Occasional Papers

Jordan’s Tightrope Walk: Strategy and Survival in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Despite its limited resources and modest military capabilities, Jordan has long exercised outsized influence in West Asia through its central role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and its credibility as a...

Taliban’s “Contact Commission”: Three Years Later

Looking beyond high optics associated with the return (often the deportation) of members of the former Afghan Republic to the country, the Contact Commission set up by the Taliban regime...

Evolution of African Maritime Security: Imperatives, Governance and Challenges

In an African context, the process of developing an agenda for maritime security has been relatively new despite the continent being completely surrounded by water. For long periods of time,...

How ASEAN Media Portrays India: Insights into the Construction of Media Text

This research paper analyses the media landscapes of ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, and explores the interplay between political structures, economic interests, and regulatory frameworks....

How Dharma Shapes Strategic Thought On War in the Mahabharata

The Occasional Paper employs the dharmic viewpoint of the Mahabharata to derive the fundamental elements of ancient Indian strategic thought. It evaluates the role of dharma as it shapes war...

The Global Economic Crisis: Some Strategic Implications

Huge budget deficits and the need to spend on fiscal stimuli are bound to impact upon defence budgets and the ability to undertake long-term overseas operations. While India is likely...

Failing to Deliver: Post-Crises Defence Reforms in India, 1998-2010

This paper examines the defence reforms process in India and critically examines past efforts and the factors that led to the post-Kargil defence reform. It analyzes the defence reform committees...

Northeast India: Linguistic Diversity and Language Politics

The language issue has the potential to explode into ethnic conflicts and as a result it requires critical analysis and farsighted action from the government and the linguistic groups in...

Impact of Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme on Combat Capability of the Police Forces in Naxal-Affected States: A Critical Evaluation

This occasional paper attempts to assess and analyse the impact of the MPF scheme on building police combat capability in affected States.

A Study on Illegal Immigration into North-East India: The Case of Nagaland

Efforts to control and prevent illegal immigration remain highly inadequate in India; and likely to remain so in the coming years. But, the reality is that unabated illegal immigration has...

India’s Unfinished Security Revolution

This paper argues that internal security reforms are crucial not only for India's own security and that of its immediate neighbourhood, but also for its rise as an Asian and...

Sustaining Motivation in Sub-Conventional Warfare

This paper is an attempt to understand the peculiarities of the operational environment in sub-conventional warfare scenario in Indian context. It recommends measures which need to be taken at various...

Prospects of Maritime Cooperation between India and Russia in Indian Ocean Region, Arctic and Russian Far East

The India-Russia partnership is longstanding and time-tested, one of steadiest of the major relationships in the world. Although the relations between the two countries have remained exceptionally warm and cordial,...

Space Capability and India’s Defence Communications Up to 2022 and Beyond

Military organisations worldwide have steadily increased reliance on space assets for communications, surveillance, and navigation. India has sufficient space capability as compared to China.

Optimising Stress in Sub-Conventional Warfare

On an average we have been having about 100 suicide cases a year in the past four to five years, so this year has been the same. Mainly it is...

Addressing Stress-Related Issues in Army

The stress-related issues in a soldier's life are closely linked with welfare and need to be addressed most sincerely by all agencies concerned with the welfare of soldiers.

Thinking about Pakistan’s Nuclear Security in Peacetime, Crisis and War

This essay seeks to collate, sort through, and organise the reams of publicly available information and speculation to provide a systematic assessment of Pakistan’s nuclear security.

Combating Left Wing Extremism: Is Police Training Lacking?

The menace of Left Wing Extremism (LWE), commonly termed as Naxalism and Maoist insurgency, has been categorised as the single biggest challenge to India’s internal security by the Prime Minister....

Role of Semiconductors in India’s National Security

The Indian government has rightly given a clarion call for India to be a Chip Maker rather than a Chip Taker. The requirement of semiconductors in India's national security domain...

Trump’s Own “Star Wars” The 2019 US BMD Review and What It Augurs for India?

The Trump administration’s BMDR, released in early 2019, can be described as the most proactive BMD plan since the SDI days with fillip given to areas like directed-energy, addressing gaps...