Journal of Defence Studies

The Political Economy of South Korea’s Arms Trade with India: Challenges and Prospects

South Korea’s rapid rise as a manufacturing powerhouse and a leading export-oriented economy was made possible due to the active role of the ‘developmental state’ in the country. Despite adopting...

The Budgetary Conundrum of the Indian Armed Forces: A Military Perspective

India’s defence budget is a subject of intense scrutiny and debate, drawing the attention of a diverse range of stakeholders, including economists, defence experts and policymakers. The defence budget must...

The Evolution and Future of Mobile Artillery: Technological Advances, History and Future of Artillery Warfare

This article explores the evolution of mobile artillery, from oxen-drawn cannons and camel-mounted swivel guns to today’s self-propelled, precision-guided systems. It highlights how battlefield mobility, rapid fire-and-move tactics, and integration...

Amit Sharma |
October-December 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Clamour for Going Nuclear Gains Traction in South Korea

The nuclear issue has been simmering in South Korea for quite some time. During Park Chung-hee’s regime, there was a serious move to revisit the country’s nuclear option as a...

Rajaram Panda |
October-December 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Editorial

I am pleased to present to the readers the fourth issue of 2025, which brings together five insightful articles, three commentaries and three book reviews. I would also like to...

Vivek Chadha |
October-December 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

The Mistaken History of the Korean War: What We Got Wrong Then and Now by Paul M. Edwards

For Koreans, the Korean War was undoubtedly a watershed moment, which cemented the bifurcation of Korean Peninsula that continues more than seventy years after the fact. It is impossible to...

Meghna Pradhan |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

The Arctic Frontier: Geopolitical Chessboard of Major Powers?

The Arctic region, once considered a distant and inhospitable corner of the world, is rapidly emerging as a focal point in global geopolitics. Harvard International Review (HIR) argues that “nations...

Rahul Pandey |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Outer Space as a Global Commons: Evolving Governance and the Challenges of the 21st Century

Space has long been considered a domain beyond territorial claims, governed by international treaties that emphasised cooperation and peaceful exploration. However, in the face of rapid technological advances, the increasing...

Martand Jha |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

A NATO Sans USA

The newly elected American President’s constant threat on pulling America out of NATO labelling them as potential liabilities has not gone well with its European partners. His far from charitable...

Enhancing Ballistic Missile Defence: Comparing AI-Integrated Systems with Traditional Approaches

The Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) systems play a significant role in national security, and are designed to detect, track and intercept incoming missiles. Beginning in the 1950s, they have undergone...

Safeguarding National Interests: Evaluating the Risks of Defence – Civilian Airport Proximity

This article examines the risks posed by the proximity of military facilities to civilian airports, particularly in the context of the Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as Indian Naval...

India’s Quest for Self-Reliance in Defence Sector: Reality Check, Challenges and Way Ahead

Given the prevalence of numerous security challenges, India’s high dependence on other countries for its defence requirements stands out as a serious vulnerability in the national security calculus. In 2024,...

G.G. Dwivedi |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Manned Fighter and Unmanned Systems: Future is Collaborative

The application of unmanned systems during recent conflicts has stimulated an alternative thought in military capability. While these systems have accrued reasonable tactical and operational successes, their ability to do...

Pankaj Dhiman |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Chinese Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Through Public Diplomacy in South Asia: A Critical Assessment

China’s Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection through public diplomacy has been instrumental in overcoming its ‘century of humiliation’ and emergence as a global economic and military power for pursuing her ‘Middle...

D.C.S. Mayal |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Editorial

Vivek Chadha |
July-September 2025 |
Journal of Defence Studies

North Korea’s Increasing Military Cooperation with Russia: Implications for India

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the military engagement between North Korea and Russia has significantly increased. Apparently, the signing of a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ agreement...

China’s Rising Foreign Ministry: Practices and Representations of Assertive Diplomacy

Foreign ministries play a crucial role in shaping a country’s behaviour on the global stage. As the primary institutions responsible for managing international relations, they engage in diplomacy and develop...

Pre-emption, Precision and Perception: Strategic and Doctrinal Lessons for India from Operations Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer

Warfare today is characterised not merely by territory gained or adversaries neutralised, but by the ability to shape perceptions, compress timelines and dominate across multiple domains. Contemporary wars have witnessed...

Kautilya’s Arthashastra: The Intellectual Foundations of Ancient Indian Political Thought

The intellectual foundations and the strategic vocabulary of contemporary geopolitical discourse is characterised by two elements—its heavy borrowing from the ancient civilisations of the Near East, Greece, Rome, and even...

Multi-Domain Operations: Air Force as the Central Node

The modern battlespace is heavily influenced by technology and it has forced modern militaries to reflect on the question, ‘What comes after Joint.’1 There is growing recognition that in the...