TROPEX-23: Indian Navy Completes Four-month-long War Exercise
Every second year, the Indian Navy sails out to sea and conducts a major battle exercise to verify that it is ready in all respects for war. This year's (2023) exercise, called the "Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise for 2023" (TROPEX-23), culminated in the Arabian Sea after running for four months from November 2022 to March 2023.
Set in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the exercise extended approximately 4,300 nautical miles north to south up to 35 degrees South and 5,000 nautical miles from the Persian Gulf to the northern coast of Australia, extending over 21 million square nautical miles.
TROPEX-23 witnessed the participation of approximately 70 Indian Navy ships, six submarines and over 75 aircraft.
Mar 11, 2023
Australia to Buy US Made Nuclear-powered Submarines
Australia will purchase U.S.-manufactured, nuclear-powered attack submarines to modernise its fleet, amid growing concerns about China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The purchase agreement for Virginia-class submarines will be announced when President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet in San Diego for talks on the 18-month-old nuclear partnership known by the acronym AUKUS.
The AUKUS agreement, announced in 2021, paved the way for Australia to get access to nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered boats.
Mar 10, 2023
Col Geeta Rana Becomes 1st Woman Officer to Command Key Unit Near India-China Border
Colonel Geeta Rana of Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers became the first woman officer to take over command of an Independent Field Workshop in a forward and remote location in Eastern Ladakh.
The officer took over the command of the EME independent workshop after the Army cleared 108 vacancies for women officers for taking command of independent units in the Corps of Engineers, Ordinance, EME and other branches.
The women officers clearing the boards would be given command roles and they could also be considered for future promotions also to higher ranks in the force.
Mar 09, 2023
Indian Navy Successfully Tests MRSAM from INS Visakhapatnam
The Indian Navy carried out a successful test-firing of a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) from frontline warship INS Visakhapatnam.
The test firing validated the capability to engage the weapon as an anti-ship missile.
The MRSAM has been jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and produced at Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), reflecting the Navy's commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Four Hundred Tribals from Chhattisgarh to be Inducted into CRPF
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) selected a fresh batch of 400 tribal youths hailing from the interior areas of Naxal-hit Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh for appointment as constables as part of a special recruitment drive.
The fresh recruits would be mostly part of the Bastariya battalion, named after the erstwhile undivided Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Several hundred such local tribal youths had already been deployed by the CRPF after training.
The announcement for raising the Bastariya battalion was made by the Centre in 2016. The personnel were drawn largely from the Bastar region and are deployed to carry out anti-Maoists operations in Chhattisgarh.
Mar 08, 2023
In a First, IAF Assigns Woman Officer to Take Charge of Combat Unit
The Indian Air Force selected Group Captain Shaliza Dhami to take over command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector, breaking the glass ceiling. For the first time ever in the IAF's history, a woman officer has been given command of a frontline combat unit - in this case, a missile squadron in the Western sector.
Group Captain Dhami was commissioned in the year 2003 as a helicopter pilot and has over 2,800 hours of flying experience. A Qualified Flying Instructor, she has served as Flight Commander of a Helicopter Unit in the Western sector.
Indo-France Joint Military Exercise FRINJEX-2023 Held at Thiruvananthapuram
The maiden joint military exercise FRINJEX-23 between Indian Army and French Army was conducted at Pangode Military Station in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram on March 7-8, 2023.
It is for the first time that the armies of both nations engaged in this format with each contingent comprising a Company Group each from the Thiruvananthapuram-based Indian Army troops and French 6th Light Armoured Brigade.
The exercise was aimed at enhancing inter-operability, coordination and cooperation between both forces at the tactical level. The scope of the exercise involved the establishment and operationalisation of a joint command post to secure an envisaged area for undertaking joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, establishing an Internally Displaced Population (IDP) camp and move of disaster relief material.