scorecardresearch
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
TopicDepartment of Military Affairs

Topic: Department of Military Affairs

Theatre commands to defence university, why Indian security interests need a political push

Reforms are the children of the government in power. PMO should nudge the defence ministry and hold the defence minister accountable.

3-yr ‘Tour of Duty’ for jawans — govt to roll out new recruitment process, not for officers

Tour of Duty, likely to be implemented on trial basis first, aims to reduce burden of pay rises & pensions. Effort also on to make short service commissions more attractive to officers.

It’s politics over military ops for Modi govt. Delay over new CDS appointment shows why

The rampant assault on State institutions hasn’t left the Indian military untouched. It will be the greatest challenge of 2022, just as it was in 2021.

Defence ministry plans uniform retirement age for army, navy & air force, more years of service

The move is expected to help cut salary, pension bills & address issues of re-employment & staff shortage. India is the world's third-largest defence spender, but much of it is on wages.

Selling defence land seen as only way to raise money for new modernisation fund

Draft cabinet note based on ministry’s comments is undergoing inter-ministerial consultations, but Department of Military Affairs had said selling land alone wouldn’t be enough.

Indian military won’t reform by itself. But Parliament’s diluted role is a bigger concern

In developed nations, the defence committee is the main driver for national security reforms. But the Modi govt in India has completely diluted Parliament's role.

Don’t tinker with Indian military’s way of life to fix your out-of-control fiscal deficit

Some half-baked economist came up with the specious argument to reform military life to save money — and CDS Bipin Rawat-led DMA swallowed the bait hook line and sinker.

Army HQ orders reduced attendance in offices, no face-to-face meetings as Covid cases rise

Army's new instructions, coming into effect from Monday, call for conduct of all meetings via phone calls or video conferences.

Bureaucracy intact in Indian military. DMA only brings ill-advised orders for armed forces

CDS Rawat-led Department of Military Affairs is trying to fix measures for habitat and infrastructure projects of the armed forces. But its measures signal far-reaching reforms.

Three pitfalls of CDS, Dept of Military Affairs and why it should make us sceptical

CDS Rawat must articulate a management structure in the DMA that is internally consistent and logical. Otherwise, the military risks being neither here nor there.

On Camera

India can’t fight Trump tariffs with emotion. Smart talks, sector relief, reforms are key

India must reduce its overdependence on the US by cultivating alternative markets—concluding the EU FTA, advancing the UK deal, and exploring entry into the CPTPP, the open, rules-based bloc of Japan, Korea, and Australia.

Amid Trump’s tariff bombs, India’s business with America surged while imports from Russia dipped 10%

As India-Russia trade decreases, India's April-July exports to the US this year increased by 21% compared to last year & imports from the US grew by 12%.

China pushes for separation of border issue from larger bilateral ties at 24th round of talks with India

New Delhi: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Tuesday pushed for a “dual-track” progress for ties with India, separating economic ties from the boundary question,...

War of IAF, PAF doctrines: As Pakistan obsesses over numbers, India embraces risk, wins

Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?