Coverage
20180420
Book Review: Sharpening The Arsenal: India’s Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy

Gurmeet Kanwal, one of India's foremost military analysts, has been thinking and writing about India's nuclear policy for over two decades. Nuclear escalation itself is an overblown concern: the type of nuclear forces that India and Pakistan have do not carry the same risk of the kind of automatic...

Financial Express | Apr 20, 2018
20180417
Modi govt’s Act East policy boosts development, security but challenges lie ahead

Gurmeet Kanwal, one of India's foremost military analysts, has been thinking and writing about India's nuclear policy for over two decades. Whatever the reason for India's very slow development of its capabilities, India's nuclear deterrence capability clearly suffers.

Hindustan Times | Apr 17, 2018
20180313
Pakistan, China scaling up military at lightning speed; fund crunch crippling India, warns army

The Indian Army has told a parliamentary panel that even as China and Pakistan are modernising their militaries at a lightning pace, a looming financial crisis is crippling India's combat capabilities at a time when it should be prepared for a two-front war. The army told the standing committee on...

Hindustan Times | Mar 13, 2018
20180217
Sharpening the Arsenal: India’s Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy

Gurmeet Kanwal, one of India's foremost military analysts, has been thinking and writing about India's nuclear policy for over two decades. Nuclear escalation itself is an overblown concern: the type of nuclear forces that India and Pakistan have do not carry the same risk of the kind of automatic...

Indian Foreign Affairs Journal | Feb 17, 2018
20180128
Abdul Subhan Qureshi’s arrest shows threat of SIMI revival can’t be taken lightly

Gurmeet Kanwal, one of India's foremost military analysts, has been thinking and writing about India's nuclear policy for over two decades. There is considerable concern in India, obviously, about Pakistan's TNWs, with some opinions even suggesting that India should develop its own TNWs. Kanwal...

Livemint | Jan 28, 2018
20171216
Army awaits howitzer mishap report, hopes artillery upgrade plan stays on track

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...

Hindustan Times | Dec 16, 2017
20171017
Absence of CDS seen as hurdle to India’s combat capabilities

The absence of a chief of defence staff is hampering India's combat capabilities, according to intelligence officials, senior security officials and defence experts, nearly a year after India briefly considered the proposal before putting it in cold storage. "In the absence of a single chain of...

Livemint | Oct 17, 2017
20170921
Cold Start doctrine: A 10-point guide to India’s military strategy against Pakistan

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's reference to the 'Cold Start' doctrine has rekindled interest in a strategy that India intends to follow in case of a war with Pakistan. Indian military analysts are convinced that when all the elements of the Cold Start doctrine are in place, Pakistan will be...

Livemint | Sep 21, 2017
20170826
Dragon’s fire fizzles out? China is withdrawing from Doklam, but India should not lower its guard

"China seeks to save face by spinning mutual-withdrawal deal with India as unilateral Indian withdrawal, and PLA to continue to patrol Doklam. Having claimed Doklam to be its area, China cannot publicly accept mutual withdrawal. Yet, under the deal, that's precisely what it accepted," Chellaney...

Financial Express | Aug 26, 2017
20170720
Can India afford an “all-out confrontation” with China?

As China's state-run media threatens India with an "All-out confrontation" along the entire stretch of the disputed boundary, Indian defence experts say that China will have much more at stake should the Dragon decide to make good on its war threat. "In other words, a war against India will...

National Herald | Jul 20, 2017
20170717
Not just guns! Indian Army gives its soldiers bullet-proof hi-tech helmets after two decades

Indian Army has finally got bullet-proof helmets - after an over two decade wait! A total of 1 lakh 58 thousand bullet proof helmets will be provided to the Indian Army over a span of three years - 7500 of which have already been delivered. Indian Army is also carrying out extensive trials of its...

Financial Express | Jul 17, 2017
20170714
India allows local army unit to procure arms, ammunition for short war

The ammunition and spares shortfall was revealed in an internal audit the Indian Army conducted after the Uri military base camp attack by terrorists last year that left 19 soldiers dead. "After giving serious consideration, the government has authorized vice-chief of army staff to issue an order...

Sputnik | Jul 14, 2017
20170713
Amarnath yatra attack aimed at leaving PDP-BJP govt red-faced

Even as a manhunt has been launched to nab Laskhar-e-Taiba operative Mohammad Abu Ismail, information provided by authorities suggest Monday's terror attack that killed seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims could have been averted. "The Yatra is a matter of prestige for the government; external forces want...

Livemint | Jul 13, 2017
20170629
India beefs up military presence along border with china as conflict looms

China termed General Rawat's remarks that India is ready for a two-and-a-half front war "Irresponsible". General Rawat said that India is prepared for security threats posed by China, Pakistan as well as internal threats.

Sputnik | Jun 29, 2017
20170628
China may be giving a diplomatic message via tri-junction

A recently retired Army officer, who has served on the Sikkim border with China, said he too believed that the timing of the Chinese action, not just in provoking a border standoff but to send back Kailash Mansarovar yatra pilgrims, was a diplomatic message to coincide with Mr. Modi's U.S. visit....

The Hindu | Jun 28, 2017
20161120
Good idea for India to review nuclear doctrine, it should do it every 5 years

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recently created a controversy, saying that India need not bind itself to its 'no-first-use' nuclear doctrine, and only needs to say that it would use nuclear weapons 'responsibly'. It's a good idea to review the nuclear doctrine.

TOI | Nov 20, 2016
20160921
Pakistan blew it this time: India will see to it that it becomes the pariah of the world

Though every single country has condemned the Uri attack, India will have to keep reminding the world that Pakistan is a terror state. We should not expect much help from America as they will not stop aiding Pakistan even though at a recent Senate Committee meeting in Washington every senator spoke...

TOI | Sep 21, 2016
20160920
Why hot pursuit of militants across LoC may not be a viable option for India

The idea of hot pursuit gained traction after India's Special Forces conducted cross-border raids on insurgent camps in Myanmar last year, five days after 18 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Chandel. South African forces were known for carrying out revenge raids against rebels operating out of...

Hindustan Times | Sep 20, 2016
20160811
Punj Lloyd set to upgrade Soviet-era guns in ₹670-cr deal

The government is in the final stages of awarding a ₹670-crore contract to Punj Lloyd for upgrading the army's ageing Zu-23-2B anti-aircraft guns, capable of engaging both aerial and ground targets. Ashok Wadhawan, who heads manufacturing for Punj Lloyd, told HT that the deal was on the verge of...

Hindustan Times | Aug 11, 2016
20160712
‘Number of Manipur militants shot to 5000 from 1500 in 10 days’

The Centre's estimate of militants in Manipur shot up from 1,500 to 5,000 in a span of 10 days during the Supreme Court's hearing into the fake encounters in the north-eastern state but the spike may have just been on paper. Does an estimate of 5,000 militants imply that the problem in Manipur is...

Hindustan Times | Jul 12, 2016
20160703
Dhaka’s 26/11-like attack: Why Sheikh Hasina needs to wake up

The attack during which gunmen took hostages is worrying not just because it has been claimed by the Islamic State, but also because it is vastly different from the machete-style beheadings of secular bloggers and LGBT community members that have besieged the Sheikh Hasina-led government of late....

Hindustan Times | Jul 3, 2016
20160529
Indian experts rubbish AQ Khan’s claim Pak can target Delhi in 5 minutes

India on Sunday deplored the claim by AQ Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, that Pak has the capability to hit New Delhi in five minutes from Kahuta near Islamabad. India's strategic community replied to the claim saying they has the capability to hit entire Pakistan, but nuclear weapons...

Hindustan Times | May 29, 2016
20160229
Union Budget 2016: Marginal hike of 9.7% in India’s defence budget

India on Monday announced it would spend Rs 2.58 lakh crore on defence in 2016-17, a marginal hike of 9.7% over last year's revised estimates of Rs 2.33 lakh crore. If the hike in the defence outlay is calculated against the budget estimates of 2015-16, it works out to only 1.16%. Finance minister...

Hindustan Times | Feb 29, 2016
20160229
No mention of defence outlay in Arun Jaitley’s Union Budget

Finance minister Arun Jaitley made no mention of India's defence allocation for 2016-17 in his Union Budget speech on Monday, raising curiosity over why the country's military spending was not revealed. Strategic affairs expert Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal said: "I have been tracking the budget for more...

Hindustan Times | Feb 29, 2016
20160106
Questions raised over special forces not being deployed in Pathankot

Four days after Pakistani terrorists attacked the high-security Pathankot fighter base, questions are being raised within the security establishment over deploying National Security Guard troopers to combat the crisis instead of bringing in elements of the army's Special Forces stationed closer to...

Hindustan Times | Jan 6, 2016