By Arunansh B. Goswami
India and Armenia share a rich history of military collaboration, which is deeply rooted in their past and is now being elevated to new levels in contemporary times. It was a privilege for this author to participate in the unveiling of the portrait of Indo-Armenian commander Hakob Petrosyan (Jacob Petrus) at the Indian Army cantonment in Gwalior, attended by the Armenian ambassador and Indian military officials a few years ago. Jacob Petrus, an Indo-Armenian and the son of a merchant, chose to pursue a career in the military and, through his exceptional abilities, ascended to the rank of senior commander in the service of King Scindia of Gwalior. He served this monarch with unwavering loyalty and dedication for an impressive span of seventy years, passing away on June
In 2019, the Indian Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the establishment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) position, which holds the rank of a four-star General and receives a salary and benefits comparable to those of a Service Chief. The Chief of Defence Staff oversees the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) within the Ministry of Defence and serves as its Secretary. In addition to leading the DMA, he also holds the position of Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He acts as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on all matters concerning the tri-Services. Currently, the Indian Chief of Defence Staff is Anil Chauhan, who has a distinguished career. He previously served as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019, when Indian aircraft targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training facility deep within Pakistan in retaliation for the Pulwama terror attack.
General Chauhan effectively commanded the Indian armed forces during the recent Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, which is an ally of Azerbaijan. In this operation, India successfully eliminated nine significant terror launchpads located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), specifically targeting facilities associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen. More than 100 terrorists were neutralized in the operation. Additionally, India destroyed several air defense radar installations throughout Pakistan, including one situated at the Pasrur airfield in Punjab, as confirmed by satellite imagery. Three additional sites were targeted at the Arifwala airbase, Chunian radar, and Sukkur airfield. General Chauhan stated, “India was capable of striking deep into enemy territory utilizing long-range precision weapons, guided by satellite imagery, electronic surveillance, and signal intelligence, often without direct visual contact with the adversary. These operations were non-contact and multi-domain in nature, where success was not gauged by the territory seized, but rather by the level of dominance and sophistication exhibited across all levels of escalation.”
Each year, India observes Vijay Diwas on December 16 to honor the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the 1971 war against Pakistan, a conflict that led to the establishment of Bangladesh. In this confrontation, the Indian army witnessed the largest enemy surrender since the Second World War, with 93,000 Pakistani soldiers capitulating to the Indian Army. On this year’s Vijay Diwas, the Indian Army showcased a Turkish YIHA kamikaze drone, which had been employed by Pakistan to assault Indian cities during Operation Sindoor, prior to being shot down by Indian forces. The Indian defense forces demonstrated their effectiveness by neutralizing the Turkish drones utilized by Pakistan.
As part of a series of ongoing defense collaborations between India and Armenia, which includes the Joint Working Group Meeting on Defense Cooperation that took place in Hyderabad, Telangana, on October 23, 2025, Indian Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan arrived in Armenia on February 2nd. The high-ranking Indian delegation was welcomed by India’s Ambassador to Armenia, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, and the Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, Temur Shahnazaryan, in Yerevan.
