Indian Defence Review

J&K not yet ripe for a Popular Government

Though the state was placed under Governor’s Rule on 20 June 2018, the state assembly was kept under suspended animation as permitted by the J&K Constitution. The Assembly was finally dissolved on 21 November putting at rest all attempts by the unholy alliance of NC-PDP-Congress to form a government to “safeguard...

Armed Forces Flag Day 2018 - served with WEXIT

Theresa May became Britain’s Prime Minister on the strength of BREXIT, much as Angela Merkel capitalised on the middle east refugee crisis to extend her tenure as Chancellor since 2005. Both will be tested in times to come and will eventually fade away. But WEXIT, synonym in a manner of BREXIT, has been served to the...

The Discomfort of 'Letter of Comfort' in Rafale Deal

The ongoing case on a petition filed by Mr. Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and Prashant Bhushan centres around the major question as to why a letter of comfort has been taken from the French Government in the Rafale deal in lieu of a sovereign guarantee. This has raised concerns about the proper enforceability of the...

The Discomfort of 'Letter of Comfort' in Rafale Deal

Is Strategic Balancing a ‘New Normal’ in Interlinked World?

The G-20 Summit 2018 will be remembered for extra-ordinary large number of bilateral and trilateral meetings, which seem to be even more significant than the main purpose of the meet. There are some high profile bilateral meetings like US – China and US – Russia (Scheduling of which has seen many flip-flops) which...

The Churn in Sri Lanka Politics

The political crisis in Sri Lanka deepened further on November 23 with Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister installed by President Maithripala Sirisena lost control of the Parliament Selection Committee (which sets the agenda for Parliament) after a vote in Parliament was taken through the electronic voting system and...

Armed Forces Flag Day 2018 - served with WEXIT

Economic and Strategic Importance of Sea in Modern Indian Context

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was very perceptive in stating that “By and large it can be said that even in the past and remote ages, it was the seafaring nations that prospered, prospered both from point of view of power and wealth because of trade and commerce. It is often forgotten that, India has always been a sea...

Resizing the Army: One Size that Doesn’t Fit All

“It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect of getting anything by it.” — John Jay, The Federalist Papers September 17, 1787. “You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to...

J&K not yet ripe for a Popular Government

Resigned to 1000 Cuts?

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat delivered a talk at a Think Tank in New Delhi on November 28. Salient points of his talk, as covered in the media reports are: • India should first resolve problems in J&K through integrated approach to tackle a hybrid war unleashed from across the border, instead of harbouring any...

Accession of J&K: Breaking Many Myths

At the time of independence, British India was divided on the basis of religion. However, the princely states, on the other hand, were not divided. They were to go, each state as a whole, to either India or Pakistan. The decision of where to go was to be made by the erstwhile ruler. In the case of J&K, the ruler...

Vice Chiefs Financial Powers – and the intricacies within

The government has enhanced the financial powers of the Army, Navy and Air Force Vice Chiefs five times; from Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore for expediting the decision making process involved in the procurements of the Armed Forces. The MoD statement on the issue states, “The Defence Minister has taken this important...

Indian Army Inducts Its First M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzers

The Indian Army celebrated receiving its first M777A2 Ultra Lightweight Howitzers (ULH) at an official handover ceremony today, a key step toward the modernizing and strengthening of the Indian Army’s artillery capabilities. The 155mm M777 systems will deploy to their first regiment in 2019. The gun systems, produced...

HTT 40 Successfully Begins Spin Testing

The HTT 40 (Basic Trainer Aircraft) began the most awaited phase of the `spin test’ by successfully entering in to two turn spin and subsequently recovering with the appropriate controls. Two test pilots undertook the first ever spin entry testing today at around 1.30 pm. The aircraft was piloted by Gp Capt (Retd)...

China’s Move Towards A Smart Military

After the World War and certainly after the end of the cold war, the US military started to maintain a clear...

Pakistan must eliminate terrorism to find road to prosperity

While so many acts of terrorism have taken place on Pakistani soil in recent years, killing hundreds of people,...

British ‘Divide and Rule’ Policy and The Indian Armed Forces

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” —Toni Morrison Present Oraganisation of Indian Armed Forces While serving in the Indian armed forces, I observed certain anomalies, weaknesses, drawbacks and practices in the of organisation, administration, philosophy and management, which are often an hindrance in smooth functioning....

India's Nuclear Triad: Meeting the Deterrence Challenge

INS Arihant, part of Indian Navy’s (IN) Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at Visakhapatnam, and India’s first indigenous nuclear ballistic missile submarine recently became fully operational after completing its first deterrence patrol. This extended patrol capability adds...

Archaeology and politics

China has lately become very fond of archaeology though it is mainly a ‘political’ archaeology. On December 1, Xinhua published an article titled: ‘Qinghai-Tibet Plateau first conquered by humans at least 30,000 years ago.’ Does this mean that China conquered Tibet much...

Intensifying India Vietnam Strategic Partnership

Introduction In a commentary published by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses Dr. Arvind Gupta and Dr. Sarita Azad, the term strategic partnership has been discussed. A strategic partnership is a long-term interaction between two countries based on political, economic,...

Is ‘Peace in the Middle East’ in Russia's Interest?

Since its resurgence in West Asia through its intervention in the Syrian civil war, Russia has attempted to position itself as a conflict mediator for the region. Having established cordial ties with most of the region’s actors, Russia is perfectly placed to mediate—or so the narrative goes. At the core of this narrative lies the notion that Russia is perfectly placed to advance peace given its excellent bilateral relations in the region....