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Group Captain (Retd.) Ajey Lele is Senior Fellow in the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and heads its Centre on Strategic Technologies. He started his professional career as an officer in the Indian Air Force in 1987 and took early retirement from the service to pursue his academic interests. He has a Masters degree in Physics from Pune University, and Masters and MPhil degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University. He has done his doctorate from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His specific areas of research include issues related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Space Security and Strategic Technologies. He has contributed articles to various national and international journals, websites and newspapers. He has authored six books and has also has been an editor for six books. He is a recipient of K. Subrahmanyam Award (2013) which is conferred for outstanding contribution in the area of strategic and security studies.
Institutions That Shaped Modern India: ISRO
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt Ajey Lele’s book ‘Institutions That Shaped Modern India: ISRO’ has been published under Rupa Publications.
Twitter Ban on President Trump: Opportunity for Introspection
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s Commentary, ‘Twitter Ban on President Trump: Opportunity for Introspection’ has been published by Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), on January 12, 2021.
The commentary analyses the business monopoly of social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and others, and their control over global digital content.
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Behind China’s Space Ambitions, A Battle For Tech Supremacy
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article ‘Behind China's Space Ambitions, A Battle For Tech Supremacy’ has been published in Strategic News Global.
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How ISRO handled the pandemic
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article ‘How ISRO handled the pandemic’ has been published in ‘The Space Review’ on November 09, 2020.
Over the years, ISRO has clearly identified its tasks for social, scientific, strategic, and commercial sectors. The ongoing pandemic could force a reassessment of some of their priorities, but this pause in launches is simply unaffordable. There could be challenges, of course, but still the show must go on, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.
Artemis Accords: Unilateralization In Space
Senior Fellow Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Artemis Accords: Unilateralization In Space’, co-written with former Policy Analyst, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Shri V. Gopalakrishnan, has been published by Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) on October 24, 2020.
The forthcoming 2+2 India-US deliberations: Here’s what to look forward
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s article ‘The forthcoming 2+2 India-US deliberations: Here’s what to look forward’ has been published in ‘The Financial Express’ on October 23, 2020.
Venus: science and politics
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Venus: Science and Politics’ has been published by ‘The Space Review’ on September 21, 2020.
The recent discovery indicating the possibility of life in the atmosphere of Venus is very exciting news for the scientific community. One can expect that now more research regarding Venus and its atmosphere will be funded, including missions by NASA and other space agencies, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.
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DRDO’s Success with HSTDV: Hypersonic Missiles in Sight
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s Commentary, ‘DRDO’s Success with HSTDV: Hypersonic Missiles in Sight’ has been published by the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), on September 15, 2020.
It is expected that the hypersonic missiles, particularly in the arsenal of the Indian Navy would increase India’s deterrence potential significantly. However, all of this would take almost a decade. DRDO must expedite their research and development in the said field for this technology to fructify as a real gamechanger, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.
Mars race rhetoric
Senior Fellow MP-IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s commentary ‘Mars race rhetoric’ has been published in ‘The Space Review’ on August 03, 2020.
Nations would go to Mars only when they have clarity about their scientific focus and have capacity (both technical and economic) to develop spacecraft for such purposes. It is highly unlikely that, in the 21st century, nations will race against each other to conquer Mars, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.
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The UAE’s Mars Mission: Lesson for India
Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Gp. Capt. Ajey Lele’s commentary on UAE’s Mars Mission, titled ‘The UAE’s Mars Mission: Lesson for India’ has been published by The Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), on July 22, 2020.
The UAE’s Mars agenda is clearly for a podium finish, and there is much for India to learn from this small Arab state. It would be advisable for ISRO to focus on one or two important projects and take them to their logical conclusions instead of trying out too many projects, writes Gp. Capt. Lele.