https://www.scmp.com/rss/523128/feed The latest news and top stories on Rajnath Singh, India’s Defence Minister, a role he assumed in 2019 and was reappointed to in 2024. His career includes Union Home Minister, twice as President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh state. He has championed indigenous military production through ’Make in India’ initiatives, significantly boosting defence exports and modernising the armed forces. His responsibilities involved enhancing border infrastructure and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Gaurav Kumar Gaurav Kumar In 2025, India approved a number of major defence packages, together worth US$30 billion. Such rapid procurement approvals are relatively rare by Indian standards. However, what they signal to the region will depend less on such announcements and more on actual outcomes. To some observers, especially after India’s four-day clash with Pakistan during what the former called “Operation Sindoor” last May, the surge appears to mark the start of a regional arms race. That interpretation is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3339491/india-fuelling-arms-race-asia-or-closing-deterrence-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3339491/india-fuelling-arms-race-asia-or-closing-deterrence-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India and Indonesia are close to finalising a US$450 million sale of BrahMos missiles, in a deal analysts say could give Southeast Asia a long-sought alternative to dependence on the US or China. The deal, discussed last Thursday during the third India–Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue co-chaired by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, would make Indonesia only the second Southeast Asian country after the Philippines to acquire the missile... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334719/indias-looming-us450-million-brahmos-deal-indonesia-challenges-us-china-binary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334719/indias-looming-us450-million-brahmos-deal-indonesia-challenges-us-china-binary?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 04:30:10 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India and the United States have renewed a 10-year defence framework, reaffirming their strategic partnership despite simmering tensions over trade and Delhi’s deepening defence ties with Russia. The timing of the signing has put a spotlight on the balancing act required to maintain India–US defence ties, in which Delhi’s pursuit of American weapon systems is complicated by its deepening military dependence on Moscow, according to analysts. The agreement was signed on Friday in Kuala Lumpur by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331091/why-india-maintains-balancing-act-between-us-and-russia-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331091/why-india-maintains-balancing-act-between-us-and-russia-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:38:59 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said military ties with India have “never been stronger” following a meeting with his counterpart Rajnath Singh, signalling that trade tensions have not affected broader strategic cooperation. During the Friday meeting, the two renewed a 10-year defence framework, with Hegseth calling the India-US partnership “one of the most consequential” in the world. This was their first in-person meeting and took place on the sidelines of a gathering of defence chiefs from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3331048/us-india-open-new-doors-ties-after-sealing-ambitious-defence-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3331048/us-india-open-new-doors-ties-after-sealing-ambitious-defence-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:21:52 +0000 Yuanyue Dang,Seong Hyeon Choi Yuanyue Dang,Seong Hyeon Choi Beijing is likely to view the growing defence cooperation between India, South Korea and Australia as a strategic effort to contain China in the Indo-Pacific, according to analysts. They said closer defence ties between the three reflected concerns over a possible security vacuum in case the United States reduced its military presence in the region. The Indian naval vessel Sahyadri docked at Busan naval port in South Korea on October 13, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329978/counterweight-or-containment-how-china-views-defence-ties-between-asia-pacific-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329978/counterweight-or-containment-how-china-views-defence-ties-between-asia-pacific-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse India on Thursday signed a US$7 billion order for 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets as its air force retires its outgoing Russian MiG-21 jets after decades of use. The first Tejas jets – meaning “brilliance” in Hindi – were commissioned into the air force in 2016, with the latest commission for the fourth-generation version of the fighter, Mk-1A. India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made repeated pushes... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3326889/india-ramps-local-arms-production-us7-billion-fighter-jet-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3326889/india-ramps-local-arms-production-us7-billion-fighter-jet-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 13:22:45 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India is finally set to induct its first two Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets later this month, replacing its ageing MiG-21 fleet after decades of delays and marking a milestone in its bid for military self-reliance, but analysts warn overreliance on foreign engines and production bottlenecks remain pressing concerns. Defence Secretary RK Singh announced the coming delivery on Saturday during a summit in New Delhi, describing it as part of a broader effort to build indigenous defence capabilities. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324066/indias-military-self-reliance-dream-takes-flight-first-tejas-mark-1a-jet-deliveries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324066/indias-military-self-reliance-dream-takes-flight-first-tejas-mark-1a-jet-deliveries?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:30:09 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju As India shores up military upgrades with a 670 billion rupee (US$8.7 billion) defence package after its clash with Pakistan in Operation Sindoor, observers say New Delhi should be more transparent in its scope of foreign-bought equipment amid a push for self-reliance. The latest security splurge was approved on August 5 by the Defence Acquisition Council, under Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, aimed at delivering defence equipment across the army, navy and air force. The package will come under... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321470/indias-us87-billion-defence-splurge-sparks-calls-clarity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321470/indias-us87-billion-defence-splurge-sparks-calls-clarity?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:20:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters India’s defence minister said on Monday that New Delhi had ended its military conflict with Pakistan in May as it had met all its objectives and had not responded to pressure, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s claim that he brokered the truce. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was speaking at the opening of a discussion in parliament on the April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir, in which 26 men were killed. The attack led to a fierce, four-day military conflict with Pakistan in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3319894/defence-minister-slams-baseless-claim-india-bowed-pressure-end-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3319894/defence-minister-slams-baseless-claim-india-bowed-pressure-end-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:55:35 +0000 Aparna Divya Aparna Divya The recent handshake between Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing is more than a symbolic gesture. It reflects a cautious attempt to compensate for years of silence between the two Asian giants. As Jaishankar’s first visit to China since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, it can be seen as an inflection point in India-China relations. There was a flurry of China-India re-engagement following the 2024 border agreement, which allowed for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3318952/china-and-india-perform-balancing-act-breakthrough-possible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3318952/china-and-india-perform-balancing-act-breakthrough-possible?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system has reportedly drawn interest from at least 15 countries spanning from Asia to South America after its use in cross-border strikes against Pakistan enhanced the global profile of the Indian weapons industry. While security experts acknowledge the growing clout of the industry, they say sustaining this momentum would require broader expertise, less reliance on foreign technology and more supportive policies to realise India’s potential as a global... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318809/india-gets-global-buyer-interest-brahmos-missile-asia-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318809/india-gets-global-buyer-interest-brahmos-missile-asia-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 08:30:14 +0000 Kawala Xie Kawala Xie Last month’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence meeting served not only as a curtain-raiser for the bloc’s summit in the autumn, but also as a test of Beijing’s broader ambition to promote a Global South-empowered multipolar world order. Like Brics – the grouping of developing countries established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – the Global South-oriented SCO is a showcase for China’s home-ground diplomacy. Beijing has increasingly relied on these platforms to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317031/can-india-block-chinas-leadership-global-south-based-alliances-sco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317031/can-india-block-chinas-leadership-global-south-based-alliances-sco?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 22:00:12 +0000