1.India condemns Asim Munir’s N sabre rattling 

India responded firmly to the provocative statements given by Asim Munir. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Monday condemned the  remarks made by Pakistan’s chief of army staff Asim Munir during his visit to the United States, terming them “nuclear sabre-rattling” and a sign of the Pakistani military’s dangerous mindset.

The MEA said such comments raised doubts about Pakistan’s nuclear command and control, “particularly in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups.” The ministry called it “regrettable” that these threats were made on the soil of a friendly third country.

The MEA statement said “India will not give in to nuclear blackmail and will take all steps necessary to safeguard national security.”

2.Two players to get 30,000 UAV order

A Rs 30,000 crore deal to supply long range drones to the armed forces is set to unlock India’s UAV manufacturing ecosystem. The Rajnath Singh led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) recently gave the armed forces the go ahead to procure 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones that are to be made indigenously.

The order is to be split between two players, creating distinct production lines that can cater for larger orders in the future, besides exports.

The drones will carry out a variety of tasks, including reconnaissance, electronic warfare and precision missile strikes. The armed forces will shortly come out with an Expression of Interest (EOI) document, inviting Indian companies to bid for the contract, following which trials will be carried out before reaching the final stage of commercial negotiations.

3. Asim Munir threatens nuclear war 

Pakistan army chief Air Marshall Asim Munir has threatened nuclear war. ‘We are a nuclear nation, if we think we are going down, we will take half the world down with us’. Munir said, addressing the Pakistani diaspora at Florida in the US. Munir repeated his anti-India rhetoric of Kashmir being Pakistan's "jugular vein”. 

Munir said Kashmir is "not an internal matter of India but an incomplete international agenda. He said Kashmir is the 'jugular vein' of Pakistan.”

Munir, has threatened India that his country would target dams with missiles if the Indus Waters Treaty remains suspended, a report by The Print stated. Munir told the diaspora that “We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, phir 10 missiles sey faarigh kar dengey [we will destroy it with 10 missiles].”

The Indus river is not the Indians’ family property. Humein missilon ki kami nahin hai, al-Hamdulillah [we have no shortage of missiles, Praise be to God],” he said.

The remarks were delivered at a black-tie dinner hosted by Adnan Asad, Pakistan’s honorary consul in Tampa. The event was attended by around 120 Florida-based members of the Pakistani diaspora. Guests were prohibited from carrying mobile phones or digital devices into the venue, and no official transcript of the speech was released.

The Pakistani army chief is currently on a visit to the US, his second in as many months. 

4. Kulgam encounter enters 10th day: fresh encounter starts in Kishtwar

A fresh encounter started in Kishtwar district of Jammu on Sunday even as the ongoing encounter in Kulgam district of southern Kashmir entered its 10th day.

Army officials said they had launched a search operation in the Dool area of Kishtwar following specific information on the presence of infiltrators. They said the infiltrators in the forest area opened fire at the forces which triggered an exchange which continued intermittently till evening. "Alert troops, while carrying out an intelligence-based operation, have established contact with terrorists in the early hours of 10 August 2025. Gunfire was exchanged. Operation under progress," the Indian Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a statement.

5. Netanyahu doubles down as Israel plans final push to crush Hamas strongholds in Gaza city

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly defended his government’s plan to seize control of Gaza City and eliminate the last remaining Hamas strongholds, calling it “the best way to end the war” swiftly.

Speaking on Sunday August 10, 2025 in Jerusalem, Netanyahu outlined a “fairly short timetable” for the operation, which aims to dismantle Hamas’s hold on Gaza City and the central camps, while creating safe passages for civilians to escape the fighting.

With roughly 70 to 75 percent of Gaza already under Israeli military control, Netanyahu insisted that completing the defeat of Hamas was unavoidable. “We have two remaining strongholds: Gaza City and the central camps in Al Mawasi,” he said, emphasizing that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job.”

6. 6 Pakistani aircraft shot down by Indian Air Force says IAF Chief

Six Pakistani aircraft - including five fighter jets and another large aircraft - were downed during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force has confirmed, in their first big revelation on the extent of damage caused to the Pakistani side during the mega military offensive.

The "big bird" that was downed was an AEW&C (airborne early warning and control system), the loss of which dealt a massive blow to Pakistan's air strength during the May 7 operation after the Pahalgam attack. Besides the six aircraft that were hit mid-air, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh also confirmed the losses that the Pakistan Air Force suffered on the ground in the aerial strikes at Pakistan airbases. 

"We have five confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT or an AEW&C aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of 300 kms. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about," the Air Chief Marshal said at the 16th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Lecture in Bengaluru on August 9.

7. MoD releases RFI for 200 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters

The Indian army is set to replace the aging Chetak and Cheetah helicopters with modern light helicopters, the defence ministry indicated on Friday.

The ministry issued a request for information (RFI) for 200 modern light helicopters, also known as reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters (RSH).According to the RFI, 120 of them are supposed to serve the army and the rest 80 will serve the Air Force.

The RFI mentions the technical requirements and identifies potential suppliers who can supply these helicopters. According to the RFI, potential suppliers include Indian companies partnering with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), in line with India's aim to boost indigenous defence manufacturing under Aatmnirbhar Bharat.

8. IAF pitches for G2G deal for Rafale fighter jet

IAF has strongly pitched for a government-to-government deal with France to procure more Rafale fighters under its long-pending project to acquire 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA), in which the bulk of the jets are supposed to be manufactured domestically with foreign collaboration.

IAF will move the MRFA case for initial acceptance of necessity (AoN), the first step in the long-winded procurement process, to be approved by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) within a month or two, the Times of India has reported. 

"The government will take the final decision when the MRFA case comes to DAC. But yes, IAF has projected an urgent need for additional Rafales to stem the depletion in the number of its fighter squadrons," a source said.

9. Indian Navy to Commission two frontline warships Udaygiri and Himgiri

Indian Navy is preparing for the simultaneous commissioning of two advanced frontline frigates - Udaygiri (F35) and Himgiri (F34) on 26 Aug 25.

This will be the first time that two major surface combatants from two prestigious Indian Shipyards are being commissioned at the same time at Visakhapatnam.

This event underscores India's accelerating naval modernisation and its ability to deliver sophisticated warships from multiple shipyards.

This milestone showcases the success of the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives in the defence sector. Udaygiri, the second ship of the Project 17A stealth frigates, has been built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, while Himgiri is the first of P17A ships being constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata.

In another major milestone for the Indian Navy, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau.

Arjun Dev Singh

Arjun Dev Singh has a deep interest in defence, security, and strategic affairs. With a strong analytical lens and a passion for military and geopolitical developments, Arjun strives to bring clarity and context to complex national and international issues.