Journal of Defence Studies

Sino-Indian War, 1962 and the Role of Great Powers

The easy availability of Indian Government documents allowed early commentators to focus on the policies pursued by India to counter the relentless advance by China in the Western border region,...

The Great Divide: Chinese and Indian Views on Negotiations, 1959-62

When will states bargain while fighting and when will they evade intrawar negotiations? This article addresses this question with respect to the 1962 Sino-Indian War and provides insight into the...

A Game of Chess and a Battle of Wits: India’s Forward Policy Decision in Late 1961

In spring 1962, small numbers of lightly armed Indian troops proactively established presence in the disputed border areas between Chinese Tibet and India, despite intense sabre-rattling in Beijing. What was...

The Tibetan Uprising and Indian Opinion of the Chinese

China’s cruel repression of the revolt which broke out on 10 March 1959 in Lhasa provoked sharp reactions in India. The mood of agitation that captured the country found expression...

Enduring Legacy of 1962: Cementing the Conflict of Perceptions in Sino-Indian Ties

Fifty years since the 1962 war, India and China have moved on to become world powers with engagement and competition characterizing their relationship in keeping with the rules of realpolitik....

From the Managing Editor

This issue of the Journal of Defence Studies is being published 50 years after China attacked India across the Himalayas. A majority of Indians and Chinese today do not have...

The Legacy of 1962 and China’s India Policy

This article will argue that the legacy of the 1962 Sino-Indian War continues to affect China’s policy towards India even today. The three factors that led to China’s decision in...

Learning Lessons and Revisting Myths from Kameng

Episodes in the modern military history of a nation need to assist in deriving lessons. At the same time, due to reasons such as fading public memory, local discourse in...

Defence Reforms after 1962: Much Ado about Nothing

How have commentators perceived India’s defeat in the Sino-Indian border conflict of 1962? What were its underlying reasons? Can the entire blame be cast on China for its surprise attack?...

Strategic Lessons of 1962: A Contemporary Retrospective

The 1962 India–China War is one of the most debated subjects in India’s recent military history. The discussion has been enriched by accounts of the war by a large number...

The Problem of Grand Strategy

This paper interrogates the concept of grand strategy. Its proponents argue that the absence of a publicly articulated and coherent grand strategy leads to incoherence in practice: armed forces acquire...

Armies, Wars and their Food by D. Vijaya Rao

For anyone to talk and write about wars, the basic predicament is how to create novelty of information since subjects related to wars and heroism are so well covered both...

India Russia Military Cooperation Which Way Forward?

This article considers the relationship—in defence terms—between India and Russia. It looks at the level of military cooperation and the nexus the two countries have created in regard to arms...

Maoist and Other Armed Conflicts by Anuradha M. Chenoy and Kamal Mitra Chenoy

One of the biggest threats to the security of South Asian states are the long-standing domestic armed conflicts. Different in names, nature and with demands, they are structurally similar. This...

Cruise Missiles: Evolution, Proliferation and Future by Sitakanta Mishra

German V-1 rockets raining over London and Russian self-propelled Katyusha rockets pulverising German forces on the eastern front are enduring images of the Second World War. After 1945, it seemed...

The Military Media and its Relevance for China

The role of the media in China has been one where it is expected to be the ‘mouthpiece’ of the party. Media outlets have been used by the Chinese Communist...

The Maturing of Russia-India Defence Relations

Defence cooperation between Russia and India remains strong because of shared security concerns, geopolitical imperatives, and economic benefits. Both countries fear radical Islamic terrorism, share concerns about regional instability in...

Revenue Procurement in the India Army Challenges and the Way Ahead

India’s defence forces have to be continually prepared with modernised assets and a well-planned and executed supply-chain network. This calls for a well-evolved logistics infrastructure. To achieve this, a close...

Major Lessons from Operation Pawan for Future Regional Stability Operations

The Indian intervention in Sri Lanka throws up five major lessons for future regional stability operations. Firstly, it is imperative to define the mission unambiguously and establish a clear mandate....

Stealth and Counter-stealth Some Emerging Thoughts and Continuing Debates

If there is one dimension in the air attack–air defence continuum that is riding high on the wings of enabling edge technologies, it is the use of stealth, both in...