All stories by Ajai Shukla
India may use BrahMos for cross-LoC strikes
Rediff.com3 May 2017A range of retaliatory measures are being weighed by India's generals.
Question mark looms over India's aircraft carrier
Rediff.com20 Apr 2017The defence ministry remains uncertain about spending billions of dollars on a carrier.
Can India take out Pakistan's nukes?
Rediff.com7 Apr 2017Serious question marks remain over how effectively, or whether at all, India can actually execute a disarming CF strike that takes out most of Pakistan's nukes, says Ajai Shukla.
Why Dalai Lama's Tawang visit rattles China
Rediff.com5 Apr 2017Beijing is clearly rattled by the Dalai Lama's visit. Unlike the 2009 visit, which was a four-day religious tour, the current visit is a high-decibel, 10-day affair, without the fig leaf of a "religious event", reports Ajai Shukla.
Will 'Delhi Karmapa' lose acceptance after marriage?
Rediff.com2 Apr 2017In the long-running rivalry between the 'Delhi Karmapa' and the 'Chinese Karmapa', the latter seems to have won.
Three years after Modi rattled DRDO, little has changed
Rediff.com27 Mar 2017In 2014, the prime minister criticised the communication gap between DRDO scientists, who remained ensconced in their laboratories, and the soldiers on the borders, says Ajai Shukla.
Parrikar could have been a great defence minister but...
Rediff.com21 Mar 2017'A month after assuming charge, Parrikar promised a policy within six months to "end or at least reduce" terrorist infiltration across the Line of Control.' 'However, infiltration continued apace, leading to high-profile terrorist attacks in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Uri.' 'During this phase, he made the controversial suggestion that India should fight terror with terror, hinting at supporting terror groups to strike in Pakistan,' observes Ajai Shukla.
India on the sidelines as the big boys spend
Rediff.com15 Mar 2017As the United States and China joust for supremacy, India might remain on the sidelines with its limited resources.
INS Vishal, Vikrant's successor, will have serious US tech
Rediff.com14 Mar 2017Beyond the British and Russian strands interwoven into the Indian Navy's equipment profile and the strong drive towards indigenisation evident today, its future in aircraft carriers appears increasingly linked with America.
Pak targets Lashkar, Jaish with 'intelligence-based ops'
Rediff.com23 Feb 2017Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad launched to fight terrorism across country.
Why civilians confront the army in Kashmir
Rediff.com20 Feb 2017The UPA's failure to reach out to Kashmiris and the NDA's 'anti-Muslim' stance has fuelled anger in the Kashmir valley.
Revealed: Why the navy seeks 57 fighter aircraft
Rediff.com6 Feb 2017>The Indian Navy wants 'day and night capable, all weather multi-role deck based combat aircraft which can be used for air defence, air-to-surface operations, buddy refuelling, reconnaissance, electronic warfare missions' from its aircraft carriers.
Will Saeed's arrest keep Pakistan off Trump's no-entry list?
Rediff.com1 Feb 2017This is the first time the Pakistan army has publicly backed the arrest of India-focused jihadis.
Retain Obama's policy towards India: Tellis urges Trump
Rediff.com21 Jan 2017Possible US envoy says India must get assurance against China.
Pak army chief prepares to turn on LeT, Jaish
Rediff.com18 Jan 2017Pakistan's new Army Chief has begun setting the stage to act against groups like LeT and JeM
Why General Rawat alerted the world to Cold Start
Rediff.com14 Jan 2017'It is ironic that General Rawat, an infantry officer who the government chose because of his expertise in counter-insurgency, has made his first bold statement in the realm of warfighting and mechanised operations,' points out Colonel Ajai Shukla (retd).
With a shrinking fleet IAF has tough choices ahead
Rediff.com12 Jan 2017The IAF has just 33 squadrons, 9 short of the 42 squadrons needed to tackle China and Pakistan together, says Ajai Shukla.
Where is the go-getter Parrikar?
Rediff.com11 Jan 2017Instead of ramming through change, Mr Parrikar has tied his own hands by placing reform at the mercy of numerous committees, says Ajai Shukla.
General Bakshi not to resign, may be elevated to new job
Rediff.com1 Jan 2017General Bakshi is understood to have been assured by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that the process was under way to appoint him as India's first tri-service commander, a post that would, at least nominally, place him senior to General Rawat.
A lighter Agni-5 could be world's most cost-effective ICBM
Rediff.com30 Dec 2016Even without a sanctioned government project for the Agni-6, it seems inevitable that the Agni-5, over the next few years, will organically evolve into an ICBM with improved technologies and capabilities.