October 2026
Cover Story
Force for the Future | October 2026
IAF cannot afford any more delay in its modernisation
Military Balance
Different threat perceptions shape India, China and Pakistan’s air power priorities
The Missing Middle
Can India’s vast tactical drone industry build the engines, autonomy, and weapons?
Report
Political Compulsions
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna shows what political domestication syndrome looks like
Step in Right Direction
MHA bans Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, Shahzad Bhatti Network
Matter of Concern
The NHRC steps in to address the rise in suicides by CRPF personnel
The Beginning of the End
Maoist old guard Misir Besra’s arrest dismantles Naxal leadership
Books
Book Extract | How the Military Won Kashmir
The battle of Badgam & Shalateng changed the course of the 1947 war. An extract
Book Extract | Raw Courage
Despite all odds, how Indian soldiers tried to hold Nam Ka Chu. An extract
Book Extract | Fog of War
How planning and providence helped the army in the battle of Asal Uttar. An extract
Book Extract | Humanity’s End
The build-up to the 1971 war and India’s dilemma. An extract
Book Extract | Frozen Heights
When nature was as much of an adversary as the intruders. An extract
Book Extract | Guts, Grit and Glory
In August 2026, Aleph Book Company released a series of books on six battles that Indian military fought since 1947. Here are brief extracts from them.
Column
Plugging the Holes
The CAPFs are in urgent need of administrative reforms
Divide and Rule
Decades of Western strategy to break Russia into smaller national entities led to the war on Ukraine
Compass | Sri Lanka’s Maritime Matrix
The country’s growing strategic ambition in the IOR can no longer be underplayed
VIDEO