And recently Israel and America conducted large-scale missile-defence exercises to demonstrate their ability to fend off possible retaliation by Iran.

ECONOMIST: Nuclear proliferation

He met Indian Defence Minister AK Antony after which the two countries announced plans to resume joint military exercises after a gap of four years.

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Apart from the warm glow created by this change of line, Britain feels emboldened to set the tone for its partners' military efforts because it has just completed a sweeping review of its defence posture, while several other European states, including the new German government, are only now embarking on similar exercises.

ECONOMIST: Blair’s defence offensive | The