In Our Defence

In Our Defence

In Our Defence is a weekly podcast that breaks down wars, weapons, and the world of military power with clarity, curiosity, and zero jargon. Hosted by journalist Dev Goswami, each episode features sharp, story-rich conversations with leading defence experts, offering distinct perspectives and nuances on how nations prepare, fight, and defend. From battlefield strategy and military tech to geopolitics, intelligence, and national security -- In Our Defence focuses on conversations that are grounded, engaging, and made for curious minds. No fluff. No noise. Just a clear line of sight into the world of conflict.

Episodes

October 10, 2025 48 mins
A fresh jolt in West Asia: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement. Is it just a formalisation of a decades-old security relationship or the birth of an 'Islamic NATO'?

On the latest episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack what's real, what's posturing and why the announcement landed just as Israel struck targets in Qatar, a US ally, trying ...
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The Indian Air Force has retired the MiG-21 – the iconic Soviet-era fighter aircraft—that became the most produced supersonic jet in history and the backbone of the IAF. The Mig-21 trained generations of Indian Air Force pilots and defended India’s skies for six decades.

Recorded around Mig-21’s farewell at Air Force Station, Chandigarh, this special episode of In Our Defence with national security expert Sandeep Unnithan ...
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Kamikaze drones, or loitering munitions, have been everywhere in recent conflicts, from the Russia-Ukraine war to battles in the Middle East. They're cheap, deadly, and changing how militaries think about strikes and defence.

In this episode, host Dev Goswami sits down with defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan to trace the idea back to its WWII origins and ask why India, despite having a buzzing drone startup scene, still doesn't ha...
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India is betting big on the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island, a decades-long project to build a massive transshipment port, a new airport, a power plant, a township, and associated military build-up at the doorstep of the Strait of Malacca, the world’s busiest shipping lane.

The project had been flying under the radar until this month when concerns of ecological damage and impact on tribal population put the spotlight on...
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In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack the debate over theaterisation -- the buzzword that has divided India's armed forces for years.

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh's recent comments about India not needing theaterisation right now have once again opened a debate that was meant to have been settled with the appointment of the Chief of Defe...
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India's latest Agni-V missile test, just days before the PM's visit to China, got tongues wagging this week. Was it a message to Beijing? Islamabad? Or both?

In this episode of In Our Defence, national security expert Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to unpack the story of how and, more importantly, why India became a nuclear power. From the first "Smiling Buddha" test in 1974 to the Pokhran-II Shakti series in 1998, and tod...
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Five years after the deadly Galwan Valley clash, India and China are suddenly warming up again. Flights are restarting, a Modi-Xi meeting is on the cards, and Beijing says that the setbacks of the past years were not in anybody's interests.

But is this thaw for real or just another chapter in the freeze-thaw cycle of India-China relations?

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unn...
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Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir recently made wild headlines in the US, casually threatening nuclear apocalypse at a private dinner. He claimed that if India ever attacked, Pakistan would "take half the world down" with it. Yes, really.

In this episode, defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to unpack what's behind this latest nuclear sabre-rattling. Why would Pakistan's top general say something so re...
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India's buying cheap Russian oil. Trump's not happy. And now he's slapped 50% tariffs on Indian goods. Officially, it's about funding Russia's war machine. Unofficially? It might be about one man's ego, a Nobel Peace Prize dream, and India refusing to play along.

From the MEA's unusually sharp statement to the PM's vow to "pay any price to protect farmers," we unpack the real stakes amid the India-US showdown over tariffs.

- Is Ind...
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India's 30-year submarine plan promised a world-class fleet. A mix of conventional diesel-powered submarines and both nuclear-powered attack and ballistic submarines. But decades later, delays, policy paralysis, and shifting priorities have left the Indian Navy with far fewer submarines than it planned for. In this episode, Dev Goswami and Sandeep Unnithan dive deep into the Navy's Project 75, 75I, and beyond -- exploring what went...
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In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami marks the anniversary of India's victory in the 1999 Kargil conflict by turning sights on the unsung hero of that war: artillery.

The episode dissects how the much-maligned but battle-proven Bofors guns turned the tables on the intruding Pakistani soldiers and rained fire to help India win the conflict.

The episode also takes a deep dive into India's march to self-reliance in the ...
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India’s worst aviation disaster in recent years. Air India Flight 171 crashed within a minute after takeoff -- killing 260 people. In this episode of In Our Defence, journalist and aviation enthusiast Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to unpack the preliminary probe report that has sparked a polarised debate on the cause of the crash: How did the fuel switches end up in the off position?

The two break down:

Why air crash inve...
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In a world of delayed defence projects and botched indigenous systems, India's BrahMos cruise missile stands out. Co-developed with Russia, BrahMos is one of the fastest and most accurate supersonic cruise missiles in the world -- and it's made in India.

In this episode, national security expert Sandeep Unnithan and host Dev Goswami deep dive into the BrahMos story:

What kind of missile is BrahMos? How is it different from ballisti...
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The Middle East is on fire. Again. What began as Israel's retaliation against Hamas after the October 7 attacks has now exploded into a multi-front conflict involving Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran. In this episode of In Our Defence, veteran journalist and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to break down how the war escalated so dramatical, and what it means for the region and the world.

The two l...
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Inside India’s Fight Against Naxalism | Is This the End of Red Terror? | Ft. Sandeep Unnithan 

In this deep-dive episode of In Our Defence, veteran defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to unpack India’s decades-long battle with Left Wing Extremism (LWE) — often called Naxalism or Red Terror — and the recent decisive push to eradicate it by March 2026.

Dev and Sandeep explore the evolution of the Naxal...
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In this episode of In Our Defence, veteran defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to break down Ukraine’s daring drone strike deep inside Russian territory — an operation that has stunned the world.

Using covertly disguised container trucks and remotely launched drones, Ukraine struck key Russian airbases housing Tu-95 bombers and A-50 AWACS, marking a significant escalation in the four-year-old war.

Produced by...
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India’s next-gen stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), just got a massive push from the government with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh clearing an execution model for the jet’s design and development. 

On this episode of In Our Defence, veteran defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan breaks down what this means for the future of Indian airpower, how private players like Tata and L&T could shape t...
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In this episode, veteran defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to decode Operation Sindoor — India's response to Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Sandeep and Dev dive deep into how India’s layered air defence network, including the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System), played a pivotal role in thwarting Pakistani aerial threats. What was the X factor that gave India the edge? Was the much-talked-about S-4...
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In this gripping episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami sits down with Major LS Chaudhary (Retd.) to explore the reality of counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, and the rigorous training life at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA). From close-quarters combat against Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists to the psychological toll of surviving a life-altering injury, Major Chaudhary gives a rare,...
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In this episode of 'In Our Defence', Dev Goswami talks to Major Manik M Jolly about his time in military intelligence, how to gather information after a major terrorist attack like Pahalgam, and how accurate is the "intelligence failure" question that is being asked.

Produced by Prateek Lidhoo

Sound mix by Suraj Singh
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