Breaking News
Breaking News
Cuba Without Castro Faces Crisis
Cuba Without Castro Faces Crisis TP Sreenivasan The unprecedented, historic and spontaneous protests on the streets of Havana and other forty Cuban towns on July 11, 2021 marked a watershed moment for the Communist regime in Cuba. For Cuba, which had overcome many
Post-dated Cheque on a Bank That Doesn’t Exist!
Post-dated Cheque on a Bank That Doesn’t Exist Sushant Sareen This sums up the ‘pledge’ of Pakistan’s ‘selected’ Prime Minister Imran Khan to the people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), that after the people of the erstwhile state decide
Expansionist China: Upgrading Amphibious Capabilities
China is involved in various disputes with neighbors - including India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam - but none approach the degree of danger faced by the democratic nation of Taiwan. China militarily threatens Taiwan through means such as ballistic missiles or a
Time for India to Answer the Afghan Conundrum
Can India, at least this time, go beyond tokenism in supporting the Afghan National Army (ANA) in its fight against the Taliban? Will the Indian think-tank give up its measured approach while committing military aid to Afghanistan? And finally, will India take the lead
Brahmos Cruise Missile: India’s Contender In The Supersonic Vector Race
Cruise missiles are vectors that, unlike ballistic missiles, have non - rigid trajectories which can be altered in terms of direction, altitude and speed and can deliver warheads over large distances with a high degree of precision. Cruise missiles can be categorized by
Kargil: A Matter of Honour
Kargil: A Matter of Honour Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) They say it was the Bakarwal goat herders who first saw Pakistani intruders on the heights of Kargil. Mostly Muslim goatherders, Bakarwals have, for thousands of years roamed the Pir Panjal ranges for grazing
Pakistan: A Case of Military Overreach into Judiciary
Pakistan Army has held power over the state and it has always tried that the judiciary too should toe its line. Bilal Balouch, writing in Eat News, a Taiwanese digital media portal said that in order to dilute the chastity of the judiciary, the Pakistan Army is known t
Red Flags in US-India Defense Cooperation
Red Flags in US-India Defense Cooperation Ram Madhav The US-India defense ties have acquired critical momentum. Given India’s geo-strategic surroundings and the downward slide in its relations with China in the recent years, this relationship is bound to move in
Pakistan’s Pashtun Problem
During a visit to Pakistan a few months after the Lal Masjid episode and emergence of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2007, I asked a question from all my interlocutors (serving ministers, retired generals, politicians, analysts): out of Kashmir and Frontier (as
The Chanakyan Prime Minister
The Chanakyan Prime Minister Dr Kajari Kamal A year-long, grand scale, centenary celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary is a fitting homage to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao who narrates his long journey from “Patwari to Prime Minister…..with
International Affairs
View All
The General’s Desk | Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (R)
From the Podium | Prof. MD Nalapat
Cockpit Conversation | Cdr Sandeep Dhawan
Policy & governance
View All
India-Russia Friendship Renewed
Minister Jaishankar’s visit to Russia from July 7 to 9 was important in the context of the new instabilities surfacing in the international system, the increasingly strident US-China rivalry, the unabashed aggressiveness of China in pursuing its ambitions, the threat
Triumph of Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan and Threat to India
Triumph of Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan and Threat to India Dr G Shreekumar Menon The Americans and the Europeans have just managed to wriggle out of Afghanistan. Immediately after the aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, Presi
Civil Defence – Gateway of Total Protection
Gone are those days when wars used to be fought at the borders and between two armed forces. With the advent of air arm and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), the gamut of activities undertaken by opposing forces changed over a period of time. The lethal amalgamation o
Modified Legacy of Narasimha Rao @100
Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao has left such a rich legacy, that even a whole year of his centenary celebrations could not do justice to it. But the year 2020 marked a significant departure from some of his game changing policies, beliefs and expectations. Just
Weapon platform
View All
India’s Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle
The Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) has traditionally been one of the indispensable bulwarks of the Indian Army’s combat potency along the Western Front from the mid- 1970s through the 1980s. While the presence of armoured combat vehicles in the high reaches of Ladakh
Counter Drone Systems: Dealing with Lethal Unobtrusive Threats
Image Source- defensesystems.com The drone attack on Jammu Air Force station on 27 June should not have caught the Indian security establishment unawares, but it actually did. The looming danger of employing this low cost option by adversaries as well as non – Stat
Directed Energy Weapons: The Silent Killers
Artist’s Impression of Stryker Based SHORAD LaWS: Source- news.northropgrumman.com The evolution of Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) goes back to the use of parabolic mirrors by the Greeks in © 200 BCE to set fire to Roman ships attacking the city of Syracuse. From t
An Indian Helicopter Story
India’s Advanced Light Helicopter Program: Driving Rotorcraft Indigenisation “The rotorcraft accords unparalleled flexibility and self-reliance across all three domains – indeed, a combat helicopter is the epitome of battle readiness across the conflict spectr
Defence & Strategy
View All
China’s Nuclear Forces: Dragon- Fire or Façade
“There is, in fact, an axiom of proliferation. It states that as long as any state holds nuclear weapons, others will seek to acquire them.” Richard Butler The term ‘nuclear warfighting’ as is being frequently used in the context of inputs regarding C
Return of The Samurai Spirit – Japan Defense White Paper 2021
Return of The Samurai Spirit - Japan Defense White Paper 2021 Gurjit Singh The Defense of Japan 2021[1] (DOJ) White Paper is notable as it shows Japan's seriousness towards its defense preparedness. The paper is an overview of Japan's perception of its strategic
The Great Churn in the Indian Armed Forces
The unseemly squabble in the Indian armed forces on establishment of Theatre Commands has plainly indicated that there exists incongruence in consolidation and synergistic application of combat power. The diktat of the political hierarchy that has been propelling the ar
Why Pakistan’s Kashmir Obsession is Good for India
To use a business term to describe a national security priority is never a good idea. You can be seen as unfeeling and cold. But unfeeling and cold is what national security priorities are all about. If you are a keen student of geopolitics and national security and hav
Integrated Theatre Commands: India Needs to Think Big
Integrated Theatre Commands: India Needs to Think Big Cdr Sandeep Dhawan (Retd) The United States was the first country to start working on the concept of jointmanship among all the branches of its military. Though the US Army started working on joint functioning
Afghanistan: How Instability There Impacts The World
Afghanistan: How Instability There Impacts The World Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) Everybody is talking and discussing Afghanistan because of the uncertainty prevailing after a 20-year US and NATO presence. The Taliban who ruled from 1996 to 2001 and were displac
Return of The Samurai Spirit – Japan Defense White Paper 2021
Return of The Samurai Spirit - Japan Defense White Paper 2021 Gurjit Singh The Defense of Japan 2021[1] (DOJ) White Paper is notable as it shows Japan's seriousness towards its defense preparedness. The paper is an overview of Japan's perception of its strategic
Three Blunders in Rebuilding Afghan National Defence Security Forces
Three Blunders in Rebuilding Afghan National Defence Security Forces Major Sunil Shetty (Retd) Who would have imagined, way back in 2001, when the US troops had landed in Afghanistan, that exactly two decades later, the Taliban would come back to reoccupy the coun
Afghanistan Crisis Needs Unified Response from Diverse Powers
Afghanistan Crisis Needs Unified Response from Diverse Powers Professor MD Nalapat It was a French philosopher who wrote that "we are never contemporaneous with the present". The past lingers, even the distant past lingers in the frame, while the present is being
Triumph of Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan and Threat to India
Triumph of Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan and Threat to India Dr G Shreekumar Menon The Americans and the Europeans have just managed to wriggle out of Afghanistan. Immediately after the aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, Presi
Reviewing Iran’s Presidential Election and Its Geopolitical Effect
Reviewing Iran’s Presidential Election and Its Geopolitical Effect Ever since 1979, when the Iranian Revolution hit the streets in Tehran and there emerged in Iran a regime unfriendly to the West and that is hell bent on creating a new niche in the geopolitical envir
Himalayan Blunder 2020: This Time It’s China
Himalayan Blunder 2020: This Time It’s China One year after a course of related strategic events is perhaps just the right time to take stock and analyze those aspects of the Sino Indian standoff in Ladakh which yet remain unexplained. Prime among these is of course
Kashmir Turns Over
Kashmir Turns Over At a time when people of Jammu & Kashmir and entire world are grappling with the deadly pandemic that is continuing to cause widespread loss of precious human lives, there is a ray of hope emerging at the end of the tunnel for the bright and peac
Explaining Modi’s Foreign Policy
Explaining Modi's Foreign Policy The external policies of the Modi government are being liberally criticised by many, including those who have handled our foreign and security policies under the previous government. There can certainly be different views on whether the
Futile Fight over Common Fatherland
Photo: IsraelIMFA Futile fight over common Fatherland Jerusalem is the only piece of real estate which is considered the fatherland of three major faiths in the world. For the Jews, it is the sacrificial site of Abraham’s son Isaac, who was saved by divine intervent
A Small Act of Defiance
A SMALL ACT OF DEFIANCE It is now time to tell the truth. We were forced to grow up in a synthetically created bubble of self-loathing, perceived inferiority and constant reminders that we, as a nation and as a people, were not good enough. These blatant fals
Pakistan’s Taliban Tangle
Pakistan’s Taliban Tangle The announcement of the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, has led to a flurry of activity on not just the political and diplomatic front to start political negotiations and strike some kind of a peace d
Europe Bound India
Europe Bound India With the virtual summits with the UK on May 4 and the European Union (EU) on May 8, a new dynamism is bring imparted to India’s relations with Europe. Brexit has provided the opportunity to put bilateral ties with the UK on a new footing independen
Pandemics and Their Effect
Pandemics and Their Effect Except for a brief period in 1998 when I was researching for a dissertation on ‘Non Military Threats’, I never ever focused on pandemics as a source of existential security threat to a nation. Then too it was restricted to a peripheral re
Uncovering Jihadism in Britain
Image: David Dixon / Floral Tribute at Victoria Station / CC BY-SA 2.0 Uncovering Jihadism in Britain This article seeks to chart the evolution of the terrorist threat in Britain from jihadist actors, and to offer insight into the nature and character of a signifi
Anti-Naxal Operations: Putting Heads Together
Anti-Naxal Operations - Putting Heads Together I am commencing this on a frank note. Failure in security related operations or intelligence, which involves out of proportion casualties, is never taken kindly, and it should not. However, criticism of the same from out
Geopolitical Rumbling – Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Geopolitical Rumbling - Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics “Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People’s Olympics”, the theme of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, was to be the first Olympics hosted by China spending a record $43 billion. In the run-up to the Games,
Defending the Indefensible – Not the Army’s Policy
There’s much shock and dismay over the recent reports - first of a question paper leak for recruitment of soldiers in which two Majors were found responsible and the second a larger one in terms of numbers where officers and family members are suspected to be part of
China planning to build dam on Brahmaputra could lead to new flash-point between neighbours
Chinese parliament on Thursday adopted the 14th five-year plan that envisages, among projects worth billions of dollars, a controversial hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. If implemented, it could be the next flashpo
China’s Rare-Earth Dominance – A Death Knell for Free World
“Change is constant, but no amount of change will turn the attitude of vulture to that of eagle.” ― Bamigboye Olurotimi Over the past several decades, while the United States was busy with unnecessary wars and the European Union was hoping to bring China into
Peoples Liberation Army and the Irony of the ‘Unmourned’ Soldiers!
On 22 March 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping laid a wreath at ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Tomba del Milite Ignoto) at Rome, Italy. This monument is dedicated to the Italian soldiers killed and missing during war. Preserving and honouring the memories of those
Need to build guidelines and if required, red lines for Indo-Pacific: Outgoing US envoy Juster
Outgoing US ambassador to India, Ken Juster, on January 05th laid emphasis on the need to build guidelines and, if necessary, “red lines” for the Indo-Pacific region. In his farewell policy speech, Juster said the Indo-Pacific region needed stability and democratic
India to ink two landmark military aircraft deals in next few months
India is gearing up for two major long-pending military aircraft deals, together worth over Rs 50,000 crore, in the new year. The contracts for 83 indigenous Tejas fighters and 56 medium-transport aircraft through a Tata-Airbus joint venture are set to be inked within t
India elected as non permanent member to UN Security Council, vows to speak against terror
India began its eighth term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on January 04th with the stated objective of raising its voice against terrorism, speaking for the developing world and bringing “human-centric inclusive solutions” to matters of global
India, Israel successfully test MRSAM air defence system
In a major push to India’s defence capabilities, India and Israel have successfully tested a Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) defence system. This missile defence system, developed jointly to deal with airstrikes by enemy countries, was tested in first week
Biden in White House – Implications for India
Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States of America in a fortnight, and scholars and practitioners seem to be divided on how his presidency would impact India and its foreign policy conduct. India-US relations have been accelerating since
The Indian People Deserve to Know More about the Victory in Indo-Pak War 1971
Six years ago, was the 50th anniversary of the Indo-Pak Conflict 1965. Even as a second-generation officer and having served 40 years in the Indian Army, I thought I did not know enough about the strategic aspects of the war except the part involving operations in J&am
Jugaad: the USP and Way of Life in India
It is an accepted fact in India, that anything can be achieved by anybody as long as he possesses ‘jugaad’. The uniqueness of the system ensures that jugaad works. In fact, life will become hell for most Indians if the concept of jugaad is obliterated, but that’s
India offers LCA-Navy LIFT as Carrier borne Trainer for US Navy
In a reversal of roles, India has offered the United States of America a fighter jet trainer required by its navy for pilot training on aircraft carriers, marking the first major weapons sales pitch by New Delhi to Washington. The Indian offer is for the Undergraduate J
