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Taiwan detects 4 Chinese aircraft, 10 naval vessels near its territory
In a post on X, the MND stated that four out of four sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
"4 sorties of PLA aircraft and 10 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," MND stated.
Earlier on Saturday, the Taiwanese MND detected 17 sorties of PLA aircraft and detected seven PLAN vessels operating around its territory.
As per the MND, eight out of 17 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ.
"17 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 8 out of 17 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," MND stated on X.
The frequent incursions and maritime operations reflect rising tensions between Taiwan and China, a relationship long fraught with geopolitical strain. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), governs itself independently with its own distinct political and economic systems.
However, China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory under the "One China" principle, insisting there is only one China with its capital in Beijing.
The dispute's roots trace back to the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the ROC government fled to Taiwan after the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of mainland China.
Since then, Beijing has maintained its goal of reunification, using military, diplomatic, and economic means to apply pressure on Taiwan and diminish its international space.
Despite these efforts, Taiwan maintains its de facto independence, backed by strong public support, and continues to assert its sovereignty amid ongoing external pressures. The MND regularly monitors and publicly reports such military movements to ensure transparency and national security awareness.

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The Print
4 hours ago
- The Print
Rudra, Bhairav commandos, Shaktiman to drone platoons—how Army is transforming for future wars
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These changes are part of the overall restructuring and reorganisation of the Army that began in 2018 . Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, announced the transformative restructuring of the Indian Army on 26 July, during Kargil Vijay Diwas commemoration. Rudra brigades will replace the ' division ', which has been the default combined arms fighting formation for over two centuries . Rudra brigades Emphasising the Indian Army's transformation as a modern, future-ready force, the COAS said, 'New all-arms brigades named 'Rudra' are being formed, and I approved it yesterday. This will have fighting components like infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured units, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial systems, supported by tailored logistics and combat support.' Rudra is the new 'fearsome' name for the all-arms Integrated Battle Group (IBG), which has been a work in progress since 2018. However, as per media reports, so far, only two experimental IBGs have been raised. The COAS had highlighted in January that the proposal was pending government approval due to financial implications. Now that he has publicly announced it, albeit with a new name, one can presume that the restructuring has finally been approved by the government. Details of the new structures and organisations, and progress of implementation, are not yet in the public domain. There seems to be some ambiguity with respect to the reconnaissance and air defence components, which are normally part of combined arms brigades. It is not clear whether the UAS component to support the brigade will be under a separate unit or under the reorganised artillery units. Since the IBGs will be tailor-made based on terrain and operational role, the organisations need to be kept flexible to absorb or shed resources. There is also a strong case for composite units of armour, mechanised infantry, and regular infantry, a system already in practice with the PLA. There is also a long-pending need to provide protected mobility to regular infantry in the plains—particularly in offensive formations—in the form of a basic wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC). Bhairav Light Commando Battalions To enhance rapid response along the borders, 30 Bhairav Light Commando Battalions of 250 personnel each are being raised. These units will be the first movers in both offensive and defensive tactical operations. In the offensive role, they will infiltrate behind enemy lines to capture or secure key terrain or even launch surprise attacks on defended localities along the Line of Control or Line of Actual Control. In defensive operations, they can preempt incursions or force their recoil by infiltrating and attacking from the rear. These super or specially-trained and equipped infantry units will be kept free of traditional infantry tasks of defending or capturing ground as part of deliberate operations and will be used as a force multiplier. 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Additionally, each standard artillery unit will also have a Divyastra composite UAS/C-UAS battery to provide close UAV support at the IBG level. The COAS also announced the creation of drone platoons for each infantry battalion. This will be in addition to the combat drones used at the section or platoon level as an add-on weapon. The main difference between the two lies in the range and capability of the drones and the skills of the operators. Five months ago, I had written my wish list for drone organisations in the Army: 'There is no other option for the Indian Army, but to create a similar combat support arm at the tactical and operational level as part of Integrated Battle Groups and Corps. This would require a subunit at IBG and a unit at the corps level. These subunits/units will be responsible for the coordination and control of all drone and anti-drone operations. In addition, the fighting arms—arms and infantry—and combat support arms will require their own subunits for drone and anti-drone operations. Close combat drones will have to be handled by frontline soldiers as add-on weapons. Composite counter-drone systems will have to be authorised for all logistics units and headquarters for point protection. Area protection will be ensured by IBG and corps subunits/units.' There are still some voids between my wish list based on the Ukraine-Russia war and what the COAS has announced. I have no doubts that the Army will pragmatically fill the void in the near future. Also read: China is world leader in drones, Pakistan a peer. India must prioritise UAS to keep up Need for a holistic approach I sincerely hope the ongoing restructuring or reorganisations are part of a holistic plan. Apart from restructuring the divisions into IBGs, there is a need to re-examine the organisations of units across all arms and services— most of which have remained unchanged since World War II. Our units are 25-30 per cent larger than their counterparts in modern armies. Indian Army's 40 divisions will have to be reorganised into 80-90 IBGs. Mountains will require infantry-predominant IBGs. High-altitude valleys and plateaus will require a balanced mix of mechanised forces and infantry equipped with protected high mobility vehicles or APCs. In the plains, IBGs will need to be either mechanised forces predominant or APC-borne infantry predominant, depending on the role. Similarly, amphibious and air-transportable IBGs will be tailor-made for their roles. Additional resources in terms of mechanised forces and manpower for this restructuring will have to be found in-house through optimisation and reorganisation. There is a strong case for reducing the Infantry Battalion from four companies to three, at least in the plains – a practice followed by most armies. This will result in saving 120 soldiers from each of approximately 250 infantry battalions operating in the plains. An armoured regiment can be downsized to 31 tanks, with each squadron having three troops of three tanks each and one each for the squadron commander and the commanding officer. This adjustment will free up 980 tanks or make up an additional 31-tank regiments from the current 70 regiments available for the IBGs. Similarly, the 50 Mechanised Infantry Battalions can shed 9 Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICV) each by operating with three ICVs per platoon instead of four, sparing 450 ICVs—sufficient to raise 10 more Mechanised Infantry Battalions. This lean and agile organisational pattern is followed by many armies. A similar bold exercise across other arms and services would help generate the necessary resources for IBGs and also lead to an overall saving in manpower. Infusion of technology Infusing state-of-the-art technology is an even bigger challenge than the restructuring or reorganisation. One of the biggest lessons from 21st-century conflicts is the conspicuous absence of close combat—attacking and defending forces are now being neutralised from standoff ranges using UAVs and Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) delivered in various modes. Without cutting-edge technology, the IBG will be toothless. More than fearsome names like Rudra, Bhairav, Shaktiman, and Divyastra, it is advanced technology and superior training that will instil fear in the enemy. Transformation through restructuring, optimising, reorganising, and infusion of state-of-the-art technology should be the mantra for the Army. Lt Gen H S Panag PVSM, AVSM (R) served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. Post retirement, he was Member of Armed Forces Tribunal. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)


News18
5 hours ago
- News18
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Business Standard
6 hours ago
- Business Standard
Chipmaker TSMC 'exempt' from Donald Trump's 100% tariff, says Taiwan
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