Ajey Lele

With New START’s expiration in February 2026, the US and Russia will have no legally binding constraints on their nuclear arsenals.

• Ajey Lele |
• January 22, 2026 |
• IDSA Comments

Deputy Director General, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt (Dr) Ajey Lele’s article ‘The PSLV-C62 failure marks a setback for India’s space ambitions’ has been published in ‘The Space Review’ on 19 January 2026. The back-to-back failures will momentarily derail ISRO’s space ambitions, with some projected timelines for future missions likely to slip further. ISRO will need to learn from recent failures and move on, writes Gp Capt Lele. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

Deputy Director General, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt Ajey Lele’s article ‘Can India Shape the Script of Global AI Governance? Or Is It Already Written?’ has been published in ‘The Wire’ on 15 January 2026. India’s expectations for the 2026 AI Impact Summit are more consensus-oriented. As host, India aims to promote a global framework that balances safety, inclusion, and growth while amplifying Global South perspectives, writes Gp Capt Lele. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland appears to be driven by a desire to secure US interests in the Arctic for long-term geostrategic and economic reasons.

• Ajey Lele |
• January 08, 2026 |
• IDSA Comments

Deputy Director General, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt (Dr) Ajey Lele’s article ‘Space cargo: the next frontier in global logistics’ has been published in Volume 9 Issue 3 of MedCrave, Physics & Astronomy International Journal Having operational space based systems for delivery of cargo on the earth would immensely help the defence forces and simultaneously there could be significant commercial benefits too, writes Gp Capt Lele. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

The February 2026 New Delhi AI Impact Summit is expected to reorient the global conversation on AI from principles to their practical, tangible impact.

• Ajey Lele, Meghna Pradhan |
• January 01, 2026 |
• Special Feature

Deputy Director General Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt (Dr) Ajey Lele’s article ‘Why Did Trump Designate Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction?’ has been published in ‘The Wire’ on 27 December 2025. By attaching a WMD designation to fentanyl, the Trump administration gets wider legal and political space to pursue a military action against various groups in Mexico, writes Gp Capt Lele. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

Deputy Director General, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp Capt (Dr) Ajey Lele’s article ‘ISRO’s BlueBird launch is a new phase in India-US space ties—denial to cooperation’ was published in ‘The Print’ on 25 December 2025. In the early 1990s, the US actively worked to block India’s access to cryogenic engine technology. Today, a US private company has approached ISRO to launch its satellite, writes Gp Capt Lele. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

The shift away from a state-dominated nuclear governance framework towards an investment-friendly regime could enable the Indian nuclear industry to prosper.

• Ajey Lele |
• December 17, 2025 |
• IDSA Comments

Deputy Director General, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, GP Capt (Dr) Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Biological Disasters, Climate Extremes, and India’s Air Power–Driven Humanitarian Outreach’ has been published by the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) on 10 December 2025. The article offers a broad overview of disaster relief operations with a specific focus on biological disasters and climate-induced emergencies, two categories that pose distinct operational, logistical, and governance challenges for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) frameworks. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.