ADG STRAT COMN PRINT EDITION UPDATE: 15 JUN 2025

MoD/ Armed Forces

1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit China later this month for SCO defence ministers’ meet, which comes amid efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to rebuild and stabilise bilateral ties, though de-escalation between the rival armies is yet to take place along the LAC. Singh is likely to have a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun on the sidelines of the SCO meet on June 24-25, in what will be his first visit as defence minister to China_TOI.
2. Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij has requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to transfer a defence land to Haryana Government for the expansion of the Civil Hospital in Ambala Cantonment. To decongest the existing buildings of the civil hospital in Ambala Cantonment and for its expansion, the Health Department requires the 20-acre defence land adjacent to the hospital. During his Delhi visit, the Haryana minister met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and raised the demands related to Ambala Cantonment constituency_Trib.
3. The Indian Army welcomed 419 new officers on Saturday as the IMA held its ceremonial passing out parade at the historic campus in Dehradun. In an emotionally charged moment, Lt Gen BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and an IMA alumnus himself, reviewed the parade. Addressing the cadets, Lt Gen Rodrigo said, “I am deeply moved to the point of tears to stand before you today. Looking at your faces, I see my younger self. I stood exactly where you stand now – 36 years ago”_AA.
4. On Saturday, the army destroyed a terrorist hideout in Rajouri and recovered an IED along with other ammunition. According to information, the army launched a search operation in the Bhungai area of Thanamandi based on credible intelligence. During the operation, a terrorist hideout was discovered. From there, the army recovered 48 Pika rounds, five pistol rounds, one AK-47 round, 400 grams of IED and one tear gas shell_AU.
5. Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, on Saturday said ‘Operation Sindoor’, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack, stands as a shining testament to the unparalleled prowess of his force. “We have demonstrated our ability to deliver precise and decisive blows to the enemy. As the future of the Air Force, you must understand that the IAF has always been — and will continue to be — the first responder in times of national crisis,” he said, addressing the Combined Graduation Parade held at the Air Force Academy_Stmn, AA.
6. The launch of the much-delayed Axiom 4 (Ax-4) mission carrying Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station will take place on June 19, Union Minister for science and technology Jitendra Singh said on Saturday. “Launch date of the Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station is, as of now, rescheduled for June 19, 2025,” Singh said on X. “Also, Space X team has confirmed that all the issues, that led to earlier postponement of the launch, have been duly addressed”_HT.
7. Former Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday urged the West Bengal government and its neighbours to plan a defence corridor with the Centre in the eastern region of the country which he claimed has the “potential” but has been “ignored.” Air Chief Marshal Raha said, “A point has come up for the defence production corridor. Two such corridors have been approved by the Central government in the potential areas. It is like the rich becoming richer. They totally ignored eastern and north eastern India where there is so much potential”_AA.
8. The AFT has questioned an MoD justification for denying disability pension to a former Indian Air Force officer with hypertension and diabetes by dismissing it as a mere “life- style disease.” The tribunal described the reasoning as “cryptic and unconvincing.” “The disease of hypertension and diabetes of the applicant is held as aggravated by Air Force service. The applicant is entitled to get disability at the rate of 50% for life from date of retirement,” AFT’s Lucknow bench held in its recent order on Wing Commander Anik K Nair (Retd)_TOI.
9. Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier, maker of Rafale fighter jet, has said that Pakistan claims of shooting down three Indian Air Force’s Rafale jets during Operation Sindoor are false. “The Indians haven’t communicated, so we don’t know exactly what happened. What we already know is that what the Pakistanis are saying (three Rafales destroyed) is inaccurate,” he told a French publication_AA.

National Security

10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to Cyprus, Canada and Croatia on Sunday, with the focus on his planned meeting with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 Summit that is expected to reset bilateral relations after the diplomatic row over the killing of a pro-Khalistan separatist. Modi will begin the three-nation tour by travelling to Cyprus during June 15-16, only the third visit by an Indian premier and the first in 23 years_HT, FE, MP, AA, Pnr, Stmn.
11. India on Saturday disassociated itself from a statement by the SCO condemning Israel’s military strikes on Iran, saying it was not involved in discussions on the statement. The external affairs ministry said in a statement that India had articulated its position on developments between Israel and Iran on Friday, when New Delhi called for dialogue and diplomacy to be used to work towards de-escalation. India believes it is essential for the international community to “undertake endeavours in that direction,” the statement said. Meanwhile, EAM S Jaishankar also separately spoke to his counterparts in Israel and Iran on the escalating crisis, he posted on X_HT, AA.
12. Amid a backdrop of persistent geopolitical tensions between India and China, a different kind of bridge was being built in Kolkata last weekend – one of language, culture, and youth engagement. The eastern Indian city played host to the finals of the 24th edition of the global “Chinese Bridge” language competition on Sunday 8 June, where students from across the country showcased their proficiency in Mandarin and deepened cross-cultural understanding. The event was marked by a rare visit from Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong. “The cultural and historical ties between India and China go back centuries. There is no reason why our nations should not enjoy better relations,” Ambassador Xu said at the event. “Governments must work, but so must students and young people from both countries. They are the key to a brighter future” he added_Stmn.
13. Weeks after nearly 50 tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir were closed due to security reasons in view of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, they will now be reopened in a phased manner starting June 17, J&K LG, Manoj Sinha said on Saturday. He added that 16 destinations will reopen in the first phase, with eight places in Kashmir including parks near Pahalgam market_HT, AA, IE, Pnr.
14. In counter-insurgency operations in the outskirts of five valley districts of Manipur, joint teams of Army, Assam Rifles, Manipur Police and CAPFs seized 328 firearms and over 10,600 rounds of ammunition, officials aware of the matter said, adding that this is the largest single recovery. A senior police officer said “This is the largest single recovery of weapons since the
    outbreak of violence on May 3, 2023, when around 6,000 fire- arms were looted from police armouries. As of last week, approximately 5,270 weapons and 60,000 rounds of ammunition had been recovered, and with this latest seizure, the total
    has now crossed 5,500″_HT, AA, IE, Pnr.
15. Amidst the ongoing intensified anti Naxal operations, a CRPF officer was killed on Saturday following an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in the dense forests located along the Jharkhand-Odisha border. According to official sources, the incident took place during a coordinated combing operation jointly carried out by CRPF, Odisha Police’s Special Operations Group and Jharkhand Police_Pnr.
16. The Centre on Saturday announced the setting up of a high-level committee headed by the Home Secretary to suggest “comprehensive guidelines” to respond to aviation accidents against the backdrop of Thursday’s Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad. The order issued by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation says the committee will “focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future” and publish its report within three months_Hindu.

Imdt Neighbourhood

17. Hundreds of Myanmar families were being uprooted from their homes on Saturday, a community organiser said, piling their belongings onto evacuation convoys to escape fighting between the military and anti-coup guerrillas. Myanmar has been consumed by a many-sided civil war since the military snatched power in a 2021 coup, leaving more than 3.5 million people displaced according to United Nations figures. Heavy combat has been raging since Monday around the village of Saung Nang Khae in the eastern state of Shan, according to locals and evacuation organisers_AA.
18. A meeting between Bangladesh Chief Adviser Mumammad Yunus with BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman has irked two major allies of the interim government, the student-led NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami. Yunus returned to Bangladesh on Saturday, ending his four-day London tour, which featured the meeting with Rahman, the acting chief of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s BNP. After the meeting with Rahman, BNP leader Amir Kharsu Mahmud Chowdhury and Yunus’ security adviser Khalilur Rahman held a joint briefing and hinted that elections could be held in February next year_IE.

Extended Neighbourhood

19. Cities large and small were preparing for major demonstrations on Saturday across the US against President Donald Trump, as officials urge calm, National Guard troops mobilise and Trump attends a military parade in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary. A flagship “No Kings” march and rally are planned in Philadelphia, but no events are scheduled to take place in Washington, where the military parade will take place on Trump’s birthday. The demonstrations are gaining additional fuel from protests flaring up around the country over federal immigration enforcement raids and Trump ordering National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles where protesters blocked a freeway and set cars on fire_MP, AA, Pnr.
20. Israeli firing and airstrikes killed at least 45 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, many of them near an aid distribution site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Saturday, local health authorities said. Scores of Palestinians have been killed in near daily mass shootings trying to reach the food_HT, AA, IE, Pnr, Stmn.
21. Israel attacked a major onshore refinery of Iran’s giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf on Saturday, causing a powerful explosion and fire as both sides engaged in rapidly escalating conflict with barrages of ballistic missiles, kamikaze drones and bomber aircraft attacks. Israel threatened to strike “every target of the ayatollah regime” in Iran, whose president warned of a severe response if the Israeli attacks continue_HT.
22. Iran’s Foreign Minister Bes Araghchi said on Saturday that nuclear talks with the United Sates were “unjustifiable” after the Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. The US and Iran were scheduled to be in Oman on Sunday for their sixth round of indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear programme. The comments by Mr Araghchi came during a call with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat. The Israeli air strikes were the “result of the direct support by Washington,” Mr Araghchi said. The US has said it is not part of the strikes. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi later said the planned talks “will not take place now”_Hindu.