Articles By Air Marshal B D Jayal
Society and politicians must respond to the sacrifices
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 01 May , 2016
Of late the Indian armed forces have more often than not been in the news for reasons that appear to reflect a lowering of both personal and institutional moral and ethical standards. The reasons...
The battle that rages within the Nation
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 11 Oct , 2015
Since Independence, the nation has grown up with the knowledge and belief that its armed forces are pillars of strength and symbolize probity and the spirit of sacrifice. This belief is reflected...
Indian Aeronautics: Self reliance needs innovative action not platitudes
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Vol. 28.1 Jan-Mar 2013 | Date: 19 Feb , 2015
In June 2005, the US India–Defence Framework Relationship opened a new chapter. In an age where some say that the arms race has been replaced by a technology race, access to the US for defence...
National War Memorial: A question of honour
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 22 Aug , 2014
Before the flicker of the last candle to commemorate those who laid down their lives for their motherland during the Kargil conflict dies out and memories of this 15th anniversary of Kargil Diwas...
Know Yourself and Your Enemies
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 12 Jul , 2014
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...
Political parties’ manifestos mean little for the armed forces
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 22 Apr , 2014
The eagerly awaited election manifesto of the principal opposition party is now in the public domain and it is natural for students of national security to look at it in some depth since opinion...
UPA-II Failed Armed Forces
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 07 Apr , 2014
Writing in these columns when the United Progressive Alliance II commenced its innings (“Through Thick and Thin”, June 3, 2009), one was optimistic that the new dispensation would not sit...
Remembered Only at Election Time
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 05 Mar , 2014
It is no secret that the armed forces of the Union have, to an extent, been viewed by our ruling elite as a necessary burden. Reportedly at one time our first prime minister even wondered if they...
Civil-Military Relations: Heed the Timely Message
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Date: 18 Feb , 2014
Concluding his recent address to the annual combined commanders conference during which he listed some serious challenges facing not just the armed forces but the entire national security...
The Forgotten Jawan
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Date: 02 Feb , 2014
The army counts for little on the electoral battlefield On the eve of yet another general election, it is but natural for observers to crystal-gaze into what the future portends by looking...
Time for a hard look at the aviation industry
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Date: 27 Aug , 2013
India has steadfastly refused to review the organisational model of the MoD, which remains frozen in time. Therefore, the inter-service rivalry results in wasteful duplications and a...
Conditions needed for India-Pakistan rapprochement
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: US National Strategy Forum Review | Date: 08 Aug , 2013
The act of geographically dividing a people on an untested “two nation theory,” ignoring a shared multi-cultural heritage dating back centuries, was bound to have consequences beyond anything...
Avoidable Tragedies
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 20 Jul , 2013
It is now nearing a month since disaster struck the upper reaches of Uttarakhand, unleashing nature’s fury and shattering the lives of thousands of pilgrims and local people. The number of...
The thinking man and the fighting man
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Date: 05 Jul , 2013
The date, May 23, 2013, may well go down in the history of the Indian republic as a day when the first rays of a new dawn began to shed light on the culture of barren strategic thought within the...
Time To Walk A Thin Line
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 12 Jun , 2013
In a season where scams are tumbling out of Lutyens’ Bhavans with an embarrassing regularity, it may appear that the AgustaWestland helicopter graft case has receded from public memory. Rather...
Defence production- a battle between free market and state control
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 08 Jun , 2013
In a season where scams are tumbling out of Lutyens’ Bhavans with an embarrassing regularity, it may appear that the AgustaWestland helicopter graft case has receded from public memory. Rather...
A Turning Point in History
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 01 Jun , 2013
Even as the full scale of the tragedy that struck the United States on September 11 is unfolding, it is worth pondering its strategic implications. A leading American daily has termed it as war...
Courage in Question
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Date: 22 Apr , 2013
Retrospective downgrading of military awards taints service ideals – Air Marshal Brijesh D Jayal The highlight of an annual Republic Day parade is the opening, with the nation honouring yet more...
How to Resolve the Problem of Roles and Missions
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 11 Apr , 2013
A national daily recently reported that highly classified documents pertaining to weapon system requirements and acquisition plans of all the three services along with those of surveillance...
A single person cannot subvert the defence procurement system
By: Air Marshal B D Jayal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 15 Mar , 2013
A report by prosecutors filed in Italy in connection with the arrest of the chief executive officer of Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, has alleged that the then Indian air force chief was...