SOURCE: AFI

In a display of maritime cooperation and goodwill, the Indian Navy recently provided critical repair assistance and medical aid to an Iranian fishing vessel, showcasing the importance of collaboration at sea.

The Iranian vessel, identified as FV Ameen, encountered difficulties while operating east of Duqm, Oman. It reportedly sustained damage, believed to be a result of a collision with a merchant vessel, leading to a hull breach and water ingress. This put the vessel and its six crew members at risk.

SOURCE: PTI

A 30-year-old constable of Greyhounds, an elite anti-Maoist force of the Telangana Police, died due to an electric shock during combing operations in a forest area of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, officials said on Monday.

The incident happened Sunday night in Kataram mandal, when the Greyhounds Commando A Praveen came in contact with the electric wire put up by poachers to hunt wild animals and was electrocuted, they said.

SOURCE: PTI

Army troops fired a couple of shots at a Pakistani drone near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said on Monday. The drone, however, returned to the Pakistan side after briefly hovering over the Indian territory late Sunday night, the officials said.

They said the movement of the enemy drone was picked up in the Nar Mankote area of Mendhar and the troops guarding the LoC fired at least three rounds to bring it down. The drone returned to the Pakistan side in the face of firing by Indian troops, the officials said, adding that a search operation is underway in the area.

SOURCE: AFI

Luxury car connoisseurs with a need for high-security transportation can rejoice. BMW has launched the 7 Series Protection in India, offering unparalleled protection against ballistic threats and explosives.

This isn’t your average armored car. The 7 Series Protection boasts a unique “Protection Core,” featuring a self-supporting body structure made from armor steel. This core, combined with additional customizations, allows the car to achieve VR9 protection, the highest civilian rating against firearms and explosives, based on strict German testing standards.

SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Army is embarking on a critical mission: revamping its selection process for senior officers. This comprehensive study aims to identify and implement changes that will ensure the force leadership aligns with evolving military needs and technological advancements.

Currently, the Army boasts a diverse officer cadre of around 43,000, including Colonels, Brigadiers, Major Generals, and Lieutenant Generals. These officers hail from various branches like combat arms (infantry, armored corps), combat-support arms (artillery, air defense, aviation), and services (logistics, ordnance, engineering).

SOURCE: AFI

In a move aimed at addressing concerns from the Maldives, India is set to replace military personnel operating Dhruv helicopters and a Dornier aircraft with civilian technicians from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and other sources. This decision comes as part of a “workable solution” agreed upon by both nations.

Currently, around 85 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives maintain and operate these aircraft, which play a crucial role in humanitarian aid and medical evacuations. As per the new plan, these personnel will be progressively replaced by non-uniformed personnel, including HAL pilots and technicians, between March and April 2024.

SOURCE: AFI

Former Army Chief, General MM Naravane, ignited discussion at a recent literature festival with his bold statement: the 2020 Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff with China served as a positive wake-up call, clarifying the “number one threat” India faces.

“What happened (the LAC standoff) is not a bad thing,” he declared, challenging a long-held reluctance to identify China as a primary threat. He explained that the confrontation “worked out well for India” by forcing a sharper focus on the true source of concern.

SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Army is undergoing a strategic shift, optimizing its manpower through outsourcing non-essential functions. This initiative aims to free up soldiers for core combat duties and enhance the force’s operational effectiveness.

From language experts training personnel in foreign tongues to facility management services like catering and hospital waste disposal, various tasks are being handed over to private contractors. This doesn’t mean compromising on quality; strict guidelines and oversight ensure these services meet military standards.

SOURCE: ANI

In a major diplomatic triumph for India, eight veterans of the Indian Navy who were sentenced to death in Qatar were released by Doha on Monday.

The capital punishment was commuted to an extended prison term earlier following diplomatic intervention by New Delhi. Amid desperate pleas by the anxious family of the Navy veterans to secure their release and safe passage back to their homeland, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had assured that it would mobilise all diplomatic channels and arrange legal assistance to bring them back.

SOURCE: ANI

Setting foot in their homeland after several agonising months of captivity in Kuwait, seven of the eight Indian navy veterans who were sentenced to death on alleged ‘espionage’ charges, heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they wouldn’t have been freed had it for the sustained diplomatic efforts at his behest to secure their release.

Their death sentence was later commuted to an extended prison term following sustained diplomatic interventions and legal assistance from New Delhi.

SOURCE: ANI

Sudheer Kumar, Director, Capacity Building and Public Outreach, Indian Space Research Organisation, said on Sunday that ISRO never competes with anybody and flourishes well in collaboration with the other space agencies.

He was responding to the possibility of ISRO becoming a global hub for rocket launches in the future. Speaking to news agency ANI on the sidelines of an event in Bengaluru on Sunday, he said, “ISRO never competes with anybody. It is a space community. And especially, the space community will flourish well with the collaborations. We are collaborating with NASA and other space agencies.”

SOURCE: ANI

Working towards the development of villages on the northern borders, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has directed the local Army formations to help in the rehabilitation of Nelang and Jadhang villages in Uttarakhand near the China border.

The villages were inhabited till 1962 but they moved out of there after the war with China started at that time to places in Uttarkashi and adjoining areas. The efforts to strengthen the border villages had started in the last few years as the Narendra Modi government has started the Vibrant Villages programme under which villages along the LAC from Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are being developed.