Journal of Defence Studies

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.

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.

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.

Sri Lanka: Dismounting the Tiger

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.

Aerial Terrorism

Aerial terrorism is gradually emerging as a potent form of terrorism capable of causing significant damage to human life and infrastructure. Aircrafts and UAVs can be easily used as guided missiles to target key locations and installations; and more importantly, to communicate a political message. Dealing with such threats can be difficult as it becomes complicated to fully understand the nature and scope of unconventional acts of terrorism.

Critical Defence Technologies – The DRDO Perspective

DRDO has been the torchbearer of the defence research and development in the country. It has been responsible for identifying critical technologies, working out modalities for technology development and identifying partners for technology acquisition. The author argues that the government along with several other stakeholders such as the Services and the industry need to play an important role in the technology development and production. It is emphasised on successful research and development which requires steady funding and incentives for scientific talent.

Outsourcing and Vendor Development in the Indian Ordnance Factories

Ordnance factories are the oldest and largest single organisation in India's defence industrial set up. The organisation is found to be inefficient and uncompetitive from the angles of market share, capacity utilisation, timely delivery of demands, cost of equipment produced, level of technology handled and the volume of exports. While the organisation may retain its structure, it could significantly improve its efficiency and competitiveness by selective use of 'outsourcing' of its production activities in an organised manner.

Community Participation in Border Management

India's territorial borders, both land and sea, suffer from diverse physical, ethnic and cultural contradictions. While the state has a major role in securing war frontier, the populations along territorial peripheries, too, can play an important role in securing our interests. The people living in these areas are the most important ingredient towards a secure and safe border area. This would entail reconceptualising the concept of border guarding to effective border management, where local people became the centre of gravity of all actions.

Keynote Address at the Eleventh Asian Security Conference

All-out wars are no longer the norm for settling disputes among states. Rapid globalisation has led to profound changes by creating interdependence amongst states and people making inter-state wars an era of bygone years. Liberal policies are increasingly connecting Asia to the world economy and building high stakes for peace and world order. India is committed to building a strong, non-discriminatory international norms and institutes to strengthen world peace and stability.

Chinese Naval Strategy in the Twenty First Century: The Turn to Mahan

In order to gauge the likely direction of Chinese foreign and security policy, it is important to follow Chinese commentary on how Beijing should manage its ascent to 'peaceful rise' which is claimed to be replete with references to 'history' and 'strategic theory'. The past does not predetermine the future, but by no means is it inconsequential.