Journal of Defence Studies

Roots of Moral Decline in the Armed Forces: Time to Reclaim our Izzat

The precipitate decline in moral and ethical values, as well as the steep fall in standards of private and public conduct, in recent years, has been accompanied by a concurrent...

Decoding the International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities by Ajey Lele (ed.)

After becoming the first country to oppose the annual non-binding UN resolution ‘Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space’ in 2005, the US made it clear to the United Nations...

IAF Equipment and Force Structure Requirements to Meet External Threats, 2032

In keeping with the theme ‘IAF Deep Multidimensional Change 2032: Imperatives and a Roadmap’, this article focuses on the responses to the external threat challenges that are likely to be...

Peace is Everybody’s Business by Arjun Ray

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been ravaged by terror for over two decades. The scourge of terror, which was largely limited to the Kashmir valley and Jammu region,...

A Soldier’s General: An Autobiography by General J.J. Singh

It is rare for Army officers to write their autobiographies and rarer still for those who have reached the very pinnacle of their careers. It is probably a mix of...

India, to the South China Sea and Beyond

This commentary attempts to map out some of the salient options for India in the region east of the Indian Ocean, that is, from the South China Sea (SCS) extending...

The Limits of the India-United Kingdom Defence Relationship

The United Kingdom (UK) is keen on establishing a ‘stronger, wider and deeper’ relationship with India. It is ‘determined to make’ defence cooperation ‘an essential part’ of this relationship. London...

The Significance of 2020 in the Sino-Indian Context

The article looks at the implications of Hu Jintao’s speech at the 18th Party Congress regarding the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military modernization programme and analyses the significance of 2020...

Nuclear Terrorism: Inevitable But Preventable?

The phenomenon of nuclear terrorism has been the subject of intense debate as also much hype. This article seeks to cut through the hype and examine the real portents of...

The Students Islamic Movement of India: The Story So Far

The Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) continues to pose serious threats to the national security of India. Despite having been banned for 12 years, SIMI, it has been alleged,...

Logistics Support Agreement: A Closer Look at the Impact on India-US Strategic Relationship

Logistics support between the armed forces of India and the US will be a vital aspect for enhancing cooperation in capability development to respond to natural disasters and address emerging...

Changing the Course of War through Targeted Aerial Strikes: Afghanistan 2008–09

Targeted air strikes remain a cornerstone fighting technique in modern counter-insurgency and other military operations. Yet, scholars and practitioners remain divided on the question of the efficacy of this battle...

Efficiency of Quality Assurance in Army Procurements

This article gives an overview of the evolution of Quality Assurance (QA) in army procurements as also various shortcomings in the contemporary principles and practices that cause delays in procurements...

Challenges for Indian Air Force: 2032

This is the first in a four-article series on the theme ‘IAF Deep Multidimensional Change 2032: Imperatives and a Roadmap’. It examines the challenges that the Indian Air Force (IAF)...

Naval Operations Analysis in the Indian Ocean Region A Review

The end of the Cold War resulted in a fundamental swing from a navy designed to engage a blue water battle fleet to one focused on forward operations in littoral...

Transformation of Indian Naval Aviation Post New Inductions

The need for credible surveillance over the high seas forms the bedrock and foundation of infallible maritime security, and Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) is the basic input for any successful maritime...

China’s ‘Anti-ship Ballistic Missile’ based Anti-access Concept: Implications of a Southward Re-orientation

The Chinese efforts towards actualization of the ‘offshore defense’ concept which entails the conduct of campaigns in distant waters, strategic deterrence and counterattacks, has an inherent risk of bringing its...

Instability in Pakistan

What is happening in Pakistan today is no secret. It is a country ruled by a shaky coalition of political parties led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The government...

Tibet as a Factor in Sino-Indian Relations Past and Present

Tibet has always been the core issue in Sino-Indian relations. Even during the 1962 conflict, Chinese leaders, including Mao, acknowledged that the conflict was not about the boundary or territory...

‘We Over-imagined the Threat from China in 1962’ : Interview with Marshal of the Indian Air Force

Fifty years since the 1962 war, reams have been written and multiple perspectives have come to the fore. Yet, the oral history of the time, the leaders and the politics,...