Anamika Choudhary

Wg Cdr Anamika Choudhary (Retd.) is a former officer of the Indian Air Force with over 14 years of distinguished service in the domains of military communications, information technology, network-centric operations, and strategic force support systems. Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2011, she served in a variety of operational, technical, and leadership appointments across strategically important formations and establishments.

During her service career, she held several key positions, including Commanding Officer of a Signals Unit, Chief Technical Officer, Senior Information Technology Officer, and Communication Officer. In these capacities, she was actively involved in the planning, implementation, and management of critical Air Force communication and networking projects, contributing significantly to the enhancement of operational connectivity, information assurance, and digital transformation initiatives within the service. She also spearheaded cyber awareness and cybersecurity capacity-building programmes at multiple Air Force stations.

Wg Cdr Choudhary possesses substantial experience in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) preparedness and response, having played an important role in strengthening institutional readiness and resilience at various Air Force establishments. Her professional background reflects a unique blend of joint-service exposure, having undergone military training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, prior to her commissioning into the Indian Air Force.

Beyond her professional responsibilities, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to adventure and endurance activities. She is a qualified para-jumper and was recognised by the Chief of the Air Staff for her successful participation in a high-altitude cycling expedition covering approximately 1,500 kilometres from Pathankot to Khardung La Pass, one of the world’s highest motorable roads.

At present, she serves as a Research Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi, where she is associated with the Military Affairs Centre. Her research focuses on emerging military technologies, defence communications, digital transformation of armed forces, cyber and information warfare, network-centric warfare, and the evolving role of technology in future military operations.

Her work seeks to bridge operational military experience with contemporary strategic research, contributing to policy discourse on defence modernisation and technological innovation in the Indian Armed Forces.

Research Fellow

Publication

Building India’s CBRN Shield: DRDO’s New Centre of Excellenc

The article examines India's evolving preparedness in addressing the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threats. The focus of the article is on DRDO’s newly inaugurated CBRN Field Training and Demonstration Centre in Delhi. The article argues that the facility represents a significant shift from fragmented, agency-specific preparedness toward a more integrated national response architecture by training military, disaster-response, and civilian agencies under one framework.