SOURCE: DHNS

Aero India 2021 is set to draw a high-level British delegation, including the British Minister for Defence Procurement.  Sources said that Covid regulations permitting, Jeremy Quinn, Minister of State for Defence Procurement is keen to attend Aero India. The final go-ahead for the visit is awaiting clearance from the Centre. 

The United Kingdom is said to be eyeing greater military cooperation with India and on the agenda will be possible collaboration on future indigenous fighter programmes.

SOURCE: HT

Communication intercepts by Indian intelligence agencies from across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh reveal heightened activity of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) own intelligence all along the undefined border with India in an attempt to get information on Indian Army movements and the on-going border infrastructure upgrade being carried out by India.

While the South Block is tight-lipped about the issue, intelligence agencies have been able to spot movement of entities in the Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO) sector near Karakoram, the contested points on banks of Pangong Tso and across the LAC in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The movement of these entities identified on the basis of communication intercepts has been conveyed to Indian Army brass and the national security establishment at the apex level.

SOURCE : IANS

 President Joe Biden’s Defence Secretary-nominee Lloyd Austin has said that Pakistan’s actions against anti-Indian terrorist groups are “incomplete” and that he will press Islamabad to stop giving them sanctuary.

In written replies to questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said, “If confirmed, I will press Pakistan to prevent its territory from being used as a sanctuary for militants and violent extremist organizations.”

SOURCE: INDIA TODAY

Less than a week before Republic Day, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday chaired the Unified Command meeting in Jammu with top security force officials in attendance. The L-G carried out a detailed review of the security situation and operational preparedness of the forces.

The key focus remained on Pakistan”s strategy to “reactivate” old terror groups. Security grid discussed inputs by intelligence agencies that terror groups like Al Badr, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) and Ghaznavi force are being revived with aid of Pakistan.

SOURCE: PTI

India will not reduce the number of troops unless China initiates the process, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday over the eastern Ladakh standoff, while exuding confidence of finding a solution to the row through talks. The defence minister also said India is developing infrastructure in border areas at a “very fast rate”, adding China has objected to some of the projects.

“Reduction in the number of troops won’t happen. India won’t reduce troops deployment unless China initiates the process,” he told TV news channel Times Now in an interview. According to a transcript of the interview issued by the channel, when asked about the dialogue process with China on the row, Singh said, “There is no deadline when it comes to matter like the ongoing standoff. You can’t fix a date.” “We are confident of finding a solution through talks,” he said.

SOURCE: The Tribune

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) pressure is increasing on Pakistan with the global anti-terror watchdog all set to evaluate Pakistan’s progress in counter-measures against terror financing. The group’s findings will be presented at the Asia-Pacific Joint Group meeting and the decisive plenary session scheduled in February. Pakistan was put on the grey list of FATF in June 2018.

News-breaking and eye-catching counteractions from the Pakistani regime have gained momentum sequentially in the last few months with the decisive deadline of February 2021 issued by the FATF approaching. Islamabad certainly does not want to be on the blacklist of the FATF.

SOURCE: INDIA TODAY

The LAC dispute with China is unlikely to end soon, with New Delhi and Beijing failing to reach an agreement after eight rounds of talks and about 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops deployed in eastern Ladakh through a harsh winter.

Despite the stalemate stretching for over eight months, about 59 per cent of the respondents surveyed for the India Today Group-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation (MOTN) 2021 poll feel India gave a befitting reply to China since the border standoff began in May last year. This was, however, a 10 percentage point dip from the August 2020 MOTN.

SOURCE: Verdict Media Limited

Pearson Engineering is pleased to announce that we are now under contract to supply over 1,500 Track Width Mine Ploughs (TWMP) to the Indian Ministry of Defence. The order, which will see the Pearson plough integrated with the T-90 S/SK tank, will be delivered in partnership with BEML Limited.

With previous experience in integrating counter-mine capabilities with the T-72, T-90, Arjun Mk1 Main Battle Tank and BMP-2 Armoured Vehicles, Pearson Engineering is proud to be a current supplier to the Indian Army.

SOURCE: PTI

 As the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons entered into force, India said on Friday that it does not support the treaty and shall not be bound by any of the obligations that may arise from it.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, but none of the nine countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons supported it and neither did the NATO alliance. The treaty came into force on Friday.

SOURCE: THE WEEK

For the first time, Aero India 2021 will have a combined air display of Sarang and the Surya Kiran Aerobatic teams of Indian Air Force. Besides, this is also for the first time an air show is being held during the COVID-19 pandemic, anywhere in the world.

All the necessary precautions have been taken by the organisers, including ensuring that all attendees mandatorily undergo the RT-PCR test. Only 3,000 visitors are allowed in the air display area and 1,500 visitors in the exhibition area at a time in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOURCE:  The Telegraph

The defence ministry has relaxed the education qualification needed for Gorkhas to join the Indian Army after reports that the number of recruits from the community in the force had been decreasing for many years.

In a letter dated December 21, 2020, to Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, defence minister Rajnath Singh said: “It is informed that the educational qualification requirement in respect of all Gorkhas for recruitment in Indian Army has been amended in Sep, 2020 and is applicable till 31st March, 2023.”

SOURCE : DHNS

‘Zero Grass’ is the safety mantra at the Yelahanka Air Force Station, gearing up for Aero India 2021 to unfold, as the ghost of the disastrous car blaze of the previous edition looms large. Over 300 cars were gutted in a massive blaze sparked by uncut dry grass in the parking area during Aero India 2019.

Pandemic constraints will dramatically reduce the visitor turnout and car numbers this year. But the Indian Air Force (IAF) is taking no chances. The airshow organising team has already cut the grass, conducted concurrent fire safety audits and is in the process of installing CCTV coverage of all parking areas.

SOURCE : PTI

India and China have agreed to hold the next round of senior commander-level meeting soon and both sides are maintaining close communication over diplomatic and military channels on it, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh for over eight months as multiple rounds of diplomatic and military talks have not yet produced any major breakthrough.

“Both sides have agreed to hold the next round of the senior commander level meeting soon and we are in close communication over diplomatic and military channels in this regard,” Spokesperson in the ministry Anurag Srivastava said. He was replying to a question on the next round of military talks at a media briefing.

SOURCE PTI

There is a palpable excitement among members of the Ladakh contingent for the Republic Day Parade as the young union territory is all set to make its debut in the extravaganza on Rajpath with a beautiful tableau depicting the iconic Thikse Monastery and its cultural heritage. The Union Territory of Ladakh was created in 2019 after the central government bifurcated the state of Jammu and Kashmir came into UTs.

On Friday, during a media preview of the R-Day tableaux held in New Delhi, members of the Ladakh contingent were feeling “on top of the world”.