Indian Defence Review

War against India by Professional Petitioners

Recently, the Supreme Court after some length of time rejected the plea of professional petitioners with regard to the acquisition of Rafale aircraft. Also very recently an Indian journalist Sunanda Vashisht, a survivor of 1990 purge of Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley had the opportunity to present her case in the US...

Strength Lies in Numbers: Rebuilding the Combat Fleet of the IAF

It is unclear just how many combat squadrons the IAF effectively has because some of the 31 remaining squadrons will be withdrawn from service over the next few years. They probably do not measure up to the yardstick of 16 aircraft per squadron plus two to four as reserves and hence may have limited operational value....

Cadre Restructuring in Indian Army

According to media reports, the Indian Army is in the process of undergoing cadre restructuring. In the case of officers, two officers per battalion are being reduced, which will total up to an overall reduction of some 4,500 officers. In 1995, Japan’s Self Defense Forces went in for a 10% manpower cut across the...

After Baghdadi What ?

For 1300 years or so, the caliphs, or the “successors”, took pride in developing the Islamic community that the Prophet Muhammad had left behind. The Caliphs were far from being rigid and inflexible; while a few were Islamist, but they loved music (anathema to the IS); had a passion for not just reading the Koran and...

Nepal: More into Dragon’s Jaws

Post the recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal on October 12-13, a news item titled ‘Xi Jinping Defeated in Nepal, Threatens to Smash Opponents into Pieces’ created quite a flutter. It elaborated that Xi wanted to sign an extradition treaty for Tibetan refugees in Nepal which Nepal refused and Xi...

Baghdadi Dead : What it means for Terrorism in West and South Asia?

President Trump’s announcement that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State(IS) commander, died during a US military operation in Syria, later confirmed by ISIS itself, was a welcome news for all fighting terrorism or suffering from it in any part of the world. This was followed by death of their spokesperson and...

Strength Lies in Numbers: Rebuilding the Combat Fleet of the IAF

Cadre Restructuring in Indian Army

Remembering the undefeated Sarvatra (Lt Gen) Sagat Singh – Part-2

Sagat’s talent for war reached its pinnacle in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He was the commander of 4 Corps based in Tripura and 4 Corps operations are a classic case study (and will remain so) for officers at every level in the chain of command. One wonders how did they manage to advance 110 miles in 13 days over 5 water...

War against India by Professional Petitioners

Ayodhya Verdict upholds Idea of India

The landmark “Ayodhya Verdict”: the unanimous judgement delivered by the learned five-judge constitutional bench of the nation’s revered “Temple of Justice” headed by the Honourable Chief Justice of India (CJI) on the historical day of 9 November, 2019 has brightened the global image of our great nation by...

North East Peace Accords

As the government deadline of October 31, 2019 for final settlement to the Naga dispute approached, there were reports of talks with NSCN (IM) running into rough weather. But then came good news of NSCN (IM) coming on board ‘without’ a separate Naga constitution but with a ‘conditional’ flag. Latter reportedly...

UAVs & UCAVs: The Next Generation Threat

The evolving UAV threat poses a significant challenge to all ground forces. Of the emerging combat force multipliers, UAVs are unique in their integration with existing systems as it requires little more effort. Relative to other reconnaissance platforms, UAVs are both technologically attainable and affordable. The...

Technology in Warfare: Is India Lagging Behind?

There are more than 250 government or private drone developers or manufacturers in China. Some are working closely with technical universities and the government. China is investing heavily in Swarm Technology and Artificial Intelligence. With the rapid rate of development and astonishing test results, China appears to...

The Way Ahead: Making India Self Reliant in Defence

On May 31, 2017, in a major policy reform intended to promote ‘Make in India’ in defence manufacturing, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the much-anticipated Strategic Partnership model for the Indian private sector. The model, whose concept was first suggested by the Dhirendra Singh Committee in its July...

FATF credibility is at stake: How many more shades of grey for Pakistan?

Instead of downgrading Pakistan to the ‘blacklist’ from its ‘grey list,’ the Financial Action Task Force...

India should not forget its history

“India should not forget its history,” Bhutto observed on the eve of the India-Pakistan conflict in 1950....

The Final Nail in the Coffin of Pakistani Manipulations in J&K

Network and landline connections in Jammu and Kashmir, that have remained restricted in parts since 05 August this year, have been restored in full. All post paid mobile services are functional now. Since most people in the state have post-paid connections, it implies that telephonic connectivity stands restored. It is reiterated that on August, 05, the Parliament of the Nation passed...

Baghdadi and his impact on India

Abu Bakar al – Baghdadi seems to have died finally if we trust the announcement made by the US President Donald Trump. Baghdadi, carrying a reward of $ 25 million on his head, had proclaimed the creation of an Islamic State, captured huge chunks of land in Iraq and Syria and was...

Was Modi-Xi Chennai meet a ‘civilisational’ encounter?

Indian commentators have always been fond of the word ‘civilisational’, it was already so during the Nehruvian days, it continues today; it must be something anchored in Indian genes. As I never really understood the meaning of the term, I finally looked it up in the...

Japan's 2019 Defence White Paper and the Contest for Southeast Asia

In Japan’s annual Defence White Paper released on 26 September, China’s growing military might has been given priority over North Korea’s belligerence as the country’s main security threat. This is the first time Japan has so explicitly identified China as a security threat...

Will Turkey be Able to Establish a ‘Safe Zone’ in Syria?

On October 09, Turkey launched Operation ‘Springs of Peace’, a military excursion into north eastern Syria to establish a ‘safe zone’ with the objective of preventing the Syrian Democratic Forces (Quwwāt Sūriyā al-Dīmuqrāṭīya or SDF) from controlling areas along the Turkish-Syrian border. This is part of Turkey’s longstanding goal to have a military presence in Syria to neutralise the alleged “terror corridor” run by the...