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Late Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd.) was a celebrated soldier, author, thought leader and noted strategic affairs analyst. Graduating from the National Defence Academy in March 1972, Brigadier Kanwal went on to command an Infantry Brigade along the LOC and an Artillery Regiment in Kashmir (1993-1994). He also served as Deputy Assistant Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff.

After taking voluntary retirement in 2003, Brigadier Kanwal joined the Observer Research Foundation and served at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and Centre for Air Power Studies. He was Director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies from 2008 to 2012. He was also the co-founder of two think tanks, Forum for Strategic Initiatives (FSI) and the South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs (SAISA). In November 2012, he was nominated among 50 Thought Leaders by Mail Today. He was awarded the COAS Commendation Card twice. He had contributed extensively to various journals and leading newspapers, including a column in the Statesman for over two years. He was a regular speaker at well-known international think tanks and military institutions.

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“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
— THOREAU —

Honours

Life & Work
Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, at the book launch of The New Arthashastra on November 10, 2016
Smt Nirmala Sitharaman releases book ‘Sharpening the Arsenal: India’s Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy’ authored by Brig (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal at IDSA, New Delhi on March 15, 2018.
Brig (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal, awarded the United nations Medal on March 1, 1990
Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, at the book launch of The New Arthashastra on November 10, 2016

Writings

op-eds journals
Internal Security
Return of the jackboot

While the ill-conceived Kargil misadventure venture was the catalyst that hastened confrontation between the members of the power troika in Pakistan, the origins of the conflict lay in Sharif's diplomatic overtures towards India and the Pakistan military leadership's discomfort with his Kashmir...

The Indian Express | Oct 15, 1999
Terrorism
Unholy warriors

Syed Salahuddin, wants India to recognise that Pakistan is a party to the Kashmir dispute, to agree to engage in tripartite talks with Pakistan and Kashmiri representatives and to reduce the number of troops deployed in Kashmir to 1989 levels. Violent acts of terrorism in J&K and elsewhere in India...

The Statesman | Jan 28, 2001
National Security
THE NEW WORLD ORDER : ADAPTING TO CHANGES

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of M Phil at the College of Combat, Mhow (MP). January 1996       THE NEW WORLD ORDER : ADAPTING TO CHANGES […]

Dissertation | Jan 20, 1996
National Security
Rightsizing is Wrong

Ac expenditure on manpower accounts for over 90 per cent of the army's budget, all possible avenues need to be explored to save manpower costs without compromising the army's operational preparedness. Such a move offers a lucrative opportunity to save on manpower costs by increasing the number of...

Hard News | Jun 1, 2004
National Security
Demilitarising Siachen: Desirable but difficult

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced at Siachen Base Camp during a visit on August 13, 2004, that "Military personnel will meet to discuss the demilitarisation exercise and report back to their respective governments." Referring to the issue of demarcation of the Actual Ground Position Line,...

Apr 5, 2005
National Security
Let’s stop being MAD, move to CBMs

In 1998, India went nuclear. Within weeks, Pakistan Followed suit with multiple nuclear tests. Having included al nuclear weapons in their ever growing arsenal, both India and Pakistan now have incorporated nuclear capabilities into their […]

The Times of India | Sep 11, 2011
Nuclear
Safety and security of India’s N-weapons

Besides posing practical difficulties, the virtual non-involvement of the armed forces in the country's nuclear weapons programme has undermined the credibility of India's nuclear deterrent and raised doubts about the safety and security of nuclear weapons. The need for ensuring the highest...

Strategic Analysis | Apr 5, 2001
National Security
In defence of our defenders

Delay in OROP implementation could affect the morale of soldiers. The ministry of defence has repeatedly appealed against the court judgements that favour the veterans and soldiers widows- often contesting the award of paltry sums, even as the cost of litigation exceeds the amount at stake.

VAYU | Aug 5, 2015
Strategic Environment
Briefcase Nukes : The new nightmare

Among the world's foremost terrorist organizations, the Al-Qaeda is the most determined and most likely to come into possession of a nuclear warheads sooner or later A future nexus between the Al-Qaeda and the intransigent North Koreans cannot be ruled out as both share a pathological hatred for the...

Sahara Time | Jan 1, 2000

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Publications

books authored books edited chapters in books All
Sharpening the arsenal: India’s evolving nuclear deterrence policy
Buy

The essence of the defence minister's introspection was that ambiguity enhances deterrence. This view has been expressed by several nuclear strategists. Nuclear doctrines are not written in stone and are never absolutely rigid.

Indian Army Vision 2020
Buy

Indian Army: Vision 2020 examines the threats and their changing nature, identifies the key operational commitments, makes a comparative analysis of how other modern armies are coping and offers a considered guide map for a modern fighting force that is light, lethal and wired to meet the operational challenges of the 21st century.

Pakistan’s Proxy War
Buy

Indian Army: Vision 2020 examines the threats and their changing nature, identifies the key operational commitments, makes a comparative analysis of how other modern armies are coping and offers a considered guide map for a modern fighting force that is light, lethal and wired to meet the operational challenges of the 21st century.

Heroes of Kargil

The book “Sharpening the Arsenal: India’s Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy” examines the efficacy of India’s declared nuclear doctrine of credible minimum deterrence with a no first use posture and surveys the nuclear arsenals of India, China and Pakistan.