All stories by Ajai Shukla
Brazil opens the door for Indian navy and Gripen
Rediff.com30 Oct 2014SAAB's Sea Gripen constitutes a new option as the INS Vikrant's light fighter
Modi must drain the Kashmiri ulcer
Rediff.com14 Oct 2014We must repeal AFSPA to begin to heal Kashmir, and to enhance India's moral stature and that of the army, says Ajai Shukla
Why border with Pakistan will remain active
Rediff.com10 Oct 2014New Delhi's decision not to call for a flag meeting underlines its conviction that the military cost will soon become too high for Pakistan.
119 warships built, naval design celebrates golden jubilee
Rediff.com26 Sep 2014A day after the Indian Space Research Organisation highlighted India's scientific capability by placing the spaceship, Mangalyaan, in orbit around Mars, another milestone in indigenous design was celebrated in New Delhi on September 25: The 50th anniversary of the Directorate of Naval Design.
Kashmir floods: The army gains where media fails
Rediff.com16 Sep 2014The stage on which the Jammu and Kashmir flood disaster played out is littered with protagonists, most of whom did not receive the attention they deserve, says Ajai Shukla
Kashmir floods: The army gains where media fails
Rediff.com16 Sep 2014The stage on which the Jammu and Kashmir flood disaster played out is littered with protagonists, most of whom did not receive the attention they deserve, says Ajai Shukla
Does IAF need this self-congratulatory nonsense?
Rediff.com2 Sep 2014'As the IAF kicks off another round of myth-making -- launching a year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan war -- it is worth remembering how little there was to celebrate in those September days when the underdog PAF got the better of the IAF in raid after raid, dogfight after dogfight.'
Indo, Pak auto parts makers join hands to boost trade
Rediff.com27 Aug 2014With the Indo-Pak dialogue in tatters and the respective armies exchanging fire across the Line of Control, an unexpected opportunity has presented itself for boosting trade between the two countries.
India's building a new naval base near Visakhapatnam
Rediff.com27 Aug 2014The Bay of Bengal base will house nuclear submarines and aircraft carrier
Has Imran Khan bitten off more than he can chew?
Rediff.com19 Aug 2014Both Messrs Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri claim to march independently, but most of Pakistan believes they are marching to the Army's tune
Naval exercises lead up to high-level US-India visits
Rediff.com29 Jul 2014In the lead up to this week Indo-US Strategic Dialogue, for which United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, will be coming to Delhi, the Indo-US defence engagement is even more intense than usual.
Tri-service military command takes a step forward
Rediff.com28 Jun 2014Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday laid the foundation stone for the Headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff
Divided CII opts for 49% defence FDI limit
Rediff.com25 Jun 2014Several CII defence committee members confirm this is now the official CII position, which conforms to that of industry bodies, Ficci and Assocham.
Will Mr Jaitley bite the 'swadeshi' bullet?
Rediff.com24 Jun 2014What the new defence minister does with the Rafale fighter jet deal will decide if India wants to build genuine, long-term defence capability through an indigenous product that slashes life-cycle costs, or opt for glitzy signing ceremony with foreign vendors that would please the public, says Ajai Shukla.
Jaitley hints at raising defence FDI cap
Rediff.com28 May 2014Arun Jaitley has clarified his custodianship of 3 ministries - finance, corporate affairs and defence.
Pressing the reset button in MoD
Rediff.com27 May 2014Defence Secretary R K Mathur should take to Prime Minister Narendra Modi just five simple measures that would create or catalyse dramatic improvements across the wider defence arena, says Ajai Shukla.
Why India's defence planning is a no-brainer
Rediff.com13 May 2014The defence ministry has signed off on a national security plan that it cannot fund. Ajai Shukla reports
Astra missile debuts from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter
Rediff.com5 May 2014A fighter aircraft's lethality in air-to-air combat is governed by the air-to-air missile that it carries. Since the Independence, the Indian Air Force has mounted French, Russian and British missiles on its fighters. On Sunday, an IAF Sukhoi-30MKI fighter conducted the first test launch of the indigenous Astra air-to-air missile, which the Defence R&D Organisation is developing at its missile cluster in Hyderabad.
New govt needs new nuclear policy and posture
Rediff.com29 Apr 2014The new government must initiate a comprehensive review of India's nuclear weapons doctrine and posture. Ajai Shukla explains
Arms acquisitions languish without funds or coordination
Rediff.com4 Feb 2014India's cumbersome arms procurement procedures and a plodding Ministry of Defence bureaucracy have long been blamed for shortfalls in combat capability. Now there is another, more worrying, reason - a growing crisis of funds, magnified by the lack of tri-service coordination.