The former Trump national security adviser plans to plead guilty to a count of illegal retention of classified information, which could result in a fine and possibly prison time of up to five years

The probe into John Bolton surfaced in August after the FBI searched his Maryland home and Washington office for classified records from his government tenure

The revised delegation of financial powers is expected to facilitate procurements worth over ₹1.25 trillion and improve operational efficiency across the armed forces

Rajnath Singh, Rajnath

Business Standard

General Anil Chauhan says the plan looks at India's geography as one entity and then beyond

Chief of the Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan (Photo: MoD)

For the first time after the Kargil war, the civilian population in the border areas of India and Pakistan were affected and the operations were conducted in a standoff mode

A BrahMos missile fired from an Indian destroyer during an exercise in May 2025. Photo: Indian Navy

Can China replace the United States (US) as the principal external anchor in West Asia? The short answer is no, but the longer answer is more consequential than a simple negative

A Chinese warship participates in joint Navy exercise of Iran, China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 12. Iranian Army

President Donald Trump has announced a US counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to prevent the passage of Iranian oil shipments

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 6, 2026

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)

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)

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)

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)

India has repeatedly demonstrated the operational requirement for CSAR capability while repeatedly discovering the institutional gap between that requirement and available resources

US’ MH-60S Sea Hawk during a search and rescue operation in Pacific Ocean in April 2026

US' MH-60S Sea Hawk during a search and rescue operation in Pacific Ocean in April 2026

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

General Anil Chauhan said the India-China border is currently peaceful and that de-escalation has happened unilaterally

Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan

The impact and cost-effectiveness of the Iranian drone have led major global powers to reverse-engineer it

Low-cost uncrewed combat attack system, a variant of the Shahed drone deployed by the United States against Iran in Februrary 2026

The core component of China's deterrence will pose challenges for India in the event of a conflict

A PHZ-11 122mm multiple launch rocket system fired from a brigade during a live-training exercise in March 2026

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)

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

Lina Khatib

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 >

Hilal Khashan speaks to Mohammad Asif Khan on Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, the internal challenges facing Hezbollah, and the broader regional dynamics shaping the conflict. >

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 > > >

Taliban soldiers using anti-aircraft gun in Khost province, Afghanistan, on February 27, 2026

Below are pictures of naval technology and modern defence maritime weapons as featured in Blueprint May 2026

The United Kingdom (UK) Royal Navy has bolstered its mine-hunting capabilities by integrating modern uncrewed equipment into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Lyme Bay in March.

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

The latest military weapons from around the world

Viper shield for F-16 (Photo: L3Harris)

The indigenous air-to-surface missile validated critical subsystems and precision-strike capabilities, marking a key step towards operational induction

RudraM-II being flight-tested from a fighter aircraft over the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday. (Photo - DRDO)

The high-level meeting took place on Monday and served to consolidate strategic understanding and review mutual security interests across the region

S Jaishankar, Richard Marles

Modi and Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing discussed trade, security, connectivity and critical minerals as New Delhi stressed continued engagement over isolation

PM MODI

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Saturday that he understood a BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam had already been signed, though it was probably yet to be publicly announced, while a similar pact involving Indonesia was in the final stages.
"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages that in fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it's already been signed," Singh said in Singapore, while answering a question on potential buyers of the missile system at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The Philippines, which signed a contract worth nearly USD 375 million in 2022, was the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos missile system from India.
Indonesia said in March that it had entered into an agreement with India to procure the BrahMos missile system.
And, earlier this month, there were news reports that suggested Vietnam was close to signing a BrahMos missile deal with India.

Brahmos

The Philippines, which signed a contract worth nearly $ 375 million in 2022, was the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos missile system from India

Press Trust of India

West Asia continues to sit on a powder keg

US soldiers walk past surface-to-air missiles of the former regime of Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, Iraq, on September 1, 2003

Target Tehran traces the deep tentacles of Israeli intelligence in Iran that proved decisive in the latest clash

The Wall Street Journal called it the best book of the year in 2023, when it was published

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)

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

The index reached a market capitalisation of ₹11.6 trillion, with all 25 constituents moving northward. MTAR Technologies and Apollo Micro Systems led the surge

The technical breakout in the BSE Defence Index led to a broad-based buying

Iran's missile-and-drone arsenal offset a huge US deployment

Under one-third of US Navy deployed

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

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

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)

The LRGR-120 has an increased range of about 120 kilometres (km) from the previous 40-50 km along with guided accuracy

Pinaka long-range guided rocket (LRGR-120)

India is developing a new generation of autonomous systems to tackle mines

New man-portable autonomous underwater vehicles developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, in November 2025

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)

Equipped with pre-fragmented or penetration-blast warheads

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

The UN nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June according to a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog circulated to member states.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it "cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities."
The IAEA warned that it was "unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities" that it has under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding that it is "indispensable and urgent" for Tehran to implement its obligations under that Treaty.
The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3. The reactor currently running at Bushehr uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5 per cent, a low level needed 

Iran, Iran flag

The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that those who voted against him would rather see the country "fail" than give him another victory

Donald Trump,Trump

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he is optimistic about the potential for a resumption in nuclear talks with Iran despite a shaky ceasefire in the war that is looking increasingly in doubt.
Rubio defended the Trump administration's approach to Iran and other global hotspots in back-to-back hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a House Appropriations subcommittee. He was briefly disrupted by protesters at each session.
In his first public testimony since the Iran war began at the end of February, Rubio said the Iranians have agreed to negotiate on nuclear points that they had not been willing to address in the past but would not offer an assessment on what those talks might produce.
"They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention," Rubio told the Senate. He noted, however, that there was no guarantee "it will lead to a deal that's acceptable" and that negotiations .

Marco Rubio

Rubio defended the Trump administration's approach to Iran and other global hotspots in back-to-back hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a House Appropriations subcommittee

The latest diplomatic rupture followed days of Israeli military escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, prompting a phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Trump, Netanyahu, Donald Trump-Netanyahu

Bloomberg

The House approved a war powers resolution that would halt the US military action against Iran, defying President Donald Trump as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to end the three-month-long war that has reordered politics at home and abroad.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to prevent an outcome that would show the mounting opposition to the war, abruptly shutting down floor action two weeks ago when the war powers resolution was on the verge of approval. But displeasure has only grown as the conflict drags on and as Trump struggles to negotiate a quick resolution.
The roll call on Wednesday was 215-208, and cheers erupted in the House chamber.
"This reckless and costly war of choice needs to end today," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said earlier in the week.
"All we need are a handful of Republicans to join us and we can end this reckless and costly war of choice -- a war that has cost the American taxpayer over USD 100 billion -- that's ..

US Senate, US Capitol

It's the fourth time the House has tried to curb the US war against Iran, and the first time the House was able to pass the measure

The military lessons for India from West Asia include preparing for protracted wars, interviewees say

Munitions placed near a B‑1B Lancer military aircraft at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, on April 7, 2026

Conflict call

Precision-guided missiles matter more than ever

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, jointly developed by the DRDO and Russia’s NPOM, is the world’s fastest precision-guided weapon

Pin-point power

India needs low-cost interceptors to confront the new dynamics of drone warfare

A Sting interceptor drone flies during a training in Ukraine in April 2026

Attrition's new rule

The West Asia conflict has presented a paradox for the future of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor

A CCTV footage of smoke rising from the Haifa oil refinery in Israel after a reported Iranian attack on March 19, 2026

The promised gateway

Undersea drones

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How predictive AI is changing outcomes in conflict

The hyperwar is here

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

Slender hopes of mindset shift

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

Raisina Dialogue, Diplomacy, Defence and geopolitical news

Pallbearers of the 'liberal order'

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

Netra airborne electronic warfare and control, a specially modified ERJ-145 aircraft fitted with indigenous sensors (PHOTO: IAF)

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

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

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.

Conflict call

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The promised gateway

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S L Narasimhan

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Jan Luykx

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SPOTLIGHT

Analysis

Anshuman Tripathi

Harinder Singh

Multimedia

Key Projects

Market radar: March 21, 2026 to April 22, 2026

A David-Goliath clash

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