Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
मनोहर पर्रिकर रक्षा अध्ययन एवं विश्लेषण संस्थान

Abhay Kumar Singh

Commodore Abhay Kumar Singh (Retd) is a Research Fellow at the Southeast Asia and Oceania Centre in the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. He is an Indian Navy veteran with extensive command and staff experience spanning 27 years. A surface warfare officer with a specialisation in Missile and Gunnery Warfare, he has commanded various Indian Navy Ships Talwar, Nieekshak and Matanga.  In addition to his service in various afloat and staff appointments in the Indian Navy, he has also served as Director (Military Affairs) in the Disarmament and International Security Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.Commodore Singh is an alumnus of the Naval Academy, Defence Services Staff College and Naval War College. He has an MSc (Defence and Strategic Studies) from the University of Chennai and an MPhil from Mumbai University. During 59th Staff Course at DSSC, he was awarded Gen Lentaigne Memorial Medal for his research on ‘Role of the UN in Combatting International Terrorism’.Maritime geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific is his key area of research. A frequent contributor to journals and periodicals on geopolitical issues, he has authored a book on the dynamics of India-China relation titled “India-China Rivalry- Asymmetric No Longer: An Assessment of China’s Evolving Perceptions of India” and has co-edited a book titled “UKRAINE WAR: Military Perspectives and Strategic Reflections”.

Research Fellow (SS)

Key Publications

Book

  • India-China Rivalry- Asymmetric No Longer: An Assessment of China’s Evolving Perceptions of India (KW Publisher 2021)
  • Sujan Chinoy, Abhay Kumar Singh, Vivek Chadha (ed), UKRAINE WAR Military Perspectives and Strategic Reflections, Pentagon Press (2024)

Book Chapters

  • Tracking Russia–Ukraine War: A Conflict that Defied Expectations, Sujan Chinoy, Abhay Kumar Singh, Vivek Chadha (ed), UKRAINE WAR Military Perspectives and Strategic Reflections, Pentagon Press (2024)
  • Maritime Theatre of the Ukraine War, Sujan Chinoy, Abhay Kumar Singh, Vivek Chadha (ed), UKRAINE WAR Military Perspectives and Strategic Reflections, Pentagon Press (2024)
  • 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy and India’s SAGAR Vision: Charting Convergences and Cooperative Synergy, Ruchita Beri (ed), India-Africa: Building Synergies in Peace, Security and Development, Pentagon Press (2024)
  • India and the Idea of Indo-Pacific: A Hesitant Embrace?; Sujan Chinoy & Jagannath Panda (ed), Asia between Multipolarism and MultipolarityPublisher: KW Publisher (2020)
  • India-Japan Strategic Partnership: Imperatives for Ensuring ‘Good Order at Sea’ in the Indo-Pacific, Sujan Chinoy & Jagannath Panda (ed), Scaling India-Japan Cooperation in Indo-Pacific and Beyond 2025: Corridors, Connectivity and ContoursPublisher (KW Publisher, 2019)
  • Expanding Turbulent Maritime Periphery: Gray Zone Conflicts with Chinese Characteristics, Vikrant Despande (ed), Hybrid Warfare: The Changing Character of Warfare (Pentagon Press 2018)
  • India as a Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean: The Strategic Approach of a Responsible Stakeholder , Jivanta Schottli (ed), Maritime Governance and South Asia (World Scientific, 2018)
  • South China Sea Conundrum: Plus Ça Change, MS Pratibha (ed), East Asia Strategic Review: China’s Rising Strategic Ambitions in Asia (Pentagon Press, 2018)
  • Ephemeral Maritime Destiny: Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan Sea Power (1853-1944), Sachin Pendse & Odakkal Johnson (ed), Essays in Maritime Studies: Vol-III, (Maritime History Society,2016)

Articles

  • Defence Budget 2025-26: Key Highlights, Issue Brief, February 17, 2024
  • Quad-at-Sea Observer Mission: Exploring the Prospects of Coast Guard Collaboration, IDSA Issue Brief, November 14, 2024
  • Defence Budget 2024-25: Key Highlights, IDSA Issue Brief, August 2024
  • Decoding Key Naval Responses to the Red Sea Crisis, IDSA Issue Brief, Jul 10, 2024
  • India and the Scorpene Club, IDSA Issue Brief, Apr 24, 2024
  • P75 (1) Submarines and Strategic Partnership Model “P75 (1) SUBMARINES AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP MODEL” IDSA Issue Brief, March 28, 2024
  • Defence Budget 2024-25: Trend Analysis, IDSA Issue Brief, February 16, 2024
  • Attack on Sevastopol: Key Takeaways, IDSA Issue Brief, October 04, 2023
  • US Cluster Munitions for Ukraine: Military Context and Legal Considerations, IDSA Issue Brief, July 14, 2023
  • The San Diego Roadmap for AUKUS: Hits and Misses, IDSA Issue Brief, April 17, 2023
  • Defence Budget 2023–24: Trend Analysis, IDSA Issue Brief, February 17, 2023
  • Quad’s Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative Needs Time to Deliver, June 24, 2022
  • ADMM-Plus and India’s Act East Policy, IDSA Issue Brief , December 16, 2022
  • Israel–Lebanon Maritime Boundary Agreement: An Assessment, IDSA Backgrounder, November 11, 2022
  • One Year of AUKUS: An Assessment of Progress and Challenges, IDSA Issue Brief, November 02, 2022
  • The Second Quad Summit- Whither Indo-Pacific Order, Chanakya Forum, September 23, 2021
  • Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: Decoding the Joint Statement. IDSA Issue Brief, March 04, 2022
  • The Geopolitician and His Evolving Mental Map: The Works of KM Panikkar Revisited, Indian Naval Despatch, Vol. 2, No. 2, Winter 2021
  • Geopolitical Churning in the Indo-Pacific and the Persistent ‘Sea Foam’ of QUAD, Chanakya Forum. October 20, 2020
  • Military Manpower Cost in India and the United States: A Comparative Analysis, MP-IDSA, Special Feature, May 29, 2020
  • “Vietnam’s Defence White Paper 2019: Charting a Safe Course in the Midst Of Turbulent Regional Geopolitics”, East Asia Military Monitor, Volume 3, Issue 2, March-April 2020
  • Emerging Contours of Maritime Security Architecture under the Belt and Road Initiative, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol 12 No. 4, Oct – Dec 2018
  • India’s Pathways for Regional Prominence in Asia-Pacific – Prospects and Challenges, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol 12 No. 1, Jan-Mar 2018
  • South Asian Geopolitics- Has Pakistan Lost its Plot?, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol 11 No. 4, October-December 2017
  • Unpacking China’s White Paper on Maritime Cooperation under BRI, IDSA Issue Brief, June 28, 2017
  • China’s White Paper on Asia Pacific Security Cooperation: An Assessment, IDSA Issue Brief, January 19, 2017
  • China’s Creeping Maritime Assertiveness, IDSA Issue Brief, January 03, 2017
  • Cross LOC Strike and India’s Reputation for Resolve, IDSA Commentary, October 21, 2016
  • The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill 2016 – The Long Journey of an Important Maritime Legislation, IDSA Commentary, October 03, 2016
  • Maritime Exclusion Zone: Legal Perspective and Strategic Options, Maritime Affairs, Vol 4, Issue 1 (Summer 2008)

Publication

Rediscovery of the Chola Dynasty – A Review of Lords of the Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire

The Chola Empire, a dominant South Indian dynasty that thrived between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, has captivated the attention of historians for over a century. The Empire is often celebrated for its administrative innovations, military conquests, naval expeditions, economic prosperity, and cultural achievements. Over time, various historians, both Indian and Western, have offered diverse interpretations and assessments of the Chola legacy. While early historians like K.A. Nilakanta Sastri laid the groundwork by celebrating the grandeur and efficiency of the Chola State, later scholars such as Burton Stein and Romila Thapar have provided more critical and nuanced readings. The Cholas are now seen not merely as conquerors and temple-builders but as complex agents of social, economic, and cultural change.

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