General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the three serving military chiefs will hold a press conference this evening, media report said.

The military leaders’ briefing, scheduled for 6 pm, comes at a time when India is under lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic. Military spending, minus the payroll, would probably be cut by at least 20 per cent from the allocations for the financial year 2020-21 and possibly by as much as 40 per cent, as a result of the economic slump caused by the lockdown. Business Standard reported this week.

The Chief of Defence Staff - a post created to integrate the three wings of the armed forces and hasten weapons procurement - and the three service chiefs will speak together to the media for the first time.