In a historic move, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to fulfil the demand for a chief of defence staff (CDS) during an address to the nation on India’s Independence Day. The creation of a CDS comes around 19 years after a high level committee set up to review the Kargil War with Pakistan recommended it.

The Indian Navy is upgrading the security infrastructure of its naval airfields. As part of the plan, systems will be installed to provide continuous surveillance, real time alerting and immediate response to a threat. The Navy also plans to purchase naval guns from the US for warships.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will facilitate the restructuring of the military command structure to optimise the utilisation of resources by working to integrate operations, including through establishment of joint or theatre-specific commands among the service branches.

Bangladesh is seeking to diversify its military arsenal given that more than 90% of its equipment is of Chinese origin. The current strategy is based on fears of being trapped in a full-blown conflict with Myanmar, which enjoys China’s backing over the Rohingya issue.

At least two militants were killed Tuesday in an overnight fierce gunfight with government forces in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

India and Pakistan had been firing anti-tank guided missiles earlier this year. In its bid to dominate the western border, the Indian army has enhanced its capabilities to destroy enemy posts and bunkers as part of its retaliation against Pakistan.

The agency will be established in order to protect the Indian defence establishment from becoming vulnerable to cyber attacks.

The Indian defence ministry claimed that by introducing the basic version of the Akash missile system, the country had saved $5.3 billion with more orders in the pipeline from the army and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The requirement of more spy planes comes against a backdrop of a mounting number of Chinese warships, including submarines, in the Indian Ocean.

India and Pakistan have been engaged in a serious border escalation since a cross border aerial strike by the Indian Air Force in February. The two arch-rivals have deployed their troops and military equipment at forward bases to retaliate in case of a misadventure by either side.