Armed Forces

For anyone to talk and write about wars, the basic predicament is how to create novelty of information since subjects related to wars and heroism are so well covered both in text and folklore. This is precisely the aspect where the author, D. Vijaya Rao, has been able to achieve distinction.

• Virander Kumar
• July 2012
• Journal of Defence Studies

The leakage of the former Army Chief General V.K. Singh’s secret letter of 12 March 2012 to the Prime Minister, on large scale deficiencies in the Army, created an uproar in Parliament. While the issue of who leaked the letter and the motive behind the leak is under investigation by intelligence agencies, the bigger aspect that needs to be examined is how did we reach this level of hollowness, and what needs to be done to rectify the situation and avoid a recurrence in the future.

• Deepak Kapoor
• July 2012
• Journal of Defence Studies

India’s defence forces have to be continually prepared with modernised assets and a well-planned and executed supply-chain network. This calls for a well-evolved logistics infrastructure. To achieve this, a close study of the extant procurement procedure, the process of allocation of the budget, and the lacunae therein, is necessary. This article ponders on the challenges or peculiarities faced during the revenue procurement process for the Indian Army. Defence procurement, unlike procurement or other departments, involves a deliberate and complex procedure.

• Venu Gopal
• July 2012
• Journal of Defence Studies

The multitude of challenges the IAF faces during its ongoing transformation ranging from a high accident rate to cyber warfare need to be addressed to ensure that it remains an effective fighting force.

• Vivek Kapur
• June 11, 2012
• IDSA Comments

Imagine if there is a war between India and Pakistan and the National Museum at New Delhi was vandalized and precious historical artifacts and other historical objects were stolen; or close your eyes and visualize India without the Taj Mahal which may be destroyed in an air attack. The standing bodhisattvas, dating back to seventh century AD, and the arms and armours of the Mughal era are some of the fabulous cultural wealth stored in the National Museum that is priceless for the nation and the loss of which can be the loss of the entire golden history of that era.

• Rajiv Tewari
• April 2012
• Journal of Defence Studies

Faulty promotion policies and the unsatisfactory professional education of the officer corps deprive Indian military officers of the opportunity to master strategy and develop capacities for handling high level issues.

• Rumel Dahiya
• June 13, 2011
• Issue Brief

The Nepalese Army’s proposal on integration addresses both the Maoists’ insistence on integration of the ex-combatants and the non-Maoists’ anxiety that the army could face a professional crisis and politicisation.

• Indra Adhikari
• May 16, 2011
• IDSA Comments

Recent debates amongst the strategic community on the utility of force in statecraft have thrown up interesting perspectives that have seldom been debated in India. While great power rivalries, inter-state conflicts and coalition conflicts still remain distinct possibilities in the future, major principles of war fighting, conflict resolution, statecraft and nuclear deterrence have since been turned on their head when confronted by non-state actors and non-traditional threats.

• Arjun Subramaniam
• May 2011
• Strategic Analysis

The present paper analyses and examines the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in respect of legal aspects. It first discusses it in terms of domestic law, international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law. Given India’s obligations under international human rights instruments going beyond domestic law is necessary in any such discussion. Ensuring complementarity between the Act in its application in armed conflicts and IHL, would contribute towards making the Act more ‘humane’. The second part discusses the Act from security perspectives.

• Ali Ahmed
• April 2011
• Journal of Defence Studies

This paper broadly deals with two important aspects. First, it analyses various security challenges that India is facing at present; and second, it examines the need for restructuring the Indian Armed Forces to address these security challenges. It explains that India is in a two front situation with China to the

• G. D. Bakshi
• April 2011
• Journal of Defence Studies