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The Future of Artillery in 21st Century Warfare
Full text linkThe article visualises the future of Artillery in the 21st century. It brings out the requirement of Artillery in the nine conflicts till datein the 21st Century. It is observed that Artillery is required to perform three primary tasks: First, Surveillance and Target Acquisition; second, engagement of targets; and third, post-strike damage assessment. The future battlespace would be non-linear with the need for simultaneous engagement in the close, intermediate, and depth areas. Based on these aspects, one arrives at the future profile of Artillery and the equipment needed for the task. This results in the type of regiments and their equipment in the Indian context. The Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) Regiments, Gun Regiments, Mortar Regiments, Rocket Regiments, and BrahMos supersonic Cruise Missile Regiments would compose the future set up of Artillery. In view of this, the paper will discuss, ammunition, the weapon of the Artillery; and the aspects of Precision Guided Munitions, Loitering Munitions as also the Long Range ammunition being developed by BAE System, and Lockheed Martin
India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Defence Outreach: Leveraging the Gulf Strategic Partnerships
Full text linkIn May 2020 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the clarion call for Atmanirbhar Bharat or ‘Self Reliant India’; the initiative, atleast until then referred to economic stimulus packages intended for the distressed population during the Pandemic. However, soon after, it became the buzzword for modern India, the one touted as a responsible, reliable regional and global power that visualizes itself as a self-reliant and self-sufficient economy while maintaining its strategic autonomy. This realisation further got affirmation when the country became the first responder and a responsible supplier of basic medicines such as paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine to around 120 countries during the initial stages of COVID-19, thus providing impetus to India’s medical diplomacy
Non-Contact Warfare: Lessons from the US National Defence Strategy
Full text linkThe 2018 National Defence Strategy (NDS) unveiled by the Pentagon can be encapsulated in three words ‘compete, deter and win’. Keyquestions that arise are: What does it mean and how it gets manifested? NDS as the capstone document has been guiding the geopolitical discourse and global security developments. The Pentagon’s efforts to redraw its dominance strategy and course correct its two decades of distraction due to endless wars in Afghanistan and West Asia have already manifested in Sino-US relations. A decade of ‘pivot to Asia’ policy put in place by Obama’s administration gathered storm during Trump’s tenure. 2018 NDS declared China and Russia as strategic competitors. Washington’s assertion of widening the competitive space is based on the premise of seamlessly integrating the US “multiple elements of national power—diplomacy, information, economics, finance, intelligence, law enforcement, and military”. A closer examination of how the game gets played by the various national power elements under the new Biden administration will determine future policy directions against China and Russia. The lessons for India are ominous as it helps it to navigate the geo-strategic labyrinth
India’s China Challenge: A Journey Through China’s Rise and What It Means for India Ananth Krishnan: HarperCollins Publishers, Noida, 2020, ISBN 9789390327683, 435 pp, Rs 599
Full text linkIn rhetorics, India-China relations are largely perceived to be pivoted in the bedrock principle of Panchsheel—the vision of “Peaceful coexistence”. With the 1962 War resulting in the departure from the sloganeering of “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai”, the 70 years of the India-China ties have staggered over time and have increasingly become volatile as witnessed with the 2020 military stand-off in Eastern Ladakh. With the ties reaching their lowest, the unsettled border dispute holds a greater bearing on the ties-difficult to delink from the overall bilateral ties. With new differences added to the old dispute, the bilateral ties have become fragile with time despite the relative peace. Most precisely, what provides the context to the book are the three key situational factors: First, 2020, marked the seventh anniversary of the India-China diplomatic ties; second, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic from the Wuhan epidemic; and finally, the violent scuffle in Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh.  
AI in the Indian Armed Services: An Assessment
Full text linkThis article surveys the extent to which service doctrines as well as the Joint Doctrine of the Indian Armed Forces (JDIAS) capture anddefine the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Indian military. The analysis captures the limited view and non-existent view of AIwithin service and tri-service doctrine. A gap has emerged between the services’ doctrinal pronouncements and the actual use of AI in some form in the three branches of the military. AI come in two variants at least—semi-autonomous and autonomous systems. This ensuing assessment is only a partial critique of how service doctrine sees or ignores AI, the problem relating to the use of technology and doctrine is not unique to the services, but extends to other areas
Kashmir: Lest We Forget
Full text linkFrom a time when Kashmir was regarded as the epitome of communal amity and the unequivocal support that the people of the state gave to the idea of India, to the past three decades of relative inversion of opinions, even if of a segment of the community, the state has travelled a long distance in a small span of its timeless history. All relevant parties to the Kashmir questions have had a role to play in this quagmire of intrigue and deceit. Any resolution is only conceivable if there is acceptance of the role that each has played in bringing the situation to the current pass and taking magnanimous steps in undoing the errors that have given rise to ill- perceptions on all sides. This paper seeks to highlight some of the most glaring issues that have bred distrust and suggest a way forward
India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends: Juggernaut Books, New Delhi (2021) ISBN 978-93-9116-508-6, 284 pp.
No full textTaking the Eastern Ladakh crisis as the backdrop, Kanti Bajpai, a renowned scholar of international affairs with a special interest in India-China relations, in his book India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends contextualises the antagonism in the India-China ties by drawing from the past and assessing the implications of it in the present and future. As Bajpai emphatically posits: “Why did these two societies become locked into a conflict that has stubbornly refused to go away?” (p. 1). To which, Bajpai suggests the need for a deeper introspection as proved by the Ladakh crisis, the relations between the two countries “are darker and more complex than most observers appreciate or acknowledge” (ibid.). To be specific, as Bajpai asks in the very title- Why India and China are not Friends
The 21st Century Cold War in “Cyberia”
Full text linkWhat Mark Twain said about the invention of the Printing Press by Gutenberg in the 19th century, may well apply today to the evolution of the Internet. In order to combat this, in 1998, the Russian Federation had first introduced a resolution in the United Nations (UN) First Committee on the threats posed by information and communication technologies (ICT) to International peace and security. Since then the UN has set up six Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) to study the nature of threats in cyberspace-mainly implications of ICT on national security and military affairs, and how to deal with them. Subsequently, in December 2018, the UN General Assembly approved the establishment of two distinct groups, in order to further explore issues related to advancing ‘responsible\u27 state behaviour in cyberspace, namely: an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) and a new 6th UNGGE
India’s Internal Security: Threat Perception and Way Forward
Full text linkContrary to popular discourse, the threats emanating from the internal security issues pose serious security threats to the Indian stateand its people. Faced with numerous internal security challenges, the Indian experience of dealing with them has been a mixed experience. Arguably, no other country has ever faced such multiple internal security threats, in various forms and intensity than the Indian state. While the threat perception emanating from the internal security challenges has de-escalated over the last few years, they refuse to die down. Considering the immediacy of the issue, this paper critically engages with the contemporary internal security challenges that the Indian state encounters. In doing so the paper reflects upon the very process through which each of these internal security threats operates and highlights the nature and the intensity of threat perception. Through providing a conceptual framework, the paper also evaluates the state\u27s responses to the internal security issues. The paper limits its scope to four major internal security issues in India: The Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the violent conflicts in the Northeastern states, Separatism and terrorism in Jammu, and Kashmir (J&K), and communal violence and religious radicalization
India Needs Smart Frontiers: An Assessment
Full text linkIn the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution, technology has transformed the ways of doing any business, including warfare. Thehuman element is slowly giving way to machines who would perform major functions including substituting and supplementing rankand file in the Military. Over 22,500 km of India’s frontiers are guarded by various Border Guarding Forces including the CoastGuards to prevent surprise incursions by the adversaries’ State, State-sponsored or Non- State Actors. The Border Guarding Forces act as eyes and ears of the frontiers and can take on basic defensive actions for which colossal manpower is used. For a Military threat, Regular Forces take over the responsibility for the Defense of the Nation. There is a case for optimizing manpower and increasing efficiency by bringing smart systems in delivering constant situational awareness and response solutions. This would also ensure that all stakeholders are networked in real-time. A combination of sensors, electronic and digital platforms, Data and Communication centers, using Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial means, would build a ‘system of systems for Common Operational Picture at Strategic, Operational and Tactical levels. Data/intelligence analysis and automation would be possible if such systems are ubiquitous and part of the overall National security apparatus. The smart frontiers would soon be an inescapable necessity for the Defense of the nation