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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
Strategic Environment
Last man standing

Inducted into the theatre of operations well before the actual war began, the US Army's under-cover Delta Force, Green Berets and Rangers; the Navy's SEALS, and a handful of Air Force and Marine Corps units, together with British and Australian SF units, played a bigger role in Iraq than in any...

Force | Jan 1, 2004
Nuclear
Command and control of nuclear weapons in India

In dealing with the employment of nuclear weapons, the issue of control becomes a question of "Technology and wiring' and a delegation and devolution of authority in crises? Osgood has described a number of components of command and control of nuclear weapons; these include: the manufacture of...

Strategic Analysis | Jan 5, 2000
Strategic Environment
No old hat, this!

In The spring of 1989, 20 military observers from India joined the United Nations. Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) in Namibia. Of the lot, Chetinder and I were the only Sikh officers. From the time we […]

Hindustan Times | Apr 30, 1999
National Security
Indian missiles: Reaching for the sky

These Indian missiles are being developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Project, launched by the Government of India in 1983, under the aegis of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. As the missiles will be purely Indian systems, the enemy will be unable to ascertain their exact...

Jan 1, 1997
National Security
Whither Musharraf?

General Musharraf finds himself in a most unenviable position - Pakistan's polity has been torn asunder by recent events, the Mullahs are up in arms, his support base within the army is being gradually eroded and Indian troops are lined up in full battle gear across Pakistan's eastern border....

The Statesman | Mar 21, 2002
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
Internal Security
But keep the powder dry in Kashmir

It allows the Pakistani army the freedom to continue its nefarious activities in Kashmir without fear. It allows the Pakistani army the freedom to continue its nefarious activities in Kashmir without fear of retribution.

The Indian Express | Jan 22, 2004
National Security
पाक के ‘ऑपरेशन जिब्रालटर’ के उड़ा दी धज्जियाँ
Defence Monitor | Aug 17, 2015
Strategic Environment
Exit Strategy in Afganistan: US plan will lead to further instability

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, still a perceptive observer of the emerging strategic environment, has written that four conditions must be met to make the exit strategy viable: "A cease-fire; withdrawal of all or most American and allied forces: the creation of a coalition government or...

The Artillery Journal | Aug 4, 2011

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Publications

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Sharpening the arsenal: India’s evolving nuclear deterrence policy
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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
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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
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This book presents an incisive analysis of the trends and prospects of Pakistan`s proxy war and its wider ramifications. Specific recommendations focus on the pro-active military measures that are necessary to regain control over the vitiated security situation and restore normalcy.

Heroes of Kargil

This book recounts in graphic detail the raw courage under fire displayed by the young officers and heroic fight back against daunting odds. It is a tribute to the young heroes and gallant martyrs of the campaign that stirred the national consciousness like nothing else before.