In evolving warfare, quantitative numbers do not provide an effective measurement of a country’s capabilities. The real metric is how well these capacities are linked and aligned across domains. India is slowly adapting to this reality, as its recent developments in defence are more focused on network-centric operations, such as surveillance, air defence, unmanned systems, electronic warfare and command-and-control architecture.
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The 18th BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi on 12-13 September is a challenging time for the grouping. BRICS used to be mainly about economic cooperation but has now expanded to also include political coordination and global governance. Its expansion has increased its global weight while deepening geopolitical divisions. The Iran-Israel-US clash has brought the cleavages to the fore, challenging India’s capacity to forge consensus among the growing diversity of its members.
The existing Confidence building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan are no longer sufficient to control the future of arms control in South Asia, considering the threats posed by the emerging technologies. These CBMs were designed to maintain strategic stability in South Asia characterized by single role delivery systems.
The lunar South Pole has emerged as a major focus of international space exploration due to its scientific potential. In view of this, Pakistan has also decided to send its own scientific mission there. The country’s first indigenous lunar rover, “Jinnah-1,” will head to the Moon’s South Pole in 2029 aboard China’s Chang’e-8 mission.
The global trend in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations is moving towards stealthy, discrete and agile platforms. As India – the largest importer of major arms globally for its military modernization – disrupts and threatens the fragile stability of regional security architecture of South Asia.
In mid-2026, two developments occurred to alter the terms on which India’s nuclear programme could be assessed. First, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced technical readiness to begin full-scale development of the Agni-VI, a four stage,MIRV-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a projected range of 10,000-12,000 kilometres.
Deterrence relies on military capability, but its effect is psychological. Nuclear weapons, missile defences, alliances and conventional forces shape how an adversary assesses the risks and costs of aggression. Bernard Brodie placed credible retaliation at the centre of nuclear deterrence, arguing that military power in the nuclear age should prevent war rather than win it.
During the May 2025 crisis, the confrontation between India and Pakistan had remain limited to land and air domains, while in the naval domain it was only limited to signaling and positioning and not an active combat. During the start of conflict, India deployed its naval aircraft carrier INS Vikrant for four days in the Arabian Sea but later moved it back to its base in Karnataka.
Pakistan-India’s crises, since 1998, demonstrate compelling evidence that nuclear weapons have not prevented small scale conflicts in South Asia. Most importantly, the May 2025 crisis evolved into the most serious military standoff since the 1971 war, in which for the first time, both countries exchanged missile strikes against each other’s counterforce targets across the international borders.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye marks an important shift in regional security cooperation. The three countries have agreed to support one another without defining a permanent threat. Each state will retain its existing alliances, partnerships, and foreign-policy priorities.
