Journal of Defence Studies

War Crimes, Atrocity and Justice, by Michael J. Shapiro

Human history has been witness to many war crimes and atrocities. But it is only in the twentieth century that one sees institutionalised, global attempts to fix responsibility for such crimes and to bring justice to the victims of such unspeakable, horrific crimes against humanity. However, most would agree that these attempts have hardly made a huge difference either in getting justice for victims and giving them closure or in deterring such crimes. Through War Crimes, Atrocity, and Justice, Michael J.

Aspects of Leadership: Ethics, Law and Spirituality by Carroll Connelley and Paolo Tripodi

Leadership and ethics have inseparable connect and have been an integral part of the discourse on leadership in general and military leadership in particular. This consistent focus on the subject for military men is a Indian context, it is all the more important since the armed forces have had a visible and critical role in nation-building since independence. This role has extended from safeguarding the country from external

Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine’: New Dynamism or New Dead End?, by Christopher W. Hughes

Given the fluidity in East Asian geopolitics and China’s arrival as a key variable in the international system, Japan has been forced to respond to the asymmetrical power politics. As China is carving out a sphere of influence for itself which is increasingly eclipsing Japan’s international stature, Abe has the task of presenting the case of where and how does Japan fit in.

International Law on the Use of Force against Terrorists since 9/11: The Contrasting Cases of Israel and India

The international law on the use of force against terrorists has experienced a radical revision since the rise of transnational jihad of Al-Qaeda. It has sufficiently expanded to accommodate actions against terrorists in foreign territory in the wake of terrorist attacks, particularly when the foreign State is hosting terrorists and not cooperating with the victim State. However, the new legal framework does not give carte blanche to States to use force against terrorists. While using force States must strictly follow the law.

Economic Sanctions as an Option to Fight Pakistan Sponsored Terrorism

Nuclearisation of the Indian subcontinent limits conventional military options available to India for punishing Pakistan’s employment of terrorism as a tool of state policy. While India has rightly balanced the use of diplomatic and limited military means over a period of time, even as these remain relevant, the option of economic sanctions deserves deeper analysis for its efficacy and impact. Economic measures can be undertaken both in the form of direct and indirect actions against a target country, individual or an organisation with varied degrees of impact.

Military Change: Survival of the Most Adaptable

The Greek philosopher Thucydides famously stated the proximate words: ‘The only constant [in life] is change’. (Even the most stable isotope, Tellerium-128, changes; it will decay to half its mass in 2.2 septillion years!) Change, therefore, is inevitable and takes place in every animate and inanimate thing and becomes necessary to remain relevant in the environment that one lives in. If your enemy changes his way of fighting and you do not, then a dysfunction in countering your enemy is inevitable.

Heading East: Security, Trade and Environment between India and Southeast Asia, by Karen Stoll Farrell and Sumit Ganguly

Heading East, Security, Trade and Environment between India and Southeast Asia, co-edited by Sumit Ganguly and Karen Stoll Farrell, consisting of 11 chapters and one introductory note by the editors, broadly deals with India’s Look East/Act East Policy (LEP/AEP).

The Ashgate Research Companion to Military Ethics, by James Turner Johnson and Eric D. Patterson

‘Ethics’, derived from the Latin word ethice, means a set of moral principles which guides actions towards ‘normative’ discipline.

Is India’s Nuclear Doctrine Credible?

Recent debates by former officials and analysts on India’s nuclear doctrine highlight certain credibility problems. Two inter-related pillars of the doctrine—the pledge of ‘No-First Use’ (NFU) and the assurance of a ‘massive retaliation’ response to a nuclear strike—have been scrutinised.1 The backdrop shaping the debate is the pressing need to discover options to produce a de-escalation or deter an escalation in Pakistan’s sub-conventional war. This is the context for the ongoing contestations around India’s nuclear doctrine.

Frontiers, Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies in South Asia, 1820-2013, by Kaushik Roy

Frontiers, Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies in South Asia is a well written and intelligently composed monograph by Kaushik Roy, a leading expert in South Asian military studies. It primarily deals with frontier issues, insurgency and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations in South Asia from 1820 to 2013, adequately emphasising on the inter-relationships between colonial making of frontiers, state formation, and small wars conducted by the British in this particular region.

ALH Dhruv and the Indian Helicopter Industry: Unrealised Potential, Promises and Challenges

For more than half a century, independent India’s aircraft manufacturing has been dominated by, and entirely limited to, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The helicopter, in particular, was seen almost exclusively as a platform of military utility. Therefore, other than the defence forces, paramilitary and a few state governments, civilian use of helicopters was almost unheard of until recently. Commencing from the 1990s, awareness about the utility of helicopters for civilian use increased rapidly due to its widespread use by political parties during elections.

Perception Management in Asymmetric Warfare: Lessons for Democratic Practitioners from Ukraine (2014–16) and Gaza (2014)

The perception management component of information warfare has long been recognised as an important tool of warfare, appearing in military doctrines worldwide. The challenges and opportunities of its practice in different political contexts have however rarely merited substantive attention. This article examines the development and trajectory of two cutting-edge examples of contemporary information warfare practice: Russian information warfare in Ukraine (2014–present); and information warfare conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) up to and during Operation Protective Edge.

Indian Defence Budget: Challenging Times

The past decade, and in particular the Twelfth Plan period, have been challenging times for the Indian defence budget. Strategic foresight demands that India’s military strength and capabilities relate to diverse challenges by way of a not unlikely two-front war, the attendant imperatives for a ‘Cold Start’ capability, non-conventional challenges from non-state actors, counter-terrorism capabilities and unavoidable internal security responsibilities.

Data Theft: Implications for Economic and National Security

With the digitisation of services, such as in the case of governance and banking, or the electronic means of conducting commerce or trade, a large amount of data is generated, stored, processed; this also traverses, over digital devices and networks. The incidents of data theft compromise the integrity of this data. Data is at continuous risk from a myriad of threat actors varying from hacktivists to nation states.

Military Robots: Mapping the Moral Landscape, by Jai Galliott

The ethical use of the military robots is a serious concern and in the last few years this debate has gained significant momentum on various human rights as well as military forums. The book under review deals with the same debate. The author’s idea is to thoughtfully bring forth the relevant arguments that have surfaced over last few years and examine them under the broad lens of ‘just war theory’.

Not War, Not Peace? Motivating Pakistan to Prevent Cross- Border Terrorism, by George Perkovich and Toby Dalton

The book—Not War, Not Peace? Motivating Pakistan to Prevent Cross-Border Terrorism—seems well-timed as it was released just few months before the surgical strikes conducted by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC), and appears to reflect the intentions of the Government of India. The central theme of the book is how to motivate Pakistan to dismantle anti-Indian organisations originating in and operating from its territory.

Diplomatic Dimensions of Maritime Challenges for India in the 21st Century, by Yogendra Kumar

The book records the story of India’s development into a modern maritime nation ready to take on the challenges of the twenty-first century. It also tells us how India has steadily built upon its nascent capacities since the early years of independence. In doing so, it begins by giving a brief historical overview of the Indian maritime tradition.

India’s Military Power: A General Reflects, by Lt Gen H.C. Dutta

In this book, the author—a distinguished officer of the Indian Army who retired as an Army Commander in 1983—has written about his experiences and important events in his 37 years of military life. He was commissioned in 1948 in the first batch of gentlemen cadets from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, in post-independence India. He witnessed the Partition of the country and the reorganisation of the Indian Armed Forces, which gave him an insight into the many facets of national security at the grassroots level.

Transfer of Defence Technology to India: Prevalence, Significance and Insights

Transfer of technology has been prevalent in numerous forms across the world, both in the civil as well as defence domains, and India is no exception. These transfers, primarily in the form of licenced manufacture, have provided a significant boost to the production capabilities and self-reliance of developing nations in the past and hold great promise, in the future, for nations that do not have a well-developed science and technology base.

Conceptualising Stress in the Armed Forces: A Public Health Perspective

In recent years, the frequent reports of suicide and fragging cases among armed forces personnel have prompted several questions about the negative effects of stressful life experiences on the well-being of soldiers. The narrow conception of mental health is not enough to understand and explain the status of mental health and well-being of a soldier, which eclipses the interwoven nature of various social determinants of health at workplace, such as the complexity of social categories reflected in class, power and caste structures.