Security Forces & Agencies

The Indian Navy is set to commission Mahendragiri (F38), its sixth indigenous Project 17A stealth frigate, at Visakhapatnam. Designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, the warship highlights India’s shift from a “buyer’s navy” to a “builder’s navy” and strengthens India’s maritime capability in the Indo-Pacific.

On 21 June 2026, the Indian Navy commissioned three indigenously built warships at Kolkata in a single ceremony — the stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, the survey vessel INS Sanshodhak, and the anti-submarine craft INS Agray, all built by GRSE. This article explains the three distinct strategic roles of these ships, decodes Project 17A stealth frigates, hydrographic survey vessels and Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, and situates the event within India's Atmanirbhar Bharat defence drive and its maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean Region.

An Indian Air Force AN-32 transport aircraft crashed while landing at Jorhat in Assam, killing five IAF personnel, while one co-pilot survived and is under treatment. The incident has brought attention to the AN-32 fleet’s role in military logistics, its modernisation history, safety record and India’s larger need for reliable tactical airlift capability.

On June 10 and 11, 2026, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out three consecutive flight-tests off the Odisha coast that validated a multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system and successfully conducted the maiden test of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR). The Ministry of Defence said the interceptors engaged their targets up to the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) class, placing India among a small group of nations with such capability. This article explains India's BMD programme, the difference between the AD-1 and AD-2 interceptors, the science of endo- and exo-atmospheric interception, the significance of NASM-MR, and why this matters for India's strategic deterrence.

The Zojila Tunnel, beneath the avalanche-prone Zojila Pass on National Highway-1, achieved its final excavation breakthrough on 9 June 2026 when engineers blasted through the last stretch of rock to link the Kashmir and Ladakh ends. Once operational, this high-altitude tunnel will provide India's first year-round road link between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, ending the region's winter isolation. This article explains the project's features, the strategic and defence significance of the route, India's broader Himalayan border-connectivity push, and the engineering and economic dimensions of this landmark.

India and Australia held the 2nd India-Australia Defence Ministers' Dialogue in New Delhi on 1 June 2026, advancing maritime domain awareness, defence co-production and Indo-Pacific security cooperation. This explainer covers the dialogue's key outcomes, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement, the Quad and IPMDA, major bilateral exercises and the full UPSC relevance for Prelims and Mains. UPSC Syllabus Mapping GS Paper 2 (International Relations): Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests; India and its strategic partners; effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests. GS Paper 3 (Security): Security challenges and their management in border areas; role of external state actors; various security forces and agencies and their mandate; maritime security. Prelims: Defence exercises, institutional mechanisms (2+2, Defence Ministers' Dialogue), Quad, IORA, IPOI, IPMDA, IFC-IOR, UNCLOS, ECTA/CECA.

US special forces successfully rescued the second crew member of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet from a remote mountain area inside Iran after the aircraft was shot down on April 3. President Donald Trump announced the high-risk mission and, in strong social media posts, warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday or face severe strikes on its power plants and infrastructure. In response to the fast-moving crisis, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on April 5 to discuss the current situation in West Asia.

On March 27, 2026, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave the green signal to major defence purchases worth Rs 2.38 lakh crore. The biggest item is the approval to buy five additional S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems from Russia for the Indian Air Force. The clearance also covers medium transport aircraft and remotely piloted strike aircraft. This comes after the S-400 systems proved their worth in Operation Sindoor and is part of India’s ongoing effort to strengthen air defence amid rising regional threats.

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife has recommended approval for 12 key defence projects in Ladakh's protected wildlife sanctuaries, citing the need for high operational preparedness due to increasing assertiveness by China's People's Liberation Army along the Line of Actual Control, following lessons from the 2020 border conflicts.

US President Donald Trump has hinted at sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine as a way to pressure Russia into ending the war, stating that if the conflict does not settle soon, the US might provide these offensive weapons capable of reaching deep into Russian territory, including Moscow, from Ukrainian positions. This comes amid ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and discussions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Russia warning that such a move would escalate the conflict significantly.

Recent details from defence sources reveal how Mission Sudarshan Chakra, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India's 79th Independence Day, will incorporate advanced components like directed energy weapons, satellites, and a vast radar network to create a multilayered air defence shield. This initiative aims to protect strategic and civilian sites from aerial threats, building on successful tests of indigenous systems and lessons from recent conflicts, highlighting India's push towards self-reliant defence technology amid evolving regional security challenges.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a new defence agreement that treats an attack on one as an attack on both, raising questions about regional security. This pact, agreed upon during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Riyadh, comes at a time of growing tensions in the Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas war and recent strikes. India is closely watching this development because of its strong ties with Saudi Arabia and ongoing issues with Pakistan, leading to statements from Indian officials about protecting national interests.

The Indian Army has kicked off urgent procurement of advanced radars to strengthen its air defence against low-flying drones and swarms, learning key lessons from Operation Sindoor in May 2025. During this short border clash with Pakistan, hundreds of enemy drones slipped through older detection systems, pushing the Army to issue Requests for Information for up to 45 enhanced low-level radars and 48 fire control systems. This move aims to plug gaps along northern and western borders, boosting overall readiness in a time of rising aerial threats from neighbors.

During the closing session of the Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC) 2025 in Kolkata on September 17, 2025, India's top military leaders announced the creation of the country's first three joint military stations and the merger of the Army, Navy, and Air Force education branches into a single Tri-Services Education Corps. These steps, directed by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, aim to boost jointness among the services amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for swift reforms to prepare the armed forces for future challenges, including the ongoing drive towards integrated theatre commands.

The Indian Navy has taken delivery of 'Androth', the second of eight indigenously built Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWCs) from Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata on September 13, 2025. This step is important right now because it helps boost the Navy's ability to detect and fight submarines in shallow coastal waters, especially with growing threats from China's naval activities in the Indian Ocean and Pakistan's new submarines. It also shows India's progress in making its own defence equipment, cutting down on imports and supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat goal.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given approval to the updated Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 on September 14, 2025, which replaces the old 2009 version. This step is important now because it helps make the process of buying everyday items like spares and ammunition faster and simpler for the army, navy, and air force. It focuses on making India self-reliant in defence needs, especially when the country is spending about ₹1 lakh crore this year on such purchases, and it supports the government's push for quick decisions and home-grown innovation in a time of modern wars and global supply issues.

On August 20, 2025, India conducted a successful test-firing of its nuclear-capable Agni-5 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The test was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and validated all key operational and technical parameters, reinforcing India's long-range strike capabilities.