Page 2 - Military Spending

ICG rebased at northern, southern flanks of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Two Indian Coast Guard ships have been rebased at northern and southern flanks of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Diglipur and Campbell Bay respectively."In a major boost to maritime security in Andaman & Nicobar islands, @IndiaCoastGuard ships Rajtarang & Rajkiran have been rebased at northern & southern flanks of Islands at Diglipur & Campbell Bay respectively," the Indian Coast Gurad said in a post on 'X'."The rebasing will ensure enhanced coastal security, #MaritimeLawEnforcement, EEZ surveillance, search & rescue, pollution response, & swift response to maritime contingencies," it added.Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard has strategically based additional hovercraft at Jakhau, close to the Indo-Pakistan maritime frontier and a capital ship at Vadinar in the Gulf of Kutch, according to an official statement issued on Monday.ICGS Samudra Pavak, a specialised Marine Pollution Control Vessel, will now operate from the new Coast Guard Jetty at ...

US sanctions 6 individuals, 2 entities; targets N Korea's military funds

A US Treasury Department statement and South Korea's foreign ministry said the action was taken in coordination between the two countries

US pledges additional $100M to deploy multinational force for Haiti

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced an additional USD 100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force mission to Haiti following a meeting with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica to halt the country's violent crisis. Blinken also announced another USD 33 million in humanitarian aid and the creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and Haitian stakeholders that would expedite the creation of a presidential college. He said the college would take concrete steps he did not identify to meet the needs of Haitian people and enable the pending deployment of the multinational force to be led by Kenya. The joint proposal has the backing of members of Caricom, a regional trade bloc that held Monday's urgent meeting. I think we can all agree: Haiti is on the brink of disaster, said Guyanese President Irfaan Ali. We must take quick and decisive action. He said that he is very confident that we have found commonality to support what he described

Defence ministry signs 5 military procurement deals worth Rs 39,125 cr

The defence ministry on Friday inked five military procurement deals worth Rs 39,125 crore. Of the five contracts, one was with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for procurement of aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft, according to the ministry. Two contracts were firmed up with Larsen & Toubro Limited for the procurement of close-in weapon system (CIWS) and high-power radar. Two other deals were finalised with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited for the procurement of BrahMos missiles. "These deals will further strengthen indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on foreign-origin equipment manufacturers in future," the ministry said.

World faces dangerous decade as instability, military spending rise: Report

The world has entered an era of increasing instability as countries around the globe boost military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel and China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. That's the conclusion of a new report Tuesday from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which also highlighted rising tensions in the Arctic, North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the rise of military regimes in the Sahel region of Africa as contributing to a deteriorating security environment. The London-based think tank has compiled its annual estimate of the global military situation for the past 65 years. "The current military-security situation heralds what is likely to be a more dangerous decade, characterized by the brazen application by some of military power to pursue claims evoking a 'might is right' approach as well as the desire among like-minded democracies for stronger bilateral and multilateral defense ties in

Russia speeds up citizenship path for foreigners who enlist in military

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree that speeds up a path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who enlist in the country's military amid the 22-month-old war in Ukraine. The move comes as Moscow is trying to replenish its troops in Ukraine by various methods, including the recruitment of migrants. Russia is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of people from poorer Central Asian countries, and many of them seek citizenship each year. Putin first allowed fast-track citizenship for foreigners who sign contracts with the Russian army in September 2022, shortly after announcing a partial mobilization to draft 300,000 reservists for Ukraine. Those immigrants who signed a contract for at least a year and take part in active hostilities for at least six months were allowed to apply for citizenship without demonstrating sufficient knowledge of Russian or the fact that they'd lived in the country for five straight years under a residency permit. Spouses and children were also

India in 2023 focused on acquiring new military platforms, weaponry

India firmed up defence procurement worth over Rs 3.50 lakh crore in 2023 as the lingering border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh as well as the crises and conflicts around the world kept the military focused on ways to enhance the country's overall combat prowess to firmly deal with any security challenges. India also went on an overdrive in expanding its military engagement with like-minded countries in its neighbourhood and beyond in the face of China's relentless attempts to become a regional hegemon and establish its primacy in South Asia. The Indian troops guarding the nearly 3,500 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) maintained an assertive approach as the eastern Ladakh border spilled into the fourth year even as both sides held several rounds of high-level military and diplomatic talks to resolve it. The face-off between the two of the planet's biggest military forces mainly continued in Demchok and Depsang regions though both sides completed disengagement in several other

Top US, Chinese military officials hold 1st high-level talks in over a year

The restoration of communication was identified as a priority in the recent talks between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping

Putin signs Russia's largest national budget, bolstering military spending

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a national budget for the next three years that increases spending by around 25 per cent and reportedly devotes a record amount to defense as the the country's military operation in Ukraine drags on. The budget foresees spending in 2024 of 36.6 trillion rubles ( USD 415 billion) with an expected deficit of 1.595 trillion rubles (USD 9.5 billion). After the budget was passed by the lower house of the parliament, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said it was developed specifically to fund the military and to mitigate the impact of international sanctions imposed after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Record low unemployment, higher wages and targeted social spending should help the Kremlin ride out the domestic impact of pivoting the economy toward the military, but could pose a problem in the long term, analysts say. Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutin

S Korea's Yoon seeks a strong military amid deepening N Korean-Russian tie

South Korea's president on Tuesday urged his troops to build an unwavering military spirt and train harder, as he used an Armed Forces Day speech to vow immediate retaliation against any potential provocation by North Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech came amid growing concern that North Korea is pushing to acquire Russian support to boost its nuclear arsenal in return for refilling Russia's conventional arms stores exhausted by its war with Ukraine. Above all, the cornerstone of our robust national defense lies in your unwavering military spirit, strong commitment, and a clear definition of who your enemies are, Yoon said to troops during the Armed Forces Day ceremony, after reviewing soldiers and weapons systems at a military airport near Seoul. I strongly urge you to train hard every day with the discipline demanded in real combat situations, Yoon said. Yoon called North Korea's advancing nuclear programme an existential threat to our people," but said South Korea's milita

US approves funding for first-ever transfer of military equipment to Taiwan

The package, which is part of the State Department's foreign military financing (FMF) program, totals $ 80 million and will be paid for by US taxpayers

Spurred border tensions: India's military spending rose by 6% in 2022

China, the second highest military spender, is estimated to have spent $292 billion last year, the report added

Gaining momentum: World military spend hits all-time high of $2.24 trillion

Defense expenditure increased by 3.7 per cent in real terms to reach a record high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Govt approves capital acquisition of military hardware worth Rs 70,584 cr

India on Thursday approved the capital acquisition of indigenously-developed military hardware worth Rs 70,584 crore as part of a mega procurement plan that is expected to significantly boost domestic defence manufacturing. The approval to the procurement proposals was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said. The go-ahead to the fresh procurement proposals came amid the nearly three-year-long standoff along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh with China. The DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition amounting to Rs 70,584 crore and all the procurement will be made under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category. The total approval granted for capital acquisition in the financial year 2022-23 now stands at Rs 2,71,538 crore, of which 98.9 per cent will be sourced from Indian industries, the officials said. "Such quantum of indigenous procurement wi

UK boosts defense spending by $6 bn in response to Russia and China

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Monday to increase military funding by 5 billion pounds (USD 6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the epoch-defining challenge posed by China. The increase, part of a major update to U.K. foreign and defense policy, is less than military officials wanted. Sunak said the U.K. would increase military spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product in the longer term, but didn't set a date. Britain currently spends just over 2 per cent of GDP on defense, and military chiefs want it to rise to 3 per cent. The extra money will be used, in part, to replenish Britain's ammunition stocks, depleted from supplying Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Some will also go towards a U.K.-U.S.-Australia deal to build nuclear-powered submarines. The world has become more volatile, the threats to our security have increased, Sunak told the BBC during a visit to the U.S. It's important that we protect ourselves ..

Higher defence spending is purely to safeguard nation's sovereignty: China

Foreign media should look at their own countries' military expansions before hyping the "China threat" theory, analysts said

Uttar Pradesh: Global defence firms to attend investment meet in Lucknow

In probable first-time-ever prospect, the world's leading military hardware makers will compete in a commercial landscape in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Red-hot defence stocks may have more legs to run, say analysts

The growth has come on the back of healthy growth in the order books of defence companies amid the government's focus on indigenisation and surge in exports

Global military expense rise may hit trade

Even before Russia attacked Ukraine in February this year, the major powers had started increasing their military spending

Downstream from the war in Ukraine

It implies that India needs to enhance military spending