CAPS Journals Centre for Air Power Studies
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Indo-Pak Hydro-Conundrum under the Red Dragon’s Shadow
No full textThe research article "Indo-Pak Hydro-Conundrum Under the Red Dragon\u27s Shadow" by Anurag Jyoti and Raj Kamal Kapur examines the intricate hydro-political dynamics in South Asia, focusing on the pivotal role of China as an upper riparian state controlling the Tibetan plateau’s water resources. It highlights how China\u27s adherence to the doctrine of absolute territorial sovereignty, refusal to engage in multilateral water-sharing agreements, and extensive dam-building activities amplify its hydro-hegemony, significantly impacting downstream nations like India and Pakistan. The article delves into the exacerbating water stress in Pakistan, driven by its dependence on the Indus river system and inadequate infrastructure, juxtaposed against India’s underutilized potential under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). It underscores the strategic implications of China’s involvement in Pakistan’s hydropower projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which not only strengthens Pakistan’s water security but also poses a collusive threat to India by enhancing China’s geopolitical leverage in the region.
To counter this hydro-conundrum, the authors propose a multi-pronged approach for India, including maximizing the use of its allocated water resources under the IWT, constructing storage and hydropower infrastructure to assert its rights, and fostering regional hydro-cooperation with co-riparians to mitigate China’s dominance. The article also suggests domestic reforms such as improving water use efficiency, rethinking agricultural practices, and reducing virtual water exports to bolster India’s resilience against potential water weaponization by China and Pakistan. It concludes that India must urgently address these challenges through strategic infrastructure development and diplomatic initiatives to safeguard its water security and counter the Sino-Pakistani nexus, given the stark economic and military disparities with China
Editor\u27s Note
No full textThis editorial note highlights the enduring nature of conflicts throughout history and emphasizes the evolving landscape of warfare, particularly in relation to air power. It underscores the importance of practitioners studying and applying new warfare strategies to current global conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East. The editorial introduces the inaugural issue of Forum for National Security Studies - Blueonder, a journal by the Centre for Air Power Studies aimed at stimulating critical thinking and research on air and space power. The issue features a range of topics, including the strategic role of air power, the potential of Indian air power in the Indo-Pacific, air denial strategies, cybersecurity in space systems, humanitarian air operations, and the integration of advanced technologies in aerospace warfare. The journal is intended to encourage young professionals in the aerospace field to contribute to the discourse, and the editorial invites feedback to enhance the publication
Dynamics of Connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region: Exploring the Energy Potential of the INSTC
No full textIn recent years, the Eurasian region has witnessed growing competition as well as cooperation for connectivity corridors, depending upon one’s perspective. In the G20 New Delhi Summit, Prime Minister Modi announced the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). Underlining its importance, Jon Finer (the Biden Administration’s principal deputy national security adviser) emphasised the following three reasons for the construction of the corridor. First, to boost the economy in the countries involved by increasing the flow of energy and digital communications. Second, to assist in addressing the shortage of infrastructure required for growth in low- and middle-income countries. Third, to help ‘cool down’ the ‘turbulence and insecurity’ emanating fromthe Middle East. 1 Likewise, similar efforts have been observed with regards to the Caspian Sea region. The 6th International Transport and Logistics Business Forum ‘New Silk Way’ was concluded on October 4, 2023, on the theme “New Trends in Multimodal Transportation on the New Silk Road.” It provided a platform to discuss transport system integration and cooperation, development of the middle corridor, and use of new technologies and innovations in multimodal transport to improve cargo efficiency and delivery. These two recent projects are a few of the latest instances that show the growing global significance of connectivity corridor(s)
Potential of Indian Air Power in the Indo-Pacific
No full textEver since the advent of aircraft, the outlook of militaries worldwide toward conflict has changed. Establishing dominance in the air has become a vital aspect of determining victory in battle. He who controls the air is sure to have an advantage, as air dominance can lead to changing operational directives on land. Establishing air power over a region makes securing national and strategic interests more effective.
The Indo-Pacific is one such region that has garnered the attention of many countries in recent years. The region is home to two of the world’s most populous countries, India and China, along with several other emerging powers such as Japan, Australia, and Indonesia. It plays a pivotal role in global trade, connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Recently, the region has gained strategic importance as China plans to expand its influence beyond the South China Sea. The Indo-Pacific region has become a focal point for geopolitical rivalries and strategic partnerships, shaping the balance of power in the 21st century. Air power can play a critical role in shaping the dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region.
This paper aims to identify the instruments of air power deployed by various stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific while also attempting to understand India’s air power potential in the region
A Conceptual Framework for A National Safety Grid and Database: Lessons from Aviation Safety
No full textAviation accidents have always evoked concern and attention from safety professionals, officials, policymakers, regulators, aircraft manufacturers, aircraft operators, and the traveling public alike. It is, therefore, no surprise that multi-pronged approaches and measures have been instituted to prevent aircraft accidents and improve safety statistics. From 1918 through 2022, there were a total of 28,442 commercial aviation accidents (civil aircraft), resulting in 158,798 fatalities, with a peak during the 1940s and a gradual decrease since 1978. Safety professionals working on civil aviation safety data indicate the theoretical possibility of aircraft accidents trending toward near zero by the mid-2040s. Huge strides in safety have been achieved with technological advancements and innovations over the past several decades, so much so that safety professionals believe it is safer to fly in a commercial aircraft than to drive a car or even walk across a street in busy New York City. Unfortunately, at the other end of the spectrum of advancements in safety lies the fact that between 70-80 percent of aviation accidents can be attributed, at least in part, to human error. This high proportion could also reflect the widening gap in causal factors in aircraft accidents
Airpower Pioneers: From Billy Mitchell to David Deptula: John Andreas lsen (ed.).
No full textThe Indian Air Force (IAF) is among the oldest independent air forces in the world and has emerged in recent decades as a professionally competent and adaptable force to reckon with. A valuable strategic partner of the US Air Force (USAF) since the mid-1990s, this review offers a distant but nuanced summary of the leaders who have shaped the contours of the most powerful aerospace power in the world today.
The use of airplanes for military purposes during the early years of aviation saw Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy at the forefront of doctrinal evolution and operational exploitation. With Giulio Douhet, Hugh Trenchard, and John Slessor emerging as early military aviation pioneers who championed the case for independent air forces during the inter-war years, the lone figure of ‘Billy’ Mitchell across the Atlantic kept hopes alive for an independent United States Air Force (USAF). Even though the American air effort during World War I was significant, it was only after World War II—when US airmen had demonstrated skill, courage, operational dexterity, and vision, provided by leaders such as Billy Mitchell, ‘Hap’ Arnold, Hoyt Vandenberg, and Curtis LeMay—that President Harry S. Truman acquiesced to the idea of an independent USAF, eventually carved out of the US Army Air Forces in September 1947. Since then, it would be fair to argue that the USAF has been the wellspring of global air power doctrine and its application, propelled in no small measure by visionary airmen. Airpower Pioneers: From Billy Mitchell to Dave Deptula, an edited volume put together by John Andreas Olsen, is a befitting tribute to the architects of the modern USAF
The Han in a Spacesuit: A Threat in Being
No full textSince ages, space has been, and will be for the near future, a mysterious and awe-inspiring, gravityless vacuum, inaccessible to humans, barring a few exceptions. Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), aliens, distant civilisations, Star Wars are still within the realm of fantasy or make believe. Space has also always been about dual use: civilian research and military uses go hand-in-hand. The last two decades have seen some of the fastest growth in movement towards outer space, with China and India leaping into the black yonder with renewed zeal. Utilisation of space has always been about national prestige, with the space race shot off by then USSR, with the launching of the Sputnik-1 into space, followed by the entry of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space four years later. This incensed the pride of the Americans and they finally managed to salvage it by sending, first, Astronaut Alan Shepard into space soon after, and then much later, Neil Armstrong, to the Moon. This was followed by a race for space between the two world powers, subsiding a bit only when the USSR collapsed. It wasn’t too long before the Chinese jumped into the fray and rapidly started gaining space in space. The Indians were not to be left behind and like the proverbial tortoise, slowly and steadily, proved their calibre in space
Swarm Drone Operations in Hostile Em Environment
No full textA swarm is a group of interactive individual identities that collectively operate to achieve a common objective. The concept of swarms comprises the futuristic autonomous air weapon systems having great military potential for the execution of innovative daring missions. The inter and intra communication within the intelligent Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) swarm system which is intricately complex, is prone to ElectroMagnetic (EM) signals interference. As the technology evolves and matures, the risks associated with drone swarms’ operations need to be addressed ab-initio at both the conceptual and design stages
Chinese Cognitive Warfare: Exploring a Framework and Identifying Contours Abhishek Kumar
No full textThe apparently synonymous terms cognitive warfare, psychological warfare, information warfare and influence operations, not onlyadd to the security jargon but also to the complexity of warfare in the cognitive domain. Contemporary Chinese exploitation of thecognitive domain is aimed at creating a pro-China perception and reducing threats to the survival of the Chinese Communist party(CCP). China has made global inroads in countries, including Taiwan, Australia, the US, and India, that influence the cognitive domain. This article uses exploratory qualitative research in, firstly, attempting to create a framework for the term Cognitive Warfare (CW) andthereafter, identifying the contours of Chinese CW. Having identified the contours of Chinese CW, the article endeavors to frame a possible Chinese strategy for CW in an ends-ways-means construct
Indian Diplomacy in Central Asia Getting Eclipsed Under Chinese Influence and Possible Way Out
No full textUntil the Russian disintegration in 1991, India’s connection with Central Asia was mainly historic and culture-based. The disintegration of the erstwhile Soviet Union coincided well with India’s growing adaptation to the world economy through its New Economic Policy of 1991. Coincidentally, by this time, Central Asia was emerging as a potent provider of energy resources, which India sought to secure in order to support its development campaign. India strategically focused on Central Asia through various policies, such as the Extended Neighbourhood, Immediate and Strategic Neighbourhood, and Look North Policy, followed by the most important Connect Central Asia Policy of 2012. Indian diplomatic efforts gained momentum from 2014, with a series of visits by Indian leaders, beginning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to all five Central Asian republics in July 2015. This visit by the Indian PM was followed by numerous visits from other Indian leaders, including the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and many others, with the process continuing