Reference

Defence glossary

Twenty-three terms used across Defence Observer's research and reporting.

A

Atmanirbhar Bharat: India's policy of self-reliance; in defence, indigenous design, development and manufacture with less dependence on imports.

CAPF: Central Armed Police Forces: armed police under the Ministry of Home Affairs, including BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB and Assam Rifles.
CDS: Chief of Defence Staff: India's senior-most military officer, created in December 2019, who heads the Department of Military Affairs.
Counter-drone: Systems and tactics for detecting, tracking and defeating hostile unmanned aircraft.

DAP: Defence Acquisition Procedure: the Ministry of Defence framework governing capital acquisition for the Armed Forces.
DMA: Department of Military Affairs: created in January 2020 and headed by the CDS to promote jointness.
DPSU: Defence Public Sector Undertaking: a government-owned defence producer such as HAL, BEL or BDL.
DRDO: Defence Research and Development Organisation: the Ministry of Defence's research and development arm.

EEZ: Exclusive Economic Zone: waters up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, where it has sovereign rights over resources.
Electronic warfare: Military use of the electromagnetic spectrum to sense, deny or exploit an adversary's use of it.

iDEX: Innovations for Defence Excellence: a Ministry of Defence initiative that brings startups, MSMEs and innovators into defence.
Indo-Pacific: The strategic region spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Jointness: Integrated planning, training and operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

LAC: Line of Actual Control: the line separating Indian- and Chinese-controlled territory along the India–China boundary.
LoC: Line of Control: the military control line between Indian- and Pakistan-administered parts of Jammu & Kashmir.

MSME: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that supply components, sub-systems and services into the defence supply chain.

NCA: Nuclear Command Authority: responsible for command, control and operational decisions on India's nuclear forces.
NCC: National Cadet Corps: a youth organisation giving school and college students basic military training.

Theatre command: A unified command placing Army, Navy and Air Force elements under one commander for a geographic theatre.
Tri-service: Involving the Army, Navy and Air Force together.

UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: an aircraft flown without a pilot on board, commonly called a drone.
UCAV: Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle: an armed UAV able to carry out strike missions.

Veer Nari: A term of honour for the widow of a soldier who died in service of the nation.