Liberation of Bangladesh in the 1971 Indo Pak War was achieved in style with over 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering: the largest since World War II. It also resulted in the liberation of East Pakistan and creation of an independent nation of Bangladesh. Officially the Indo Pak War of 1971 was fought from 3 to 16 December 1971.

Unofficially an intense battle was fought in Garibpur on 21 November; it marked the beginning of the end of Pakistan in East Pakistan. A Brief Commentary on the War in the Eastern Theatre by Lt Gen TS Shergil, PVSM, PhD, Chairman Military Literature Festival Society, Punjab. Operation Searchlight by Pakistan in East Pakistan was a cleansing of intellectuals that, set off animal instincts among the soldiers and those that supported Pakistan. This behaviour saw a backlash among the population and the Pakistan Army had to close into their defences and move out only with road opening parties; a ‘fortress mentality’ set in that opened a large area open to anti Pakistan irregulars; the ‘Mukti Bahini’ were not so deep into East Pakistan. Indian Army 2 Corps, 33 Corps and 4 Corps were slow to recognize the large gaps that existed between these ‘forts.’ 2 Corps and 33 Corps had been allotted the entire Inland Water Transport (IWT) resources of Eastern Command as IWT could not reach 4 Corps because the mountain ranges of Meghalaya and NC Hills obviated such a transfer and thus, 4 Corps was allotted MI 4 helicopters for a lift capacity of approximately two companies to cross major water obstacles. All Corps and 101 Communication Zone-that had no serious water obstacle on its thrust line- started operations in a conventional manner attacking hard defences and suffered serious casualties and reverses. It is only after establishing contacts with locals that realisation dawned that, the flanks were open.

A chance reconnaissance flight over River Meghna convinced Lt Gen Sagat Singh to use his air lift to bypass a large fortress on the river. After suffering losses against hard defences, Maj Gen Nakra commanding 101 Communication Zone, employing local guides, by passed those defences and moved on towards Dacca. The rest is history. Both 2 Corps and 33 Corps never used the IWT resources allotted to them however, 4 Corps used the heli lift resource to change history. Note: In counterinsurgency, wherever road opening parties are used it indicates that, the psychological war is failing or has failed, and troops are no longer in essential contact with the masses.

The United States turned a blind eye towards nearly 300,000 Bengalis killed by the Pakistan army in East Pakistan in the months preceding the India-Pakistan war in Dec 1971. This was because the US was using Pakistan as a conduit for a historic rapprochement with Communist China, a country it had no diplomatic ties with. Gary J. Bass author of ‘The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a forgotten genocide’ The Orbat India’s Eastern Command set the Pakistani communication centres as its objectives. •

The Northwestern Sector; 33 Corps comprising 20 Mountain Division and 71 Mountain Brigade. Their operations entailed cutting the Hilli- Gaibanda line and to capture Bogra and Rangpur. • The Southwestern Sector; 2 Corps comprising 4 Infantry Division, 9 Infantry Division, 50 Para Brigade less a battalion, and an Armoured Regiment of PT-76 tanks with a squadron of T-55 tanks. They were to head towards Madhumati River, capture Jessore, Jhendia, thereafter secure Hardinge Bridge, Goalundo Ghat, Faridpur ferries and Khulna. •

The Central Sector; 101 Communication Zone comprising 95 Mountain Brigade and F1 sector. They were to capture Jamalpur, Mymensingh and subsequently Tangail. A para drop by a battalion group was to take place at Tangail near Dacca. • The Eastern Sector; 4 Corps comprising 8 Mountain Division, 23 Mountain Division and 57 Mountain Division. Their operations envisaged advance to the Meghna River, capture Maulvi Bazar, Sylhet, Mynamati, Lalmai Hills (South) – Laksham and Chandpur

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister of Russia Mr Andrei Belousov today laid a wreath & paid homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi ahead of the 22nd meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation at Manekshaw Centre

The 8th edition of Exercise Garuda, a bilateral Indo–French air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF), concluded at Air Base 118, Mont-de-Marsan, France, on 27 November 2025. The IAF contingent returned to India on 02 December 2025 after the successful culmination of the exercise.

During the exercise, the IAF participated with Su-30MKI fighters, supported by IL-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft and C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and both air forces conducted a range of complex air operations in a realistic operational environment. The training involved joint mission planning, coordinated execution of strike and escort missions and familiarisation with each other’s operational procedures, thereby enhancing interoperability. The IAF maintenance crew ensured high serviceability throughout, enabling smooth conduct of all planned missions. Senior officials from both nations interacted with the participants during the closing ceremony, commending the professionalism, discipline, and commitment displayed by both participating forces.

Exercise Garuda 25 was one of the largest international air training engagements undertaken by the IAF this year. The exercise reaffirmed the strong strategic partnership between India and France and provided valuable operational insights to the participating forces. The lessons learnt will further enhance the IAF’s war-fighting capabilities and strengthen jointmanship with friendly foreign air forces.

The Indian Army has commissioned the first-of-its-kind underground fuel, oil and lubricant (FOL) storage facilities in the Kargil Sector, marking a major advancement towards strengthening logistics infrastructure in high-altitude areas.

Titled Project Sena Sarthi, it consists of newly constructed storage tanks that will double the fuel-holding capacity, ensuring sustained operational preparedness for troops deployed in one of the most challenging terrains and climatic conditions in the country. It has been executed in collaboration with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.

Storage and logistics for FOL products at high-altitude areas like Ladakh and the north-east, where vehicles and fuel-powered equipment like generators are deployed at heights up to 20,000 feet, poses significant challenges for the Indian Army because of extreme temperatures, inclement weather and hostile terrain.

Sub-zero temperatures not only affect the physical and chemical properties and combustibility of FOL products, but also require special storage and handling facilities. Bulk of the Army’s fuel requirements are transported by road. Since areas like Kargil and Ladakh remain cut-off from the rest of the country during winters, adequate stocking has to be done for this period.

The problems have been mitigated to some extent by the use of diesel and lubricants specially developed by DRDO for high altitude, use of additives and blends in FOL and building insulated or heated underground storage facilities, but these add to the costs and maintenance efforts.

Transportation and storage of FOL in forward areas is done in 200-liter barrels made of mild steel. According to the Compendium of Problem Definition Statements released by the Army earlier this year, the existing barrels, though robust, are prone to rusting, heavy and cumbersome to handle. In addition, they take up a large storage space even when empty.

“The greatest challenge is storage of main grade fuels in high altitude areas and mountainous terrain where existing barrels cannot be transported through heli-lift. There is a need to develop a customised alternate solution for Indian Army in form of new generation fuel barrels to enable ease of transportation, handling and portability of fuel in pack storage, especially in remote locations and high altitude areas,” the document states.

Pointing out that countries like the US and UK are using fuel drums specially designed for ease of portability and heli-lifting as under slung load, the Army has projected a requirement to the industry for robust, lightweight, portable and foldable or collapsible fuel drums which occupy less space when empty, withstand drops from higher levels and withstand extreme temperature from minus 45 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius.

100 indigenous apps, UAV jammers to anchor forces’ digital overhaul

The Army has embraced artificial intelligence as part of its wider transformation to become a future-ready, data-driven force underpinned by automation and digitisation. The initiative, termed ‘boots to bytes’, draws from the long-held dictum of having soldiers on the frontline, or ‘boots on the ground’, and juxtaposes this with the new need for ‘terabytes’ of data to empower the soldier.

The transformation is built on three pillars — digitisation, automation and AI. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on November 28 released the plan, formally titled ‘Digitisation-3’.

The plan documents 100 applications organised under two themes. One of these, called ‘Digital Sena’, highlights 40 cutting-edge digitisation and automation initiatives aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency and logistics.

Among the key technologies being integrated is a UAV tethered to the ground, equipped with an electronic system capable of jamming enemy drones. Other major developments include an indigenous geographic information system (GIS) that leverages spatial data and advanced analytics to improve decision-making, planning and operational effectiveness. By integrating various data sources, it provides commanders with a common operating picture of the battlefield, terrain and logistics.

To become an AI-ready force, the Army is developing 60 AI-driven solutions, such as an indigenous ‘small language model’, and will deploy software using AI-as-a-Service. These tools underline how AI is transforming operations, surveillance, decision support and autonomous systems for faster cognition and superior battlefield decision-making.

A flagship project named ‘Ekam’ has also been designed to deliver indigenous, secure, military-specific AI solutions tailored to operational doctrines and classified datasets. These include state-of-the-art AI services such as document analysis, a military correspondence generator and translation tools. Phase II of ‘Ekam’ focuses on building the first indigenous large language model (LLM) for the Indian Army.

As part of its future technologies drive, the Army has also developed a ‘climatology’ application created through scientific collaboration. The system integrates more than 20 years of geospatial data drawn from over 35 parameters to deliver precise landslide and avalanche predictions.

n a significant academic-defence collaboration, the Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College, Army, Meerut Cantonment, had recently invited Randhir Singh, scientist at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, to deliver an expert lecture on “Early Prediction of Military Working Dog Success: Integrating Wearables, Behaviour and Biomarkers”.

Singh provided an insightful and futuristic overview of emerging evaluation tools for military working dogs. His talk covered behavioural scoring systems, activity-monitoring sensors, hormonal stress markers, cytokine profiling and predictive disease analytics powered by machine learning. The presentation, which highlighted the potential of early-life assessment, received exceptional engagement and appreciation from RVC officers.

Emphasizing proactive health screening, Singh discussed the importance of early detection of pancreatitis, renal diseases, hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. He underscored how scientific monitoring could extend working lifespans, improve training efficiency and enhance the mission readiness of canine soldiers.

He delivered a detailed lecture on dialysis indications, designing an effective workflow, and real-time decision-making in critical care.

So far, the BrahMos missile system remains the most notable joint venture between the long-standing partners

India, Russia reorient defence ties towards co-development, co-production

So far, the BrahMos missile system remains the most notable joint venture between the long-standing partners

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Updated At : 02:16 AM Dec 06, 2025 IST

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PM Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin . PTI

Six-decade-old India-Russia military ties were today “re-oriented” to make co-development and co-production of advanced technology the new benchmark for promoting ‘Make in India’.

A joint statement, released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their annual summit here, said “responding to India’s quest for self-reliance, the partnership is reorienting to joint research and development, co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems”.

The shift towards “co-development” and “co-production” marks a paradigm change for several future platforms such as next-generation fighter jets, aero-engines, marine engines, radars and missiles that the Indian armed forces may require. Russia currently holds advanced technologies, including the S-400 air defence system and the fifth-generation Sukhoi-57 fighter jet.

So far, the BrahMos missile system remains the most notable joint venture between the long-standing partners. However, the missile was originally designed and developed in the erstwhile Soviet Union as the Yakhont before being adopted as BrahMos and further upgraded.

About a decade ago, India walked out of a joint project to co-design and co-develop a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Two years ago, Russia launched a joint venture to produce AK-203 rifles in India, though the rifle itself was designed and developed in Russia.

Other platforms such as the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets, T-90 tanks and MiG-21s are produced under licence in India, but their design and critical metallurgy remain with Moscow.

At the Modi-Putin talks, the two countries also expanded military cooperation and agreed to address the long-standing issue of sourcing spare parts for Russian-origin equipment. The two sides will now undertake joint manufacturing of spares in India.

“Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment,” the joint statement said.

This will fall under the Make in India programme through transfer of technology and the setting up of joint ventures to meet the requirements of the Indian armed forces, with the possibility of exports to mutually friendly third countries, it added.

Modi and Putin also welcomed the outcomes of the 22nd session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).

India and Russia have strengthened their longstanding partnership with the signing of a comprehensive agreement covering cooperation in healthcare, medical education, space, science and environmental sectors.

Emphasising the importance of joint research in science, technology and innovation, the two sides called for deeper collaboration under the “Roadmap for Science, Technology & Innovation Cooperation”.

“They agreed to facilitate collaboration between government and private sectors to harness opportunities for startups and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in both countries to address societal challenges through innovative technologies, including joint R&D and co-development of technologies. They confirmed their interest in further developing cooperation in digital technologies, including those related to information protection, security of critical infrastructure and law enforcement. Both sides agreed to design and implement soft support programmes for startups to enable knowledge exchange, capacity-building and greater engagement of innovators and entrepreneurs,” a joint statement released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their annual leaders’ summit here said.

Recognising the extensive experience of collaboration between India and Russia in science and higher education, both sides expressed interest in deepening partnerships between educational and research institutions, including academic mobility, joint educational programmes, research projects and specialised international exhibitions, conferences and seminars.

The countries welcomed the expanded partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russia’s Roscosmos in the peaceful use of outer space, including human spaceflight programmes, satellite navigation and planetary exploration.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh and Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari today laid a wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial, New Delhi on the occasion of Navy Day.

Both sides reiterate that India-Russia ties are based on a deep sense of trust, common principles & mutual respect

Shri Rajnath Singh stresses on new opportunities to enhance collaboration across niche technologies

Russian Defence Industry is ready to support India towards becoming self-reliant in defence production, says Mr Andrei Belousov

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and the Defence Minister of Russia Mr Andrei Belousov co-chaired the 22nd session of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on December 04, 2025. Both sides reiterated that the India-Russia relationship is based on a deep sense of trust, common principles and mutual respect. This meeting precedes the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President of Russia Mr Vladimir Putin.

Shri Rajnath Singh voiced the Government of India’s determination for capacity building of its indigenous defence industry for both local production and exports, under the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. He also stressed on new opportunities for enhancing collaboration between both counties across niche technologies.

The Russian Defence Minister emphasised on deepening relationship between both the countries which is based on mutual trust. He highlighted that both countries are united by many years of friendship and strategic cooperation. He stated that the Russian Defence Industry is ready to support India towards becoming self-reliant in the field of defence production. Minister Belousov also invited Shri Rajnath Singh to visit Russia to co-chair the 23rd session of IRIC-M&MTC in 2026.

At the end, the two Ministers signed the protocol of the 22nd IRIGC-M&MTC meeting highlighting the ongoing and prospective areas of cooperation.

Prior to the meeting, Raksha Mantri and the Russian Defence Minister laid the wreath at the National War Memorial, New Delhi and paid respect to the Indian bravery who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation. The visiting dignitary also inspected the Ceremonial Tri-service Guard of Honour.