NDA Defence and security previous year questions with solutions

Answer: (c) IV II I III

Method. Match: evacuation operations

Operation Kaveri was the 2023 evacuation from Sudan (IV), Operation Indravati the 2021 evacuation from Haiti (II), Operation Ajay the 2023 evacuation from Israel (I), Operation Ganga the 2022 evacuation from Ukraine (III). The code is IV II I III (src standard: MEA releases).

Answer: (c) Vrindavan

Method. First all-girls Sainik School

The first all-girls Sainik School was opened in Vrindavan (Mathura district), Uttar Pradesh, in January 2024 (src standard: MoD release).

Answer: (c) Central Reserve Police Force

Method. Book on CRPF

'Nation First: The Golden Saga of 82 Years' (Hindi title Rashtra Pratham) was released on 19 Feb 2021 and traces the CRPF from its raising in 1939 (src standard: CRPF/⁠MHA release). The 82 years fit the CRPF's 1939 founding; BSF (1965), ITBP (1962) and CISF (1969) are younger.

Answer: (a) 1 only

Method. Gallantry awards history

Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were the first three, instituted on 26 January 1950 (effective from 15 August 1947), so statement 1 is correct. The Ashoka Chakra classes I to III came on 4 January 1952 and were renamed Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra in 1967, so statement 2 is wrong (src standard: MoD/⁠Gazette).

Answer: (c) 1962

Method. Battle of Rezang La

Rezang La (Chushul sector, Ladakh) was fought on 18 November 1962 in the India–⁠China war, where 13 Kumaon under Maj Shaitan Singh held out (src standard: MoD).

Answer: (b) Vairengte

Method. CIJW School

The Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School of the Army is at Vairengte, Mizoram (src standard: Army). Dehradun (IMA), Gulmarg (High Altitude Warfare School) and Mhow (Infantry School) are other institutions.

Answer: (b) Indian Coast Guard

Method. Operation Olivia

Operation Olivia is the annual Indian Coast Guard operation, from November to May, to protect Olive Ridley turtles during mass nesting off the Odisha coast (src standard: Coast Guard).

Answer: (c) Railway Protection Force

Method. CORAS = Railway Protection Force commandos

CORAS (Commandos for Railway Security) is the separate commando unit of the Railway Protection Force, drawn from RPF and RPSF personnel and formally launched on 14 August 2019 for anti-sabotage, hostage-rescue and disaster-response tasks on the railways (src standard: Ministry of Railways). CoBRA belongs to the CRPF; the NSG's commandos are the Black Cats.

Answer: (d) Shubhangi Swaroop

Method. Navy firsts: first woman pilot

Sub Lt Shubhangi Swaroop (of Uttar Pradesh), who passed out of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, on 22 November 2017, became the first woman pilot of the Indian Navy, selected for the maritime reconnaissance stream (src standard: Indian Navy/⁠MoD release, November 2017). Astha Segal, Roopa A and Sakthi Maya S, commissioned in the same batch, were the first women officers of the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) branch, which audits the Navy's weapons and ammunition; none was a pilot.

Answer: (b) II only

Method. Exercise DUSTLIK-2026

DUSTLIK is the India–⁠Uzbekistan army exercise, not India–⁠UAE, so statement I is wrong. The 7th edition (12–⁠25 April 2026, Namangan, Uzbekistan) aimed to build military cooperation and combined capability for joint operations in semi-mountainous terrain, so statement II is correct (src standard: MoD release, April 2026).

Answer: (d) Varuna

Method. India–⁠USA exercises

Yudhabhyas (army), Vajra Prahar (special forces) and Malabar (navy, with Japan and others) all involve India and the USA. Varuna is the India–⁠France naval exercise (src standard: MoD releases).

Answer: (c) United Arab Emirates

Method. Desert Cyclone

Desert Cyclone is the India–⁠UAE joint army exercise; the first edition was held in January 2024 at Abu Dhabi (src standard: MoD release).

Answer: (b) 4 3 2 1

Method. Match: exercise to country

Garuda Shakti is India–⁠Indonesia (4, special forces; Garuda alone is India–⁠France), Nomadic Elephant is India–⁠Mongolia (3), Mitra Shakti is India–⁠Sri Lanka (2), Dharma Guardian is India–⁠Japan (1). The code is A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 (src standard: MoD releases).

Answer: (c) Pithoragarh

Method. DUSTLIK 4th edition venue

The 4th edition of DUSTLIK (India–⁠Uzbekistan) began on 20 February 2023 at the Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, with the Garhwal Rifles (src standard: MoD release, Feb 2023).

Answer: (b) France

Method. Desert Knight-21 partner

Desert Knight-21 (20–⁠24 January 2021, Air Force Station Jodhpur) was a bilateral air exercise of the IAF and the French Air and Space Force (src standard: MoD release, Jan 2021). USA, UK and Israel have different exercise names (Cope India, Indradhanush, Blue Flag).

Answer: (d) Oman

Method. Naseem-Al-Bahr = India–⁠Oman

Naseem-Al-Bahr ('sea breeze') is the bilateral naval exercise of the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman (src standard: Indian Navy). The India–⁠UAE exercise is Zayed Talwar; India–⁠Saudi is Al-Mohed Al-Hindi.

Answer: (d) Myanmar

Method. IMBEX = India–⁠Myanmar Bilateral Exercise

IMBEX is the India–⁠Myanmar Bilateral Army Exercise (src standard: MoD). The initial M of the name stands for Myanmar.

Answer: (b) I and III only

Method. Exercise Vayu Shakti-2026

Vayu Shakti-2026 was the IAF's firepower demonstration at the Pokhran range, Jaisalmer district, on 27 February 2026, witnessed by the President. Rafale, Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft struck targets, and Apache and Chinook helicopters took part. Tejas, named in the advance releases, did not fly: the fleet was grounded after an incident earlier that month. Statement II fails, so I and III only, (b).

The President's Secretariat release of 27 February 2026 repeats the advance list of aircraft, which names Tejas; read from that release alone, all three statements hold, which would give (a).

Answer: (c) USA and Japan

Method. Keen Sword 23

Keen Sword is the biennial Japan-US bilateral joint exercise. Keen Sword 23 (November 2022) was conducted by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US forces, with units from Australia, Canada and the UK also taking part. India was not a participant, so (a) and (b) fail; Taiwan does not exercise with Japan, so (d) fails. Hence USA and Japan (src standard: US Pacific Fleet / Japan Joint Staff releases).

Answer: (a) 1 only

Method. Exercise Sea Vigil-22

Sea Vigil-22 (15–⁠16 Nov 2022) was a pan-India coastal defence exercise testing preparedness in maritime security and coastal defence, so statement 1 is correct. It was a domestic exercise, with no USA or Japanese forces, so statement 2 is wrong (src standard: Indian Navy release).

Answer: (b) Gulf of Aden

Method. IN-EUNAVFOR maiden exercise

The first Indian Navy–⁠EUNAVFOR exercise was held in June 2021 in the Gulf of Aden, off the Horn of Africa, an area of counter-piracy operations (src standard: Indian Navy release).

Answer: (d) It is a joint military exercise involving the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, the Indian Air Force and also the Indian Coast Guard.

Method. Exercise Kavach

Kavach (Jan 2021) was run by the Andaman and Nicobar Command, India's only joint (tri-service) command, with the Army, Navy and Air Force and Coast Guard assets taking part (src standard: MoD release, Jan 2021). Hence the widest statement, (d), is the most appropriate.

Rests on the 2021 edition of Kavach, which included Coast Guard assets.

Answer: (a) Russia

Method. TSENTR 2019 host

TSENTR-2019 was Russia's annual strategic command-staff exercise held in September 2019 at Orenburg and other ranges in Russia; India, China, Pakistan and Central Asian states sent contingents (src standard: Russian MoD / MoD India).

Answer: (c) Visakhapatnam

Method. MILAN 2020 host city

MILAN is the Indian Navy's biennial multilateral exercise, held at Port Blair until 2018. MILAN 2020 was scheduled at Visakhapatnam (Eastern Naval Command) in March 2020 (src standard: Indian Navy). It was later postponed because of COVID-19.

MILAN 2020 was announced for Visakhapatnam but was postponed (COVID-19); Visakhapatnam hosted MILAN 2022 and MILAN 2024. Answer kept as the venue announced at the sitting.

Answer: (d) Australia

Method. Malabar 2017 participants

The 21st Malabar (July 2017, Bay of Bengal) was a trilateral naval exercise of India, the USA and Japan (src standard: MoD release). Australia was not part of it, though it was invited as an observer or sought entry in other years.

As of 2017; Australia rejoined Malabar from 2020.

Answer: (c) Both I and II

Method. India's defence indigenisation

The MoD puts the domestically produced share of equipment sourced by the Armed Forces at about 65% as of 2025, so 'over 60%' (statement I) holds. The stated defence focus is on scale, resilience and indigenous capability (statement II). Both are correct (src standard: MoD, Defence Minister's statements, 2025).

Share is about 65% per MoD; the 'over 60%' wording is the safer end of the range.

Answer: (a) I only

Method. India–⁠Russia defence cooperation

Statement I is correct: BrahMos Aerospace is the joint venture of DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya. Statement II is wrong: Indo-Russian Rifles Pvt Ltd (IRRPL) produces at Korwa, Amethi, which is in Uttar Pradesh, not Madhya Pradesh (src standard: MoD/⁠Atmanirbhar Bharat releases). So I only.

Answer: (d) USA

Method. MH-60R Romeo helicopters

Under the 2020 deal with the USA (Foreign Military Sale, about US$2.6 billion) India buys 24 Lockheed Martin MH-60R multi-role helicopters for the Navy (src standard: MoD).

Answer: (c) Hazira

Method. Private howitzer plant location

Larsen & Toubro's Armoured Systems Complex at Hazira (near Surat, Gujarat), inaugurated in January 2019, makes the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzer, the country's first private-sector howitzer-making unit (src standard: MoD, 2019).

Answer: (b) United States of America

Method. DTTI = India–⁠US

The Defence Technology and Trade Initiative was launched in 2012 as a US–⁠India forum to simplify technology sharing, co-development and co-production (src standard: MoD/⁠US DoD). It is not with Russia, Israel or France.

Answer: (a) 49 per cent through the automatic route

Method. FDI policy on defence, as of 2017

The FDI policy in force in 2017 (Press Note 12 of 2015, carried into Press Note 5 of 2016 and the Consolidated FDI Policy 2017) permitted FDI in defence up to 49% through the automatic route; beyond 49% needed government approval wherever it was likely to give access to modern technology (src standard: DIPP Consolidated FDI Policy 2017). Option (c) matches no actual policy: the cap was 26% by government route until August 2014 and 49% by government route from then until November 2015. Option (d) is fictitious; the 2020 revision raised the automatic limit to 74%, not 75%.

Answer is the 2017 policy; from September 2020 the automatic-route limit is 74%.

Answer: (c) I, II and IV

Method. BrahMos exports

The Philippines contracted in 2022 (about US$375 million); Vietnam's agreement, already signed without announcement, was disclosed by the Defence Secretary at the Shangri-La Dialogue on 30 May 2026; Indonesia's contract was signed during the PM's Jakarta visit on 7 July 2026. Singapore has no agreement. So, as of the sitting (14 September 2026), I, II and IV (src standard: MoD/⁠BrahMos Aerospace statements).

Read as of the sitting (14 September 2026): Indonesia's agreement rests on the 2026 signings, the last on 7 July 2026.

Answer: (d) Kaveri

Method. Kaveri engine

GTRE's Kaveri is the turbofan engine developed under DRDO to power the Tejas and other fighters (src standard: DRDO). Ganga, Yamuna and Krishna are not aero-engine names.

UPSC prints 'self-reliance' for 'self-reliant'; question transcribed as printed. The answer is unaffected.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Method. INS Sagardhwani and Sagar Maitri-4

INS Sagardhwani is the oceanographic research vessel of DRDO's Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, so statement 1 is correct. Sagar Maitri Mission-4 (flagged off from Kochi in October 2023) aimed at long-term scientific partnerships with Indian Ocean Rim countries in ocean R&D, so statement 2 is also correct (src standard: MoD/⁠DRDO release, Oct 2023).

Mission-4 was flagged off in October 2023; the 'recently' of statement 2 refers to that.

Answer: (b) INS Nishank and INS Akshay

Method. Naval decommissionings, June 2022

INS Nishank (Veer-class missile corvette) and INS Akshay (Abhay-class corvette) were decommissioned at Mumbai on 3 June 2022 after about 32 years (src standard: Indian Navy release). The other pairs were decommissioned in other years.

Option (b) matches the Navy release of 3 June 2022.

Answer: (d) warships

Method. Surat and Udaygiri

INS Surat (Project 15B guided-missile destroyer) and INS Udaygiri (Project 17A stealth frigate) are warships, launched in 2022 (src standard: Indian Navy).

Answer: (b) Philippines

Method. BrahMos first export

The Philippines signed a contract for BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missile batteries (about US$375 million) in January 2022, the first export of the missile (src standard: MoD). Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal are not buyers.