Military

Myanmar's military frees over 6,100 prisoners on independence anniversary

Myanmar's military government granted amnesty to more than 6,100 prisoners and reduced other inmates' sentences Sunday to mark the 78th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain. It was not immediately clear whether those released include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule. The amnesty comes as the military government proceeds with a monthlong, three-stage election process that critics say is designed to add a facade of legitimacy to the status quo. State-run MRTV television reported that Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, pardoned 6,134 prisoners. A separate statement said 52 foreigners will also be released and deported from Myanmar. No comprehensive list of those freed is available. Other prisoners received reduced sentences, except for those convicted of serious charges such as murder and rape or those jailed on charges under various other security acts. The release terms warn that if the freed

Polls open for military-ruled Myanmar's first general election in 5 years

Voters went to the polls on Sunday for the initial phase of Myanmar's first general election in five years, held under the supervision of its military government while a civil war rages throughout much of the country. Critics charge that the election is designed to add a facade of legitimacy to military rule, which began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Her party won a landslide victory in the 2020 election but was blocked from taking office for a second term. In Yangon, the country's largest city, Naypyitaw, the capital, and elsewhere, voters were casting their ballots at high schools, government buildings and religious buildings. Critics argue that the results will lack legitimacy due to the exclusion of major parties and limits on freedom of speech and an atmosphere of repression. They contend that the expected victory of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party makes the nominal transition to civilian rule a ..

Rethinking Islam, military power, and democracy: A year-end correction

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a mea culpa. I'd deal with the most recent this week

Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Army

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

New warfare era: AI, bioweapons escalate US-China security fears

Deterrence will be necessary. The biggest reason to build a military that can win the wars of the future is to prevent those wars from ever happening

Ex-military officers rally in Argentina in latest sign of political shift

Ex-military officers who served in Argentina's brutal dictatorship and their families staged a rare rally on Saturday to push for the release of fellow officers imprisoned for human rights abuses committed during the junta's 1976-1983 rule. Saturday's demonstration was seen as a provocation in the country of Nunca Ms, the slogan that represents Argentina's commitment to never again return to authoritarianism. Further raising tensions, the officers gathered in Plaza de Mayo, the historic site of protests by women searching for children who had been abducted, detained and disappeared" by the junta. Circling the plaza in silent protest every Thursday for decades, the women became known as the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo. To the army officers' critics, including dozens of counter-protesters who also flocked to Plaza de Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires on Saturday, the brazen rally marked a worrying sign that cracks were starting to appear in Argentina's national consensus about the blood

India needs a national defence innovation authority: SIDM President

Navy chief says more than 150 new start-ups and MSMEs have entered the defence ecosystem

Warfare rapidly becoming non-kinetic, non-contact: Army Chief Gen Dwivedi

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Friday said warfare is increasingly becoming "non-kinetic and non-contact" and therefore demands a response that requires military strength, intellectual prowess and moral preparedness. In his address at an event held here at Manekshaw Centre to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he also said that youths need to have a role in various fields, including think-tanks, laboratories and the battlefield. Union minister Kiren Rijiju also addressed the gathering of army officials, students and defence experts at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue: Young Leaders Forum hosted by the Army and defence think-tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies. In his keynote address, the Army chief emphasised the evolving nature of warfare and the responses needed in this scenario. He said, "Warfare is increasingly becoming non-kinetic and non-contact," and, therefore, the response demands military strength, intellectual prowess and moral preparedness.

New PM Takaichi moves to unleash Japan's long-restrained defence industry

The country's five biggest defence companies account for less than 2 per cent of global defence shipments, but their share prices have risen on expectations of fresh orders

Croatia reinstates military conscription as Europe worries over Ukraine war

Croatia's parliament on Friday voted to reintroduce compulsory military service in the European Union and NATO member country. The move comes amid heightened tensions in Europe following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as an apparent arms race and military buildup in the Balkans, which went through a bloody war in the 1990s. Lawmakers approved legal changes in a 84-11 vote and with 30 abstentions in the 151-member parliament. The army service will last two months and provide basic military training, public broadcaster HRT said. This decision marks a return to conscription, which was suspended in 2008 when the country shifted to a volunteer system. Croatia's Defence Ministry said the aim is to teach young people basic skills and knowledge that are needed in crisis situations, so they would contribute to national security. Authorities will start calling conscripts born in 2007 for medical checkups by the end of the year. Conscripts will receive a salary, and ...

India, Chad discuss boosting ties in military training, counter-terrorism

MEA further observed that Chadian Armed Forces have recently started to attend training/ courses in defence institutes in India under ITEC

Indonesia's military expanding power, raising authoritarian fears

Groundwork was laid in March, when lawmakers approved changes to the 2004 Indonesian Military Law, which broadened the government's ability to appoint serving military officers to civilian positions

Trump will speak at hastily-called meeting of military leaders on Oct 2

President Donald Trump will speak at a hastily-called meeting of top military leaders on Tuesday, according to a person with knowledge of his plans. Hundreds of generals and admirals senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers have been summoned for the gathering at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, with little notice by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The person was not authorised to discuss the president's plans before a public announcement about his attendance and spoke on condition of anonymity. News about the meeting broke Thursday, and Trump didn't seem to know about it when first asked by reporters during an Oval Office appearance. The Pentagon's top spokesman has confirmed that Hegseth will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week. Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time

India urges Russia to release 27 more Indians recruited into Russian army

India has called upon Russia to release 27 more Indian nationals who were recently recruited into the Russian military. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said New Delhi has come to know that more Indians are working with the Russian military, with new inputs coming from their families. "As per our information, 27 Indian nationals are presently serving in the Russian army. We are also in close touch with their family members in the matter," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. "We once again strongly urge all Indian nationals to stay away from the offers being made to serve in the Russian army as they are fraught with danger and risk to life," he added. Jaiswal said India has strongly taken up the matter with Russian authorities. "We have strongly raised this matter with Russian authorities in Moscow and with the Russian embassy in New Delhi, and asked for them to be freed as soon as possible," he said. "We are trying to get them out,"

Government extends CDS Gen Anil Chauhan's tenure by 8 months till May 2026

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan's tenure has been extended up to May next year, the government said on Wednesday. Gen Chauhan's current stint as the top military officer is scheduled to end on September 30. The defence ministry said the government has approved the extension of service of Gen Chauhan as Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, up to May 30 next year or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He has been serving as the Chief of Defence Staff since September 30, 2022.

India, Thailand conclude joint military drill 'Maitree' in Meghalaya

The 14th edition of the India-Thailand joint military exercise, Maitree, concluded in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district on Sunday, with both armies enhancing interoperability and familiarising themselves with each other's operational procedures and combat drills. The two-week exercise, conducted under the United Nations mandate, culminated with a 48-hour validation phase that saw both contingents carry out complex tasks such as setting up a temporary operating base, establishing an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) grid, isolating a village, heliborne operations, raids and hostage rescue. The exercise also featured the display and use of new-generation equipment by both sides. Defence officials said the joint training helped soldiers from the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army learn valuable lessons in counter-terrorism operations, peacekeeping drills, intelligence sharing and the application of modern technology on the battlefield. The closing ceremony was marked by

Israel urges full evacuation of Gaza City ahead of military escalation

The Israeli military urged a full evacuation of Gaza City on Tuesday morning ahead of its planned expanded offensive in the northern city, where hundreds of thousands of people struggle under conditions of famine. The announcement was the first warning for a full evacuation of the city in the current round of fighting. Previously, the military has warned specific sections of Gaza City to evacuate ahead of concentrated operations or strikes. Associated Press reporters saw more cars and trucks than in previous days passing from northern to southern Gaza on Tuesday, laden with supplies and people, but no widespread evacuation. Israel says multiple towers were destroyed in Gaza City. Defence Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said Israel had demolished 30 high-rise buildings in Gaza, which it accused Hamas of using for military infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel destroyed at least 50 terror towers that he said are used by Hamas. It was unclear if

S Korea's President vows to restore 2018 inter-Korean military agreement

South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, said Friday he will seek to restore a 2018 military agreement with North Korea aimed at reducing border tensions and urged Pyongyang to respond to Seoul's efforts to rebuild trust and revive dialogue. Speaking on the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee's overture came amid soaring tensions fuelled by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions and deepening ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine. The 2018 military agreement, reached during a brief period of diplomacy between Kim and South Korea's former liberal President Moon Jae-in, created buffer zones on land and sea and no-fly zones above the border to prevent clashes. South Korea's previous conservative government suspended the deal in 2024, citing tensions over North Korea's launches of trash-laden balloons toward the South, and moved to resume frontline military activities and propaganda campaigns. The step came after North Korea

India awards senior military officers who planned, executed Op Sindoor

India on Thursday recognised the acts of gallantry by the armed forces personnel and the role of senior military brass involved in the planning and execution of Operation Sindoor in its annual list of military honours on the eve of 79th Independence Day. Indian Air Force pilots involved in the strikes on terror infrastructure and military installations in Pakistan as well as those manning the S-400 air defence systems, which played a critical role during the May 7 to 10 hostilities between the two countries were among those conferred the coveted awards. Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Indian Army's DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma are among top military officers conferred Sarvottam Yudh Seva medal. Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor and Air Marshal Jeetendra Misra, heading the South Western Air Command and the Western Air Command respectively have also been conferre

Four paramilitary personnel killed in attack in Pak's Khyber Pakhtnukhwa

At least four personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary were killed by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, police said. The assailants fired indiscriminately on a Frontier Constabulary (FC) vehicle in Amn Kot Toi area in Karak district, killing the four personnel. Security forces and police swiftly cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation to apprehend the attackers. A police official indicated that the attack was pre-planned, with the assailants lying in wait. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur strongly condemned the attack and directed relevant authorities to take immediate action to apprehend those responsible.