agging a silver medal in the 5,000-metre run at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles, an Indian Army athlete, Naib Subedar Gulveer Singh has set a new national record in the event.

He clocked 13:03.93 minutes. A total of 15 runners from different countries had participated in the finals, with the winner, Habtom Samuel of New Mexico, achieving a timing of 12:57.22 minutes.

“Breaking his own previous national record of 13:11.82 set in Japan in September 2024, the Army runner continues to redefine Indian distance running with grit, discipline and determination,” the Army said on Sunday.

Sound Running hosts highly competitive, festival-style track events in Los Angeles, designed to help athletes, both men and women chase fast times and Olympic and World Championship standards in different field disciplines such as running, hurdles, steeple chase and pole vault.

Belonging to the Army Sports Institute, Pune, Nb Sub Gulveer Singh had joined the Indian Army’s Grenadier Regiment in 2018 through the sports quota and has emerged as a seasoned long-distance runner. He has represented India in top international forums and has set multiple records.

In March this year, the 28-year-old athlete from Uttar Pradesh became the first Indian to run a sub-60 minutes half-marathon in 59 minutes and 42 seconds, finishing third at the New York City Half Marathon.

Gulveer is the current Asian champion in the 10,000-metres and 5,000-metres run, having won gold medals in both the events at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships held in South Korea.

Numerous Army sportspersons have made the mark at the international level and setting new precedents. The Army trains specially selected sportspersons at the Army Sports Institute, which is run in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India under the Army’s Mission Olympics programme.

Several disciplines such as shooting, archery, wrestling, rowing, fencing, and weightlifting have been identified for them. They are trained at the Army Sports Institute (ASI), Pune, a premier training establishment.

The ASI was established in July 2001 as a multi-disciplinary institute to identify and nurture the vast talent of sportspersons within the Armed Forces Army and recruit potential sportspersons from across the country.

Indian Army’s battle-trained dogs added a distinctive edge to Exercise PRAGATI 2026, demonstrating how canine units continue to play a crucial role in modern military operations, officials said on Tuesday.

Participating alongside troops from friendly foreign countries, the Army’s K9 warriors showcased their expertise in explosive detection, tracking and intervention operations, highlighting their importance in high-risk combat scenarios and multinational operational environments, they said.

The demonstrations featured Alan, a Belgian Malinois assault dog; Victor, a Rampur Hound tracker dog; and Deo, a Labrador trained in explosive detection.

Each dog displayed specialised operational capabilities, reflecting the versatility, discipline and mission readiness of Indian Army K9 teams, according to a statement by the Army here.

Officials said a key highlight of the exercise was the participation of the indigenous Rampur Hound, represented by Victor, underlining the Army’s increasing focus on integrating native breeds into operational roles as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Known for climatic adaptability, resilience and disease resistance, indigenous breeds are proving effective in varied operational conditions, from deserts to glaciers, they said.

The exercise also featured robotic dogs, showcasing the integration of emerging technologies with traditional military capabilities in future combat operations.

Officials said the joint display of robotic platforms and trained Army dogs presented a picture of technology and instinct working together to enhance operational effectiveness.

Exercise PRAGATI 2026 brought together more than 400 soldiers from 12 countries for tactical drills and joint training aimed at enhancing interoperability and combat readiness. Since its commencement on May 20, the exercise has created a vital platform for participating armies to train jointly, exchange best practices, and enhance interoperability in a multinational setting.

The Indian Navy has thwarted a piracy attempt in western part of the Indian Ocean and saved oil-tanker ‘MV Mashallah 1’.

The Navy said on Wednesday that its warship INS Kolkatta, deployed around the Gulf of Aden, responded swiftly to inputs of pirate activity near merchant vessel MV Mashallah 1 in the Western Indian Ocean and undertook prompt action to investigate and deter the threat.

“This timely intervention ensured safety of the merchant vessel and prevented a possible piracy attack,” the Navy said.

A helicopter was launched from the deck of the INS Kolkatta and a team boarded ‘Mashallah 1’.

Since 2008, the Indian Navy has maintained a continuous anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden.

The Navy said it remains committed to safeguarding merchant shipping, countering piracy and ensuring safe and secure seas.

The INS Kolkatta was commissioned in 2014 and has a large indigenous combat component. The ship is packed with the most sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons and sensors including the vertically launched Long Range Surface to Air Missiles (LRSAM) coupled with the MF-STAR multi-function active phased array radar, which is fitted for the first time on an Indian Naval ship.

The ship is equipped with advanced supersonic and long-range BrahMos Surface to Surface Missiles – a joint Indo-Russian venture, and 76-mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM).

While the summit marked a major personal milestone for Dhaliwal after years of preparation, the descent turned into a life-threatening ordeal in the ‘Death Zone’ above 8,000 metres

Ajaypal Singh Dhaliwal, a Canadian of Punjabi origin based in Brampton, Ontario, has become the first Canadian Punjabi to summit Mount Everest, surviving a near-fatal descent from the world’s highest peak.

Dhaliwal reached the 8,848.86-metre summit on May 20 as part of a record-breaking day when 274 climbers scaled Everest from the Nepal side. He was one of three Indians who summited that day, along with Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Sandeep Are.

The Expedition Operators’ Association of Nepal confirmed the single-day record of 274 summits, aided by favourable weather conditions.

While the summit marked a major personal milestone for Dhaliwal after years of preparation, the descent turned into a life-threatening ordeal in the ‘Death Zone’ above 8,000 metres.

According to a widely shared Facebook post by his friend Mohan Pal Randhawa, Dhaliwal was left stranded during the descent with critically low oxygen supplies after being abandoned by his Sherpa guide. Two climbers from the same expedition group — Sandeep Are and Arun Kumar Tiwari — died while descending.

Randhawa wrote: “This accomplishment belongs entirely to him… Not because he summited Everest. Many climbers dream of doing that. But because he came back alive from a place where some never do.”

In the extreme conditions of freezing winds, exhaustion and depleting oxygen, Dhaliwal reportedly improvised his descent by sliding down dangerous icy slopes using his safety belt. During one such manoeuvre, he crashed and lost consciousness.

Upon regaining awareness in darkness and brutal cold, he signalled for help by flicking his headlamp. A team of four climbers, including Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, spotted the signal, shared oxygen and assisted him continue the descend to safety.

Randhawa highlighted Dhaliwal’s resilience, saying, “Everest was not just testing his body. It was testing his courage to keep taking risks when fear had every reason to win.”

Dhaliwal’s journey from a known risk-taker to a focused mountaineer has been widely shared in the Punjabi and Canadian diaspora as an inspiring story of determination and survival.

SAPPER TASK PEFORMED BY WOMEN DURING VIETNAM WAR

During the Vietnam War, following the American bombing of bridges, women forming a human bridge to enable Vietnamese soldiers to cross, stands as a frame from the dusty pages of history.

You may win some battles, you may have the greatest firepower on earth, you may have the best on-paper military in the world ….

But you can never.. repeat …… you can never defeat a civilisation with such strong ethic

FASTEST RUNNER OF INDIA : 100M IN 10.09 SECONDS : FLYING SIKH ON WAY

Lt Gen HS Sahi appointed Chief of Staff, Western Command 

HANDBOOK OF INDIAN ARMY VETERANS (DIAV) ADJT GEN BR, INTEGRATED HQ MoD (ARMY)

Siachen veteran Lt Gen JL Malhotra (retd) passes away in Panchkula

Indian Army soldier hangs mid-air to rescue tourists from cable car in J&K

Drone found in J-K’s Kathua, security tightened

India’s strategic dilemma: from non-alignment to multi-alignment

Dramatic face-off in Faridkot: AAP MLA corners BJP leader, alleges use of ‘Army bus’ for ferrying voters

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Chandigarh airport alert: New flights to Pune, Bengaluru from June 1

India, US sign landmark pact to secure critical minerals supply chain amid China concerns

Indian Army brings mechanised infantry back under armoured corps in major rejig

An alumnus of Punjab Public School, Nabha, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Lt Gen Sahi was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment in December 1988 and also presently holds the appointment of Colonel of The Rajput Regiment

Lieutenant General Harjeet Singh Sahi.

Lieutenant General Harjeet Singh Sahi has been appointed the Chief of Staff (CoS), Headquarters, Western Command, at Chandimandir.

Later, he commanded 3 Corps in the east, the largest Corps of the Indian Army with area of responsibility along the Indo-Myanmar border and the hinterland of six states of north-east. He was instrumental in ensuring infrastructure upgrade and stability in the area of responsibility, including the state of Manipur that witnessed an outbreak of ethnic conflict in May 2023.

Prior to moving to Western Command as CoS, he was the Commandant, Army War College, Mhow, where he spearheaded several initiatives aimed at aligning professional military education with emerging operational dynamics and technological advancements.

His key staff appointments include Brigadier General Staff of an operational Corps, Additional Director General Military Operations and Director General Information Warfare at the Army Headquarters.

An alumnus of the National Defence College, New Delhi, Lt Gen Sahi holds two MPhil degrees and a Master’s Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.

He has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal and Sena Medal for distinguished service.

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HANDBOOK OF INDIAN ARMY VETERANS (DIAV) ADJT GEN BR, INTEGRATED HQ MoD (ARMY)

Former Chief of Staff of the Northern Command was closely associated with the planning and execution of Operation Meghdoot

Lt Gen JL Malhotra (retd), former Chief of Staff of the Northern Command, passed away in Panchkula on Sunday at the age of 90. As the Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of 15 Corps, he was closely associated with the planning and execution of Operation Meghdoot —India’s pre-emptive move to secure the Siachen Glacier in 1984.

Commissioned into the Sikh Regiment in 1957, Lt Gen Malhotra saw extensive action in early counter-insurgency operations in Nagaland with 5 Sikh, and later commanded the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment (1 Sikh). Notably, 1 Sikh was the historic battalion that first landed in Srinagar in October 1947 to save the Kashmir Valley from Pakistani raiders — an event now commemorated annually as Infantry Day.

During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, he served in the Chhamb sector, which witnessed several decisive battles. Upon his promotion to Major General, he commanded the 7 Infantry Division in Punjab, overseeing its induction into counter-terrorism operations.

After retiring in 1994, Lt Gen Malhotra dedicated his life to philanthropy and the welfare of the underprivileged. He was deeply committed to supporting the disabled and funding the education of children from weaker sections of society.