In Our Defence

What is the the Chinese Spy Balloon in US airspace Saga? And what's the “mystery balloon” hovering over Andaman & Nicobar Islands? Tune in to know!

We discuss the Indian navy and its hunt for a deck-based fighter jet, with respect to Abhishek Bhalla's recent visit to the French Navy aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle. There are several questions that we address: Why do we need to start thinking about a replacement for an aircraft carrier now? What makes a country decide what kind of aircraft carrier it wants? Listen in!

India celebrated its 74th Republic Day on January 26th, 2023 with a grand parade in the capital city of New Delhi. The parade, which is an annual event, was held at Kartavyapath and was attended by dignitaries from all over the world, including the President of India. This year's parade had a special focus on the inclusion of women in the military. For the first time in India's history, an all-wom...

With Pakistan facing the worst ever economic turmoil, the country’s prime minister advocating for ‘peace’ with India, doesn't come as a surprise. But should the PM’s comments be taken with a pinch of salt? Was his statement really aimed at India or was it aimed at the West drawing its attention towards the country’s dwindling economy?? Abhishek Bhalla and Dev Goswami discuss. Tune in!

Squadron leader Avani Chaturvedi, the Indian Air Force’s first female fighter pilot, is set to take part in a maiden air exercise ‘Veer Guardian-2023’. The exercise will be carried out from January 16 to January 26 at the Hyakuri Air Base and its surrounding airspace in Omitama, and the Iruma Air Base in Sayama in Japan. The women officers have been participating in wargames with the foreign conti...

Despite the constitution of the Defence Planning Committee in 2018, India still does not have an NSS in place. Why? Why the current dispensation should prioritise having a comprehensive national security strategy? Are vested political interests a hindrance in its formulation? And why do we have so little written about it? What would be the benefits of an Indian NSS? Listen in!

In this episode Dev Goswami and Abhishek Bhalla reflect on the major defense developments of the past year in India. One significant reform from the Ministry of Defense was the Agnipath or Path of Fire initiative, which aimed to recruit a large number of troops aged 17.5 to 21. However, this scheme faced backlash and protests from aspiring candidates. The hosts also address the question of why Ind...

In this episode of In Our Defence, we base our discussion on a big debate: Does the Indian navy really need a 3rd aircraft carrier? Has, over the years, the Navy been neglected in terms of provision of equipment? Is the Navy’s chunk of the budget very meagre? Listen in!

In this episode, Dev Goswami, the show's host, and "Def-Savvy" Abhishek Bhalla, the national bureau chief, discuss the reasons behind the clash, remarking how not just Ladakh, but there are clearly other trouble spots like Yangtze in Arunachal Pradesh. Bhalla, who has been to the Tawang sector twice, one last year, and once in 2019, brings forth insights from the ground. He had also attended the b...

In this episode, we base our discussion on the political rhetoric on PoK that particularly erupts around elections. What does this signify? How pragmatism is the rhetoric? What it means to take over PoK? Does it mean war with China? Isn’t Chinese investment in PoK a strategic threat to India? Listen in!

The India-US's joint exercise provoked an objection from China. Was this expected? Was the location of the exercise picked keeping China in mind? What did the Indian and US soldiers do during the exercise? And, why were they even exercising together in the first place. Listen in!

“If she wanted to burn her hands with fire and talk about how the Indian army or the Indian establishment doesn't treat China and Pakistan the same way, there was a better way of doing it.” Can sensitivity in this matter be overlooked? Listen in!

How is someone in Pakistan able to throw a challenge to the almighty military? Can Khan come back to power without the army’s support? We discuss it in this episode. Listen in!

In context of the recent Tata and Airbus deal to manufacture C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force, in this episode, we discuss and analyse the significance of the deal, understanding the competency of the indigenous defence manufacturing in India. Listen in!

What does an embedded Diwali with Jawans look like? Should human emotions take precedence over political ideology in judging PM Modi’s visits to military stations at the borders? Abhishek Bhalla and Dev Goswami discuss in this episode. Listen in!

What are India’s nuclear capabilities and what is the secrecy behind the nuclear operations? Is India’s launch of a missile a milestone? We discuss this in In Our Defence. Tune in!

Abhishek Bhalla and Dev Goswami discuss where the Russia-Ukraine war is heading, spill some anecdotes of civilians caught in the middle, and much more, in the latest episode of In Our Defence.

The eradication of the colonial legacy is in question now. Should the Indian armed forces continue to cling on to the culture imposed by our colonial masters? We discuss in In Our Defence. Tune in!

How has the PFI been seen by the Indian security establishment over the years? We discuss it in this episode of In Our Defence. Tune in!

Russian President Putin said that he was not bluffing on nukes and ordered a partial mobilisation of Russian citizens. But well, has Putin’s bluff been called out? Is it also the admission of Russia’s failure? Tune in to find out!

What is the reality of eastern Ladakh? What is the difficulty in “resolving” the standoff? Abhishek Bhalla and Dev Goswami discuss in this episode of In Our Defence. Tune in!

The question of India’s depleting number of fighter fleet looms large. The IAF is functioning with close to 240 aircraft less than what it should have. We discuss its nitty-gritties in this episode of In Our Defence. Tune in!

Why is it important for India to have an aircraft carrier? Why is it a big deal that this warship has been Made in India? We discuss this in this episode of In Our Defence. Tune in!

Is targeted killings a natural evolution of the Kashmir Valley's long-running militancy? We discuss this in this episode of In Our Defence. Listen up!

Why does Operation Meghdoot remain one of the most significant ones particularly in the current day context? How and why was the operation with a lot of foresight? We discuss it in this episode of In Our Defence. Tune in!