Warfare

The delegation of decisions over life and death has long been one of warfare's most enduring ethical, legal, and strategic dilemmas. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed this debate from a theoretical concern into an immediate challenge through the development of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS). This monograph examines how existing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) addresses autonomous weapons by analysing the historical evolution of the laws of armed conflict, deliberations within the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), international governance initiatives, state practice, military doctrine, and contemporary battlefield experience. It compares national approaches to regulating AI-enabled warfare, evaluates India's evolving position, and identifies the legal, ethical, and operational challenges posed by increasing autonomy. The monograph argues that preserving meaningful human judgement and accountability remains fundamental and offers recommendations to strengthen India's legal, policy, technological, and institutional preparedness for the age of AI-enabled warfare.

The global high-energy materials/thermobaric munitions market is expected to expand significantly as states pursue futuristic, technology-driven systems.

Operation Absolute Resolve demonstrated what a fully networked, joint and politically willed force can achieve.

The Joint Doctrine for Airborne and Heliborne Operations seeks to enhance interoperability among the Indian Armed Forces.

Wars and armed conflicts not only cost human lives but also inflict enormous damage on the environment.

The weapon of the future is not a missile or a drone but the network that binds them together.

India must be prepared to protect its interests against weather warfare or risk strategic surprises from clouds seeded just beyond the horizon.

Cognitive Warfare aims to influence an adversary's cognitive functions, from “peacetime public opinion to wartime decision-making”.

The subterranean infrastructure is the pivot of Hamas’s irregular warfare strategy and allows it to undertake both offensive and defensive operations and has been assessed as one of its centres of gravity.

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 levels by concerned agencies to sustain and enhance the motivational level of troops.