In Our Defence

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and defence expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack one of the most complex parts of modern warfare: the art and science of shooting things out of the sky.

India is preparing to induct another S-400 regiment, the system that grabbed attention during Operation Sindoor and remains one of the most formidable long-range air-defence systems in the world. But the S-400 is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.

The episode breaks down India’s layered air-defence architecture: VSHORADS, MANPADS, Akash, MRSAM, Barak-8, S-400, ballistic missile defence, and the crucial command-and-control network that ties it all together: IACCS.

The episode also looks at what recent conflicts have shown us: from mass drone and missile attacks in West Asia to the growing challenge of cheap drones forcing expensive interceptors into action. And then, we turn to the uncomfortable but necessary question: what happens when air defence goes wrong?

This is not just about missiles. It is about sensors, software, human judgement, rules of engagement, friendly-fire risks, and the terrifying pressure of deciding what to shoot -- and what not to shoot -- in real time

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Aman Pal

In this episode of In Our Defence, we step away from the predictable outrage and look at the harder, more interesting question: why does Pakistan remain useful in high-stakes geopolitics despite its long record of contradictions?

Host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack Pakistan's complicated ties with the United States, its uneasy relationship with Iran, its growing closeness to Saudi Arabia, and the larger truth that diplomacy is often driven less by morality and more by access, leverage, geography and utility.

They discuss the irony of how Pakistan with its history of having helped seed Iran's nuclear program is now helping broker talks that hinge on Tehran agreeing to give up its nuclear capabilities.

The two also get into the Osama bin Laden episode, the strange durability of US-Pakistan ties, and the role "middlemen" play in crises where nobody fully trusts anybody.

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami is joined by national security expert Sandeep Unnithan to unpack one of the world’s most critical flashpoints—the Strait of Hormuz.

Why do narrow sea lanes like Hormuz matter so much to global trade and oil supply? What does a naval blockade actually look like in practice—not theory, but at sea? From ship strength and surveillance tech to geography and fleet positioning, we break down the real mechanics behind maritime chokeholds.

The episode also explores the counterplay: can a blockade be breached, and what does it take to punch through one? As tensions simmer between the US and Iran, does Washington’s naval dominance guarantee control, or is Tehran playing a deeper, asymmetric game?

They also unpack the curious case of the Rich Starry, the China-bound vessel whose strange movements through Hormuz have raised eyebrows. Additionally, a throwback to history — when India blockaded Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. What worked, what didn’t, and what it tells us about modern naval warfare.

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti

After 39 days of war, Iran has agreed to a temporary ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz is back in focus. But the big question remains: what exactly did this war achieve?

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack how the conflict escalated, why the war's goals seemed to keep shifting, and why, despite taking enormous punishment, Iran still ended up at the negotiating table without complete submission.

We get into:

How the US and Israel framed the war, and how those aims evolved
Whether Iran was defeated militarily but survived strategically
What this conflict revealed about air defence and modern missile warfare
Why this war may go down as a lesson in the limits of overwhelming force
Whether the ceasefire can actually hold
And the biggest long-term question of all: does this make Iran more likely to want the bomb?

This is not just a story about Iran, Israel, or the US. It is also a story about miscalculation, resilience, and what modern war looks like when even massive military superiority cannot produce a neat political outcome.

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Produced by Areeb Raza

Sound mixed by Suraj Singh

Link To NY Times Article- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/0...

A month into the Iran war, the battlefield story is changing rapidly. What began as high-impact US–Israel strikes has now entered an uncertain phase: drone warfare, energy and economic pressure through Hormuz, and now a sudden “pause” announced by Donald Trump. Is this the beginning of the end? Or just a tactical pause before the next round?

On the latest episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan break down:

- What the Iran war looks like right now

- Whether the U.S. pause is real diplomacy or strategic signalling

- Iran’s response and the risk of escalation

- Pakistan’s surprise role as a potential mediator

- Why does the United States, with the most powerful military in the world, keep getting pulled into long, inconclusive wars?

From Vietnam to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and now Iran the episode explores recurring pattern: Fast military success, followed by messy, unresolved endings.

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Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound mixed by Aman Pal