Selected Articles from IDR

Defence Purchases: time India asserts itself

Press reports have been highlighting Russian refusal to deliver aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov at the contracted price and within the agreed delivery period. It is demanding more money on the plea that the Russian technicians had underestimated the quantum of work required to restore the fire-ravaged ship. Read More »

Arihant: the annihilator

The launching of the Arihant by the Prime Minister (PM) on 26th July 2009 has hopefully, at last, partially lifted the top security veil over the Advance Technology Vessel (ATV) Project. In that light, to the extent feasible, Read More »

Securing Maritime Lifelines

Characterised by globalisation, the present times bear a new flavour for international relations. The economic liberalization undertaken by states has led to a frenzy of commercial interactions amongst them and their increased participation in global arrangements like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organisation (WTO). Read More »

Helicopter Operations

Aviation historians delight in tracing the concept of the helicopter to Leonardo di Vinci or even earlier to some vague drawings in China that date back to an era before Christ. Be that as it may, for India the helicopter age started in the mid 1950s when a couple of Sikorsky helicopters flew in the Indian skies for the first time. Read More »

The New ‘Make’ Procedure: A Retrograde Step

Prior to the issuance of Defence Procurement Procedure - 2006 (DPP-2006), all proposals categorised by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) as ‘Make’ cases were handled by the Defence R&D Board (Def R&D Bd). The Department of Defence R&D had evolved a procedure that had adequate inbuilt flexibility for R&D application. Expenditure was debited to the related R&D head.

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“Is war around the corner?”

A few month’s back, Bharat Verma, Editor of the Indian Defence Review, in an article, had predicted that China may attack India by 2012. Frankly, at that time, I did not agree with this prophecy, because in my opinion China would not want a war till it becomes a true super power by 2050,and in any case the Chinese, in my opinion, would only go to war, if they had a 100 percent chance of success.

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Bows, Arrows and Nuclear Weapons

Just few years before India got its independence an unhealthy collision took place between the worlds of physics and politics. In 1945 the Americans nuked Japan. Since then in some parts of the world national security has become synonymous with nuclear weapons. Subsequently, during the Cold War era these weapons did succeed in bringing stability. Read More »

Incursions, Now and Then

Chinese incursions have been making headlines in the Indian media. Unfortunately, the Indian leadership prefers to mitigate the facts, to not “hurt feelings of the Chinese” or “make things worse”. After all, they say, that China is our neighbour for a long time to come and we have to learn to live with it!

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Maoists and the Armed Forces

Armed forces personnel hailing from the Red Corridor are being subjected to intimidation and extortion by the Maoists for at least two decades now. The families of the servicemen residing in their native places are being forced to part with their hard earned money to fill the coffers of the Maoists.

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The Rajapaksa Model: of defeating terror, securing peace and national reconciliation

The Tiger’s Lair • Interveiw with President Mahinda Rajapaksa • Badulla Model: Forging a new Nationhood • Striking Oil 

1: The Tiger’s Lair

In the first week of August I drove from Colombo to Vavuniya air base in northern Sri Lanka accompanied by a military escort, a Major in the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). As soon as we reach the airbase we are directed towards the air movement office, a sparsely furnished room with minimal, old furniture. Read More »