All stories by Ajai Shukla
Why the Pathankot op has gone on for so long
Rediff.com5 Jan 2016'Inept handling by the National Security Advisor transformed what should have been a short counter-terrorist operation in Pathankot into an apparent debacle.'
Tejas set to make its debut on world stage
Rediff.com2 Jan 2016It's a bold marketing move for the locally-produced light combat aircraft.
India no longer biggest arms importer
Rediff.com29 Dec 2015The authoritative Congressional Research Service, which provides data and analysis to the US Congress, finds that India no longer features in the world's three biggest arms importers.
Modi seizes initiative on Pakistan policy
Rediff.com26 Dec 2015'Foreign ministry sources in Delhi discount the official version of the story, in which Modi made an impromptu request to stop over at Lahore, during the course of a birthday telephone call to Nawaz Sharif. In fact, this stopover had been carefully considered in Delhi, as a way to galvanise the peace process further.'
Modi's Moscow agenda: Gen-5 fighters, missiles, frigates...
Rediff.com24 Dec 2015There could be significant announcements about India's purchase of Kamov-226T helicopters, S-400 air defence missile systems, and the long-delayed contract for joint development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft.
The time has truly come to have sustained talks with Pakistan
Rediff.com8 Dec 2015The government has returned to talks with Pakistan, but can it withstand pressure from a jingoistic press and a rabidly nationalistic social media.
This missile is India's answer to the Pakistan Navy
Rediff.com2 Dec 2015The Long Range Surface to Air Missile jointly being developed by India and Israel is an answer to potential threats from Pakistan's anti-ship missile.
Seventh Pay Commission's biggest losers: The armed forces
Rediff.com24 Nov 2015The 7th CPC places the Indian Police Service (and, almost in passing, the Indian Forest Service) on a level with the Indian Administrative Service, leaving the military out in the cold.
Parrikar in new controversy... this time over land in Goa
Rediff.com23 Nov 2015"U-turn minister" Parrikar had publicly promised, when he was chief minister three years ago, that no more Goa land would be handed over to the Centre.
Ashraf Ghani's honeymoon with Pakistan is over!
Rediff.com22 Nov 2015The Afghan deputy foreign minister explains how his nation's President became disillusioned with Pakistan. Ajai Shukla listens in.
As Pakistan's army chief heads to US, is a tactical nuke deal possible?
Rediff.com16 Nov 2015A proposed nuclear deal aims to stop Pakistan from building small tactical nuclear weapons that could fall into terrorist hands.
Hawk aircraft proposals to feature in Modi's talks
Rediff.com12 Nov 2015'The most ambitious part of the BAE-HAL agreement involves building an advanced version of the Hawk, which could be used as a light, manoeuvrable, fighter that could operate in the narrow valleys of India's Himalayan frontier, where high-performance fighters cannot turn,' reports Ajai Shukla.
5 ideas the Raksha Mantri must urgently act on
Rediff.com10 Nov 2015Amongst those who heard the message of the Bihar results would be Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, whose realm is simultaneously the country's most complex and -- when something goes wrong -- the most emotive, says Ajai Shukla.
How veterans plan to intensify OROP agitation
Rediff.com10 Nov 2015Ex-servicemen say the government's award ignores five out of seven demands they had made and only partially meets the other two.
What the IAF expects from its Tejas fighters
Rediff.com29 Oct 2015From 2018-19 onwards, 16 'Standard of Preparation-18' Tejas fighters, which involves four major upgrades, will roll off the line each year.
Living in nuclear la-la land
Rediff.com27 Oct 2015Indian policymakers must incorporate in their nuclear doctrine a realistic response to tactical nuclear warheads, says Ajai Shukla.
The Dadri lynching and the dilemma within the Armed Forces
Rediff.com7 Oct 2015Senior officers admit the BJP's revival, and the mainstreaming of the Hindutva narrative that has accompanied this political shift, have complicated communal relations within the army.
IAF to have all 42 squadrons flying by 2027?
Rediff.com5 Oct 2015The IAF chief stressed on the ongoing development of advanced landing ground along the Himalayas.
The dialogue is as good as over for now
Rediff.com3 Oct 2015It is time to forge a credible New Delhi-Srinagar axis, says Ajai Shukla.
The dialogue is as good as over for now
Rediff.com3 Oct 2015It is time to forge a credible New Delhi-Srinagar axis, says Ajai Shukla.