A spiced up, hyper-nationalist version of military history has been built: that politicians wronged the generals. No wonder PM Modi got his facts all mixed up.
A Cold Start doctrine would only have been possible if the given equipment and thinking was already available, and that is where Gen K Sundarji must be credited.
Between India, Japan, the US and EU, it should not be difficult to provide a collective economic counterweight to China in a small but strategically significant country like the Maldives.
The lack of all-weather connectivity to Tawang has always put India at a disadvantage to China in the region; the tunnels are thus very important to the Army.
Lack of expertise, research and interest among parliamentarians, existence of lobbies, political opportunism have led to the current impasse in defence deals.
India’s policy on Myanmar has been to deal with its Generals and maintain a distance from the country’s insurgent groups and political struggles. This will have to change.
Finance ministry says the proposed revamp will focus on structural reforms, rate rationalisation & ease of living, & will be deliberated upon in the coming weeks.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
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?
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