Indian Defence Review

The Indo-Pak Peace Talks: A Duodrama

The two actors of our sub-continent prepare to enact the latest scene, in the series of peace drama running over decades. The script is yet to play out the denouement. Nevertheless they meet again on Aug 25, 2014. What this should means for Indo-Pak relations remains anybody’s guess. In a telephonic conversation with...

Kashmiris are being hijacked!

The government in the centre has been there barely two months and a segment of the so-called prime-movers of the Kashmir valley, political leaders and intelligentsia, have started voicing a litany of demands – political, economic, development, social and what not. Inimical voices from across the border have increased...

Defence Budget: A Perspective on self Reliance and Modernisation

India’s Defence Budget for 2014-15 has an allocation of Rs.2,29,000 crores ($38 billion) which is an increase of 12% over the previous year’s allocation. The capital outlay which is for modernization and purchase of new weapon systems and equipment is Rs.94,588 crores ($15.7 billion). The remaining allocation of...

The Indo-Pak Peace Talks: A Duodrama

The Gaza Debate: A View Point

The Rajya Sabha had been pressing for a debate on the Gaza action of Israel, and with overwhelming pressure, including by threatening to forestall all other discussions in the Rajya Sabha, they were able to pressure an unwilling government to debate the issue. …India will now not sacrifice or de-recognize Israel for...

Know Yourself and Your Enemies

Two books titled ‘Deception – Pakistan, The United States and the Global Nuclear Weapons Conspiracy’ by Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott- Clark and ‘Military Inc.- Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy’ by Ayesha Siddiqa are valuable reading for scholars of national security and indeed all those responsible for...

Defence Budget: A Perspective on self Reliance and Modernisation

Fifth Generation Fighters and the IAF

The capability of any modern fighter is usually way ahead of its predecessors, especially so if it is replacing decades-old planes such as the MiG-21 and the MiG-27. This is even more applicable to the leader of the pack of six of the world’s best fighter jets. Other air forces in the neighbourhood are also acquiring...

Why not have ‘Technical Support Division’ at the Army Corps Level?

The essence of successful conventional defensive battle is in maintaining elasticity and cohesion; thereafter debilitating the enemy’s combat power to the danger zone of exhaustion and over-reach, then in launching own counter-offensive after minimum pause or by use of the ‘indirect approach’ offensive stratagem...

Kashmiris are being hijacked!

Israel under the Iron Dome - Should India Seek Cover?

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has once again brought into sharp focus the technological disparities between the two adversaries. Although there are news reports indicating use of UAVs by Hamas, most of these are unconfirmed. It could be very much possible that these were rudimentary aero-models with explosive...

Drone Terrorism

Media recently reported the arrest of four persons in Varanasi for filming the ‘Ganga Aarti’ using drone cameras at the Dashashwamedh Ghat without permission. The arrest was possible because the cam-copter was observed hovering in the vicinity. These four persons reportedly belong to Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi and...

Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s mini and micro UAVs see success in tests

Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B UAVs have passed their factory acceptance tests, leaving them ready for delivery to the Italian Army for its Forza NEC modernisation programme. With the systems ready to be welcomed into operation, the Italian Army will soon be able to benefit from the effective support...

FDI in Defence: Dispelling the Myths

India should adopt a flexible FDI policy to import much needed technologies which cannot be mastered through indigenous efforts in the acceptable time frame. Unfortunately, every time the issue of increasing FDI limit comes up, the opponents resort to their time-tested subterfuge of raising the bogey of security...

Lenco announces successful Blast Test of BEAR Troop Transport Armored Vehicle

Lenco Industries, Inc., the global leader in the design and manufacture of armored police vehicles, announces successful underbody and side blast testing of the BEAR® 17-man Troop Transport Armored Vehicle designed for Military and Government personnel and International Security Forces operating in hostile...

Factors Affecting Outcome of War

What were the causes for Hindu defeats? The simple and short answer is ‘Military non-performance of the Hindus’. To examine the reasons of that non-performance, we have first to understand the nature of war, i.e. the factors that determine the outcome of war. ‘War’ is a three-letter dirty word, involving death...