The Army is looking at procuring 83 indigenously manufactured systems, referred to as Carrier Air Defence Tracked (CADET), which would be fitted with Akashteer equipment to provide real time air defence control and reporting for self-propelled gun and missile units in mechanised formations
Following the success of the Akashteer air defence command and control system during Operation Sindoor a year ago, the Indian Army has drawn up plans to integrate these systems on tracked armoured vehicles that will enhance their cross-country mobility and enable them to keep pace with armoured formations during manoeuvres.
The Army is looking at procuring 83 indigenously manufactured systems, referred to as Carrier Air Defence Tracked (CADET), which would be fitted with Akashteer equipment to provide real time air defence control and reporting for self-propelled gun and missile units in mechanised formations, according to a request for proposal (RFP) issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last week.
“Army Air Defence has a need for a common tracked platform for serving as a carrier for a number of current and future equipment for employment in support of mechanised platforms in various units. CADET is the planned common platform to meet the above-mentioned need,” the RFP states. It would be merged with the new generation Integrated Battlefield Management System (BMS) and the Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) System giving a common operational picture.
The Army Air Defence, a combat support arm, is responsible for providing protective cover to field formations in the tactical battlefield area and point defence to static establishments, for which it is equipped with tracked and wheeled self propelled platforms as well as fixed weapon systems.
At present, the Akashteer system is based on canisterised trucks. Though it makes it mobile and enables quick redeployment to cater to emerging tactical situations, trucks have limited cross-country mobility and protection vis-a-vis armoured vehicles. The Army is already using modified BMP armoured fighting vehicles as command posts, radar carriers and for other specialist tasks.
Highly mobile air defence control and reporting assets, while providing field commanders with a real-time situational picture, also gives them greater operational flexibility to deal with threats in their immediate vicinity without having to depend upon rear echelons and thereby reducing the sensor-to-shooter loop.
Developed by Bharat Electronics Limited, Akashteer is a fully automated network of different radars and sensors, and forms the core of the Army Air Defence. According to the MoD, it had a near 100 percent success rate in detecting and intercepting Pakistani drones and missiles during Operation Sindoor.
Seamlessly connected with the IAF’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and Navy’s Trigun air defence network, it forms part of the broader C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) framework. This enables quick and effective use of both offensive and defensive weapons. Because all three systems work together, it improves situational awareness and allows for precise, powerful action.
The CADET has been conceptualised as a high-powered tracked chassis with a suitable structure with space inside for comfortably accommodating a crew of at least five along with their personal weapons and the required technical components, as well as external attachment points for mounting various equipment and structures.
The equipment being considered for fitment on the CADET platform includes the Akashteer component, integrated drone detection and interdiction system, drone kill system and vehicle mounted counter-swarm drone system.
CADET will be deployed in all terrains like plains, deserts, semi-deserts and high altitude areas up to 16,000 feet, in temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius. It would be capable of operating both by day and night and equipped with navigation aids to facilitate cross country move.
Need to better capabilities in AI, autonomous systems: Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh in Jaipur. PTI
Defence Minister addresses Tri-Services Joint Commanders Conference at Jaipur
Marking the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, the skirmish with Pakistan last May, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said there was a need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks.
The Defence Minister highlighted the transformative impact of emerging technologies and stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict.
He was addressing the Tri-Services Joint Commanders Conference at Jaipur and emphasised that future conflicts would increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains.
On Operation Sindoor, he said it is a testament to the swift, precise and joint response of the Indian defence forces to safeguard national interests. He called upon the Commanders of the three Services to remain future-ready by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He described Operation Sindoor as a short-duration, deep-penetration, high-intensity and high-impact operation which showcased India’s ability to compel its adversary to surrender. The operation was a demonstration of India’s growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation’s collective resolve and new military ethos, he added.
Om Prakash Pradeshi from Himachal Pradesh was enrolled in the Corps of Military Police in September 1969
About 46 years after a soldier went missing with no clues about his whereabouts and was later declared a deserter, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has ruled that he should be presumed dead and his widow would be entitled to pension and arrears from 1993, when she first approached the authorities for benefits.
The soldier, Om Prakash Pradeshi from Himachal Pradesh, was enrolled in the Corps of Military Police (CMP) in September 1969. When he went missing in November 1980, and in December 1983, after the stipulated three-year period, the Army declared him a deserter and dismissed him from service. Consequently, he or his next of kin were not granted pension.
The Tribunal’s Chandigarh Bench comprising Justice Umesh Chandra Sharma and Lt Gen Ranbir Singh held that there is no evidence that the Army or, on their directions, the civil authorities ever tried to search the individual as to whether he is alive or not and whether he was seen by anyone just before his disappearance. There is also no evidence that the individual is alive and is living or working somewhere else or he voluntarily abandoned his service.
Observing that after seven years from the date of missing, the presumption of death would arise under Section 108 of the Indian Evidence Act and there is not an iota of evidence that the individual was ever seen alive within 30 years, the prescribed period under the Act, the Bench said that it can be inferred that he was no more.
The Bench also rejected the claim of the respondents that Pradeshi is alive and he had voluntarily deserted the service. “In such a condition, the burden of proving that he is alive is shifted to the respondents who affirm his aliveness,” the Bench said.
Ruling that the court is of the considered view that it is not proved that the individual had the intent to desert or he was alive and even then he did not join the service, the Bench inferred that due to unavoidable circumstances and circumstances which were beyond his control, he could not join the service. Hence, he cannot be said to be deserter.
Holding that accordingly, the order of the Court of Inquiry declaring him deserter and on its basis, the order of dismissal from the service is liable to be held illegal and void, the Bench said that it is a direct example of the negligence of the authorities who never tried to search out the individual or take any pain for knowing his whereabouts.
“The order dated 03.12.1980 and 22.12.1983 regarding declaration of desertion and dismissal of the applicant’s husband Om Prakash Pradeshi along with the letter dated 23.09.2020 are hereby quashed. The applicant’s husband Om Prakash Pradeshi is presumed to be dead since 03.11.1987, after completion of seven years from the date of his missing,” the Bench ruled.
“As a result, the applicant is held entitled to all the service benefits obtained in colours and reserve and also the family pension in accordance with law. Since the applicant first sent the letter to CMP Records on 03.03.1993 and started claiming family pension and other monetary benefits hence, the applicant is entitled for the pension and other benefits as an NOK of a missing Army Personnel since then,” the Bench said.
HC imposes Rs 2L cost on Army Chief, Defence Secy for pension delay
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 2 lakh on Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi for the delay in granting disability pension to a retired Major who underwent 24 surgeries and suffered a kidney ailment during his service.
A resident of Pune, Major Rajdeep Dinkar Pandere (retd) was commissioned in the Army on September 15, 2012, in a physically fit condition. He was posted with 4 Ladakh Scouts in Leh and got field, peace, special action group and high-altitude postings.
In June 2017, he suffered a medical problem while on military duty. He was brought before the Sick Leave Medical Board at the Delhi Cantonment Base Hospital and diagnosed with cystitis cystica glandularis.
Major Pandere underwent surgery and was placed in a “low medical category” on September 19, 2017. Thereafter, he was brought before the Categorisation Medical Board six times. He was brought before the Release Medical Board on September 2, 2022, at the Western Command Hospital in Chandimandir (Panchkula) and recommended for release in the low medical category. However, his disability–assessed at 15 per cent for life–was opined as neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service, and no reasons were cited. He was released from the Army on September 14, 2022, after 10 years of service. His request for disability pension was rejected vide letter dated November 23, 2022.
The Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) at Chandimandir observed, in its order dated October 10, 2024, that Major Pandere was examined by the Categorisation Medical Board and the Recategorisation Medical Board several times, and that he was operated upon time and again and the disability was attributable to military service every time.
“We failed to understand what parameter was adopted by the Release Medical Board for assessing the disability at 15 per cent for life and to declare the disability of the applicant as neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service at the time of release from service,” the Bench said.
The Tribunal ordered that as per the Guide to Medical Officers (Military Pensions), 2008, the disability percentage be considered 40 per cent as the serum creatinine was 1.13 mg, thereby holding Major Pandere entitled to a disability pension. The disability percentage was “rounded off” from 40 per cent to 50 per cent (as per the Supreme Court guidelines) for life, effective July 1, 2022.
On July 28, 2025, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed the Union of India’s writ against the Tribunal’s order, stating that Major Pandere’s entitlement to disability pension “cannot be doubted”.
Major Pandere also filed a civil writ petition before the High Court, seeking implementation of the Tribunal’s order, which was disposed of on October 31, 2025, in his favour. As the military authorities still didn’t grant him a disability pension despite orders from the Tribunal and the High Court, he filed a contempt petition against Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi.
His counsel, Rajesh Sehgal, argued that the respondents had failed to implement the High Court judgment despite more than two months having passed, and that the petitioner had not been paid even a single paisa, nor had any sanction letter or pension payment order been issued for disability pension.
Justice Sudeepti Sharma, in her order dated April 30, observed, “On the last date of hearing, last opportunity was granted to the respondents to file a compliance affidavit with a condition that in case of non-filing, a cost of Rs 2 lakh shall be imposed.” As no compliance affidavit was filed, one more opportunity was granted, subject to payment of Rs 2 lakh cost, to be equally deducted from the salary of both respondents (the Defence Secretary and the Army Chief) and to be paid to the petitioner by way of a demand draft, the order said.
Army officer suspended over custodial death in Punjab
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has suspended an Army officer in connection with the alleged custodial death of Border Security Force (BSF) constable Jaswinder Singh in Amritsar over a month ago. Jaswinder had been arrested by the agency in a drug-related case.
Major Amit Kumar, who is posted as Assistant Director with the NCB, was transferred immediately after suspension, said a senior NCB official while confirming the development.
Major Kumar is the second NCB official to be suspended in the case. Earlier, the bureau had suspended investigating officer Akash Rai, posted in Jammu. A departmental probe was also initiated against him.
The autopsy of Jaswinder had revealed as many as 34 injuries, including on his private parts. His family members have been alleging custodial torture since his mysterious death in NCB custody on March 20.
Jaswinder was picked up by the NCB in a drug-related case on March 3 from near Miran Sahib Chowk while returning to his house at Diwangarh village in J&K, near the International Border, after procuring medicines for his mother who was accompanying him at that time.
Posted in Tripura, the constable had come home on leave. Since the incident, the family, including his mother Gurmeet Kaur, brother Pupinder Singh and wife Lovejeet Kaur, has been seeking justice. Earlier, they had also met the District and Sessions Judge here, urging expeditious inquest proceedings apart from demanding an FIR against the NCB officials. The family has also approached Punjab and Haryana High Court for an impartial probe by an independent agency.
The post-mortem report had pointed out that all injuries were ante-mortem. However, the exact cause of death has been kept pending till receipt of the chemical examiner’s report from Kharar and histopathology findings from Government Medical College, Amritsar.
NCB officials had earlier claimed that Jaswinder died of a cardiac issue while being taken from Jammu to Tarn Taran via Amritsar on March 20 for recovery in the case. They had maintained that due procedure was followed, including judicial inquest proceedings. They claimed Jaswinder’s arrest was based on technical inputs during the investigation into cases involving his brother.
Restore old pension, demands ex-paramilitary forces’ assn
The Alliance of All Ex-Paramilitary Forces Welfare Association has sought restoration of old pensions, organised group A service status and withdrawal of a ‘draconian’ law passed by Parliament.
During a press conference, association general secretary Ranbir Singh stated that paramilitary personnel who maintain strict vigilance from streets to the borders, were repeatedly forced to appeal to the courts for their pensions, promotions and other welfare-related issues.
Alliance president ADG (retd) HR Singh expressed surprise at the Central Government’s passing of the CAPF General Administration Bill 2026 in Parliament, challenging the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on May 23, 2025, and demanded the withdrawal of this law.
Anand Nimbadia, ITBP IG (veteran), sought the creation of a separate ministry for central security forces to focus on their concerns and ensure consistent policy attention. Former BSF IG Vikas Chandra questioned how the government could label the country’s first line of defence force as a civilian force.
General secretary Ranbir Singh demanded the restoration of the old pension system for paramilitary forces. He said that ex-paramilitary families would hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on May 6, demanding the repeal of the black law and the restoration of the old pension.
Chandimandir Command Hospital’s first heart retrieval saves Sudanese boy’s life
The Command Hospital, Chandimandir, carried out its first heart retrieval for transplant, and in the process saved the life of a 14-year-old Sudanese boy admitted in a Delhi hospital.
The organ was harvested from a 42-year-old brain dead woman and airlifted to Delhi via a chartered flight within half an hour. The boy was terminally ill and in the last stage of the battle for life.
The hospital’s organ transplant team also retrieved her liver, pancreas and kidneys, thereby enabling multiple recipients a new lease of life through organ donation.
The process was undertaken through seamless coordination between the Chandimandir hospital, Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research under the aegis of the Western Command.
Organ allocation by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation and swift creation of ‘green corridors’ ensured timely retrieval and transport.
Who is Lt Gen Balbir Singh, the new commander of Srinagar-based XV Corps
Takes over XV Corps from Lt Gen Srivastava; vows to strengthen peace and stability
Lieutenant General Balbir Singh on Friday assumed the command of the Army’s Srinagar-based strategic XV Corps from Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava, who has been appointed as Quarter Master General at the Army headquarters.
Lt Gen Singh had earlier commanded the Victor Force, which looks after counter-insurgency operations in south and central Kashmir.
A statement from the XV Corps, often referred to as Chinar Corps, said Lt Gen Singh is a highly decorated and battle-hardened officer with over 34 years of service.
After assuming charge of the new role, the General Officer Commanding (GoC) paid respects at the Chinar War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of the nation’s bravehearts.
In his inaugural address, Lt Gen Singh reaffirmed his resolve to work in close synergy with the civil administration and the people of Kashmir to further strengthen the foundation of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
He exhorted all sections of society to join hands with the security forces in overcoming the persistent challenges, the statement said.
Lt Gen Srivastava relinquished the command and handed over the reins of the Chinar Corps after 19 months.
“His eventful and challenging tenure was characterised by meticulous execution of OP SINDOOR & OP MAHADEV, which brought the perpetrators of the dastardly ‘Pahalgam Attack’ to justice, incident-free conduct of the Amarnath Yatra 2025 and multiple initiatives in nation building,” the statement said.
In a post on X, the Chinar Corps said that on relinquishing the command, Lt Gen Srivastava paid homage at the Chinar War Memorial, honouring the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation.
“In his farewell message, he thanked all ranks of Chinar Corps, @JmuKmrPolice, Central Armed Police Forces, Civil Administration and the Awaam of #Kashmir for their steadfast support in fostering peace and harmony,” the post said.
Chinar Corps is responsible for guarding the Line of Control with Pakistan, besides countering terrorism in the Kashmir valley.
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has reshaped President Donald Trump’s case for taking control of Greenland—and exposed widening cracks in the NATO alliance
At first glance, greenland and iran have little in common—one icy, the other with scorching deserts. Yet the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran may, unexpectedly, have strengthened Pres ident Donald Trump’s arguments that the United States needs to own Green land—arguments he made most forcefully in January, horrifying European allies in NATO and the public, most of all in Denmark, which owns the territory. So when some of those allies declined to support the U.S. in its war that began more than two months ago, Trump’s stated goal of better protecting the nation in a fast-changing geopolitical and technolog ical era may just have made owning Greenland even more pressing, especially with the island on a poten tially unpredictable path to independence, experts have told Newsweek. Others, however, say that with the congressional midterm elections in November approaching fast, Trump’s hands are tied on any further moves on the Arctic territory. As much as he wants to own it, aggressive action could cost him votes, even among his core MAGA supporters who increasingly are unhappy about his growing foreign interventions. The White House has highlighted the connection
The White House has highlighted the connection president’s remarks in April on its X account as the U.S. and Iran prepared for talks in Islamabad on end ing the conflict: “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREEN LAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” Other messages by the president on his Truth Social account also linked Iran, Greenland and NATO. The path between Greenland and Iran may be wind ing, but for the current U.S. administration they are part of something directly relevant: the future of trans atlantic cooperation and of NATO, the post-World War II defensive alliance that kept the peace during the Cold War and which turned 77 years old in April. Speaking on background, a White House official told Newsweek: “As President Trump has said, NATO was tested, and they failed. President Trump has made his disappointment with NATO clear, and as the president has emphasized, ‘the United States will remember.’” Perception of Security Threats At the heart of Trump’s arguments for owning Greenland is a gulf between American and European perceptions of security threats, said Michael Lucci, the founder of State Armor, a political organization that works for national security resilience at the state level
including Britain, France and Spain, were unwilling to fully or partially support the U.S. in its war on Iran, refusing basing or overflight to the Air Force or to send war ships to patrol or open the Iran-controlled Gulf of Hormuz. “The gap between American and Euro pean perceptions of security threats is quickly becoming unsustainable,” Lucci told Newsweek. “In January, European capitals took great offense when President Trump argued for U.S. ownership of Greenland. By March, America’s military was being denied the use of bases and airspace… because some NATO allies do not view Iran as a threat, and therefore took the position that undermining American lethality against the Iranian regime was the right thing to do,” Lucci said. “This underlines why President Trump argued for American ownership of Green land,” he continued. “Greenland has dra matic security implications for North America…and the gap between American and European perceptions of external threats continues to grow.” Others took note, too. “NATO insists US doesn’t need to own Greenland; havIng bases there is good enough for natl security,” KT McFarland, a former senior national security adviser who has served four U.S. presidents, wrote on X. “But NATO countries just refused us access to OUR bases to refuel, they won’t even let our planes overfly their airspace. They just proved the point why we DO need to own Greenland,” McFarland wrote. But it was an exaggeration. Germany continued to provide the U.S. with its Ramstein military base, and Romania in Europe’s southeast approved an American request to deploy capa bilities including for aircraft refueling and satellite communications, “effec tively expanding the geographic reach of allied air power,” wrote Alex Serban and Kirsten Fontenrose of the Atlantic Coun cil, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. For sure, it’s complicated. Others don’t see a connection—just chaos, albeit underlined by an “America First” policy. “The thread is naked self-interest and absolutism around America First. And anything else is transactional,” said Andy Pryce, a former British diplomat who specializes in countering information threats and cognitive defense. He is also a senior nonresident fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, headquar tered in Washington, D.C., with branches in London and Brussels. China’s Underlying Role Yet Pryce said that something even bigger underlined the logic of this complex geo political moment: China. Because China largely controls the global production and refining of rare earths, and has used this to pressure the U.S. for concessions as it seeks to displace America’s global standing. “So, [owning] Greenland is [about] rare earth metals, and potentially the sort of more peripheral arguments on defense, but they’re sort of taken care of anyway, in terms of the current treaty and the current capability they have in Greenland,” said Pryce, referring to a 1951 defense agreement between the U.S. and Den mark which allows Washington to main tain military installations in Greenland. “And I suppose underneath the immediate nt is that 77 million people voted for Trump and a decent proportion of those people knew what he is and what his agenda is globally, or lack of agenda glob ally. At the moment [he] has few guard rails, few checks and balances,” Pryce said. “We might want to kid ourselves…that somebody else becoming president and saying nice things about NATO changes the real-life deterrence, [but] I don’t think it does. I don’t see the political will to wor
hearing many Democrats jumping up and down shouting about this,” Pryce said. “So, I think any government in Europe would be crazy to think within the next 20 years that you’re going to have any degree of stability of the Atlantic…European governments really need to think long and hard about every aspect of their national security.” Three-way talks between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland on the island’s future began in January and are ongoing, though Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who recently submitted her government’s resignation, and her Green land counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen have opposed Trump’s bid to own it. “The administration is participating in diplomatic high-level technical talks with the governments of Greenland and Den mark to address United States’ national security interests in Greenland,” the White House official told Newsweek. “We are not going to participate in a back and forth through the media, but we are very optimistic that we’re on a good trajectory,” the official said. Right About Russia For years, the U.S. called on Europe to spend more on its own defense. Budgets fell instead. For years, too, Europe failed to see that Russia threatened its security, deeply frustrating the U.S. and weakening the transatlantic bond, said Lucci. “American leaders have become exas perated with Europe’s leaders because our European allies have consistently taken a much narrower view of security threats at the expense of European security,” he said. “
The American view of Russia as a per sistent threat to Europe was proven cor rect, but America’s leaders were unable to convince Europe’s leaders to stop buying Russian gas, strengthen their economies and build up their militaries until three years into Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine,” in 2022, he said. Russia is also waging hybrid war across Europe, with governments scrambling to respond. “Today, the U.S. argues that China, Rus sia and Iran are threats to both American and European security. European leaders do not seem to recognize [the] need for serious action to counter Iran and China, despite both of those regimes quite openly supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and despite the broader threats of Iranian-sponsored terrorism and CCP [Chinese Communist Party] economic and hybrid warfare upon Europe and the U.S.,” Lucci said. Midterms as a brake? Still, the midterm elections are likely to dampen any further effort to push for out right control of Greenland, at least kineti cally. “The Greenland debate won’t flame up again because before the midterms it would provide food for those who oppose it, and that’s both the breakaway MAGAs and the Democrats,” said Nathalie Vogel, a research fellow with the Center for Inter marium Studies at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. “They’re saying, ‘He wants to involve us in another foreign adventure, but we have enough problems at home’. It would cost him the election and I don’t think it will happen,” Vogel said. She pointed out that polls showed that most Americans oppose the U.S. seizing Greenland, and bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress to prohibit the use of federal funds to annex or seize the territory without consent. With the Iran war, “the mood has got ten even worse within MAGA about for eign intervention,” Vogel said. Didi Kirsten Tatlow is a Newsweek senior correspondent, international affairs. Email her at d.kirstentatlow@newsweek.co
