The Indian Army has asked its personnel to stop using the highly popular messaging app, WhatsApp after a number of unsigned messages showed up on social media sites following the Uri encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. According to national news network NDTV, these messages are thought to have been widely circulated on WhatsApp by serving officers, possibly an indicator of discontentment with PM Modi's remarks on Monday where he is accused by the opposition of politicising the Budgam shootout where two innocent young men had been shot dead by the Army
Money allocated for modernization of the Indian Armed Forces has fallen short of requirement during fiscal 2014-15. According to figures presented before the Indian parliament earlier this week, the projections for the army, navy and air force are INR 33,167
Aircraft crashes in the Indian Air Force (IAF) have shown a declining trend over the last three years. From a high of 30 in fiscal 2011-12, they have declined to 6 in 2012-13 and an equal number in 2013-14
Indias Defense Acquisition Council met for the first time under the new Defense Minister, Manohar Parrikar, on Saturday and cleared a proposal to procure 814 artillery guns worth $2.5 billion
Canada has decided to extend the service life of its aging fleet of CF-18 Hornet fighters affecting the prospects of Lockheed Martin and Boeing selling their latest fighters such as the F-35 and F/A-18 in jeopardy. Canada said in September that it would extend the life of its fighters to 2025 from the previous 2020 end-date
Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Salaheddine Mezouarannounced today that Morocco will provide direct military, operational and intelligence support to the United Arab Emirates to assist in its fight against terrorism as part of a bilateral military cooperation agreement between the two countries. "Morocco will give its active support to the United Arab Emirates in their fight against terrorism and for the preservation of regional and international peace and stability," and "the contribution presented by the Kingdom of Morocco will focus on operational military and intelligence aspects," read the Foreign Ministry statement
Swedens new government has earmarked the closure of its Defense and Security Export Agency Försvarsexportmyndigheten (FXM), the coalition said in a statement on September 30. Officials said they "agree that arms export controls over non-democracies will be tightened, including follow-on deliveries and consulting services
Lebanon is reportedly in talks with Russia to buy weaponry and special equipment sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Lebanese Interior and Municipalities Minister Nouhad Machnouk told International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya. "There are talks on buying Russian arms and special equipment by Lebanon … there will be a lot of positions
Arms deals that come with hefty price tags are being cancelled in growing numbers with governments preferring to procure weapons for lower costs or develop them indigenously. Earlier this year, India cancelled a $650 million deal with BAE Systems for the procurement of M-777 howitzers
Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes said on Wednesday that his country will send a Patriot anti-ballistic missile battery to Turkey's southern border with Syria as part of a NATO initiative replacing the Netherlands' contribution to the deployment. The announcement comes soon after the Netherlands said it no longer had the resources to keep its batteries deployed, and will end its contribution to the initiative at the end of January 2015, according to Reuters