Journal of Defence Studies

Sub-Conventional Warfare Requirements, Impact and Way Ahead

Clear higher level directions, strategic and tactical directives are essential for the Army and other security forces trained and equipped for conventional warfare to operate in an extremely challenging and hostile sub-conventional warfare environment. Commanders and troops must understand that they are operating in a tricky situation and their overall aim will always remain achievement of more perfect peace. It simply implies that there is no such thing as a quick military victory. Conduct of counterinsurgency campaigns will invariably extend over a number of years.

What Would Make the Multi-National Anti-Piracy Efforts Off Somalia More Effective?

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously on 30 November 2009 to extend for another 12 months a mandate for member countries to conduct anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, to include “entering the territorial waters and undertake all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia”. Earlier the same month during a session on “Piracy and the situation in Somalia”, the UNSC members criticised the practice of paying ransom and stated that the coordinated fight by navies from several countries had failed to deter the pirates.

Arms Acquisition Competitiveness: Relevant International Experiences

Even though the Indian government has begun to encourage participation of private sector in defence systems production, it is not technologically competitive in the global market. The Chinese are giving importance to two factors: first, the civilian high technology market should increase sophisticated dual-use products that are readily available to the military. Developments of new C4ISR capabilities in the military have been a consequent result of improvements in the telecommunications sector.

Vote of Thanks at the National Seminar on Defence Acquisition

Today, we are facing a serious challenge in trying to cope up with a rising China and in that effort we have very many disadvantages. The Chinese have a developed infrastructure on their side which we have failed to develop on our side. The Chinese have a much higher GDP, have a better developed, modernized military, and perhaps higher level of technology. Under these circumstances we have got to look for factors in our favour in the international situation which we could exploit in order to cope up with the Chinese challenge. Yes, there are.

Complex Project Management: An Appropriate Monitoring/Evaluation / Course Correction Methodology

Avoid persecution of the responsible parties if there are overruns, otherwise in future the managers will be reluctant to give any information for fear that it will be held against them. Project control should be seen as a tool to assist managers reach their objectives, not as a weapon of attack.

Challenges of Capability definition and Cost Efficient QR Formulation

Services need to be very clear about their future requirements for the next 10 to 15 years based on an in depth analysis of the emerging threats and evolving technologies. While it is always desirable to seek extra capability that developed nations may be planning to acquire, but it must be kept in mind that finally the resources are limited and an increase in SQR from 90% to 95% would result in cost of equipment increasing two to three times. The cost of the technology exponentially rises with the increase in level of QRs.

Commercial Evaluation Challenges – The Critical Task of Best and Final Commercial Offer Format – An Optimal Decision Matrix

To prevent diffusion of responsibility, dedicated teams should be in place for the entire duration of a project, especially for non-R&D projects. The team should be mandated to stick to sanctioned time and cost but sufficiently empowered to make minor alterations in the scope. The team may be asked to sign a performance and integrity related MoU and assured of necessary support. This should include assured funding support because old projects may sometimes gasp for funding as new priorities take over with change of key decision makers.

Severing the Hawala Trail to and from India

Terror groups need money for procuring weapons, ammunitions, material, communication equipment, recruiting, conducting information operations, housing, and paying compensation to active members and their dependents. Terror organizations utilize a number of sources to fund their operations such as charities, extortion from local traders, forest produce, narcotics, kidnapping-ransom, extortion from NGOs and aid organisations. So where does Hawala figure in the above matrix. Hawala largely acts as the mover of funds than source of funding.

Use of Force: Possibilities in the Indo-Pak Context

My presentation on, “ Use of Force - Possibilities in the Indo – Pak Context ” shall be brief and pointed. I shall make a few salient points, leaving the nitty gritty for discussion, in the interactive session that will follow. I may add that what I present today, is not any institutional position, but merely a personal opinion, albeit one that is steeped quite naturally, in my professional experiences and inclinations. May I also asterisk to the arguments that follow, a few caveats

An Empirical Study of Motivation in the Indian Air Force

Motivation in the IAF implies dedicated, reliable and sustained performance from the air warriors under most trying and dangerous situations fraught with risks to life. Consequently, the motivational drives and needs of an air warrior will be different from that of a worker, supervisor or manager in a civilian organisation. Motivational aspects in civilian organisations are adequately covered by research and studies. However, no dedicated study has been undertaken to assess motivational drives and needs in respect of air warriors of the IAF.

Defence Budgeting: Trends and Issues

The defence budget for the financial year 2009-2010, even though in terms of percentage increase appears large, yet it is not actually so. There has generally been a mismatch between the funds asked by the MOD and those allotted by the MOF. The absence of indication of likely availability of funds impacts adversely the defence planning process. Of late, there has been improvement in the ratio of revenue to capital expenditure, but for a healthy ratio there is a need to increase the defence budget as a percentage of the GDP.

Thinking Change in the Armed Forces

History is replete with examples of radical, modest and even failed transformations, thus revealing the fact that the armed forces are intrinsically not flexible enough to accept transformational changes. The prime drivers for change have been the emerging nature of conflict, and the development of cutting edge technologies for war fighting. It is a well known fact that introduction of new ideas and technologies usher in new dynamics and constraints, thus necessitating complementary changes in structures, policies, procedures and practices.

National Security Decision Making Structures in India: Lessons from the IPKF Involvement in Sri Lanka

A critical appraisal of the national security decision making (NSDM) during IPKF operations is revealing. At every stage, the NSDM was found wanting. The fact that none of the actors possessed the delicate skill or means by which to control events proved that not much thought had gone into the decisions. Involvement of numerous actors made the decision making challenging, which was further complicated by varied and cacophonous inputs and assessments. Overconfidence also created an opaque in the clarity of decisions taken. Lessons from the IPKF involvement are numerous.

China and Francophone Western Indian Ocean Region: Implications for Indian Interests

The cooperation between China and Francophone Western Indian Ocean region is now getting more visible, particularly after the China-Africa summit in November 2006. China's new thrust in the Francophone Western Indian Ocean region was though framed within China's broader Africa policy, however there is indeed the centrality of maritime considerations. China seems to have a higher level of physical presence in the Francophone Western Indian Ocean's various island states than would be warranted by its present levels of trade and other economic activities.

Climate Change and the Military

India is a responsible regional and global power. The military is a highly energy and material intensive part of a nation. It is also destructive in its primary mission. It is incumbent that the Indian military also must be part of the adaptation and mitigation process of climate change and related matters such as arresting environmental degradation and restoration of natural capital. This article shows some indirect linkages of climate change and war in the past.

Military Response to a Future 26/11 – A Dissuasive Analysis

The advantage in foregrounding the military option is in the deterrence value. Further, it helps the military and the government prepare for the exercise of the option in case of a shift to compellence. However, it leads to a displacement of alternative approaches from center stage. These approaches arguably have greater potentiality for delivering on long term peace and stability. The nuclear age requires that these be explored to the fullest extent.

Sudan – Conflicts, Terror, and Oil

Sudan has been at the cross-roads of conflict for years as two bitter civil wars marred the last decade. It is a prisoner of history as the departing British, to prevent Egypt from dominating Sudan, artificially joined the two culturally and ethnically different parts, sowing the seeds of conflict. The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003 and generated a grave humanitarian emergency as the government-supported Arab Janjaweed militia began ethnically cleansing African tribes.

Mumbai Redux: Debating India’s Strategic Response Options

A year has elapsed since the Mumbai carnage and there are renewed intelligence inputs about further terrorist attacks on our seaboard. What could be the Pakistani motivations for a resumption of its terrorist assault on India ?The Military – ISI complex in Pakistan appears to be under severe pressure due to the ongoing Global War On Terror (GWOT). 28% of its rank and file are ethnic Pathans who are seriously affected by the ongoing operations in Swat and FATA.

India’s Defence Public Sector Undertakings: A Performance Analysis

India has established eight Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) whose responsibility is to provide the Armed Forces state-of-the-art equipments and at the same time enhance country's self-reliance in defence production. However the performance of these Undertakings is not up to the mark, resulting in import of arms worth billions of dollars every year. A deeper insight into DPSUs' production profile reveals that most of them are over-dependent on external sources for the production needs, and have a very low labour productivity level, negligible export, and a low R&D base.

The BDR Mutiny: Mystery Remains but Democracy Emerges Stronger

The mutiny in para-military force, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) took place only two months after the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. This mutiny nearly upstaged the newly installed Shaikh Hasina government. In the aftermath of mutiny both the army and the civilian governments launched investigations to find the causes and motives behind the mutiny, however, what provoked mutiny still remains a mystery. This paper discusses the mutiny in the Bangladesh Rifles and argues that whatever may have been the reasons behind the mutiny it has only made democracy in Bangladesh emerge stronger.