The Senate foreign relations committee and House foreign affairs committee in US have signed off on the proposal to sell the MQ 9 B predator drones to India. This will now get converted into a Congressional notification within a month according to the standard procedure The Pentagon will then issue a letter of acceptance to the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD). The price negotiations will then begin between the Company (General Atomics) and the MoD for purchase of 31 predators meant for the 3 armed forces. So by March the deal should be sealed

Interesting inputs coming from Ladakh. The top brass of Army's Northern Command is likely to congregate in Leh on Thursday, the 3rd anniversary of the Galwan clash. The Northern Army Commander apart, his four Corps Commanders (1, 14, 15 and 16 Corps) will apparently be there The Command's senior Staff will also be in attendance, one hears. The idea is to send twin messages: One to own troops that the leadership is on the ball and continues to be vigilant and two, tell the Chinese that Indian military has not forgotten the Chinese perfidy in Galwan

This upcoming visit of the Bhutan King from Monday comes just over six months after his last trip. He was in New Delhi on 14 September 2022. The upcoming visit becomes important in view of recent developments on Bhutan-China boundary issue. What are those? mea.gov.in/press-releases… China and Bhutan held the 11th round of the Expert Groups Meeting in January, declaring ‘positive consensus’ in the boundary talks in Kunming.

Our annual marquee event, the India Defence Conclave is finally here. The entire event will be live-streamed on YouTube. Link for inaugural session. Starts at 1400 hrs IST Tech Session 1:

On Afghanistan NSA Doval made the following points:
India has historical and civilisational relations with Afghanistan; India has always stood by the people of Afghanistan. This will continue to guide India’s approach. India has focused on infrastructure, connectivity and humanitarian assistance over the decades. After August 2021, India has already provided 17000 MT of Wheat out of a total commitment of 50000 MT, 500000 doses of Covaxin, and 13 tons of essential life saving medicines: Doval

India has expectedly told China it will be ready to resume SR level dialogue only after the immediate issues (read the Ladakh standoff) are resolved. This message was conveyed by NSA to visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Delhi today: sources NSA told Wang: Need to take forward early and complete disengagement in remaining areas and remove impediments to allow the bilateral relationship to take its natural course

Watched 83, first day second show, thanks to a friend's planning. It was nostalgic, reliving the momentous victory that I had watched on a neighbour's grainy b&w TV set more than 38 years ago. My career, my life is however more intimately connected to the aftermath of 83 Let me recall the events. I had joined the Guwahati-based The Sentinel as a trainee sports sub-editor in May 1983 to keep myself occupied until I could appear for the Combined Defence Services exam in December. Wanted to earn money while learning something new before joining IAF

Pentagon report on Chinese village in 'Indian territory' in Arunachal Pradesh conveniently omits the fact that the area has been under effective Chinese control since 1959. It is like saying China building military infrastructure in Aksai Chin (which is actually Indian territory) Aksai Chin, like this area in Arunachal, was lost before 1962. Earlier Indian reports themselves mention this fact about Arunachal but Pentagon keeps it vague and allows people to start outraging without knowing full facts (ndtv.com/india-news/chi… and thehindu.com/news/internati…)

Major messaging: High Altitude Area Airborne Exercise Along Northern Borders currently on in Ladakh: army sources

The 50 Para brigade of Indian Army started an Airborne insertion along the Northern Borders in Eastern Ladakh to validate its Rapid Response Capabilities. Airborne troops were inserted to a Drop Zone at an altitude of 14000 feet plus. Pre-acclimatised troops along with specialist vehicles and missile detachments were transported via C-130 and AN 32 aircrafts from five different mounting bases to validate inter-theatre move: Sources

@StratNewsGlobal Early hours of August 16: Two C-17 Hercules Globemaster aircraft take off for Kabul; Military section of Kabul airport under US control; August 16, 7 am: One plane lands in Kabul, finds parking slot; Aug 16: 45 Indians manage to reach airport, board plane reach Delhi around noon @StratNewsGlobal Meanwhile, the other IAF plane lands in Kabul; Indians unable to reach airport as militia roaming the streets turns convoys back; Americans, short of parking slots, ask IAF plane to leave; Aug 16, 4 pm: IAF plane shifts to Ayni airbase in Tajikistan, awaits further instructions

Disengagement is complete at Gogra--Patrol Point 17A-- as reported earlier. Army says, as per the agreement, both sides have ceased forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner. stratnewsglobal.com/china/how-indi… The disengagement process was carried out over two days i.e. 4 and 5 Aug 2021. The troops of both sides are now in their respective permanent bases. All temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides have been dismantled & mutually verified

Those shocked by the killing of six policemen in a clash with their Mizoram counterparts in Assam’s Barak Valley will be astonished to know that 36 years ago as many as 28 policemen were killed in a similar clash on the Assam-Nagaland border at Merapani. nytimes.com/1985/06/08/wor… As a young reporter remember travelling to the troubled area a day after the bloody clash. Will have to locate the clipping. It is not unusual in the north-east to have these border disputes flaring up once in a while. They are a legacy of the early decades of independence.

Watching the better half struggling to keep her students (all under-privileged children from nearby jhuggi) motivated in absence of regular school, I am baffled why govt is not restarting schools when everything else is open. It is not as if kids are not going out of the house During a visit to a mall after months on Saturday one could see kids accompanying their parents in droves; neighbourhood parks are full of children enjoying themselves in the evenings (often without masks). So what gives? The loss of learning opportunities is really harmful

Let me tell you a true story about Pakistani desire for validation from India. Your rants and constant screaming are part of that DNA. This was in January 2012. I was to speak in the only track II organised by an American think-tank I attended with Pakistanis in Dubai.

https://twitter.com/faisalghani6515/status/1361922689603149824

In the session on what role can the two militaries play in ensuring CBMs between India and Pakistan, I started my presentation after two speakers from India and two from Pakistan had already spoken. Another Pakistani speaker was to make his remarks after me

Since many of you asked several Qs on different aspects of Ladakh disengagement, here’s what I know to the best of my knowledge: 1. The forward most Indian post in the finger area on North Bank of Pangong Tso has always been Dhan Singh Thapa Post (near Fin 3) and not Finger 4. 2. There is no indication in either @rajnathsingh’s statement or any other official document to suggest that there is a change in Indian perception of LAC running through Finger 8.

Make-in-India for defence is gathering pace. In the pipeline after 83 LCA Tejas, is the first private sector aircraft manufacturing contract when the Airbus-TATA joint venture to make 56C-295 aircraft; An Indian company incubated by IIT, Bombay has also got orders for drones The trend is reflected in the acceptance of necessity (AoN) granted in 2020 by the DAC. 33 out of 38 cases are under Make category. Within this, most cases (31) are for Buy IDDM indicating that all these AoNs are for products to be designed and developed in India.

Premature celebrations about so-called withdrawal of 10000 Chinese troops from depth areas in Eastern Ladakh are uncalled for. Frontline troops (in standoff positions along the LAC) remain in tact. Only back up troops may have been withdrawn because of severe winter The ‘thinning out’ is perhaps only because those troops do not have any role right now. Too early to jump to conclusions. The real test will come three-four months down the line. Very few people know that even India has turned over/ thinned out some brigades in recent months

Its 1st November. For the military deployed in Ladakh, winter has officially begun although temperatures had already started plummeting below zero last fortnight when I was there. It is also three weeks since the last round of Corps Commanders' talks were held. It is now certain that troops from both sides will sit through the harsh winter facing off each other. An unprecedented situation in the history of India-China boundary dispute although it must be remembered that in 1962, China's final offensive took place on 20th November

33 years ago today, India's greatest all-rounder in showbiz, Kishore Kumar died at a very young age of 58. Remembering him today because last week, rummaging through my old note book from 1987, came across two pages of notes recording my impressions of him in Guwahati It was June or July 1987. He was visiting Guwahati for a concert. Wife Leena Chandawarkar, their son Sumeet were also there with the star. As a reporter with The Sentinel, I used to get opportunities to meet visiting celebrities. I was assigned to cover Kishore Kumar's programme

RM @rajnathsingh today unveiled the new Defence Acquisition Process (DAP) 2020. DAP-2020. DAP 2020 will be applicable with effect from 1 Oct 2020. DAP 2020 was under discussion for more than a year, incorporating comments/suggestions from a wide spectrum of defence stakeholders DAP 2020 has been aligned with the Government's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and empowering Indian domestic industry through Make in India initiative with the ultimate aim of turning India into a global manufacturing hub.

An official word on Monday's marathon meeting at Chushul-Moldo is awaited but it is now clear that there is no convergence on how to approach the resolution of the standoff between Indian and Chinese forces along the LAC in Ladakh. As anticipated on Friday, the Chinese want India to withdraw from Chushul (Kailash range) first which India will never agree to. India's simple formula is: First in, first out, you came in, mobilised large quantum of force, so you initiate the withdrawal, is India's simple demand