Journal of Defence Studies

Wars by Pakistan, by Vikram Munshi

The Pakistan-India relationship has been marked by both peaks and troughs, and scepticism and suspicion of each other’s motives has never been far behind. The two states were one till independence and, more importantly, the two armed forces were one. They had fought wars together before they fought wars with each other.

Afghan Endgames: Strategy and Policy Choices for America’s Longest War, edited by Hy Rothstein and John Arquilla, New Delhi: Foundation Books, 2013, pp. 244, INR 895

This book has been published at a critical juncture: the United States (US) and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies are preparing to wind up their combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and are engaged in charting out the best possible exit strategy. The US and its NATO allies, along with regional nations around Afghanistan, are deliberating over the best possible way to deal with the Afghan situation after 2014.

Distortions in the Discourse on Modernization of Armed Forces

The strategic discourse on defence and security matters in India revolves around familiar themes and sub-themes, ranging from larger issues such as the absence of a clearly articulated national security policy to somewhat fractious issues such as the higher defence management, civil-military relations and modernization of the armed forces.

Indian Ocean Maritime Security Cooperation Needs Coherent Indian Leadership

Maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a central issue for regional and extra-regional actors. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges largely converge at sea as they impact economic, environmental, energy, human, food and national security. As the major regional power and an emerging Asian great power, India’s willingness and capacity to provide strategic leadership is critical to engendering a cooperative spirit of shared destiny. India’s growing naval capabilities indicate a strong commitment to maritime security.

The New Soldier in the Age of Asymmetric Conflict, by Rumu Sarkar

Asymmetric warfare has existed from the time of the famous tale of David and Goliath. Post-World War II, the world has witnessed these conflicts in Vietnam, Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The United States (US) is currently the sole superpower, and even countries with strong armed forces are developing asymmetric capabilities to respond to military threats posed by the US. Countries like China, Russia, Israel, Syria and India have to respond to asymmetric challenges which require innovative tactics in comparison to regular conventional warfare.

Proxy Warfare, by Andrew Mumford, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013

Proxy war, over the centuries, has become a significant attribute in shaping the desired strategic outcome of a conflict through indirect engagement. History is strewn with numerous conflicts where proxy war has been used by states to achieve their strategic goals without committing their own troops, resources and finances. Although large research material is available on contemporary warfare, international relations and related security studies, there is, however, a void existing in analysing proxy warfare and its tenets. This book by Andrew Mumford is a serious effort to bridge this gap.

Red Revolution 2020 and Beyond: Strategic Challenges to Resolve Naxalism, by V.K. Ahluwalia, New Delhi: Bloomsbury

Literature on the Maoist movement continues to pour in. The government too has officially described it as the biggest threat to the internal security of the country. No wonder that scholars of different hues are making their contribution.

India’s Military Conflicts and Diplomacy: An Inside View of Decision-making, by General V.P. Malik, Noida: Harper Collins

The book is a good example of chorological tabulation through a method of historical narrative of events of significant strategic decision making in the military history of post-independent India. General V.P.

Marine Eco-concern and its Impact on the Indian Maritime Strategy

Maritime strategic planning cannot be done in isolation of marine eco-concerns. Marine species are known to perceive the environment around them through acoustic signals, and depend on sound for numerous functions like foraging, communication and navigation. Noise as a pollutant has found scant reference in the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) document of 1982—the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is yet to include noise as a pollutant in its 1978 MARPOL Convention.

Pakistan and Biological Weapons

Pakistan is a state party to the Biological Weapons Convention, yet at least part of its related outward conduct is rather exhibitory, aiming to foster the image of an obedient, sheer science- and protection-oriented profile. Although it is publicly accentuated that an ongoing Pakistani biological weapons (BW) programme cannot be proved, it is fairly clear that some Western intelligence agencies possess classified information that is highly supportive of such an active programme taking place in actuality.

Relevance of Cloud Computing for Defence

Technology has always played the key role in defining the outcome of war. A modern-day military is investing in cutting-edge technologies to leverage their benefits in the evolving nature of warfare, which encompasses every aspect of science. In the case of information and communication technology (ICT), the research and development has unleashed vast potential for civilian and military applications, which vary from simple logic execution to high-end supercomputing.

Troubled Waters: Exploring the Emerging Dynamics between Navies and Private Security Companies in Anti-piracy Operations

The return of piracy to the Indian Ocean in modern times has culminated in the resurgence of the private violence industry in the maritime domain. For the first time in modern history, the private military security industry will work alongside traditional navies on the field. The dynamics between the two major security actors in the anti-piracy operations make for an interesting study. This article argues that there exists much potential for fruitful engagement between the two actors: PMSCs and navies.

Exploring Risks and Vulnerabilities: An Alternate Approach to Maritime Security Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region

Maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has become a central consideration. Shared risks and common vulnerabilities for state and non-state actors, generated by traditional and non-traditional security challenges, converge to a significant extent at sea. Risk-based approaches offer the potential for regional and extra-regional actors to engage in a constructive and non-confrontational dialogue that can assist collective security cooperation.

Vulnerabilities in the Capital Acquisition Process

From the stage of inception of a procurement proposal till the signing of the contract, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) diligently follows a fairly elaborate procurement procedure for capital acquisitions, as also for revenue procurements. The purpose of laying down a procedure is to minimize discretion and bring in transparency at every stage to eliminate the possibility of undue influence on decision making. But this does not seem to have worked very well for the MoD as instances of corruption keep surfacing every now and then.

From the Editor

While it is commonly believed that the time for major wars has passed, thesecurity environment is becoming more complex. We should, however,remember that whereas there has been no global war after 1945 and noideological war after 1991, the world has not witnessed an absence ofconflict either. Besides the ongoing regional contestations and bilateraldisputes involving sovereignty we are now faced with internal wars of highintensity, often with deep external involvement.

|
January 2014 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Critical Issues in Indian Politics: India’s Foreign Policy, edited by Kanti P. Bajpai and Harsh V. Pant Critical Issues in Indian Politics: India’s National Security, edited by Kanti P. Bajpai and Harsh V. Pant

Indian foreign policy has made tremendous progress since the collapse ofthe Berlin Wall. Today, India is being seen as an important regional powerand a responsible global player. It is the goal of India’s foreign policy toachieve major power status for the country in the international arena.This ambition has been a common thread in the policies of all politicaldispensations to have ruled the country. To achieve this stated goal, Indianeeds to be pragmatic and instead of being guided by the past, it has tolook at safeguarding its interest in the future.

Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb, by Feroz Hassan Khan

Brigadier Feroz Hassan Khan (Retd) brings to bear the right credentialsto this six year effort under review. The career Pakistan Army officer andJohns Hopkins University graduate (1989–91), currently a faculty memberof the Naval Postgraduate School, Moneterey, California, spent the lastdecade of his 32 year service (he retired in 2001) dealing with nuclearissues in key positions.

New Perspective for Oceanographic Studies in the Indian Ocean Region

India’s location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) compels it to play a larger strategic role in the region. The growing energy needs of China—with the Gulf continuing to be its most preferred source—further causes the Chinese merchant fleet to transit the IOR. To ensure uninterrupted supply of energy resource, the Chinese have started to increase their presence in the region and this has, in turn, encouraged the Americans to also deploy their marine assets in the region.

Directed Energy Weapons for the Indian Armed Forces

Military planners believe that the ‘blast and fragmentation’ type conventional weapons cannot advance much further technologically.The next chapter in weapons technology development is expected to be realized from Directed Energy weapons (DEWs). It can be assumed that by 2035, DEWs consisting of laser, microwave and millimeter waves can reach current performance levels of the existing kinetic energy weapons(KEWs) and conventional weapons. While these will co-exist with KEWs,a non-DEW option would have a debilitating effect on the defence preparedness of any nation.

Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean: An Indian Perspective

For a maritime nation like India, its conception of maritime security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and, specifically, its approach to maritime security has a long historical legacy. The modern Indian Navy has its origins in the colonial period. But it is the post-colonial period spanning independence and then the imperatives of the Cold War, and later to the interim phase in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the present day strategic partnerships—all of which have contributed to moulding the Indian perspective of maritime security.