Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

Officials say efforts were made to speed up deal; dismiss CAATSA concerns The delivery schedule for the S-400 long range air defence systems was on track for the end of 2021 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior defence official said.  “The deal is on track and deliveries are expected to begin by November this year,” the official said.  Two officials independently stated that efforts were made to speed up the deal but the Russian side had conveyed this was not possible. Two official sources, also speaking independently, dismissed concerns over possible U.S. sanctions on the deal under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), stating this deal met national security considerations.  In October 2018, India had signed a $5.43 billion deal with Russia for five S-400 regiments despite objections from the U.S., with deliveries scheduled to begin end 2021.  U.S. officials on several occasions raised concerns over the deal as India deepened its d...

Six Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30-MKI fighters will take off for United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 3 to participate in the multinational exercise 'Desert Flag' to be held there over three weeks. Six Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30-MKI fighters will take off for United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday to participate in the multinational exercise 'Desert Flag' to be held there over three weeks this month. Ten countries, including the US, France and Saudi Arabia will take part in the high profile exercise. Two C-17s of the Indian Air Force will also be joining the Indian team for the exercise, IAF officials said. Sukhoi-30 MKIs were part of the squadron that carried out a  long-range precision strike against a practice target  to mark the  second anniversary  of the Balakot airstrike on Saturday. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday flew a multi-aircraft sortie with the units to commemorate the occasion along with the squadron pilots. The sortie ...

India will work with the United States to further enhance the bilateral ties to consolidate the vibrant and multi-faceted relations and collaborate on global challenges of common interest, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday after Joe Biden was sworn as the 46th President of the US. Representative Image "On January 20th after President Joe Biden assumed charge, PM Modi had sent him best wishes via Twitter. And as the new administration takes shape, we will continue to remain engaged at all levels and further consolidate the vibrant and multi-faceted bilateral relations and work together on global challenges of common interest," said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava in a press briefing on the question of US-India ties in the Biden era. "As regard for the priorities, it would be to further strengthen our global strategic partnership," Srivastava added. Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday had congratulated Biden for being sworn in as the new US Preside...

This is the kingdom’s first diplomatic foray in seven years; India says Germany is important partner . Bhutan’s Ambassador to India Major General Vetsop Namgyel, right, and Germany’s Ambassador Walter Lindner in New Delhi on Wednesday. CONTEXT Bhutan has announced that it had established diplomatic relations with Germany, increasing the restricted number of capitals that Thimphu has formal ties with to 53 states and the EU.  This is the kingdom’s first diplomatic foray in seven years. BACKGROUND Until 2007, when Bhutan conducted its first election, it had formal relations with just 22 countries, mostly donor countries such as Japan, Australia and several Nordic countries. It also made a firm decision not to open ties with any of the permanent five members of the UN Security Council, despite many requests from them and in particular from the U.S. and China.  After the election of Prime Minister Jigme Thinley in 2008, however, the Bhutanese government rapidly increased its ...

The two US Predator drones are operating out of the Indian Navy's INS Rajali airbase and were inducted under a lease agreement with the American vendor in the third week of November. File photo of a US Predator drone. Indian Navy has inducted two American Predator drones on lease from the US to carry out surveillance in the Indian Ocean region. Capable of carrying out surveillance for more than 30 hours, the drones are operating out of Indian Navy's INS Rajali airbase. These drones have been inducted under a lease agreement with the American vendor. As part of the deal, the vendor has deployed a team to guide the personnel operating the Predator drones. In fact, the American Predator drones could also be made available to Indian forces deployed along the LAC in eastern Ladakh where India and China are engaged in a military standoff. Over the past few months, India and the US have been working closely in opposition to Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh. Under this partnership...

While Donald Trump has sought to maximise pressure on Iran and isolate it globally, Biden has proposed to offer the Islamic republic a return to diplomacy. Iran said it would "automatically" return to its nuclear commitments if US President-elect Joe Biden lifts sanctions, as the outgoing administration doubled down with more pressure. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Iran  Context Iran has completely withdrawn from JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) nuclear deal. The announcement came after the US troops killed General Qassem Soleimani. What was the Iran Nuclear Deal? Iran agreed to rein in its nuclear programme in a 2015 deal struck with the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)Tehran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy-water, all key components for nuclear weapons. The JCPOA established the Joint Commission,with the negotiating parties all represented, t...

 The Quad is an informal grouping of likeminded partners formed to deepen cooperation on sub-regional issues and shape a more closely-aligned Indo-Pacific region, Stilwell said.         "Quad membership is driven by shared interests, not binding obligations," he said. Ahead of the second ministerial meeting of the four countries under the Quad — India, Japan, Australia and US — in Tokyo next week, the Trump administration has said the purpose of the group is to establish, promote and secure Indo-Pacific region, especially at a time of increased Chinese “aggression and coercion” in the region. “The Quad seeks to establish, promote, and secure Indo-Pacific principles, especially as PRC tactics, aggression, and coercion increase in the region,” Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David R. Stilwell told reporters during a conference call on Friday. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is travelling to Tokyo next week to participate in the second Qu...

 The Indian Navy has conducted exercises with Russia and ‘Quad’ countries - an informal security forum comprising India (Representative image) The Indian Navy has conducted exercises with Russia and 'Quad' countries - an informal security forum comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia - in a message to China on getting a wider footprint in the Indo-Pacific region. The Indo-Pacific region is seen from the west coast of India to the US. The Indian Navy carried out a three-day bilateral maritime exercise with Japan in the north Arabian Sea from September 26, 2020 to September 28, 2020. It was the fourth edition of India-Japan Maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX, which is conducted biennially. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in October 2018 off Visakhapatnam in India. Naval cooperation between India and Japan has increased in scope and complexity over the years. Advanced level of operations and exercises took place during three days. It is indicative of the continued ups...

India on Monday entered the elite missile club joining United States, Russia and China after it successfully flight tested hypersonic technology that will pave the way towards development of missiles travelling at six times the speed of sound. DRDO has successfully demonstrated the Hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology with the flight test of Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV).( Image Source : DRDO INSTAGRAM ) India on Monday entered the elite missile club joining United States, Russia and China after it successfully flight tested hypersonic technology that will pave the way towards development of missiles travelling at six times the speed of sound. With this successful demonstration, the country has become the member of the hypersonic regime. This is a step towards manufacture of advanced Hypersonic Vehicles. India becomes 4th country to test hypersonic missile technology: All you need to know India has joined United States, Russia and China to test hypersonic ...

The Blue Economy, with its untapped seabed minerals and renewable ocean energy, could prove that light at the end of the tunnel for Covid-19 afflicted India. The nation’s strategic location in the IOR and its potentials as a maritime power is a blessing for both the security of the region and the Indian economy. Indian Navy INDIA’S ROLE AS A MARITIME power is crucial as 90 per cent of trade by volume and over 74 per cent by value takes place via sea routes. More than 80 per cent of India’s energy supplies also arrive along these sea lanes. For many years, we argued that our development planning must be premised on our being a maritime economy. Still, our plans, investment and defence program have remained dominantly focused on our land-based resources. The Indian peninsula is ensconced by seas & oceans. The country’s location in the Indian Ocean, jutting out 1000 miles into it as it does, is of strategic advantage. The peninsula straddles some of the most critical se...

As India rises in the world order, it should not only visualise its interests with great clarity but also communicate them effectively, says external affairs minister S Jaishankar in his new book.  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar India has had to struggle mightily to gain influence in a domain that could have come more easily earlier as its foreign policy carries “three major burdens” from its past -- Partition, delayed economic reforms and prolonged exercise of the nuclear option, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The former diplomat makes these remarks in his new book “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World”, which is scheduled for release on September 7. With the period from the 2008 global financial crisis to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic seeing a real transformation of the world order, Jaishankar analyses the challenges India faces and spells out possible policy responses. As India rises in the world order, it should not only visualise its interest...

US Navy's USS Nimitz, the world's largest warship, is likely to conduct a drill with Indian Navy's off the coast of Andaman & Nicobar island. Nimitz is already present in the Indian ocean and came into the ocean via Malacca Strait.  The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz would be in the South China Sea from Saturday, the US news outlet quoted the strike group commander as saying. Photograph:(ANI) The strait, a narrow stretch between Malaysia and Indonesia is a crucial global choke point from which considerable global oil flows to the rest of Asia including China. The likely India-US drill could happen on the lines of exercise India had with the Japanese Naval forces at the end of June month. The India-Japan Naval exercise was termed "Passex" or passing exercise. The development comes amidst India-China border standoff. Last month India and China were involved in a violent face-off after "Chinese side took a premeditated and planned action that was directly ...

The Indian army is set to acquire 200 pieces of RQ-11 UAV, which can fly up to 10 kilometers at an altitude of 500 feet and speed up to 95 kilometre per hour. Representative Image The Indian army has set its eyes on acquiring hand-launched, remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle Raven from US and state-of-the-art Israeli Spike Firefly “loitering” ammunition to add lethality to its ground infantry apart from long-range precision artillery shells with a range of over 40 kilometres. While the army is sharpening the teeth of its infantry, the air force will get five Rafale multi-role fighter jets from Paris this month, with another four to be used for training in France. The five fighter jets will be based at Ambala. The Indian navy is all set to commission its second ballistic missile-firing nuclear submarine, INS Arighat, later this year. According to people in South Block aware of the development, the army is set to acquire 200 pieces of RQ-11 UAV, which can fly up to 10 kilometers...

New Delhi is expected to clear the way next week for formal invitation to Australia following final govt clearance & consultations with US and Japan. File photo of naval ships during the Malabar exercise India plans to invite Australia to join the annual Malabar naval exercise that has so far included just Japan and the U.S., in a move that could risk China’s ire. The decision to include Australia in the drills — the first time all members of the regional grouping known as the Quad will be engaged at a military level — comes as Beijing and New Delhi are caught up in their worst border tensions in four decades. The exercise will bring together the navies of India, Japan, Australia and the U.S. in the Bay of Bengal at the end of the year, according to senior Indian officials who asked not to be identified, citing rules. New Delhi is expected to clear the way next week for a formal invitation to Australia following final government clearance and consultations with the U.S. and Japan, ...