he day marks the historic event of October 27, 1947, when the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment was airlifted to Srinagar to repel invading Pakistani forces and defend the Kashmir Valley

Army personnel participate in a ceremony to mark the 79th Infantry Day at Chandimandir on Monday.

The 79th Infantry Day, commemorating the selfless service, courage and valour of the Army’s largest fighting arm and the bedrock of India’s defence, was observed by the Western Command at Chandimandir on Monday.

The day marks the historic event of October 27, 1947, when the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment was airlifted to Srinagar to repel invading Pakistani forces and defend the Kashmir Valley.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, paid homage to infantrymen, who had made the supreme sacrifice, by laying a wreath at the Veer Smriti War Memorial.

In his message, he complimented the infantrymen for their devotion to duty and indomitable spirit while serving under difficult conditions. He exhorted all ranks to continue to draw inspiration from the heroic deeds of the bravehearts and remain steadfast in their resolve to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.

9TH MLF 2025 Program Brochure

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 8th Pay Commission, which is likely to be implemented from January 1, 2026.

The recommendations of the pay panel will benefit about 50 lakh central government employees and 69 lakh pensioners.

The commission will comprise one chairperson; one member (part time) and one member-secretary. It will make its recommendations within 18 months of the date of its constitution.The panel, to be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, will submit an interim report to the government.

Asked about the date of implementation of the pay panel award, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “The specific date will be decided once the interim report comes in… But, mostly it should be January 1, 2026.”

The Cabinet had in January 2025 accorded an in-principle approval for setting up of the 8th Pay Commission.

IIM (Bangalore) Professor Pulak Ghosh has been named as the part-time member, while Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Jain will be the Member Secretary.

Earlier, on April 8, 2023, President Murmu took a sortie in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter jet at Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam

President Droupadi Murmu, the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces (IAF), will take a sortie in the Rafale fighter jet at Ambala Air Force Station in Haryana on Wednesday.

Earlier, on April 8, 2023, President Murmu took a sortie in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter jet at Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam.

The Rafale was deployed during Operation Sindoor, India’s national response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan.

What a beautiful video. Why don’t our TV channels produce such historical programs for our youngsters to learn. 🙏

The fourth edition of the joint Indo–Australian Army exercise, AUSTRAHIND 2025, concluded in Perth, Australia, on 26 October 2025.

Conducted from 13 to 26 October, the bilateral exercise aimed to deepen military cooperation, enhance interoperability, and bolster the capability of both armies to conduct combined operations in complex environments.

The Indian Army contingent comprised 120 personnel led by a Battalion of the Gorkha Rifles, supported by elements from various arms and services. The Australian Army fielded a similar strength, reflecting the evolving depth of the defence partnership between the two nations.

Centred on counter-terrorism operations in urban and semi-urban terrains, the exercise focused on realistic combat scenarios, simulated hostage rescue missions, and coordinated assaults on insurgent hideouts. It also incorporated advanced tactical drills and technology-based training modules aligned with UN peacekeeping objectives.

The joint forces practised integrated planning, surveillance, and execution under simulated stress conditions to refine command coordination and tactical communication. The emphasis was placed on intelligence sharing, room clearing, and counter-improvised explosive device (IED) operations.

The two-week engagement concluded with a validation exercise witnessed by senior military commanders from both sides. The closing ceremony underscored the shared commitment to regional security and stability through effective joint training and cooperation.

Strategic Implications For The Indo-Pacific

AUSTRAHIND 2025 holds considerable strategic importance within the evolving Indo-Pacific security architecture. The exercise not only symbolises growing operational coordination between India and Australia but also complements the broader defence cooperation under frameworks such as the Quad. By jointly addressing challenges like terrorism, urban warfare, and peacekeeping, both armies demonstrated their readiness to support regional stability and humanitarian operations under multilateral mandates.

The training outcomes of AUSTRAHIND 2025 underscore India’s expanding role as a security provider in the Indo-Pacific and Australia’s commitment to strengthening strategic ties with key partners. The exercise reinforces a shared vision of a free, open, and rules-based regional order, while enhancing practical capabilities in communication, logistics interoperability, and rapid joint deployment readiness.

AUSTRAHIND 2025 significantly enhanced the mutual understanding and operational synergy between the Indian and Australian Armies, reinforcing their partnership under the broader Indo-Pacific security framework.

Agencies

India’s defence exports would reach Rs 30,000 crore by March 2026, claimed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while addressing Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) here today.

Defence exports stood at Rs 23,622 crore in the previous fiscal ending March 2025. India is exporting guns, missiles, ammunition and sub-parts of equipment to several countries.

The minister assured the industry that work is underway to revise the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020. He asked private entrepreneurs to increase contribution to the domestic defence manufacturing. At present, the private industry, in the last fiscal made about Rs 33,000 crore worth of equipment out of the total defence production of ₹1.50 lakh crore. The minister said the private industry contribution should be at least 50 per cent in the next three years.

Lauding the effective use of Made-in-India equipment by the armed forces during Operation Sindoor, the Minister said it bolstered India’s reputation both regionally and internationally. The world saw the prowess of the Akash missile system, BrahMos, AkashTeer Air Defence Control System and other indigenous equipment during Operation Sindoor.

Indigenisation was the only way to deal with the challenges emanating from the constantly-evolving defence sector and the nature of warfare. India, Rajnath said, was striving to ensure that the defence equipment was not just assembled in the country, but a real manufacturing base was established to create the equipment embodying the spirit of ‘Made in India, Made for the World’.

“Numerous initiatives such as the Quantum Mission, Atal Innovation Mission, and the National Research Foundation have been taken to develop a culture of innovation and R&D. Our industry must accomplish what has not yet been achieved in the country,” he added.

To further increase indigenisation, Rajnath urged the industry to strive towards dominating supply chains and maintenance chains while focusing on indigenous manufacturing of individual subsystems and components, and not just complete platforms.

Camp of No.1 Chandigarh Girls NCC Battalion concludes at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalya, Sector 25

A 10-day annual training camp of No.1 Chandigarh Girls NCC Battalion concluded at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalya in Sector 25 here today.

As many as 332 senior wing and junior wing cadets participated in the camp that saw a wide range of activities such as basic military training, drill, rifle firing, various competitions, sports, cultural programmes and other socially relevant subjects.

Lectures and demonstrations on topics like psychology and life skills, oral hygiene fire fighting, stress management and memory enhancement, cyber security and peer pressure were also conducted.

Visit War Memorial at Chandimandir, CSIO

The cadets were also exposed to military valour and scientific prowess through the visits to the Western Command War Memorial and Museum, Chandimandir and the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation in Chandigarh.

The Indian Army Sailing Vessel Triveni (IASV Triveni), crewed by women officers from the Indian Armed Forces, has reached Perth, Australia, completing the first leg of its globe-circling expedition, Mission ‘Samudra Pradakshina’ — the first-ever tri-service all-women circumnavigation of the world.

The arrival marks a key milestone in a nine-month voyage that began at the Gateway of India, Mumbai, on September 11. Women officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force are sailing aboard the indigenously built IASV Triveni on an easterly route covering roughly 26,000 nautical miles.

The yacht is scheduled to depart for Lyttelton, New Zealand, on November 8, before proceeding to Port Stanley in the South Atlantic.

The Delhi High Court has sought the Defence Ministry’s stand on whether the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) can examine the constitutional validity of laws beyond the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007, while hearing the plea of a transgender Navy officer who challenged her discharge from service after undergoing sex reassignment surgery.

A Full Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla said the issue carried wide implications for personnel across the Army, Navy and Air Force, and directed that the ministry’s position be placed before the court by its top officer.

“We clarify that since this matter may have an impact over the personnel of all the Armed Forces, we provide that the instructions in the matter shall be provided to learned counsel for the respondents by none other than the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Government of India or any other high-ranked officer nominated by him for the said purpose,” the Bench said.

The matter will next be heard on November 28.

The case was referred to the Full Bench by a Division Bench to decide three key questions — whether the AFT can adjudicate on the vires of statutory provisions other than its parent Act, such as Section 9 of the Navy Act; whether the decision in Neelam Chahar empowers the Tribunal to rule on the validity of other legislations; and if such an interpretation extends to all tribunals not created under Articles 323A and 323B of the Constitution.

The reference arose from a petition filed by a former Indian Navy officer who began identifying as female during service and underwent sex reassignment surgery. She alleged that once the Navy learnt of her surgery, she was unlawfully confined to a psychiatric ward for five months and subjected to repeated medical examinations.

The Centre, however, maintained that she was removed on grounds of misconduct, alleging that she was found with “long hair, nail polish and trimmed eyebrows” and had undergone gender reassignment surgery without