In Our Defence India Today Podcasts

In the heat of election season, a recent report from The Guardian has sparked controversy. It claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office ordered assassinations in Pakistan, as revealed by Indian and Pakistani intelligence sources.

According to the report, the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), an agency that PM Modi's office directly controls, had undertaken the strategy to "eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil".

However, the report contained many glaring errors, not only grammatically but factually, too. So, has the Guardian done PM Modi a favour? Or has it put India "into trouble"?

There's a paradox: India wants to embrace The Guardian's story politically but deny it diplomatically. Has India admitted to carrying out killings in Pakistan?

Host Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor decode.

**Revisit our earlier episode about mysterious deaths, possibly linked to an unidentified Indian hit squad here: 

Listen in!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

This week, China released a fresh list of 'renamed' places in Arunachal Pradesh. This was yet another attempt by Beijing to assert its claim over the north-eastern Indian state that for long China has claimed to be its "integral part". India called China's move to rename the places "senseless", saying, "Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.

The development brings into focus the fact that Arunachal Pradesh is, and has been, a core subject of India-China tensions. On this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and defence expert and senior journalist Shiv Aroor trace the history of tensions between India and China over Arunachal Pradesh.

The two revisit the 1962 war, where India suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Chinese army, a defeat that was particularly humiliating in the Arunachal Pradesh, then known as the North-East Frontier Agency, sector. They discuss the lessons learnt from the war and where things stand today.

Also on the episode is a dive into why dealing with China - militarily or diplomatically - is such a challenge and, at times, frustrating. Tune in.

Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, former chief of Air Staff, recently made headlines by joining the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, former Army Chief, General VK Singh, had also joined the party before the Lok Sabha elections. He had cited the BJP as the "only party" in India embodying nationalism, and not only did he join the party but he also clinched a ministerial role.

In this episode, host Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor discuss the trend of ex-military chiefs entering politics.
What's the deal with the intersection of military and politics? Is it concerning? Shiv brings up a crucial point: While many retired military figures, such as ex-chief of army staff Dalbir Singh Suhag, have landed government roles after retirement, joining a political party is a whole different ball game.

India is a democracy, and individuals are entitled to exercise their constitutional rights. Yet, does this trend hint at a bias? What happens when military and politics overlap? Does political influence cloud military judgment?

These are weighty questions that Dev and Shiv delve into, recounting Gen VK Singh's Singh's court case against the UPA government. What was it? Tune in to know!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

Ever wondered what a high-tech futuristic modern war would look like, especially with Artifical Intelligence coming in? Where might conflicts arise, and who will be involved? How will these wars unfold, and what technologies will shape them?

On this episode, host Dev Goswami and defence expert Shiv Aroor try to visualise the multifaceted nature of future warfare, from economic tactics to space militarisation and beyond.

Shiv suggests that the current India-China standoff is just a glimpse of future wars, emphasising the role of kinetic weapons and advanced weaponry in potential conflicts.

The two also venture into a theoretical and hypothetical example of what an Indian liberation of Tibet would look like.

Listen in as the duo creates a fearful scenario of the potential realities of tomorrow's battlefield.

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

From an ambitious fighter jet project to a landmark missile test, the last few days marked important milestones for the nation’s defence. India test-launched the nuclear capable Agni-V missile in a ‘multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle’, or MIRV, avatar. Just days before, the government gave the all-clear for the development of the AMCA, or Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, a fifth-generation fighter jet that will feature cutting-edge technology.

On this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and Defence expert Shiv Aroor discuss these two projects and what they mean for the Indian Air force and the country’s nuclear arsenal. The two also briefly discuss the unfortunate crash of the Tejas fighter jet, the first in its service history.

Tune in!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

This week, the Indian Navy made significant moves. They officially launched the first squadron of MH 60R Seahawk helicopters, boosting their surveillance and combat abilities at sea. The commissioning ceremony for the INAS 334 'Seahawks' naval air squadron took place at INS Garuda in Kochi.

In addition, India opened a new naval base on Minicoy Island in the Indian Ocean, near the Maldives, amidst strained relations. This base, INS Jatayu, is strategically important, being India's furthest western base and around 125 km from the Maldives.

In this episode, host Dev Goswami and defense expert Shiv Aroor, discuss these developments and the significance of Lakshadweep for the Indian Navy. Why is it that Andaman and Nicobar islands have been given a greater focus than Lakshadweep, an archipelago who has always had a limited military presence? How timely is the establishment of the new navy base on the archipelago? And in the midst of this, how does Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, come into the picture? Well, tune in to find out!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh