Examining the US Defence Acquisition Apparatus: What can India Learn? The United States (US) defence acquisition apparatus, arguably the biggest in the world, has undergone several reforms in the past 100 years. The reforms, which have focused on both structural and procedural aspects of acquisition, have led to establishment of authority and accountability in acquisition; articulation of a detailed regulatory mechanism; a dedicated university to impart training to acquisition workforce; and a clear incentive structure for the domestic industry. Laxman Kumar Behera October 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
Standing Committee on Defence’s Prescription for increasing Capital Budget May Not Work The Thirty-first Report of the Standing Committee on Defence (SCoD)1 was submitted to Parliament on 9 March 2017. The report examined the capital outlay for the defence services for the year 2017–18, procurement policy of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and defence planning. A glance through the report showed that, apart from a rather sketchy analysis of these issues, the committee has only ended up making hackneyed observations and recommendations that have been made repeatedly in the past without much success. Amit Cowshish October 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
EMP Weapons and the New Equation of War Besides military targets, a number of strategic civilian targets, like urban data and communication centres, stock exchanges, factories and other centres of gravity could also be attacked by e-bombs. Atul Pant October 13, 2017 IDSA Comments
Lull at Doklam: Time for a Holistic Strategic Review While the crisis has been defused for the time being, the probability of a future flare up cannot be ruled out. A holistic strategic review ought to be carried out over a wide spectrum and in a multi-dimensional manner with specific timelines. G.G. Dwivedi October 06, 2017 IDSA Comments
The Darkening Web: The War for Cyberspace, by Alexander Klimburg The introduction to Alexander Klimburg’s book, The Darkening Web: The War for Cyberspace, begins by referencing the Indian parable of the Blind Men of Hindoostan and the elephant to bring out the difficulty of ‘grasping the entirety of cyberspace’. The focus of his book is on international security, and more specifically, the security interests of states in cyberspace. That said, a large part of the book focuses on three countries—the United States, Russia and China—and their approaches and actions in cyberspace. Europe is mentioned largely in the context of privacy and data laws. Cherian Samuel October 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
Need for Sector-Specific Ease-of-Doing Business Indices Sector-specific micro parameters that have a bearing on the ease of doing business need to be identified and quantified. Amit Cowshish October 05, 2017 IDSA Comments
Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System: Issues and Challenges Implementation of high-tech solutions without adequately trained personnel is unlikely to help the Border Security Force achieve the goal of foolproof border surveillance. Pushpita Das October 04, 2017 Issue Brief
Fallout of the Rohingya Issue on Bangladesh`s Domestic Politics With the Bangladesh general elections not far away in 2018, and the unlikely scenario of the Rohingya problem being fully resolved in the next few months, the issue is likely to deeply influence the posture of the various political parties. Gautam Sen October 03, 2017 IDSA Comments
High Fuel Prices: Does the End Justify the Means? The contentious discourse in the media ignores the implications of state taxes on rising fuel prices. Vinay Kaushal September 27, 2017 Issue Brief
Acquisition of single-engine fighter aircraft – A few suggestions to expedite the procurement process MoD can leapfrog many of the 11 stages in the procurement programme by taking the measures outlined to fulfil the urgent requirements of the Air Force. Amit Cowshish September 26, 2017 IDSA Comments
