• Indian Army moves to procure 18 indigenous robotic firefighting systems at armament depots

    The Indian Army’s Directorate of Capability Development has signed an agreement for the procurement of an indigenously developed Fire Fighting Robot (FF BOT) to enhance safety during firefighting operations at high-risk installations, particularly armament depots. Swadeshi Empresa Pvt Ltd, and Indian start-up, has developed the FF BOT under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.…

  • How Does China’s Salami-Slicing Tactics Deepen Instability?

    China’s relentless pursuit of territorial expansion through “salami slicing” represents one of the most insidious threats to stability in Asia today. This method of gradual encroachment—taking small slices of territory that individually seem trivial but collectively amount to sweeping gains—has become a defining feature of Beijing’s strategy against its neighbours. The term was first used…

  • Mobilising the Future: Rapid Deployment and Theatre Readiness

    In May 2025, Operation Sindoor reminded India that future conflicts will demand not only precision strikes and layered air defence, but also the ability to move forces and firepower rapidly across fronts. Theatreisation, now gaining momentum with the activation of the Inter-Services Organisations Act rules and the CDS empowered to issue binding joint orders, is…

  • The Helicopter Gap: Why Theatre Commands Need Rotary Power

    As India edges closer to theatre commands, one capability gap looms larger than most: rotary power. In the high-tempo land battles of the future, attack helicopters and heavy-lift assets will decide how fast the Army can move men and material, and how effectively it can integrate close air support with ground manoeuvres. Yet these assets…

  • Air Defence in Action: Lessons from Operation Sindoor

    Operation Sindoor, launched on 7 May 2025, was not only India’s most decisive military response. It was also the first time the Indian Army’s indigenous Akashteer air defence command-and-control system was tested in combat conditions. The results have reset the debate on how India’s layered air defence will underpin theatreisation in the years ahead. The…

  • Close Air, Immediate Support: Why Attack Helicopters Belong With the Indian Army

    Speed, precision, and agility are the defining factors of the modern battlefield. Nowhere does this hold truer in the present than with the Army Aviation Corps. The urgent need for modernisation of Army Aviation stems from the fact that it has evolved from being considered a supplementary force to becoming a critical combat multiplier, especially…

  • Kargil War: How India’s Military Strategy Evolved from Crisis to Strength

    The Kargil conflict of 1999, fought from May to July in the mountainous terrain of Ladakh’s Kargil district along the Line of Control (LoC), was a stark illustration of Pakistan’s covert aggression. Disguised as mujahideen, Pakistani soldiers infiltrated Indian territory, occupying key army posts vacated during winter—a blatant violation of international law and a betrayal…