National Security All
20180804
Indo-US Strategic Partnership: Managing China’s Rise

India's foremost external security challenge in the 2020-30 timeframe will be to manage the rise of a militarily assertive China that is seeking to achieve a favourable strategic posture', and a nuclear-armed North Korea, its belligerent ally. China's brazen violation of international norms in...

CLAWS Scholar Warrior | Aug 4, 2018
20180406
Army modernisation is gradually gaining momentum

Emphasis on 'Make in India': The army's modernisation plans received a major boost when the Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accorded Acceptance of Necessity to several weapons systems tor the infantry in February 2018. The modernisation of the army is...

India Strategic | Apr 6, 2018
20180206
For lies & deceit

On January 4, the US government suspended security assistance to Pakistan for failing to take 'decisive action' against Taliban groups operating against the US and Afghan army personnel from safe havens in Pakistan. As for the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear warheads, these are well...

Defence & Security Alert | Feb 6, 2018
20180206
DAC clears $2b Indian army proposal for assault rifles

The DAC also approved the procurement of 5,719 Sniper Rifles for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 982 crore under the 'Buy Global' category. The army's efforts to replace the malfunctioning 5.56 mm INSAS rifle, with a fault-free modern assault rifle, have been hanging fire for...

India Strategic | Feb 6, 2018
20180202
अब सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक से आगे की बड़ी कार्यवाई करनी होगी
Defence Monitor | Feb 2, 2018
20180106
Last man last round

In Lest We Forget Capt Amarinder Singh has written: "In an unusual mark of respect for which the Chinese are not usually noted, their bodies had been covered with blankets, pegged down with bayonets. There could have been no greater tribute to their courage than this acknowledgement by their enemy"....

India Strategic | Jan 6, 2018
20180106
The Indian Army’s stellar role in nation building

Loved and respected by his countrymen, the Indian soldier is a role model for the people of India. The Indian soldier's role in nation building has been truly outstanding.

India Strategic | Jan 6, 2018
20171005
Can India fight China and Pakistan simultaneously?

As part of its grand strategy, China seeks to confine India to the backwaters of the Indian Ocean as a subaltern State and is using Pakistan as a proxy to keep India embroiled in conflict. Pakistan's offensive operations will probably begin in J&K, but may not necessarily remain limited to J&K.Can...

Salute | Oct 5, 2017
20171005
Strategic competition in Southern Asia: Emerging trend lines

While the region is riven by radical extremism, political instability, socio-economic challenges and ethnic tensions, exacerbated by the proliferation of small arms and narcotics trafficking, the China-India Strategic competition and China's collusion with Pakistan are key factors in the vitiated...

Geopolitics | Oct 5, 2017
20171005
Strategic competition in southern Asia: Emerging trend lines

While the region is riven by radical extremism, political instability, socio-economic challenges and ethnic tensions, exacerbated by the proliferation of small arms and narcotics trafficking, the China-India Strategic competition and China's collusion with Pakistan are key factors in the vitiated...

Geopolitics | Oct 5, 2017
20170805
Agenda for General Rawat

It is operational preparedness and the improvement of the army's combat effectiveness that should be the highest priorities for General Rawat. In March 2012, General VK Singh, then the COAS, had written to the Prime Minister about 'critical hollowness' in the Army's operational preparedness.

VAYU | Aug 5, 2017
20170805
In complete control

"Large-scale military reforms were initiated by Xi Jinping to make the PLA a more modern force"that can preserve China s territorial integrity and project power in China's area of strategic interest to extend China's strategic outreach through increased military presence overseas, especially in the...

VAYU | Aug 5, 2017
20170805
Combined arms

Are these acquisitions in order? Is it desirable for both the army and the air force to be equipped with attack helicopters? In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to first analyse the role played by air power - comprising fighter-ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters and combat...

VAYU | Aug 5, 2017
20170805
India-China strategic competition: Seeds of conflict

Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary, has written: "Of late, China has been resorting increasingly to unilateral actions seeking to alter the status quoThe Chinese side maintains that in the"Convention Between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet", the southern-most point identified...

Geopolitics | Aug 5, 2017
20170405
Defence preparedness and military modernisation need urgent attention

If future responses to terrorist attacks lead to conflict, is India prepared? The short answer is that the state of defence preparedness merits the government's urgent attention. The budgetary allocations earmarked on the capital account for the modernisation of the armed forces will continue to be...

India Strategic | Apr 5, 2017
20170305
Afghanistan: India must deploy troops

Besides a stable and preferably neutral government, India's political objectives include the following: ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a base and safe haven for terrorists and radical extremists: counter Pakistan's quest for strategic depth, acquire access to Afghanistan and through...

Salute | Mar 5, 2017
20170105
Cooperative society framework for the indo-pacific region

When asked, US officials normally point to India joining international counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation efforts; sharing intelligence; upholding the rules and norms governing maritime trade; providing help to the littoral states to meet their security needs; helping to counter piracy and...

Salute | Jan 5, 2017
20170105
Imperative need for a comprehensive national security strategy

A comprehensively formulated National Security Strategy reflects the national will to protect and promote national interests pertaining to security and dissuades adversaries from attempting to play mischief and also provides guidance to all stakeholders on policies related to national security....

Geopolitics | Jan 5, 2017
20160804
Posturing to dialogue: India and Pakistan must establish military-to-military contacts

The DGMOs of India and Pakistan should meet biannually at the AttariWagah border to discuss contentious military issues with a view to reducing tensions through negotiations. Regular flag meetings need to be instituted at the brigade level along the LoC and DIG range level between the BSF and the...

CLAWS Scholar Warrior | Aug 4, 2016
20160804
India & China territorial dispute

A senior Chinese interlocutor told this analyst at a bilateral think tanks' dialogue at Bangkok in October 2009 that relations between China and India would flourish very well if India was to hand over the Dalai Lama to China even at this belated stage. In 15 to 20 years from now, China may attempt...

Indian Defence Review | Aug 4, 2016
20160804
Pakistan’s tactical nuclear warheads and the efficacy of India’s nuclear doctrine

Following the terrorist attack at Uri in September 2016, several Pakistanis, including Khawaja Asif, the Defence Minister, held out nuclear threats to deter Indian military retaliation, particularly the threat to employ tactical nuclear warheads against Indian forces. India's nuclear doctrine states...

The War College Journal | Aug 4, 2016
20160804
Cold start: India’s pro-active offensive operations doctrine for war in the plains

The term Cold Start is still being used colloquially, especially in think tanks, and is used to depict India's pro-active offensive operations doctrine in this article. The pre-Operation Parakram doctrine for offensive operations was based primarily on employing the combat potential of India's...

The War College Journal | Aug 4, 2016
20160801
लद्दाख मोर्चे के लिए भी स्ट्राइक कोर ज़रूरी
Defence Monitor | Aug 1, 2016
20160505
Indo-US Strategic partnership: A force for cooperative security in the Indo-Pacific

"In this era of strategic uncertainty, the only certainty is that Chinas rise 1s unlikely to be entirely peaceful. Chinas brazen violation of international norms in recent years, particularly its construction of military facilities on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea, and its growing...

Salute | May 5, 2016
20160410
PITFALLS IN POLICY

No country that is not substantially self-reliant in Defence production can aspire to become a dominant military power in its region and, in due course, on the world stage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected […]

Defence & Security Alert | Apr 10, 2016
20151207
थलसेना: आधुनिकीकरण ने पकड़ी रफ़्तार
Defence Monitor | Dec 7, 2015
20150817
पाक के ‘ऑपरेशन जिब्रालटर’ के उड़ा दी धज्जियाँ
Defence Monitor | Aug 17, 2015
20150816
Noxious neighbour

There is disagreement on making peace overtures to India between the civil society in Pakistan and the Pakistan army and the ISI that exercise undue influence on the country's foreign and security policies. Pakistan's conflict with India will end only if, and when, a similar realisation dawns on the...

The Week | Aug 16, 2015
20150806
All weather partnership India-Russia defence cooperation

As the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile arched gracefully into the sky for its sixth test flight on November 23, 2003, and pierced the hull of its target some minutes later, it marked a new high point in the defence cooperation relationship between India and Russia. At present, India...

Aug 6, 2015
20150805
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
20150805
Border management : Need for reform

Due to the lack of understanding of such military issues among the decision-making elite, India's borders continue to be manned by a large number of military, para-military and police forces, each of which has its own ethos and each of which reports to a different central ministry at New Delhi, with...

CLAWS Scholar Warrior | Aug 5, 2015
20150804
Defence expenditure: Conflicting tales

The Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence has repeatedly recommended the gradual raising of defence expenditure to 3.0 per cent of the GDP. However, the 13″ Finance Commission had recommended that the nations defence expenditure should progressively come down to 1.76 per cent of the GDP by...

Indian Defence Review | Aug 4, 2015
20150705
Indian Army’s pivot to the mountains

In view of India's unresolved territorial disputes with China and Pakistan in the mountainous Himalayan region, there is a very high probability that the next major land conflict on the Indian sub-continent will again break out in the mountains. During the long history of post-independence conflicts...

Salute | Jul 5, 2015
20150505
CDS and the theatre commands in India: An idea whose time has come

Ideally, the CDS should be an overall commander-in-chief and from him command should flow to individual theatre commanders. Contrary to the belief that only the United States needs a theatre system because of its wider geo-political interests and involvement in security issues all over the globe,...

May 5, 2015
20150206
Pakistan’s war on terror

Pakistan cannot survive as a coherent nation state unless the army gives up its agenda of seeking strategic depth in Afghanistan, attempts to destabilise India through its proxy war and stops meddling in politics. The Pakistan army has let down Pakistan and must make amends.

Diplomatist | Feb 6, 2015
20150206
Modernisation of army resumed after a decade of stagnation

The army has initiated a project to equip all its infantry battalions with a system that had for long been called the Future Infantry Soldier as a System. The BMS system will be integrated with the Army Static Communications system.

Fauji India | Feb 6, 2015
20150106
Defensive and offensive operations in the plains

Among countries with modern armed forces, India and Pakistan are possibly the only two countries in the world that believe in the concept of separate holding and strike corps, for defensive and offensive operations, respectively. Once battle is joined and the enemy launches an offensive in the corps...

Jan 6, 2015
20140606
Artillery modernisation: End of stagnation

Under the army's Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan formulated in 1999, the Regiment of Artillery had decided to standardise the calibre of its guns at 155mm so as to ensure commonality of ammunition. The artillery plans to plan a total of 2,820 guns of all types to replace obsolescent guns and to...

SP's Land Forces | Jun 6, 2014
20121104
The battle of Rezang La

Though the 1962 war was a complete disaster for the country, there were many instances where Indian soldiers exhibited their indomitable spirit and unparallelled courage Fiffy years ago, India suffered the ignominy of a military […]

The Pioneer | Nov 4, 2012
20120130
Strike Corps: Rethinking Structure and Role

Pakistan’s so-called ‘low nuclear threshold’, as perceived by most Indian analysts, and the need to mass firepower rather than forces when planning to fight in a nuclear environment, prompt the need for a fresh look […]

Defence & Technology | Jan 30, 2012
20120115
Facing up to China

While India-China relations have been fairly stable at the strategic level, these have been marked by political, diplomatic and military instability at the tactical level due to Beijing’s increasing belligerence. The latest incident is that […]

The Pioneer | Jan 15, 2012
20120101
Things better, but we’ve got to keep eye open, powder dry

Though the year gone by was relatively peacefull for India, the security environment in India’s regional neighbourhood has been steadily deteriorating. The greatest causes of regional instability are the strident march of , Islamist fundamentalism […]

The Times of India | Jan 1, 2012
20120101
Things better, but we’ve got to keep eye open, powder dry

Though the year gone by was relatively peacefull for India, the security environment in India’s regional neighbourhood has been steadily deteriorating. The greatest causes of regional instability are the strident march of , Islamist fundamentalism […]

The Times of India | Jan 1, 2012
20110911
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
20110724
Big chinks in our security armour

India faces complex external and internal security threats and new challenges are emerging on the horizon. unresolved territorial disputes with China and Pakistan, insurgencies in Jammu & Kashmir and the northeastern states, the rising tide […]

The Times of India | Jul 24, 2011
20090804
Modernization of Indian artillery: Vision and imperatives

Russia gave India nuclear submarines on lease and provided assistance for the development of the cryogenic rocket engine for India's GSLV. During the December 2014 summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin, Russia had agreed to supply 12 nuclear power reactors...

The Artillery Journal | Aug 4, 2009
20060105
Coercive force and national security in the Indian context

Some Indian analysts do believe that limited war in the Indian context implies specifically targeted strikes across the LoC to destroy the sanctuaries provided by Pakistan and its army to the so-called mujahideen terrorists, including hot pursuit, so that they are unable to infiltrate and indulge in...

Indian Council of World Affairs | Jan 5, 2006
20050405
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
20050203
‘High probability of India’s next war being in mountains’

Among his deductions were the high probability that the next war would erupt in the mountains with a medium chance it would remain confined to that region and not escalate. Calling for the Indian Army to further upgrade its mountain warfare capability, Brig Kanwal suggested that out of the three...

Daily Excelsior | Feb 3, 2005
20041227
The LoC fence is bad strategy

The only possible gain that may have been considered worthwhile by planners is that such a fence would eventually give a semblance of strategic finality to the LoC as an international border. It clearly emerges that the fence has no military utility and its construction is bad strategy and poor...

The Indian Express | Dec 27, 2004
20041226
Pervez Musharraf under pressure

Pakistan is living through turbulent times and General Musharraf, its self-styled President, is under tremendous pressure. Pakistan's proxy war with India will go on because the Pakistan army will not allow Musharraf to change its fundamental policy towards India.

The Tribune | Dec 26, 2004
20041218
India protests too much

The United States had co-opted Pakistan as a frontline state in its fight against communism during the Cold War, and armed it with Patton tanks, F-86 Sabre Jets and F-104 Starfighters. The sharp Indian reaction to the announcement of a new US arms package for Pakistan is understandable.

The Pioneer | Dec 18, 2004
20041001
India-Pakistan Detente Peace balks

The realisation is gradually dawning in Pakistan that it has gained nothing from half a century of conflict with India, and that while India has made rapid economic strides, Pakistan has become a basket-case economy that has to be bailed out by periodic doses of generous aid from the World Bank and...

Hard News | Oct 1, 2004
20040905
Demilitarising Siachen: Put on Ice

According to the joint statement issued at the end of the talks, the two sides agreed to "continue their discussions with a view to resolving the Siachen issue in a peaceful manner". Unless Pakistan reviews its rigid stand on delineation of the AGPL, the Siachen conflict will remain an intractable...

Hard News | Sep 5, 2004
20040805
Indian army’s role in nation building

Besides ensuring a nation's territorial integrity and making a substantial contribution to national security, every young nation's army has a major role to play in nation building. For over fifty years since independence, the Indian Army has been in the forefront as the guarantor of the nation's...

Military Yearbook | Aug 5, 2004
20040722
The last Shangri La

Nestled between the snowcapped high-altitude mountains of the Great Himalayan Range and the Shamshabari Range in north Kashmir is the pristine Gurez Valley - probably the last remaining Shangri La since the Zanskar Valley in Ladakh was discovered a few decades ago. Spouting near Kaobal Gali, a pass...

The Tribune | Jul 22, 2004
20040701
Maximum security minimum fuss

While a strategic defence review is yet to be conducted, the CMP won't ruffle any feathers, which augurs well for a national political consensus on major foreign policy and security issues. The UPA promises to make the National Security Council a "Professional and effective institution" and has...

Hard News | Jul 1, 2004
20040601
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
20040406
CDS and the theatre commands in India : An idea whose time has come

Ideally, the CDS should be an overall commander-in-chief and from him command should flow to individual theatre commanders. Contrary to the belief that only the United States needs a theatre system because of its wider geo-political interests and involvement in security issues all over the globe,...

Apr 6, 2004
20040224
Pakistani nukes may end up in jihadi hands

No real analysis has emerged about the implications for India, particularly of the likelihood of Pakistani nuclear warheads falling into jihadi hands. Ever since Pakistan's tit-for-tat nuclear explosions at Chagai in May 1998, there has been widespread apprehension that its nuclear warheads may fall...

The Indian Express | Feb 24, 2004
20040124
Are Pakistan’s nukes in safe hands?

India would be particularly vulnerable to nuclear terrorism if the lunatic fringe of Pakistan's jihadi forces were to lay their hands on nuclear warheads, While the threat to the US from nuclear terrorism is no doubt real, that to India is much greater because of India's contiguity with Pakistan and...

Sahara Time | Jan 24, 2004
20040101
Pakistan army’s downsizing effort

After a meeting of senior formation commanders last week, Major General Shaukat Sultan, the spokesperson of the Pakistan army, announced that in an effort to improve its teeth-to-tail ratio, the army will reduce its strength by 50,000 personnel during the year 2004. The Pakistan army has long been...

Jan 1, 2004
20030427
‘AirLand’ synergy the key

Employed in synergism with ground forces, air power is a force multiplier that can pave the way for victory. It is this synergy between the Indian army and our air force that needs improvement, where the response time between an immediate air strike being initiated and delivered is still greater...

Hindustan Times | Apr 27, 2003
20020828
Asian Security-II

There is a consensus among Asian countries that the early elimination of nuclear weapons is unlikely to come about without a pro-active part being played by the non-nuclear weapon states because, in the perception of the nuclear weapons states, nuclear deterrence has become even more relevant in the...

The Statesman | Aug 28, 2002
20020827
Asian Security-I

While the countries of South Asia are plagued by the challenges of regional security, the countries of southeast Asia are more concerned with balancing the prowling influence of China and non-military challenges rather than conventional sources of insecurity. The received wisdom is that Asia is too...

The Statesman | Aug 27, 2002
20020807
Operation Vijay-II

While army convoys had continued to ply throughout Pakistan's daily bombardment of Drass village and other points on NH 1A, it had not been considered prudent to allow civilian traffic to ply on the the highway till Tiger Hill was finally cleared and direct observation of the road was denied to the...

The Statesman | Aug 7, 2002
20020806
Operation Vijay-I

While the overall strategic aim of Pakistan in engineering intrusions across the LoC under the facade of Kashmir militancy was quite obviously to provide a fresh impetus to the flagging jehad and again attempt to focus international attention on the Kashmir issue, the intrusions had multiple...

The Statesman | Aug 6, 2002
20020804
Dominating the line of control with firepower

Russia gave India nuclear submarines on lease and provided assistance for the development of the cryogenic rocket engine for India's GSLV. During the December 2014 summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin, Russia had agreed to supply 12 nuclear power reactors...

The Artillery Journal | Aug 4, 2002
20020615
Chinese Military – I

After an extensive review of regional wars since the 1980s, the PLA leadership concluded that new means of firepower are important factors in determining the outcome of modem military operations, the degree of jointmanship and overall coordination between the different branches of the armed forces...

The Statesman | Jun 15, 2002
20020321
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
20020116
Chinese Military-II

China's new strategy focuses on handling limited, short duration conflicts along Chinas periphery and in economically important maritime areas. Henry Kissinger has written: "China has always dealt with foreign dangers, with extraordinary tenacity. it-has survived 5000 years of turbulent history by...

The Statesman | Jan 16, 2002
20011124
Afghanistan:Emerging Scenario

In the worst case scenario for Pakistan, if the Taliban is completely defeated and evicted from Afghanistan, Pakistan will nave to contend with approximately 30,000 to 40,000 fully armed and trained militiamen on it soil, including about 5,000 Arabs who are either fugitives from justice in their...

PTI Feature | Nov 24, 2001
20011011
Military Response

US B-52 bombers from Diego Garcia, F-15 and F-16 fighter bombers and British Tornados from air bases in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar are likely to be utilised for delivering heavier payloads against larger targets such as air strips. Contrary to popular perceptions, the US is...

The Statesman | Oct 11, 2001
20010804
Shiva’s dance of death: Artillery vision for the future

In the classic "Fire and manoeuvre' tactics practised during operations on 20th century battlefields, Artillery traditionally provided the firepower punch, with some help from the Air Force, while infantry and mechanised forces units manoeuvred to gain tactical advantage. Artillery engagements were...

The Artillery Journal | Aug 4, 2001
20010804
Gauging Musharraf

The Pakistan army's single-minded pursuit of its proxy war for over a decade clearly indicates its long-term game plan to destabilise India by keeping the pot boiling in Kashmir, keep the Indian army and other security forces embroiled in counter-insurgency operations and, more recently, to extend...

The Statesman | Aug 4, 2001
20010703
Pakistan’s Military-II

In any case, the Pakistan army had by then gone too far with its planning for Operation "Badr" in the Kargil district of J&K and was not going to allow Sharif to ruin what the Pakistan GHQ thought was a bold plan to once again seize the military and moral high ground in Kashmir. Bruised and battered...

The Statesman | Jul 3, 2001
20010702
Pakistan’s Military-I

Now, less than two years later, the General has appointed himself President of Pakistan for five years and signalled that he is here to stay as General Zia-ul Haq. On the demise of General Zia, General Aslam Beg stepped into the power vacuum as COAS and Ghulam Ishaq Khan, a Pakistan Civil Service...

The Statesman | Jul 2, 2001
20010611
PoK area residents demand Balawaristan

"Not only were the NLI soldiers used as cannon fodder, even the bodies of their dead comrades were moved at night to avoid publicity and they were mostly buried in the same civilian clothes in which they had left for the front line." Residents of the Northern Areas also claim that the wounded NLI...

The Tribune | Jun 11, 2001
20010529
Nation states

Writing in Foreign Affairs, Martin Wolf expresses the view: "The modern form of globalisation will not spell the end of the modern nation-state. International economic integration magnifies the difference between good and bad states failed states, disorderly states, weak states and corrupt states...

The Statesman | May 29, 2001
20010427
The big guns who blazed a trails of glory

Regimental reunions are a lot like joyous summer holidays — anticipated with relish, experienced with happiness and remembered with nostalgia. The recent artillery Reunion at Deolali was as memorable as the nine others that had […]

The Times of India | Apr 27, 2001
20010317
Defence Expenditure

Ironically, each one of them further reduced the budgeted defence expenditure, both in real terms and as a percentage of the GDP. At 3.59 per cent of the GDP in 1987-88, the defence expenditure was the highest ever after 1963-64 when it had been hiked from 1.69(1961-62) to 3.84 per cent of the GDP...

The Statesman | Mar 17, 2001
20001205
India’s national security strategy in a nuclear environment

Does India have a comprehensive, clearly enunciated national security strategy? Does India need such a strategy in its nuclear weapons-dominated, unstable external security environment, and an internal security scenario vitiated by foreign sponsored insurgencies? the answer to the first question is...

Strategic Analysis | Dec 5, 2000
20001203
Mission Kashmir

Most security analysts commenting on the Prime Minister's unilateral declaration of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan have completely missed the primary motivation for the initiative - it reflects the overwhelming desire of the Kashmiri people for peace. Disgusted at...

The Statesman | Dec 3, 2000
20001104
Afghanistan Imbroglio

Abdul Rashid Dostum's Northern Alliance, propped up by tacit support from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, the Central Asian Republics bordering Afghanistan, and by the physical presence of approximately 20,000 Russian troops north of Afghanistan's border, can still influence the final...

The Statesman | Nov 4, 2000
20001022
Military power

Though present apprehensions of Aziz and Mahmoud Ahmed posing a threat to Musharraf would appear to be exaggerated, they may fall out with their leader if Musharraf appears to give in and compromises with either India or the West on Pakistan's policies on major issues such as the resolution of the...

The Statesman | Oct 22, 2000
20000917
India’s External Security Environment

India has adopted a policy of Zero tolerance' for terrorism and has clearly stated that there can be no meaningful discussions with Pakistan till that country completely stops the sponsorship of terrorism in India. China's unjustifiable opposition to India's nuclear weapons programme, its continuing...

The Sentinel | Sep 17, 2000
20000907
Signing CTBT

FLAWS. "Secondly, the CTBT did not envision any linkage with time-bound nuclear disarmament. Without such a linkage, the CTBT has further legitimised the nuclear weapons of the five nuclear weapons states. The Indian representative had explained at Geneva that India could not"accept any restraints...

The Statesman | Sep 7, 2000
20000822
Pakistan’s Crisis of credibility

While the Indian estimates of Pakistani casualties were 45 officers and 704 other ranks, Sharif has stated that Pakistan "Had to suffer heavy loss of human lives which was more than even the 1965 war."Withdrawing across the Line of Control with unseemly haste, the Pakistan Army even disowned Its...

The Sentinel | Aug 22, 2000
20000820
Pakistanis seek truth on Kargil

Calling the Kargil fiasco the "Biggest debacle after the 1971 war with India," Sharif bemoaned the fact that he was not taken into confidence by Pakistan's rogue army about its Kargil plans and, though the preparation for the intrusions began in January, 1999, he was informed only on May, 1999, when...

The Tribune | Aug 20, 2000
20000815
National Security

Consequent to the submission of the Kargil Review Committee Report, the Cabinet Committee on Security had appointed a Group of Ministers headed by the Home Minister to study its recommendations and advise the CCS. The GoM, in turn, appointed four task forces to carry out an in-depth analysis of the...

The Statesman | Aug 15, 2000
20000814
Joint air attack teams: Integration of AAH and FGA missions as a combat force multiplier

One method of achieving the necessary integration and close cooperation is by forming joint air attack teams - an idea whose time has come. The differences in speed, manoeuvrability, weapons systems and the AD threat to FGA aircraft and AAH demand careful selection of attack modes, clear delineation...

Indian Defence Review | Aug 14, 2000
20000805
Case for a Chief Defense of Staff: Inescapable requirement

In the present era of strategic uncertainties and rapidly changing threats, there is now an unavoidable necessity of establishing a Joint Planning Staff headquarters for the planning and conduct of joint operations under a single overall Commander-in-Chief who could be called the Chief of Defence...

Strategic Analysis | Aug 5, 2000
20000801
Pakistan’s darkest hour

Good battalions are known to have even launched counter-attacks to bring back custom of war, the Pakistan army refused to take back the bodies of four of its regular soldiers directly from the Indian Army during the Kargil conflict, and finally did so only under international pressure through the...

The Pioneer | Aug 1, 2000
20000708
Pakistan: Six months into the jackboot

Six months after Pakistan came back under the jack boot, initial public support for the Army has waned and the people are despairing of one poor governance having been replaced by another and more authoritarian at that. Writing in Dawn, columnist Ayaz Amir said, "Since dislodging a government in...

The Sentinel | Jul 8, 2000
20000628
Pay-back time on the LoC

The only language the military junta in Pakistan is likely to understand is that of violence - directed not against innocent civilians inside POK but against Pakistan's army deployed on the LoC. It is possible for India to turn on the screws by inflicting local military defeats on the Pakistan army...

The Indian Express | Jun 28, 2000
20000509
Chinese challenge

China's growing power and influence in Asia poses a long-term strategic challenge to India. The long-term requirement is to match China's strategic challenge in the region and develop a credible military deterrence against the use of nuclear and missile weapon systems.

The Statesman | May 9, 2000
20000410
Implementation of India’s ‘No First Use’ Doctrine—Need for Some Inescapable Qualifications

Impact of Conventional Capabilities on Nuclear Doctrine For some time now a major debate has been raging in the strategic community in India (or the ‘strategic enclave’, as George Perkovich calls it in his book […]

Strategic Analysis | Apr 10, 2000
20000207
Fifty Years of the Republic: Indian Army’s Extraordinary Contribution

When the Indian tricolour was hoisted on Tiger Hill and soon fluttered atop many other peaks in the high Himalayas of Kargil district in July 1999, the Pakistan army had been handed out one more […]

Strategic Analysis | Feb 7, 2000
20000121
REAR-AREA SECURITY IN KASHMIR VALLEY

Introduction Ever Since early – 1990, when the present spell of Pakistan Inspired, aided and abetted Insurgency erupted In the Kashmir Valley, artillery units have stood shoulder to shoulder with the Infantry to share the […]

Defence Today | Jan 21, 2000
20000101
Pakistan’s national security imperatives

Pakistani strategists felt that a new security consensus among these Muslim neighbours would produce numerous dividends for Pakistan and the Muslim world through organizations such as OIC and ECO. However, Indian diplomacy has achieved considerable success in trade and foreign relations ties with...

Defence Today | Jan 1, 2000
20000101
Electronic warfare: The newest knight in shining armour

The increasingly dominant role being played by electronics in land, sea and air warfare is gradually forcing the world's armed forces to recognize the value of a new concept in tactical operations, often referred to as electronic combat or Electronic Warfare - a significant force multiplier which...

Indian Defence Review | Jan 1, 2000
19991105
Ban on anti-personnel landmines: An update

The US joined the Oslo Conference only at the last minute to avoid being isolated on this emotive issue and set several pre-conditions, including the right to maintain APMs in Korea Or nine years, before agreeing to be a party to the proposed ban on the use, manufacture and sale of APMs. Other US...

Strategic Analysis | Nov 5, 1999
19990905
Non-lethal weapons: Security with a humane face

Should the situation warrant the employment of the army to render aid to the civil authority, it needs to -be considered whether such a pre-condition for a graduated response from NLWs to lethal weapons should be imposed. NLWs are unlikely to ever substitute lethal weapons completely, they will only...

Strategic Analysis | Sep 5, 1999
19990804
Operation Vijay: Artillery’s crowning glory

The guns of the field artillery fired audaciously in the direct firing role under the very nose of Pakistani artillery observation posts, without regard for personal safety. Artillery OPs were established on dominating heights on the flanks of the intrusions and sustained artillery fire was brought...

The Artillery Journal | Aug 4, 1999
19990723
Artillery’s key role in Kargil

Had longer range MBRLs such as Smerch, which has a range of 100 kilometres, been available, it would have been possible for the Indian artillery to hit Skardu from Kargil. Mortars of artillery regiments that rendered yeoman service in the Kargil conflict included 120-mm mortar and the 160-mm heavy...

Hindustan Times | Jul 23, 1999
19990720
These dead men tell a gory tale

They did it because it is the Indian custom to honour the dead. The dead Pakistani soldiers were honoured despite the barbaric torture of Indian soldiers and the mutilation of the bodies of our brave men. Pakistan's nefarious aim in using mainly NLI soldiers as cannon fodder was obviously to limit...

TOI | Jul 20, 1999
19971015
Land mines ban: Just a ‘feel good’ convention?

The recently concluded negotiations at Oslo to ban anti-personnel mines are part of the Ottawa Process, begun in October 1996 when 50 States pledged to work together for a total ban on APMs by December 1997. Princess Diana's interest in the welfare of landmine victims and the award of this years'...

TOI | Oct 15, 1997
19970101
A just war and a grand victory

On 25 November he had declared, "In ten days time, I may not be here in Rawalpindi. I may be off fighting a war." The Pakistan Air Force's pre-emptive air strike unleashed the dogs of war between India and Pakistan, for the third time in 25 years. Her calmness was reassuring, her confidence...

Sainik Samachar | Jan 1, 1997
19970101
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
19961201
Crystalgazing: A peep into the future

Writing a perceptive piece on the subject in "Defence News", Pat Cooper states that, "The ability to wage war in cyberspace has a deterrent value that rates between the threat of a conventional military attack and a nuclear In the same article, Arthur Cebrowski, Director, Command, Control,...

Combat Journal | Dec 1, 1996
19960815
National security council – Panacea or pipedream

National security strategy requires a holistic approach, clear concepts for determining vital national security objectives and policies, a viable framework for the successful implementation of the policies, constant monitoring of the security environment to anticipate and pre-empt or neutralize...

Combat Journal | Aug 15, 1996
19960701
CYBERWAR: THE ROAD AHEAD

Crystalgazing : A Peep into the Future January 2015, 1000 hours. The mellow rays of the winter sun glinted off the drum major’s baton as the coloufully attired brass band marched past the Chief of […]

Combat Journal | Jul 1, 1996
19960201
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: PANACEA OR PIPEDREAM?

With alarming regularity, screaming headlines inform the nation that is not well On the security front. The arms drop at Purulia, the suspicious flights Lakhimpui, the bomb blasts at Lajpat Nagar in New Delhi and […]

Combat Journal | Feb 1, 1996
19960120
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
19880801
AUTOMATED INTEGRATED TACTICAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION Thu battlefield of the future will be characterised by fast flowing, mobile operation , conducted by mechanised forces in a high density electronic environment. Enemy force will be located, tracked and engaged by fire […]

Combat Journal | Aug 1, 1988
19880101
Strike corps offensive operations – Imperatives for success

As is the won't in a peacetime army, planning for offensive operations in current discussions, war games and exercises is being increasingly based on acceptable stereotypes rather than on the intrinsic requirements of the allotted task(s), the terrain constraints, the enemy's pattern of defensive...

Indian Defence Review | Jan 1, 1988
19871101
Where ISMS have not reached

Gradually, almost imperceptibly, village Malsisar stirs to life. Every village has its Taal, a dry pond with a hard bed.

Sainik Samachar | Nov 1, 1987
19850701
DEVELOPMENT IN WEAPON TECHNOLOGY -1

INTRODUCTION “On the battlefield of the future, enemy forces will be located, tracked and targeted almost instantaneously through the use of data links, computer assisted intelligence evaluation and automated fire control. With first round kill […]

OTHER | Jul 1, 1985
19831014
The safety, honour and welfare of the men you command

Somewhere along the line, we have conveniently altered the otherwise inviolate sequence of our inspiring Academy credo and we have all but forgotten that the honour, safety and welfare of the men we command take precedence over our own needs and comforts. Not making any attempt to ameliorate their...

Oct 14, 1983
19820126
Lest We Forget

DECEMBER 3,1971. In the twilight of a cold winter evening, the birds were coming home to roost in the trees around Ambala airfield when the thunder of diving jets and the • noisy explosion of […]

Illustrated Weekly | Jan 26, 1982