The Challenges of Contract/Project Implementation To prevent diffusion of responsibility, dedicated teams should be in place for the entire duration of a project, especially for non-R&D projects. The team should be mandated to stick to sanctioned time and cost but sufficiently empowered to make minor alterations in the scope. The team may be asked to sign a performance and integrity related MoU and assured of necessary support. This should include assured funding support because old projects may sometimes gasp for funding as new priorities take over with change of key decision makers. Subhash Chandra Pandey | January 2010 | Journal of Defence Studies
Special Address at the National Seminar on Defence Acquisition The present defence procurement and management structures in the Ministry of Defence were set up in 2001 in terms of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on reforming national security system constituted in the wake of the Kargil conflict. The GOM recommended setting up of an acquisition wing with the task of expediting the acquisition of capital equipment required for the modernisation programmes of the three Services. S. Banerjee | January 2010 | Journal of Defence Studies
Bangladeshi Illegal Migration into Assam: Issues and Concerns from the Field The issue of Bangladeshi illegal migration has troubled the state of Assam for decades now. Assamese political and social discourses fear that this unchecked migration from across the border will subvert their way of life and change the demographic profile of the state in the near future. Namrata Goswami | January 14, 2010 | Issue Brief
Global War on Terror and the Africa Link Across the globe, a crucial but largely unseen and unheard of force in the Global War on Terrorism is emerging – young, hardened, militant, radicalized recruits from Africa – a force potent enough to compel governments to revise their handbooks on how best to contend with Islamic extremism. Mayank Bubna | January 14, 2010 | IDSA Comments
Sub-Conventional Warfare Requirements, Impact and Way Ahead Clear higher level directions, strategic and tactical directives are essential for the Army and other security forces trained and equipped for conventional warfare to operate in an extremely challenging and hostile sub-conventional warfare environment. Commanders and troops must understand that they are operating in a tricky situation and their overall aim will always remain achievement of more perfect peace. It simply implies that there is no such thing as a quick military victory. Conduct of counterinsurgency campaigns will invariably extend over a number of years. K C Dixit | January 2010 | Journal of Defence Studies
Maoists rhetoric on India-Nepal Relations India should clarify through actions and words that it has no intention of interfering in Nepal, that it respects Nepal’s sovereignty and that it is ready to work with any dispensation in Nepal for furthering mutual security and economic concerns. Nihar R. Nayak | January 13, 2010 | IDSA Comments
End of Al Majid ‘Chemical’ Ali International focus was repositioned back to Iraq as Saddam Hussein’s cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid was sentenced and eventually hanged to death in Baghdad on January 25, 2010. Commonly known as… Continue reading End of Al Majid ‘Chemical’ Ali Priyanka Singh | January-March 2010 | CBW Magazine
What Would Make the Multi-National Anti-Piracy Efforts Off Somalia More Effective? The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously on 30 November 2009 to extend for another 12 months a mandate for member countries to conduct anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, to include “entering the territorial waters and undertake all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia”. Earlier the same month during a session on “Piracy and the situation in Somalia”, the UNSC members criticised the practice of paying ransom and stated that the coordinated fight by navies from several countries had failed to deter the pirates. Ashok Sawhney | January 2010 | Journal of Defence Studies
Looking Ahead If India indeed considers itself to be a rising power, it cannot remain a passive in the face of instability all around it. Ramesh Phadke | January 12, 2010 | IDSA Comments
Arms Acquisition Competitiveness: Relevant International Experiences Even though the Indian government has begun to encourage participation of private sector in defence systems production, it is not technologically competitive in the global market. The Chinese are giving importance to two factors: first, the civilian high technology market should increase sophisticated dual-use products that are readily available to the military. Developments of new C4ISR capabilities in the military have been a consequent result of improvements in the telecommunications sector. Ravinder Pal Singh | January 2010 | Journal of Defence Studies
