1. President Murmu approves 412 Gallantry Awards to Armed Forces personnel
President Droupadi Murmu on 25 January approved 412 Gallantry awards, including six Kirti Chakras and 15 Shaurya Chakras for Armed Forces personnel and others on the eve of the 74th Republic Day.
An overview of the news
These include six Kirti Chakras, including four posthumous, and 15 Shaurya Chakras including two posthumous.
These include one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 92 Sena Medals, including four posthumous, one Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), seven Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry) and 29 Param Vishisht Seva Medals.
The Kirti Chakra is India's second highest gallantry award after the Ashoka Chakra. The Shaurya Chakra is the country's third highest gallantry award.
The President has also awarded the President's Tatrakshak Medal to Indian Coast Guard personnel for conspicuous gallantry, exceptional devotion to duty and distinguished service.
Kirti Chakra Awardees
Major Shubhang of the Dogra Regiment from Indian Army
Naik Jitendra Singh of the Rajput Regiment from Indian Army
Jammu and Kashmir police constable Rohit Kumar (Posthumous)
Sub Inspector Deepak Bhardwaj (Posthumous)
Head constable Sodhi Narayan (Posthumous)
Head constable Shrawan Kashyap (Posthumous)
Shaurya Chakra Awardees
Major Aditya Bhadauria, Kumaon Regiment, Indian Army
Captain Arun Kumar, Kumaun Regiment, Indian Army
Captain Yudhvir Singh, mechanised infantry, Indian Army
Captain Rakesh TR, Parachute Regiment, Indian Army
Naik Jasbir Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Indian Army (Posthumous)
Naik Vikas Choudhary, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, (Posthumous)
Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, Jammu and Kashmir Police
Group Captain Yogeshwar Krishnarao Kandalkar, Air Force
Flight Lieutenant Tejpal, Air Force
Squadron leader Sandeep Kumar Jhajhria, Air Force
Corporal Anand Singh, Air Force
Leading aircraftman Sunil Kumar, Air Force
Assistant Commandant Satendra Singh
Deputy Commandant Vikki Kumar Pandey
Constable Vijay Oraon
Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry)
Major Rakesh Kumar, Indian Army
Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry)
Late CDR Nishant Singh (Posthumous), Navy
Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry)
Wing Commander Sumedh Ashok Jamkar, Air Force
Squadron leader Krishna Kumar Singh, Air Force
Junior Warrant officer Srikanth Bonam, Air Force
Sergeant Pankaj Kumar Rana, Air Force
Corporal Satendra Kumar, Air Force
Corporal Anthony Mang Kham, Air Force
Leading Aircraftman Ravinder Singh, Air Force
Uttam Yudh Sewa Medal
Lieutenant General Ram Chander Tiwari, Indian Army
Lieutenant General Anindiya Sengupta, Indian Army
Lieutenant General Amardeep Singh Aujla, Indian Army
2. The largest biennial exercise of the three services 'AMPEX' 2023 organised
Tags: Defence
The biggest tri-services exercise 'AMPEX' 2023 was conducted from January 17 - 22 near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
An overview of the news
Troops of the Indian Army, warships of the Indian Navy and aircraft of the Air Force participated during the five-day exercise.
The aim of this war exercise was to showcase India's capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of its areas including better coordination between the three services and enhance joint war fighting capabilities.
The exercise included Air Entry of Naval Marine Commandos, Air Entry of Army Special Forces, Naval Gunfire Support, Follow up operations like landing of troops from land, air and water.
The last edition of the exercise was conducted off Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 21 to 25 January 2021.
Chief of the Three Armies
Army Chief - General Manoj Pandey
Chief of the Air Staff – Air Marshal Vivek Ram Choudhary
Navy Chief – Admiral R Hari Kumar
Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) - Lt Gen Anil Chauhan
3. Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumes command of the IAF Western Command
Tags: Defence Person in news
Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumed command of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command on 01 January 2023.
The Air Marshal is a graduate of National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot in June 1985. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.
Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha succeeds Air Marshal S Prabhakaran who superannuated on 31 December 2022 after putting in more than 39 years of distinguished service in the IAF.
Indian Air force and its command structure
It was set up on 8 October 1932. It comes under the Union Defence Ministry.
President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force.
Every year October 8 is observed as Air Force Day.
Chief of Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
Command structure of the Indian Air Force
Serial No | Command | Headquarters |
1 | Western Air Command | Delhi |
2 | South-Western Air Command | Gandhinagar |
3 | Central Air Command | Prayagraj |
4 | Eastern Air Command | Shillong |
5 | Southern Air Command | Thiruvananthapuram |
6 | Training Command | Bengaluru |
7 | Maintenance Command | Nagpur |
4. 2022 Navy Day to be celebrated at Visakhapatnam
Tags: place in news Defence
The Indian Navy will hold its annual Navy Day celebration 2022 at Visakhapatnam as per the Prime Minister's vision to move significant events and festivities out of the national capital.
The Indian Air Force Day which is observed on 8 October was held for the first time outside Delhi in Chandigarh. The Indian Army has also announced that the Next Army Day parade 2023 will be held outside New Delhi in the Army’s Southern Command area on 15 January 2023.
The Navy Day which is observed on 4 December every year is usually held in New Delhi in presence of the Commander in Chief, President of India.
This year for the first time it will be held outside New Delhi. This year the Indian Navy is all set to demonstrate India’s combat prowess and capability through an ‘Operational Demonstration’ at Visakhapatnam on 04 December 2022.
Navy Day is observed on 4 December to commemorate Operation Trident of the Indian Navy launched on 4 December 1971 to block the Karachi port of Pakistan and cripple its war effort against India. It was a highly successful mission.
Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral R Hari Kumar
5. Rajnath Singh co-chairs 4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with French Minister Sebastien Lecornu in New Delhi
Tags: place in news Defence Person in news
The Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the visiting French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu jointly chaired the 4th India France Annual Defence Dialogue in New Delhi on 28 November 2022. Sebastien Lecornu is also scheduled to meet the External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval today.
The French defence minister who is officially known as Minister for the Armed Forces is on a two day (27-28 November) visit to India to strengthen the bilateral defence ties with India. It is his first official visit to India.
On 27 November 2022 Sebastien Lecornu visited the Southern Naval Command Headquarters at Kochi and saw India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
According to the Defence Ministry, India and France have close and friendly relations. In 1998, the two countries entered into Strategic Partnership, marking convergence of their views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship.
The areas of Defence & Security cooperation, Space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute the principal pillars of India’s Strategic Partnership with France.
India and France military exercises.
The 20th Indian and French navy’s joint exercise “VARUNA” was conducted in the Arabian Sea from 30 March to 3 April 2022.
The 'Garuda VIl' exercise was held from 26 October to 12 November 2022 at Air Force Station Jodhpur.
6. IAF Air Fest 2022 organised at Vayusena Nagar in Nagpur
Tags: place in news Defence
The Indian Air Force annual show, Air Fest 2022 commenced with a visually stunning and breath-taking performances of the Air Force’s planes & helicopters at Headquarters Maintenance Command, Vayusena Nagar in Nagpur on 19 November 2022.
The Air Fest is being conducted as a part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. The objective of the Air Fest is to showcase various facets of the Indian Air Force and motivate the youth of Nagpur to choose the Indian Air Force for an exciting career.
Indian Air Force and its command structure
It was set up on 8 October 1932. It comes under the Union Defence Ministry.
President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force.
Every year October 8 is observed as Air Force Day.
Chief of Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
Command structure of the Indian Air Force
Serial No | Command | Headquarters |
1 | Western Air Command | Delhi |
2 | South-Western Air Command | Gandhinagar |
3 | Central Air Command | Prayagraj |
4 | Eastern Air Command | Shillong |
5 | Southern Air Command | Thiruvananthapuram |
6 | Training Command | Bengaluru |
7 | Maintenance Command | Nagpur |
7. Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande embarks on 4-day official visit to France
Tags: Defence Person in news
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande left on a 4 day (14-17 November) official visit to France on 14 November 2022. General Pande will hold a meeting with his French counterparts and senior military leadership with the aim to strengthen defence ties between the two nations.
His visit is aimed to give impetus to the ever growing Indo-French defence ties. During his visit he will lay a wreath at Neuve Chapelle Indian Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifices of 4,742 Indian soldiers during the First World War.
Earlier on November 7, Army Chief General Manoj Pande held a meeting with French Chief of Staff of Air and Space Force, General Stephane Mille. During the meeting, both sides discussed various aspects of defence cooperation between France and India.
The seventh edition of the bilateral exercise between the Indian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force,' Exercise Garuda-VII' concluded at Air Force Station in Jodhpur on 12 November 2022.
General Manoj Pande is the 29th Chief of Army Staff in India .He is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Chief of Army.
8. Second edition of Naval Commanders' Conference
Tags: Defence National News
The second edition of Naval Commanders' Conference of 2022 begins on 1 November, 2022 in New Delhi.
Important facts
During the four-day conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address and interact with naval commanders on matters related to national security.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and the Chiefs of Indian Army and Indian Air Force will also interact with the Naval Commanders.
During the conference, the Chief of Naval Staff, along with other Naval Commanders, will review major operations, material, logistics, human resource development, training and administrative activities undertaken by the Indian Navy over the past few months.
They will deliberate on plans for important future activities and initiatives.
The conference will also focus on the dynamics of the geo-strategic situation in the region and the Navy's readiness to deal with it.
Chief of Defence Staff - General Anil Chauhan
Chief of Indian Air Force - V. R. Chaudhari
Chief of Indian Army - General Manoj Pande
Chief of Indian Navy - Admiral R Hari Kumar
9. Shaurya Diwas celebrated in Srinagar
Tags: place in news Defence
The Defence ministry organised the ‘Shaurya Diwas’ celebrations in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) on October 27, 2022 to commemorate the 75th year of air landed operations of the Indian Army at Budgam Airport in 1947.
The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the Chief Guest at the Shaurya Diwas’ celebrations. The event was organised as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
Background to the Day
On October 27, 1947, the Indian Army was air-lifted by the Indian Air Force and landed at the Budgam Airport to evict the Pakistani backed Tribal invaders from J&K, a day after the ‘Instrument of Accession’ was signed between Maharaja Hari Singh and the Republic of India.
Infantry Day
27th October is also observed by the Indian Army as ‘Infantry Day’. It was on this day in 1947 that Infantry-men from the Indian Army became the first troops to land at Srinagar airport.
Speaking on the occasion Rajnath Singh paid rich tribute to the courage and valour of the first Param Vir Chakra recipient, Major Somnath Sharma, who despite being injured led a company & saved the Srinagar airfield. This enabled the Indian to land its forces in Jammu and Kashmir and saved the state from falling into Pakistan’s hand.
He also paid glowing tributes to the bravery of other Gallantry award winners such as Brigadier Rajinder Singh and Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai, who gave away their lives to protect the motherland.
10. Army Day Parade 2023 to be held in Bengaluru
Tags: place in news Defence
The Indian Army has announced that the annual Army Day Parade 2023 will be held on 15 January in Bengaluru, Karnataka as per the Prime Minister's vision to move significant events and festivities out of the national capital.
Army Day is observed every year on 15 January and till date it was held in New Delhi.
Recently for the first time the Air Force Day and flypast was held in Chandigarh on 8 October.
Indian Army Day
It was on this day that for the first time an Indian took over the command of the Indian Army from the Britishers.
On 15 January, 1949 Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa (K. M. Cariappa), took over as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from General Francis Robert Roy Bucher.
Current Chief of Army Staff : General Manoj Pande
