Journal of Defence Studies

Swarm Drones and Indian Academia

Air power is one of the most important elements of a military campaign and therefore, all countries strive to achieve Air Supremacy. The world has witnessed the influence of Air...

The Protection of Sea Lines of Communication during 1971 War

As the bulk of India’s foreign trade transits through sea, it turns sea lines of communication through the Indian Ocean strategically important for India. The newly independent India did not...

Somita Chakraborty |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Operational Aspects of the 1971 War in the Maritime Domain

The 1971 Indo-Pak War can be described as the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) finest hour. Until then, save for limited action in Liberation of Goa in 1961 and defensive operations in...

Srikant B. Kesnur , M. Doraibabu , Ashish Kale |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Planning and Impact of Special Operations during the 1971 Indo-Pak War

India had all of two weeks to achieve the politico-military end state of liberating Bangladesh, before the international community intervened to impose a ceasefire. Speed and tempo of operations were...

Vinod Bhatia |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Land Warfare in the Eastern Theatre: 1971 Indo-Pak War

The formation of Bangladesh resulted from the military operations undertaken in erstwhile East Pakistan by the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Air Force established air superiority in the first few...

P.K. Chakravorty |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

India’s Politico-Military Strategy for the 1971 India–Pakistan War

India displayed its firm political resolve, robust military capability and deliberate decision-making process in the 1971 India–Pakistan War to achieve significant strategic success. The politico-military strategy evolved progressively from a...

J.S. Cheema |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

1971, the War as I Saw It

Introduction

The Battle of Garibpur

The ‘Lightning Campaign’ to liberate Bangladesh during the 1971 IndoPak War was one of the finest moments in Indian history. The ‘Battle of Garibpur’ fought on 21–22 November 1971, before...

Vijay Yeshvant Gidh |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Politics in Pakistan and the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971

The Partition of India in August 1947 was a colossal man-made catastrophe resulting in the formation of Pakistan, with its east and west wings.Jinnah’s two-nation theory ignored the diverse culture...

Guru Saday Batabyal |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Did Pakistan Learn from its Bangladesh Experience?

This article seeks to re-analyse the pattern of Pakistani response to the demands from East Bengal as a federating unit with distinct linguistic and regional identity, which led to eventual...

Ashok K. Behuria |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Mistakes on Repeat Mode: Pakistan’s Civil–Military Debacle

The military has been an integral part of Pakistan’s survival since the formation of that nation state. The idea of the country was based on a united Islamic religion, but...

Karnika Jain |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

The Mukti Bahini: Three Dimensional Guerillas

Introduction

Sandeep Unnithan |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Sagat and Helicopters True Pillars of Victory

This article looks at the real issues that were responsible for destabilising the centre of gravity of Pakistan Army in the eastern sector. Lieutenant

Rajesh Isser |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Eagle Unleashed IAF Strategy and Operations

The only unfettered use of air power in India’s wars was in 1971, and it produced disproportionate and decisive outcomes. IAF’s air strategy, the extent of its role in contributing...

Diptendu Choudhury |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Language, Culture and the Creation of Bangladesh

The objective of this article is to analyse the role of language and culture in the creation of Bangladesh. The ethno-linguistic identity of the people

Dorothy Deb |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Role of the United States in the 1971 War: Implications for India–US Relations

The India–Pakistan War of 1971 happened at the time when the US was developing a new balance of power relationship in Asia with US-ChinaPakistan at its core. This new balance...

Saroj Bishoyi |
October–December 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Influence of Vedanta on Indian Strategic Culture

While discussing the roots of strategic culture of any country, it is important to understand its core belief systems, enshrined in its spiritual, philosophical, political and military treatises that may...

Adil Rasheed |
July-September 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Cultural Explanation of Statecraft: The Polities and Policies of Asoka and Akbar

Constructivism argues that the behaviour of actors in international politics is shaped by factors like identity, norms, rules, etc. Though it has been well argued that these factors shape and...

A Comparison of Kamandaka’s Nitisara and Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Statecraft, Diplomacy and Warfare

Kamandaka’s Nitisara was composed after the classic and the only surviving root text of Kautilya’s Arthashastra. Both the texts are important milestones in Indic heritage and tradition of political science....

P. K. Gautam |
July-September 2021 |
Journal of Defence Studies

A ‘Regional’ Intervention in the Debate on India’s Strategic Culture: Maratha Statecraft in Agyapatra

Existing scholarship on India’s strategic culture pronounces on it either based almost entirely on India’s post-independence strategic behaviour with some references to the pre-independence period or on select historical experiences...