scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Sunday, March 15, 2026
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

Gulf conflict pushes Dubai diamond traders to eye Surat for rough stone auctions. But there are hurdles

Industry leaders say India’s complicated customs process and GST levies are deterrents for traders to come to Surat for auctions.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba, the man Iran must keep alive & the secret force ‘tasked with it’—all about NOPO

The Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, or NOPO, was the only force Ali Khamenei trusted.It was founded in 1991 and is more feared than the Revolutionary Guards.

Peaceful power transfers followed uprisings in India’s neighbourhood. It’s a sign of mature democracies

Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.