Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal said the region did not get importance in defence policies when the Congress was in the centre, and that was why "China captured its area up to the Demchok sector". The first-time parliamentarian alleged the Congress governments ruined Jammu and Kashmir by following the policy of "appeasement" in hostile situations and Ladakh became a "collateral damage". "(Former prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru formulated the 'forward policy', which said we should move towards China inch by inch. During its implementation, it became a 'backward policy'. The (Chinese troops) continued to intrude into our territory and we continued to retreat," Mr Namgyal told PTI. "It's the reason Aksai Chin is completely under China. The People's Liberation Army personnel have come up to Demchok's nallah because Ladakh didn't get due importance in defence policies in the 55 years of Congress rule,...

The Indian Air Force is set to shelve its plan for an engine upgrade of the Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft due to the high cost involved. Instead, it could go in for additional Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs to replace the aircraft that will be grounded, ThePrint has learnt. Top sources in the defence establishment said the Rolls-Royce Adour 811 engines of the 1980s vintage twin-engine aircraft have seen 15-30 per cent reduction in thrust. This means the Jaguar cannot carry its full load. The IAF had planned to go in for an engine upgrade and had selected US firm Honeywell’s F-125IN engines. But sources termed the Jaguar upgrade programme as being an awkward state of affairs. “The price quoted by Honeywell and the HAL for ‘re-engining’ is just too high. For the price of two such upgrades, we can get one basic Rafale,” a source said. Currently, the IAF operates a total of six squadrons of the Jaguar. However, in actual strength, there are only five squadrons, as the sixth is not a complete ...

Greenland has said it is "not for sale" after President Donald Trump stated that he would like the US to buy the world's biggest island. The president is said to have discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, during dinners and meetings with advisers. But Greenland's government dismissed the idea, saying: "We're open for business, not for sale." Mr Trump's plans have also been quickly dismissed by politicians in Denmark. "It must be an April Fool's Day joke...but totally out of [season]!", tweeted former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first reported the news, said Mr Trump had spoken about the purchase with "varying degrees of seriousness". Sources quoted in other media differed over whether the president was joking or seriously hoping to expand US territory. How has Greenland reacted? Officials in Greenland have insisted that the island is not on the...

Irrespective of being a province within the territory of Pakistan, people of Balochistan on Thursday expressed their solidarity with Indians on the occasion of the country’s 73rd Independence Day and said they need India’s support to free their land from the domination of Pakistan and its military establishment. “I want to wish my Indian brothers and sisters a very happy Independence Day. The success they have made in the last 70 years makes Indians proud. Today, Indians are proud all around the world. We Balochs are thankful for their solidarity and help. We want them to raise their voice for a free Balochistan. We need their support. Thank you and Jai Hind,” said Baloch activist, Atta Baloch. Balochistan, the most volatile province in the southwestern borders of Pakistan has been struggling since 1948 against Pakistani occupation. The Baloch people say that they got independence from the British on August 11, 1947. The province, rich in natural gas fields, has also accused China of p...

As China raised the move to scrap the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories with India and days after Pakistan approached the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over J&K, Poland — which currently holds the UNSC presidency — has made it clear that Delhi and Islamabad should find a solution “bilaterally”. This is the first time that Poland has spoken out on the heightened diplomatic tension between India and Pakistan. This also puts a lid on Pakistan’s attempts to raise the issue at the UNSC for the time being. Poland’s backing of a bilateral solution to the Kashmir dispute comes after Russia, a UNSC permanent member, underscored Saturday that India’s move was carried out “within the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of India”. Poland holds the presidency of the UNSC for the month of August. The presidency rotates monthly among the members of the Security Council. While Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale had...

Directed energy weapons or DEWs are among the next bunch of military technologies that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on, Organisation Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy said on Sunday. Laser-based or microwave-based high-power DEWs can quietly disable enemy drones or missiles temporarily or permanently without leaving physical debris. In contrast, the ASAT or anti-satellite missile that the DRDO tested on March 27, killed an orbiting Indian target satellite and left hundreds of small pieces as debris for a few months. Dr. Reddy, who is Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, said DEWs would play a major role in future warfare. “DEWs are extremely important today. The world is moving towards them. In the country too, we are doing a lot of experiments. We have been working in this area for the past three to four years to develop 10-kW and 20-kW [weapons],” he said. Hyderabad hub :: The DRDO's Hyderabad-based lab, Centre for High Energy Systems and Scie...

Pakistan is looking to China and two other developing nations for support in avoiding tough financial sanctions, amid signs it is running out of time to meet global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards, according to people familiar with the matter. The government in Islamabad expects it will fail to comply with enough of the 27 action items set by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force before a final review in October, the people said, asking for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Some FATF members - notably arch-rival India - could then push for Pakistan to be moved to the organization's blacklist, which would reduce the country's access to the global financial system and potentially disrupt its $6 billion International Monetary Fund programme, the people added. That could trigger a balance of payments crisis, raising the stakes for China and others to head off the move. Pakistan has been on FATF's "grey" moni...