CDS Current Affairs Quiz: 21 October 2026

A key highlight of the conference is its release by the Raksha Mantri, and the document is intended to give the Indian Army an overarching framework for meeting the challenges created by the changing character of warfare and by future conflicts.

The Ministry of Defence signed the contract with BEL to procure the Improved Low Level Light Weight Radar for the Indian Army at a cost of about Rs 770 crore, in the presence of the Defence Secretary in New Delhi.

SIMBEX is the short name of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise, and the two forces that take part are the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy, abbreviated RSN.

IBSAMAR stands for the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise, and the ninth edition brought the navies of these three countries together before concluding at Simon's Town in South Africa.

The conference is the apex-level biannual forum of the Indian Army and is chaired by the COAS, who also confers the Green Military Stations and Aviation Flight Safety awards during the event.

The radar is able to detect and track targets of fighter aircraft size as well as mini and micro drones, and it can also prioritise aerial targets, which together allow the Army to counter the threat posed by unmanned aerial systems.

The series now known as SIMBEX was first conducted in 1994 under that name, and it has since widened in scope and complexity to become a significant maritime engagement between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy.

The closing ceremony of IBSAMAR IX was held there on 20 October 2026, rounding off ten days of joint activity in a harbour phase and a sea phase.

The Chief of the Army Staff is to confer these awards to recognise excellence in environmental sustainability, resource management and the promotion of a strong aviation safety culture within the force.

The Ministry of Defence stated that the purchase aligns with the government's vision of a developed India and is a significant step towards indigenisation of air defence platforms, giving a boost to the domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem, including micro, small and medium enterprises, and helping build a resilient, self-reliant and…

The opening ceremony of SIMBEX-2026 took place on 21 October 2026 onboard these two Indian Navy warships at Visakhapatnam, and it was attended by the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of the Eastern Naval Command, the Fleet Commander of the Republic of Singapore Navy and other senior officers of both navies.

The ship took part in the ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise, and its Commanding Officer spoke at the closing ceremony at Simon's Town, where he described such exercises as a platform that turns long-standing diplomatic ties into usable naval cooperation.