Journal of Defence Studies

India and China at Sea: Competition for Naval Dominance in the Indian Ocean, edited by David Brewster

A multitude of reasons, like world geopolitics, rapid double-digit economic growth, military development, trade, presence in multinational organisations and global initiatives such as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Maritime Silk Route (MSR), keeps China at the forefront in global news. Any discussion of world order or superpowers is incomplete without the mention of China, and more so because of its contentious maritime issues.

In Awe of the Atom: Proliferation, Threats, and Costs of Nuclear Management

ince the time of their invention and the first-and-only use on 6 and 9 August 1945 on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, nuclear weapons have been seen by the states that possess them, or the ones that seek them, as the ultimate guarantors of their security.1 It is believed that these weapons are key to achieving victory in a war that otherwise may go on for a long time or may end in defeat if fought in conventional ways by a weaker country; in other words, nuclear weapons are believed to act as instruments of deterrence.

Broadening the Education for Synergetic Civil–Military Relations

Statecraft, diplomacy and warfare are not only a matter of brute force, but also a function of scholarship to understand the past, present and future of the art, science and literature of national and international security. At higher levels in their professional career, besides the armed forces, a number of civil servants too have to deal with the state’s use or threat of the use of legitimate force. This article suggests broadening the education for synergetic civil–military relations (CMR).

Internet of Things Centricity of Future Military Operations

Since the last decade of the twentieth century, network centricity has profoundly transformed warfighting and the outlook of the military. The next level of the networking ladder is Internet of Things (IoT), which has already started to disruptively change the ways in the civil domain, bringing a considerable autonomy to various processes by linking of a plethora of smart devices that are talking to each other. Militaries, in the near future, are also likely to see similar proliferation of IoT, which will bring a material change to their functioning and conduct of operations.

The Generation of Rage in Kashmir, by David Devadas

Kashmir has been experiencing new dynamics of conflict. Though not entirely unknown to students of ethnic conflicts, the dynamics and complications that have developed over a period of time have made the Kashmir conflict extremely complicated given the number of actors involved in it. Additionally, it has been seen that the semblance of peace in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has often been mistaken as resolution of the conflict.

India’s National Security: Annual Review 2018

National security refers to securing a nation’s citizens, territory, resources, assets, ideologies, institutions, and interests against threats which may emanate from changing geopolitical state of affairs, changing relations between nations, groups, races, sects, advancing technology and changing ideology. In the prevailing complex geopolitical scenario, India’s national security is facing new challenges and acquiring new dimensions with every passing year.

Atul Pant |
January-March 2019 |
Journal of Defence Studies

India’s Domestic Debate over China’s Growing Strategic Presence in the Indian Ocean

This article seeks to capture the domestic debate in India over China’s activities in the Indian Ocean. It engages the critical geopolitical articulation around formal, practical and popular geopolitics, and provides a narrow perspective on the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It begins with a look at how India and China perceive the IOR, which is crucial to understand how the Indian Ocean is framed in the public consciousness in India.

Debating Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

Technology and the armed forces have a symbiotic relationship. Many technologies which are presently used in day-to-day life, like the Internet or navigation systems (global positioning system [GPS]), actually have a link to, or are derived from, military innovations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one arena of present generation technology that militaries have been developing mainly for two purposes: first, for juxtaposing it on their existing defence architecture for its performance enhancement; and second, for developing new types of militarily instruments and weapon systems.

Ajey Lele |
January-March 2019 |
Journal of Defence Studies

The Strategy Trap: India and Pakistan Under the Nuclear Shadow

Ever since India and Pakistan emerged as declared nuclear weapon states in 1998, national security ideation in both countries has factored in the nuclear dimension in significantly different ways. While Pakistan views its nuclear arsenal as an offensive weapon against what it perceives to be an existential threat from India and a conduit to wage a proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India has a nuanced perspective of nuclear weapons as primarily a credible deterrent and not a weapon of war fighting.

India in Nuclear Asia: Evolution of Regional Forces, Perceptions and Policies

In India in Nuclear Asia, authors Yogesh Joshi and Frank O’Donnell do a rigorous job of unpacking the layers that have constituted India’s nuclear journey, especially since going overtly nuclear in May 1998. They distil the key aspects pertaining to India’s nuclear force developments, the evolution and challenges facing its nuclear doctrine and the key rationales as they see underpinning New Delhi’s non-proliferation policies.