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

Journal of Defence Studies

Rwanda 1994: A Failure of Leadership and a Preventable Genocide, by Paolo Tripodi

 The author of Rwanda 1994: A Failure of Leadership and a Preventable Genocide, Dr Paolo Tripodi, is a professor and the ethics branch head at the Lejeune Leadership Institute, Marine Corps University. Before his academic career, he was an infantry officer with the Italian Carabinieri. Dr Tripodi has authored a book and three edited volumes, and his articles have been published in various military and academic journals. The book Rwanda 1994: A Failure of Leadership and a Preventable Genocide is a powerful and meticulously researched work that challenges the conventional narrative of the Rwandan genocide. Instead of focusing solely on the inaction of the international community, the author takes a tactical and operational approach, investigating whether the United Nations’ mission on the ground, i.e., United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) could have stopped the genocide even with its limited resources. His conclusion is a resounding and troubling ‘yes’. Read More

The Thousand Years War: Russia and the West, by Achala Moulik

 History is often written as a sequence of discrete events, each confined to its own time and place. Achala Moulik’s The Thousand Years War: Russia and the West does not restrict to a limited period but presents history as a continuum—a long confrontation between Russia and the Western powers over a millennium. Starting from Viking incursions to NATO’s expansion, Achala Moulik traces the confrontations happening at regular intervals with clarity, balance and finesse. The central theme of this book is that the West has carried out repeated invasions against Russia for centuries because of ideological clashes, and for lure of resources. Many times, Russia has faced the onslaught of geopolitical encirclement, however, each time, it has endured, survived and emerged stronger. Read More

The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Translator: Lionel Giles)

 Sun Tzu’s The Art of War remains one of the greatest works on strategy, warfare and leadership ever written (around 5th century BCE) with an influence that extends far beyond the battlefield. Believed to have been written during the Ch’in and Han dynasties, the text has stood the test of time, offering insights that remain compelling and instructive for military commanders, statesmen, and even scholars and professionals in other fields such as business and management. Read More

Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India’s New Normal, by Maj Gen Bipin Bakshi, Air Mshl Rajesh Kumar, Amb Anil Trigunayat and Brig Akhelesh Bhargava

 On 22 April 2025, four terrorists armed with automatic rifles carried out a brutal attack on unsuspecting tourists in the scenic Pahalgam valley of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). This heinous terrorist attack tragically claimed the lives of 26 tourists, thereby significantly disrupting the surge of tourism in J&K that had grown considerably after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. This attack serves as a major setback to J&K’s trajectory towards normalcy and underscores Pakistan’s consistent subversive attempts to disrupt peace in the Union Territory. To the Indian public, the Pahalgam attacks evoked the painful memories of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, wherein Pakistan employed a similar modus operandi to target innocent civilians. However, unlike 26/11, the Pahalgam attack occurred at a time when India’s political leadership had repeatedly affirmed its policy of zero tolerance to terrorism. Read More

Security through Intelligence Sharing: The US–Philippines GSOMIA

 The defence relations between the United States and the Philippines dates to 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT), and has evolved over the years into a modern, mature, comprehensive security partnership. Against the backdrop of growing tensions in the South China Sea, and China’s continuous force posture in region, Washington and Manila agreed to sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in November 2024.1 This is a landmark negotiation as it provides the essential legal framework needed for the transfer of classified intelligence and data on advanced weapon systems, thereby materialising the vision of real-time data-sharing, crisis response and deterrence operations. GSOMIA further complements existing bilateral agreements including the Visiting Forces Agreement 1998, and the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement 2014, thus strengthens interoperability, and completely inducts the Philippines into the US-led regional security architecture. Read More

The Amazing Story of Akash and the Way Forward

 The story of indigenous defence technology proving to be a game-changer is often inadequately reported. During Operation Sindoor, the indigenously developed medium-range Akash missile allegedly shot down a PAK JF- 17 Thunder, jointly developed with China, in the Kashmir region. This medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a 25–45 kms intercept range, supersonic speed, and active terminal guidance, can engage up to four targets simultaneously with 24 ready-to-fire missiles. It successfully neutralised Pakistan military’s attempts at large-scale drone and missile attacks on multiple military installations across northern and western India during the night of 7–8 May, and the air defence (AD) system at Lahore was neutralised. Read More

How Henry A. Kissinger’s Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy Moved Away from History and Back into an Unstable Nuclear Age

 Henry A. Kissinger arguably remains a force in strategic thinking circles. On 27–28 October 2025, a two-part documentary on his life was released by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The biography presents a case of lived experiences in Nazi Germany shaping the diplomat’s realpolitik outlook.1 In this backdrop of renewed conversations around Kissinger, resumption of nuclear testing,2 and what is being termed as the Third Nuclear Age,3 it is of much consequence to re-visit Kissinger’s classic work on nuclear weapon use, his book titled Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, published in 1957. Tracing the statesman’s strategic thinking on nuclear use reveals much about policy and implementation, and bears much to offer future policy-making for states, especially, de facto nuclear weapon states. Read More

Building Adaptable, Future-Ready Air Forces: Operationalising IAF Doctrine for Multi-Domain Supremacy

 Challenges in the warfighting domain have continued to plague the military leadership across the world. The application of the military instrument of power has continued to transform with the evolving character of war. From the days of total war that characterised ancient warfare until the world wars wherein total subjugation of the enemy to achieve political aims was the objective, the world has indeed come a long way. Nation states today seem to be in a perpetual state of ‘no war no peace’ where conflicts get diffused across the diplomatic, information, military and economic (DIME) spheres. Conflicts today take place in the military domain, without the fielded forces coming into direct visual contact. With an increasing range of weapons and technology assisting identification at large distances, the definition of direct contact has changed dramatically. The nebulous domains of cyber and space have intrinsically joined the battlefield apart from the cognitive domain of information warfare. Coupled with all this the increasing role of third parties or proxies in great power competition and rivalry, make crystal gazing and preparing for the next conflict even more challenging. Read More

Emerging Threat Vectors: Drones and Autonomous Systems in the Indian Defence Spectrum

 This article examines the strategic implications of drones and autonomous systems within India’s evolving defence and security environment. It argues that autonomy should not be assessed merely as a platform capability, but as a structural force that compresses decision cycles, complicates attribution and reshapes escalation control. Focusing on India’s contested borders, grey-zone pressures, and proximity to technologically capable adversaries, the article analyses emerging threats from China and Pakistan, gaps in India’s doctrine, training, C2 integration, cyber resilience and civil– military technology fusion. It recommends a decision-centric approach to threat assessment, supported by doctrinal reform, red teaming, indigenous autonomy stacks, and institutionalised operational learning. Read More

India and the Strait of Hormuz: Strategic Vulnerabilities and Policy Responses in a Shifting Regional Order

 The Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy chokepoint, is crucial for India’s energy security as more than two-thirds of India’s oil imports pass through this route.1 This article examines India’s strategic interests in the strait amid escalating geopolitical tensions, including US–Iran confrontations, China’s expanding regional presence through initiatives like BRI and Gwadar Port, and persistent asymmetric threats like Houthi attacks. Analysing India’s multi-dimensional response—naval deployments (Operation Sankalp2), energy diversification efforts, and diplomatic balancing between Iran and Gulf states—the study reveals significant vulnerabilities: over-reliance on the strait, limited naval logistics in the Gulf, and absence of regional security frameworks. The research highlights emerging alternatives like India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), International North- South Transport Corridor (INSTC), while arguing that India must enhance maritime domain awareness, develop forward operating capabilities, and lead minilateral security initiatives to protect its interests. The findings contribute to understanding how rising powers navigate critical chokepoints amidst great power competition, offering policy recommendations for India to secure its energy lifelines while maintaining strategic autonomy in an increasingly contested maritime domain. Read More

Indian Drone Ecosystem: Need to Innovate to Dominate

 Operation Sindoor saw Pakistan launch massed drone attacks which were neutralised by the Indian counter-unmanned aircraft system grid. Pakistan and its all-weather friends, China and Turkey, most likely will learn from this misadventure and evolve better drone designs, coupled with tactics, techniques and procedures, for combat. India needs to prepare for combatting the drones that they throw at it tomorrow and at the same time, build innovative drone capabilities to enhance offensive response options. Drones have incrementally evolved over time in India. However, some technologies can exponentially enhance their capabilities and utility. Does the Indian drone ecosystem have what it takes to deliver? Does success till now guarantee similar performance in future? What are the technologies and innovations that the Indian drone ecosystem can invest in its quest for global domination? What lessons can we take from countries that are leading drone innovations and development? This article makes an attempt to find answers to a few of such questions. Read More

Fighting for Red Hill or Maibam Lotpa Hill: A Decisive Episode of the Battle of Imphal, May 1944

 This study examines the nine-day engagement at Maibam-Lotpa Hill (Red Hill) from 20 May to 29 May 1944, analysing its strategic significance and broader implications within the Imphal campaign. In addition to assessing the operational and tactical developments of the battle, this article explores the experiences of local communities in Maibam, Oinam, Irengbam and Nambol, who were directly impacted by the fighting. Drawing on a combination of soldiers’ memoirs, survivor testimonies and secondary sources, the study reconstructs the course of the engagement and its local consequences. Furthermore, it seeks to address historiographical inaccuracies, particularly the mis-identification of the British 17th Indian Division’s headquarters during the critical phase of its confrontation in the Bishnupur sector. By engaging with these dimensions, this study aims to underscore the enduring historical importance of the engagement and its role in shaping the outcome of the Battle of Imphal in World War II. Read More

Is Xi Jinping in Control for the Fourth Term? A Reality Check

 Xi Jinping has amassed more personal power than any Chinese leader in decades. Since becoming General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012, Xi has systematically centralised authority abolishing presidential term limits, installing loyalists and also purging them. This article endeavours to examine the current state of Xi’s control by analysing two competing theories of ‘Xi losing control amid emerging fissures’ and that ‘Xi remains in full control’. Xi’s aggressive purge strategy has indeed concentrated power in his hands, but also set in a deep-seated insecurity at the top leading to internal power dynamics, abolishing informal rule of elders, perceived conflict with PLA on sacking of senior officers. This likely paranoia and various other factors have also led to some social and economic downturn affecting his leadership. A detailed assessment of all such factors led to likely conclusion that Xi is still in full control and shall be re-elected in the 21st CPC, less some black swan event. Read More

Editorial

 I am pleased to present to the readers the first issue of 2026, featuring five analytically rich articles, four commentaries and four book reviews. I would also like to inform the readers about a forthcoming special issue titled “The Year of Reforms: Reshaping India’s Defence for the Decade Ahead”, work on which is in progress. We plan to bring out another special issue subsequently. Read More

The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama, by Melvyn C. Goldstein

 The political status of Tibet in relation to China has been a contentious issue. It has invoked the question of the right of a people to self-determination. Melvyn C. Goldstein’s book titled The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama presents an expounded historical account of the cultural as well as political survival of Tibet from a Western, primarily American, lens. The book’s essential objective is to define the boundaries of what he refers to as the ‘Tibet Question’ and analyse Chinese Tibetan policies in the light of the relationship shared with the US. The ‘Tibet Question’, a nationalist issue at its core, here symbolises the struggle to control territory and the representations of history and current events. Read More

Inside the Terrifying World of Jaish-e-Mohammed, by Abhinav Pandya

 In the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam, Abhinav Pandya’s book Inside the Terrifying World of Jaish-e-Mohammed, assumes significant relevance as it offers a comprehensive analysis of the operational structure of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and underscores the grave national security challenges being faced by Indian security forces and policymakers over the last few decades. The book aims to give critical insights into the inception, expansion and operations of JeM. Read More

Mao’s Army Goes to Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China’s Navy, by Toshi Yoshihara, Georgetown University Press, 2022, pp. 158

 Mao’s Army Goes to Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China’s Navy delves into Mao’s initial efforts to build a naval force, tracing the development of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) between 1949 and 1950. It highlights how a group of individuals with no maritime experience managed to create an operational navy in just 18 months. Despite their lack of expertise, this nascent force undertook complex amphibious assaults, achieving significant victories in some cases while facing crushing defeats in others. Yoshihara, a distinguished scholar of the PLAN and Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments offers fresh perspectives through his extensive use of Chinese sources. Read More

The AUKUS Submarine Roadmap: A Bridge Too Far?

 The year 2025 has proven to be a particularly challenging period for the AUKUS trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). The developments and discourses since the beginning of the year indicate the onset of a more difficult phase for the AUKUS, marked by heightened political uncertainty and growing geopolitical complexity. Following three years of study and tangible progress made under the agreement, the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House for a second term has raised doubts among the observers regarding the US’ continued commitment to the AUKUS. Read More

Evolving Competitive Militant Landscape of Pakistan and its Implications

 The Pakistani policymakers and academia did not envisage an escalation of attacks in Pakistan after the ascendancy of the Afghan Taliban in August 2021.1 In fact, many commentators and analysts in Pakistan viewed the rise of the Taliban after the Doha greement as a harbinger of a new era in South Asia. However, despite the pledges made by the Taliban and the interim government in Afghanistan, Pakistan has been getting mired in violence. For a fourth consecutive year, Pakistan has seen a surge in violence after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. According to ‘Pakistan Security Report 2024’, a total of 521 terrorist attacks took place in Pakistan in 2024—including nine suicide bombings—which killed 852 people and injured 1,124, amounting to a 70 per cent increase in the number of attacks from the previous year. Read More

Crossing Lines: Drugs, Insurgency and Disorder in the Indo-Myanmar Borderlands

 The intensification of drug trafficking across the Indo-Myanmar border presents a significant challenge to both political and socio-economic stability in the region. This illicit trade not only exacerbates insurgent activities in Northeast India but also poses a serious threat to the country’s internal security. The porous and inadequately monitored border facilitates the movement of narcotics, creating a permissive environment for transnational criminal networks.1 These vulnerabilities have been further compounded by Myanmar’s enduring political instability following the 2021 military coup, elevating the issue to a matter of national security.2 Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) of Myanmar operating along the border have increasingly engaged in drug trafficking as a means of financing their campaigns against the junta regime. Read More
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