The government's allocation touches 2 per cent of the GDP months after Operation Sindoor
and with an eye on modernisation

def, soldiers, armed forces

Business Standard

The share of domestic firms in the value of capital procurement was 87% in FY25. This level will never fall 
below 75%

Illustration: Binay Sinha

Alongside raising allocations for the Agnipath scheme, the government has also strengthened its commitment to one rank one pension for retired personnel

Chief of Defence Staff interacts with Agniveer trainees at Maratha Regimental Centre & Airman Training School, Belagavi in May 2024 (Photo: PIB)

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

An anti-aircraft gun at the Afghan-Pakistan border in October 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 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 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

Indian Army personnel at an high-altitude region wearing the winter gear (Photo: Indian Army)

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)

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)

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)

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’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 > > >

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

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

The Blueprint Podcast with Sven Biscop

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

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)

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)

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)

US President Donald Trump has spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Monday, sharing a photograph of the two leaders and hinting at further updates

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the US President Donald Trump, at the delegation level talks at White House, in Washington DC.

Defence's share of GDP declined from 2.25 per cent in FY20 to 1.91 per cent in FY25, a level that was maintained in FY26 as well

defence budget, national security

CRPF chief G P Singh on Saturday reviewed the security scenario and operational preparedness of the paramilitary force in Kashmir, and emphasised robust security, sustenance of normalcy and total elimination of militancy in the region.
Singh, the Director General of CRPF, arrived here on a two-day visit to the valley, CRPF officials said.
On his arrival, Singh chaired a high-level security review meeting with the valley-based senior officials and ground commanders of CRPF, and emphasised a three-pronged focus -- robust security, the sustenance of normalcy, and total elimination of militancy in the region, the officials said.
They said the DG CRPF also reviewed the operational preparedness of the force and interacted with the jawans.
The DG visited the headquarters of the Srinagar Sector CRPF and chaired a high-level security meeting and reviewed the functioning of the new Command and Control Centre, the officials added.
Taking stock of the prevailing security situation in the vall

Gyanendra Pratap Singh, Director General CRPF

They said the DG CRPF also reviewed the operational preparedness of the force and interacted with the jawans

Press Trust of India

The Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma visited Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Saturday to review the counter-terrorism grid and commended the troops for their unwavering resolve in the ongoing anti-terror operation.
A firefight is underway to neutralise a group of three holed-up Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in the district.
The visit of the Army commander to the mountainous district comes after a high-level security review of the evolving security dynamics in the Jammu region, with a focus on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid on Thursday, officials said.
"Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander, Northern Command, visited Kishtwar today to review the counter-terrorism grid and operational preparedness," Northern Command Headquarters said on X.
The Army commander, while interacting with ground commanders and troops, commended them for their unwavering resolve in the ongoing efforts.
On Thursday, the Northern Army commander chaired a high-level security meeting

Security, Pulwama Security, Army, soldier

The Army commander, while interacting with ground commanders and troops, commended them for their unwavering resolve in the ongoing efforts

From rajma chawal to filter coffee tiramisu, Chef Manu Chandra showcased India's culinary soft power at the India pavilion amid sub-zero Davos

Chef Manu Chandra founded the Single Thread Catering in March 2022

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)

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

General Sam Manekshaw (centre) greets people in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 29, 1971	(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

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

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

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

Kanti Bajpai

S B Asthana

Shyam Saran

Vijay Gokhale

Ajay Darshan Behera

Jawed Ashraf

Harsh V Pant

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

SPOTLIGHT

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