Allies launch Operation Arctic Endurance to signal their resolve to defend Artic island's sovereignty amid a dispute with the Trump administration over place's strategic future

The Danish military Offshore Patrol Vessel P572 HDMS Lauge Koch sails near Nuuk's old harbour, Greenland, January 15, 2026

Business Standard

Island states are trying to shape maritime power in the Indian Ocean

Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti (right), Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, with Major General Ibrahim Hilmy, Chief of Defence Force, Maldives National Defence Force on an official visit to the Maldives in December 2025 (Photo: Indian Navy)

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said that the next two years will focus on 'networking and data-centric operations' to build a future-ready force

Upendra Dwivedi, Upendra, Dwivedi

From Chola naval power to Curzon's imperial spectacle and today's Indo-Pacific contest, the Indian Ocean has long shaped Asia's politics, trade, and ideas

Subhas Chandra Bose transfers in a rubber raft from a German to a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean in April 1943 (Photo: Netaji Research Bureau, Kolkata)

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)

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)

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 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)

An anti-aircraft gun at the Afghan-Pakistan border in October 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

As militancy, military clashes and mass deportations collide, Pakistan and Afghanistan slide from uneasy coexistence towards open confrontation

As Trump's second-term worldview hardens around "America First" and civilizational realism, India finds itself indispensable to US strategy yet increasingly constrained

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon his return to Washington at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US on November 9, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

As the transatlantic order fractures and great-power ties realign, Europe and India confront parallel reckonings

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on February 28, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

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)

Why winter gear is central to building  the country's Himalayan deterrence

Breakdown of the Himkavach (Photo: DRDO; Graphics: Blueprint design desk)

Information warfare is where legitimacy is established, deterrence is built, and sovereignty is defended

A Navy commando rappels down from a Westland Sea King helicopter during Exercise Trishul in Porbandar, Gujarat, on November 13, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

China continues to see India-Russia relations as a double-edged sword

A Chinese warship sails during the joint naval exercise of China, Russia, and Iran in the Gulf of Oman on March 12, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

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)

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)

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

An expert in European foreign and security policy, SVEN BISCOP speaks to BS Blueprint

The Blueprint Podcast with Sven Biscop

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 > > >

The latest directed-energy military weapons from around the world

World’s maiden laser-armed tank (Photo: FNSS)

World's maiden laser-armed tank (Photo: FNSS)

Syrian security forces after clashes between Syrian troops and Druze fighters in Sweida, Syria, in July 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

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 Myanmar Army’s Russian-developed Mi-17 helicopter (Photo: Russian Helicopters)

Diversified group Bharat Forge on Friday said its aerospace division has secured contracts worth approximately Rs 300 crore to supply drones.
These contracts for the Indian Army and Navy cover a range of indigenous unmanned systems, including Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms and loitering munitions, Bharat Forge Ltd. said.
The drone platforms -- Omega One, Omega Nine, Bayonet, and Cleaver -- are developed for India to meet urgent operational requirements across diverse terrains and mission profiles, it added.
The company said its unmanned (vehicle) portfolio is evolving rapidly, with advanced autonomy, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making progressively integrated across platforms.
These enhancements boost mission endurance, precision, survivability, and adaptability in contested and dynamic operational environments, it said.
"This dual achievement, securing EP-VI contracts and showcasing Omega One on Army Day, reaffirms BFL's ...

Premier engineering concern Bharat Forge has broadened its revenue streams by entering new non-auto segments and markets, resulting in the share of the auto business dropping to 58 per cent in the financial year 2024 (FY24) from 80 per cent (FY07). I

The deal covers a range of indigenous unmanned systems, including Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms and loitering munitions

Press Trust of India

India has sought to bolster funding for the defence sector following a short but deadly conflict with arch-rival Pakistan last May in which drones and fighter jets took centre stage

defence purchase, Research and development, Defence Exports, defence firms

Reuters

India called out Pakistan for misusing UN platforms to drive its divisive agenda after Islamabad's envoy raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the General Assembly.
Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Eldos Mathew Punnoose on Thursday said that the right to self-determination must not be abused to encourage secession in pluralistic and democratic states.
At a time when member states have to rise beyond their narrow considerations, Pakistan continues to misuse all platforms and processes in the UN to drive their divisive agenda, Punnoose said.
"This forum is no exception either and Pakistan made an unwarranted reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, an integral and inalienable part of India, Punnoose said, while delivering the national statement at the UN General Assembly Plenary on 'Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organisation'.
The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle enshrined in the UN Charter. However, th

United Nations Security Council

Pakistan repeatedly raises the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations and its various platforms but fails to get any traction from the wider international community on the matter

Even as it faces active terror threats, the Indian Army's share of defence capital spending has fallen sharply, lagging behind the Air Force and Navy

def, soldiers, armed forces

With the situation in Iran evolving, India has begun preparations to facilitate the return of its nationals, following embassy advisories, coordination with states, and signs of limited resumption

iran protest

Shadi Hamid's argument for a world with the US as the sole hegemon is more confused than convincing

The Case for American Power By Shadi Hamid Simon & Schuster

India's first Republic Day parade began the tradition of showcasing arms

The Republic Day parade has been held every year on Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) since 1955 (Photo: Ministry of Defence)

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)

Operation Sindoor might prompt an increase in expenditure in the coming years

Graphics by the Blueprint design team

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

Photo: Shutterstock

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)

Representational image (Photo: Shutterstock)

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

Representational image

The complex technology behind the fighter jet engines is guarded fiercely but India can draw lessons from its domestically built one

A Kaveri derivate engine at the Aero India show in Bengaluru in February 2021 (Photo: Shutterstock)

It weighs about 13 tonnes and its USP is that it will carry precision-guided munitions with warheads

Ghatak, an advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle (Photo: DRDO)

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)

Industry insiders expect the government to push military modernisation much further - and faster

The Indian Air Force light combat helicopter Prachand performs during the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru on February 13, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

Inside the next Defence budget

Holding the frigid ground

A geopolitical history of the Indian Ocean arena

Naval mines have re-emerged as potent instruments of modern conflict but India is not immune to their destructive power

INS Kozhikode (M-71), a Karwar-class minesweeper commissioned in 1988, carrying out mine-laying and clearing operations before it was decommissioned in 2019 (Photo: Indian Navy)

Exploding sleeper cells of the sea

Building a pipeline of world-class defence technologies needs greater coherence among the military, academia and industry

Missing synergy

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

A long shot

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

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)

Why 2026 matters

How India must prepare to fight the next war with China

India-Russia relations without illusions

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.

Sugata Bose

Shyam Saran

Kanti Bajpai

S B Asthana

Vijay Gokhale

Harsh V Pant

Jawed Ashraf

Inside the next Defence budget

Holding the frigid ground

A geopolitical history of the Indian Ocean arena

Sugata Bose

Exploding sleeper cells of the sea

Missing synergy

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