A summit finds that countries are being pragmatic in the pursuit of national interests

Raisina Dialogue, Diplomacy, Defence and geopolitical news

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Raisina summit

Business Standard

How predictive AI is changing outcomes in conflict

US Army National Guard

Private players call for the government to identify 'national champions' in defence buying

Private defence firms have made gains in producing armoured vehicles and light tanks, exemplified by the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled tracked artillery gun (centre), developed through collaboration with foreign partners in India

DPSUs, Indian defence, Lockheed

Trump's 2nd term shatters post-Cold War stability: Unilateral wars on Iran, Cuba embargo, Canada musings fuel global chaos. US dominance breeds unpredictability, eroding alliances & rules-based order.

US President Donald Trump at the Lima Army Tank Plant Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Ohio in March 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

For the EU and India to make progress in their strategic relationship, they will have to transcend the commercial-economic dynamics of their relationship.

Leaders of the European Union and India sign the Security and Defence Partnership agreement at the Hyderabad House, New Delhi, on January 27, 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

Takaichi is committed to enhanced defence expenditure, already at 2 per cent of GDP but likely to go up to 3 per cent

Political opinion in Japan has been divided between those who seek a revision of the Constitution, particularly Article 9 (Photo: Reuters)

China is developing counterspace capabilities, which are a major component of militarising space.

A Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft blasts off in Gansu province, China, in October 2025

First, in terms of its ideational outlook, India will need to position itself as a stronger regional net security provider

An Indian army tank moves during an army exercise (File Photo: Reuters)

The assassination of Ali Khamenei and the elevation of Mojtaba have opened a new and uncertain chapter in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing a public meeting in Tehran, Iran, on February 1, 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

The geopolitical trapeze for India in the next decade (mid 2030s) will be to retain a credible multi-aligned orientation

The Port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, near the Strait of Hormuz, in 2023 (Photo: Reuters)

France supports India's multi-alignment with flexible defence deals, from helicopters to submarines, fortifying Indo-Pacific security ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Mumbai in February 2026 (Photo:MEA)

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

Representational image (Imaging: Ajaya Mohanty)

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

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

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

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

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

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 > > > >

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)

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

Gaps in India's surveillance fleet highlight serious vulnerability in a conflict situation

An E-2D Hawkeye aircraft prepares to land on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R Ford during Operation Epic Fury. (PHOTO: US CENTCOM)

The latest bilateral engagement is a product of necessity amid the ongoing global turbulence, not trust

Indian Army soliders during an exercise in Ladakh in October 2025 (PHOTO: BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION)

Three distinct models competed to define the future of warfare at a recent event in New Delhi

Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi at an event showcasing modern indigenous drones in November 2025 (Photo: Indian Army Via X)

As Xi ousts his top military general and controls both the party and the gun, Taiwan's anxiety escalates unprecedentedly high levels

Internally in China, as mentioned, the purging of General Zhang Youxia will send shockwaves through the PLA and the Communist Party itself. (Photo: reuters)

Internally in China, as mentioned, the purging of General Zhang Youxia will send shockwaves through the PLA and the Communist Party itself.

Archival records reveal whether India violated the Cirus deal with Canada for a 'peaceful nuclear experiment'

Representational image (Photo: Reuters)

Assessing if India can bear a relatively higher expenditure within a constrained fiscal space

light combat aircraft Mk1A, Rafale-M, LCA Prachand

The Union Budget 2026-27, allocated Rs 7.85 lakh crore to the MoD (PHOTO: HAL)

Susannah Patton, one of the architects of the Asia Power Index and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute speaks to BS Blueprint

A veteran of four decades in the defence industry, Arun T Ramchandani, Senior Vice-President (Precision Engineering & Systems) at Larsen & Toubro, speaks to BS Blueprint

Lina Khatib, associate fellow, Middle East and North Africa programme Chatham House talks to 
BS Blueprint

Lina Khatib

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 > > >

US Navy sailors move ordnance on the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier (Photo: Reuters)

The latest military weapons from around the world

Space-based ISR (Photo: IAI)

The STC forces execute an operation against Saudi-PLC coalition in Abyan, Yemen, in December 2025

Viper shield for F-16 (Photo: L3Harris)

The US president said his threat to impose 50% tariffs on goods from countries that sold weapons to Iran was aimed at China.
Trump told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that has heard reports of China giving anti-aircraft "shoulder missiles" to Iran. He played down the possibility of China supplying weapons to Iran, but said their goods would be taxed if they did.
"I doubt they would do that, because I have a relationship, and I think they wouldn't do that, but maybe they did a little bit at the beginning," Trump said. "But if we catch them doing that, they get a 50% tariff.

Donald Trump, Trump

He played down the possibility of China supplying weapons to Iran, but said their goods would be taxed if they did

Press Trust of India

Jaishankar meets UAE leadership, thanks them for support to Indian diaspora amid West Asia tensions, as Pakistan eyes Qatar replacing UAE as creditor

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met UAE Deputy PM Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Saturday | Photo: Reuters

At least 12 more Indian fishermen have been arrested and their trawler confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
"During an operation conducted in the dark hours of April 11, the Sri Lanka Navy seized one Indian fishing boat and apprehended 12 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters off Kovilam in Karainagar Jaffna," an official statement said.
On April 8, at least 10 Indian fishermen were arrested and their trawler confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters in the sea area North of Mannar on Wednesday.
So far, this year the Sri Lankan Navy has seized 16 trawlers and arrested 112 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
The Palk .

fishing fishermen fisherman fish

So far, this year the Sri Lankan Navy has seized 16 trawlers and arrested 112 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching

China's false claims and manufacturing of baseless narratives cannot alter undeniable reality, MEA added

Randhir Jaiswal, Randhir

Top commanders of the Indian Navy will deliberate on implications of the West Asia crisis in the context of safeguarding India's energy security during a three-day conclave beginning Tuesday.
The commanders will also comprehensively review the Navy's operational posture to protect national maritime interests and capability development in line with national security objectives.
The biannual naval commanders conference will be held in New Delhi from April 14 to 16.
"This edition holds significant importance in light of swift naval deployments to safeguard India's energy security, amidst ongoing conflict in West Asia with convergence of Multi-National Forces in the Indian Ocean Region," the Navy said on Sunday.
However, it did not elaborate on the role it has in safeguarding India's energy security given disruptions in the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
For last several years, the Indian Navy has been escorting Indian-flagged merchant vessels, specifically those carry

Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi

The commanders will also comprehensively review the Navy's operational posture to protect national maritime interests and capability development in line with national security objectives

The Battle of Rezang La remains etched in military memory

A Chinese soldier photographs India from across the border in 1962 (PHOTO: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE)

In After Nations, novelist Rana Dasgupta explores how the political system that dominates the modern world came into being and why it may now be reaching its limits.

In After Nations, Rana Dasgupta has written how European ideas of property, law and finance helped to shape modern political power.

A Mig-27ML being armed for a mission during the Kargil War in 1999

In Warhead, Nicholas Wright turns the spotlight away from hard power to the human mind.

India's combat aircraft programmes depend on US-made  power plants at present

The Kaveri engine project was intended to make India self-sufficient in this critical technology, with the power plant envisioned to power the country’s indigenous combat aircraft, the Tejas.

The Kaveri engine project was intended to make India self-sufficient in this critical technology, with the power plant envisioned to power the country's indigenous combat aircraft, the Tejas.

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

Representational image Photo: Shutterstock

Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France emerge as top export destinations

US no longer top destination for India’s aerospace exports

US no longer top destination for India's aerospace exports

Photo: Shutterstock

The 2024 Sipri data suggests that Indian companies have a lot of catching up to do in arms revenues

Representational image (Photo: Shutterstock)

Directed-energy weapons are seen as a sustainable option to counter aerial attacks

US Navy officials inspecting a directed-energy weapon aboard the USS Ponce (PHOTO: PO1 PETER D LAWLOR/US Navy)

Designed for mass saturation, Iran's Shahed-136 overwhelms defences by making quantity count, creationg an unaffordable cost asymmetry for adversaries.

The Shahed-136 embodies a new design logic: even if half are shot down, the ones that get through make the battle financially worthwhile (Photo: Reuters)

Equipped with pre-fragmented or penetration-blast warheads

India conducted release trials of long-range glide bomb 'Gaurav' last year.

India's capabilities need a unified architecture

The D4, a counter-drone system developed by the DRDO

President Trump said he complained to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel about the attack, which sent energy markets reeling; but Israeli officials said the Americans were informed beforehand

donald trump, trump, tariffs

Iran launched missile strikes across the region as the US seeks $200 billion for the war; attacks on energy sites raised supply concerns, while India moved to secure fuel imports and evacuate citizens

US Israel strike Iran

After Trump's reference to the Pearl Harbor attack, a Japanese foreign ministry official said the subject didn't come up in closed-door talks between the leaders

Japan PM Takaichi with US President Trump

Bloomberg

Israeli jets' bombing of Iran's South Pars field and associated infrastructure on Wednesday prompted a fresh wave of Iranian strikes against oil and gas works across the region

Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin, Netanyahu, Israel PM

The thrust of the conversations, per his social media posts, was to find a way to restore stability to the region and to continue coordination in the pursuit of de-escalation and peace

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

The hyperwar is here

Slender hopes of mindset shift

Pallbearers of the 'liberal order'

India's missing eyes in the sky

India's defence modernisation hinges on an ecosystem of military-grade semiconductors

Some materials and modules of the gallium nitride chips (Photo: AGNIT Semiconductors)

A silicon gap

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satellites, operational satellites, orbit, India

A Dark Matter

The strategic side of India-US ties is largely unaffected. So far

Personnel from the Indian and the US armies interact during Exercise Yudhabhyas held in the United States in 2025

On the mend or not

India needs many more warships, but must first choose between consolidation and competition in shipbuilders

An Indian Navy ship at the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai

A fork in the road for defence shipyards

The US pressure has cast a shadow on India's strategic bet on the Chabahar Port

Chabahar is an important component of the INSTC (PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK)

The Iran quagmire

Inside China's military upheaval: Power struggle or consolidation?

India's armed forces are adopting artificial intelligence. Analysts urge advancing it

A device for underwater domain awareness that uses AI or machine learning and goes through voluminous data (Photo: Ministry of Defence)

The future in the present: AI in the armed forces

With Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture, the United States reasserts its pre-eminence in Latin America

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted for a courthouse appearance to face multiple charges,including narco-terrorism, in New York City on January 5, 2026 (Photo: Reuters)

A return to spheres of influence in Venezuela

The army has found an answer to China's rapid build-up of infrastructure and military installations on the border

Indian Army personnel assembling the 3D-printed structure (Photo: Indian Army)

3D-printed military structures dot the Himalayas

India's Global South ambition runs up against China's power - making coalition-building, not solo leadership, the more realistic path

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)

How India can lead the Global South

From power grids to payments, India's digital backbone is increasingly under strain

Cyber suraksha exercise in June 2025 (Photo: PIB)

Cyber war without a strategy

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

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

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

Holding the frigid ground

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)

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

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

A long shot

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)

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

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)

How India must prepare to fight the next war with China

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)

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

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)

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

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.

The hyperwar is here

Slender hopes of mindset shift

Pallbearers of the 'liberal order'

India's missing eyes in the sky

A silicon gap

Sumit Ganguly

Jan Luykx

Shyam Saran

S L Narasimhan

Constantino Xavier

Reza Parchizadeh

C Uday Bhaskar

Harsh V Pant

SPOTLIGHT

Analysis

Multimedia

Key Projects

Lessons from Kaveri for India's aeroengine ambitions

Market radar: February 21, 2026 to March 20, 2026

Indian aerospace exports surge amid a slump in US shipments

Market radar: January 20, 2026 to February 20, 2026

US leads in top 100 defence firms, China marks rise