

India's heaviest communication satellite will boost 'strategic autonomy'

The Isro launch vehicle LVM3-M5 carrying the CMS-03 satellite, lifts off from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on November 2, 2025 (Photo: PTI)

As Washington grows risk-averse and Beijing gains leverage, the Seoul deal reshapes India's geopolitical space

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

Trade wars and cold calls aside, India and the US have had tensions before; however, both bounced back stronger

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13 (Photo: Reuters)

Defence partnerships signal deeper industrial and military cooperation between India and the United Kingdom

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at the Raj Bhavan premises, Mumbai, on October 9 (Photo: PTI)

As the global centre of gravity shifts towards the Indo-Pacific, India faces both opportunity and challenge in a bipolar world shaped by US-China rivalry

The Chinese naval ship Qi Jiguang arrives at a commercial port in Sihanoukville, southern Cambodia, on October 10 (Photo: PTI)

As Moscow deepens ties with China and courts Pakistan, India must engage Russia with clear eyes and calibrated realism

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (left) speaking in New Delhi in November 1973. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is seated alongside (Photo: Russian Embassy in India)

From naval dominance in the Indian Ocean to countering Beijing's westward sweep, India must build a grand strategy that leverages its maritime geography, not just its borders

A map depicting China’s quest for maritime domination

A map depicting China's quest for maritime domination

The proposal for a single border-guarding force overlooks India's diverse terrain, complex security challenges, and the need for specialised forces

As the UN turns 80, India's peacekeeping legacy blends moral conviction with hard strategic choices

Major Jasmine Chattha leads a parade of Indian peacekeeping troops at a United Nations medals award ceremony in South Sudan (Photo: UN Mission in South Sudan)

As India strengthens its defence capabilities with AI and frontier technology, the armed forces face a rapidly evolving landscape of information warfare, cyber threats, and autonomous combat systems

modern warfare, modern war, cyber attack, artificial intelligence, robotics

Representational image (Imaging: Ajaya Mohanty)

HAL is leveraging its legacy and ramping up research & development to secure its place in India's evolving defence landscape

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Chairman and Managing Director D K Sunil with the indigenous light combat Tejas aircraft (Photo: HAL)

A new set of disruptive technologies, indiscriminate use of air power, and obstinate willingness on both sides to test the tripwires have made the India-Pakistan conflict much more complex

Operation Sindoor involved the IAF successfully utilising the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system to counter Pakistani air attacks (Photo: Reuters)

India’s former ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha, tells Satarupa Bhattacharjya in a video interview that talks between the two countries are proving to be a protracted, difficult process > > > >

India's national security strategy is still developing, with challenges in balancing traditional and new threats

national security strategy, Indian military, opinion

Indian soldiers disembark from a military transport plane at a forward airbase in the Ladakh region on September 15, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

The push for reform will shape the next phase of India's military modernisation

The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd-developed light combat aircraft Tejas Mark 1A after its maiden flight in Nashik on October 17, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

Future battlefields will require on-site processing hardware and capabilities at the frontline, says a senior Army officer

Difference between conventional AI model and AI in the box (Imaging: Ajaya Kumar Mohanty)

It has a range of up to 10 km and its USP is its top-attack capability with an imaging infrared seeker

The NAG Mark 2, third-generation anti-tank guided missile (Photo: DRDO)

With Russia and China making headway in strategic weaponry, the US and others will seek to catch up

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile during a test at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on November 5, 2025 (Photo: United States Space Force)

The need of the hour is to strengthen military capability and logistic readiness, and streamline defence budgeting

Indian and Chinese soldiers marching along the India-China border in Bumla, Arunachal Pradesh, in 2019 (Photo: PTI)

India needs to balance the inexorable logic of force optimisation with making up for the numbers lost

Ukranian soldiers launch a Leleka reconnaissance drone to combat Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 26, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

One of the foremost experts on South Asian security and military, Christine Fair tells Blueprint that the US under President Trump is ceding ground to China not just in South Asia but everywhere

The Blueprint podcast with Christine Fair

India's former Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, tells Blueprint why the commonly stated idea of the United States (US) seeing India as a bulwark against China does not reflect India's priorities.

The Blueprint Podcast with Kanwal Sibal

India’s former ambassador to the United States, Navtej Sarna, tells Satarupa Bhattacharjya in a video interview that a trade deal might not be enough for US President Donald Trump > > >

A new SIPRI yearbook reveals that India now has more nuclear warheads than Pakistan. But China continues to outpace both South Asian neighbours.

The latest military robotics from around the world

First grenade-launching robot dog (Photo: Skyborne Technologies)

The complicated, fragmented, and ever-evolving conflict in Myanmar involves the military junta and numerous ethnic armed groups

The latest outer space military technology systems from around the world

Navigation technology satellite (Photo: AFRL)

A Turkish-developed Bayraktar TB2 drone used by the Sudanese military (Photo: Bayakar)

After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO

Passing Out Parade of 157th Regular, 46th TES, 140th TGC, 55th SCO & TA OEE 2023 Courses. A total of 525 Officer Cadets, including 34 from Friendly Foreign Countries, passed out from the hallowed portals of Indian Military Academy

Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade

Press Trust of India

Nearly 10 years after high-denomination notes were banned, Nepal plans to allow Indian notes above ₹100, easing travel for workers, students, pilgrims and tourists, and smoothing trade

Rupee

Asserting that war and warfare is at the cusp of a major revolution, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Saturday said the Indian Defence forces are committed to adapting to changing environment and imbibing reforms to remain ready and relevant.
Addressing the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) of 216 Course held at the Air Force Academy at Dundigal near here, General Chauhan said India's strength rests on robust institutions, democratic stability, and unwavering professionalism of our Armed Forces.
He said the intensity of operations may have ebbed, but Operation Sindoor continues.
"You (new officers) also join the Air Force at a moment when a new normal has firmly taken shape. An era defined by a high degree of operational preparedness, 24-7, 365 days. The intensity of operations may have ebbed, but Operation Sindhur continues," he said.
He further said the newly trained officers are entering the Indian Air Force during a phase of deep transformation of the Indian 

Anil Chauhan, Anil, CDS

CDS General Anil Chauhan further said the newly trained officers are entering the Indian Air Force during a phase of deep transformation of the Indian Armed Forces

The High Commission in Singapore has opened a One Stop Centre (OSC) as part of the government's scheme to support Indian women in distress overseas.
The initiative has been taken under the Indian government's Sakhi One Stop Centre scheme, marking a major step in extending women-centric welfare initiatives overseas.
The establishment of One Stop Centre' at the High Commission of India in Singapore will provide a comprehensive support system to Indian (national) women in distress, High Commissioner Shilpak Ambule told PTI on Friday.
As part of this initiative, assistance would be extended to distressed Indian women to cover legal, medical and other expenses, he said.
The centre will offer integrated support services including legal aid, medical assistance, psychological counselling, temporary shelter, and emergency response for women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or economic abuse.
Located within the High Commission's premises, the OSC aims to create a safe, ...

Singapore flag

The initiative has been taken under the Indian government's Sakhi One Stop Centre scheme, marking a major step in extending women-centric welfare initiatives overseas

According to a post on X by the Ministry of Health, both sides met on Thursday and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening India-Denmark collaboration in health, food, and agriculture

India-Denmark

Gautam Hazarika's debut book has important stories but falters in its telling

The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II: Surrender, Loyalty, Betrayal and Hell By Gautam Hazarika

General Sam Manekshaw (centre) greets people in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 29, 1971	(Photo: Ministry of Defence)

In The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century, Tim Weiner recounts the tale of how the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United States' foreign intelligence service, reinvented itself

The Mission: The CIA in the 21st century by Tim Weiner

In 1948, when Pakistani raiders infiltrated Ladakh, the Dakota rose to the occasion

The Indian Air Force’s Dakota DC-3 aircraft successfully lands in Leh on a 2.1-kilometre-long makeshift runway, built in under a month  (PHOTO: Ministry of Defence)

The Indian Air Force's Dakota DC-3 aircraft successfully lands in Leh on a 2.1-kilometre-long makeshift runway, built in under a month  (PHOTO: Ministry of Defence)

Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and China fare better in proportional terms

A UN Peacekeeping woman personnel from India interacting with local people in South Sudan on November  12, 2025 (Photo: UN Peacekeeping mission)

The Business Standard Defence Index is designed to track the performance of 25 key defence stocks

The decline comes at a time when the DRDO is executing 292 projects valued at over ₹1 trillion

Imaging done by Ajaya Mohanty

From aircraft to spacecraft components, India's aerospace sector has rebounded sharply, with Gulf nations emerging as top buyers

Representational image

A long shot

Trump's search for a 'grand bargain' with China: How should India respond?

Why 2026 matters

How India must prepare to fight the next war with China

India-Russia relations without illusions

Subscribe to Business Standard Blueprint
<p>A monthly magazine on defence and geopolitics</p>

The privately held "big four" may yet land safely, despite the presence of public sector giant HAL in the race

Artist Kuntal Biswas' depiction of the country’s planned indigenous first stealth fighter jet (Photo: Kuntal Biswas)

Taxiing in: India's stealth fighter

India's gambit for the Indo-Pacific century

The task demands a fusion of strategy, infrastructure, and cutting-edge technology to secure territorial sovereignty

Army personnel patrol alongside robotic mules near the LoC on the outskirts of Jammu on October 16 (Photo: PTI)

The 'modern' guarding forces of India's borders

Palestinian officials shed light on the challenges of postwar reconstruction

A man looks out from his damaged apartment at the destruction in his neighbourhood in Gaza City in October (Photo: PTI)

Can Gaza rise from rubble?

Women may be marching perfectly in parades but they are still denied the opportunity to serve in combat roles in the Indian Army

Colonel Sophia Qureshi (right) and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh at an Indian government media briefing on Operation Sindoor in New Delhi on May 10 (Photo: Reuters)

A battle within

Experts caution India on China's Indo-Pacific moves

The Indian guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata leaves Sydney Harbour after the conclusion of the Malabar naval exercise in Sydney, Australia, on August 22, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

Battle for the high seas

The public company is betting big on India's second attempt to claim a larger share of global shipbuilding

MDL's present-day-80-acre shipyard originated in a small dry dock in 1774 (Photo: Bhaswar Kumar)

As tides shift, MDL lays new keel

Operation Sindoor revealed how maritime power - not missiles or borders - now defines the next phase of the India-Pakistan rivalry

Pakistan Navy's submarine sails past a naval sailing ship during the sea phase of its 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25 in the Arabian Sea near Karachi on February 10 (Photo: Reuters)

Hot waters - India and Pakistan flex their muscles in the Arabian Sea

As wars grow faster, smarter, and borderless, India faces a pivotal choice - modernise its doctrine or risk strategic irrelevance

The Indian Army conducts Exercise Divya Drishti in Sikkim to test modern warfare systems (Photo: Indian Army)

Revisiting India's military doctrine

Sudarshan Chakra fuses shield and sword into one doctrine of power, but its broad contours are unclear

The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel, on October 9, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

From Iron Dome to Star Wars, it is now India's turn

modern warfare, artificial intelligence, cyber war, indian warfare, robotics

Indian Army personnel inspect an armed drone during exercise Drone Prahar (Photo: Indian Army)

Old war, new plan: Experts urge policy consolidation on unconventional combat

HAL turns to its past to navigate an uncertain future

National Security Strategy: Framing the first steps in the Indian context

Incremental climbs on the escalation ladder

A combat-capable flying wing UCAV at Malan, underscoring Beijing's push to expand its stealth drone fleet and reshape air power dynamics

The model of a Chinese-made Warrior Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is displayed before the opening of the Airshow China 2008 Zhuhai, China on November 3, 2008 (Photo: Reuters)

Satellite image reveals China's uncrewed CAV with 137-feet wing span

Explore Blueprint Defence by Business Standard — your authoritative source for analysis on India’s defence sector, military strategy, and global geopolitics. Stay ahead with sharp, policy-driven insights.

A long shot

Trump's search for a 'grand bargain' with China: How should India respond?

Shyam Saran

Why 2026 matters

How India must prepare to fight the next war with China

India-Russia relations without illusions

Kanti Bajpai

Shyam Saran

Sumit Ganguly

Rahul Roy Chaudhury

Vijay Gokhale

Kanti Bajpai

K Raja Menon

Sanjiv Krishan Sood

S B Asthana

Exclusive Story

The Big Picture

Multimedia

UN peacekeeping: India short on share of women troops

Market radar: October 21, 2025 to November 21, 2025

R&D share in defence budget dips amid self-reliance ambitions

Market radar: September 19 to October 21

Aerospace exports take off, Gulf states now top buyers