Air force, navy to showcase new acquisitions at Jan 26 parade

August 31st, 2009 KOCHI - The southern commands of the Indian Navy and Air Force based in Kerala were assigned new commanding heads on Monday. Vice Admiral KN Sushil took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) from Vice Admiral SK Damle at a ceremonial parade held at the naval base in Kochi.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Outgoing Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Monday said that one of the most important tasks of navy is to work towards improving the image of the country. Mehta while addressing here said that eastern and western navy fleet have recently participated in several overseas exercises, which in turn helps in improving the image of the country.

July 25th, 2009 Obamas attend Marines Corps paradeWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are spending an evening out to watch a Marines Corps parade. Before the event, Obama spoke to a small group of military families.

July 25th, 2009 Obamas attend Marine Corps paradeWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are spending an evening out to watch a Marine Corps parade. Before the event, Obama spoke to a small group of military families.

July 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh, left for the French capital, Paris, today to be the Chief Guest of Honour at France's National Day celebrations on July 14th. He is the first Indian leader to be bestowed this honour, as France does not have a tradition of inviting foreign heads of state to be chief guests at their Bastille Day or National Day celebrations.

July 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A 400-strong contingent of the three wings of Indian defence forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) performed a full-dress rehearsal here today ahead of their visit to France to participate in a parade making National Day celebrations in France on July 14. This is the for the first time that all the three services - Army, Navy and Air Force will be participating in the National Day celebrations of another country.

June 27th, 2009 HYDERABAD - A ceremonial Passing out parade was held today at Air Force Academy, Dindigul, near Hyderabad, where 173 cadets passed out from the premier defence academy as flying officers. The Chief of the Army staff, General Deepak Kapoor reviewed the parade and handed over the wings to the graduates who completed training as pilot officers.

April 23rd, 2009 QINGDAO - Nuclear powered submarines were on display for the first time Thursday at China's naval parade off the coast of Qingdao. The parade marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

April 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - China will display its nuclear-powered submarines for the first time in history during a fleet parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Navy. The Chinese navy's missile destroyer 115 Shenyang is docked at Qingdao Port for an international fleet review.

February 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Wednesday defended the fast track military hardware purchases in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying the acquisitions could not be left to normal procedures that would take three-four years to fructify. 'After Mumbai, we have to strengthen the Coast Guard and the navy,' Defence Minister A.K.

February 2nd, 2009 COLOMBO - Over 11,000 police and security force personnel have been deployed in and around capital Colombo where the 61st Independence Day celebrations were scheduled to be held on a grand scale Wednesday. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told IANS that special security measures have been put in place and nearly 10,000 police and over 1,000 tri-force personnel have been deployed in Colombo.

January 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commander of US Pacific Fleet Admiral Robert Willard will be on a three-day visit to India from Sunday, during which he will also witness the Republic Day parade at Rajpath, an official said here Saturday. Willard is responsible for the world's largest fleet command encompassing 100 million square miles - more than half the earth's surface - from the west coast of the US to the eastern shore of Africa.

January 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Be it the folk culture of Mithila, the Gair dance of Rajasthan or the fauna of the Kaziranga and Ranthambore national parks -- all this and more will be on display as 18 tableaux roll down Rajpath during the Jan 26 Republic Day parade to showcase vibrant India's rich cultural diversity. 'The tableaux will showcase India's amazing diversity and rich cultural heritage,' a defence ministry official told reporters here Wednesday even as artisans from across the country were engaged in giving last minute touches to the floats.

January 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Gaily caparisoned elephants have traditionally carried bravery award winning children during the Jan 26 Republic Day parade but a pachyderm going berserk during the event last year has prompted the defence ministry to ban the lumbering giants from the pageant this time around, an official said Wednesday. Instead, the children will ride down the parade route in open military vehicles.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Gaily-decorated elephants that have been the darling of cheering crowds each year on the Republic Day parade will be missing this time as organisers have decided to pull them out to cut down on time. 'Over a period of time the parade has become very monotonous and repetitive, so we have decided to omit the elephants to try and make the parade concise and compact,' a defence ministry official told IANS.