Poor state of the financial affairs of the country has ensured that the defence budget will not be a game changer in the coming financial year. The Indian armed forces are already feeling handicapped because of inordinate delay in finalizing cabinet sanctioned major defence acquisition plans and the reduced actual provisions for the three services will bother Indian strategic observers in the coming year. The interim defence budget for the year 2014-15 has shown a… Read More »Controlled sanction

Protection against nuclear, biological and chemical attacks is practically non-existent in India in the context of the urban target. So as far as the rural ambiance is concerned NBC protection is being provided only to troops that would be expected either to secure an area after an attack or launch counter-attacks on the enemy in the retaliatory strike concept. In the light of the devastating consequences a nuclear attack will have, one can only expect… Read More »Strong shield

China’s rise in the past decades has been extraordinary. It has grown to become an economic powerhouse and a military giant. But, as the country has grown and evolved from the shackles of its past, the manner in which it has gone about its rise has been viewed as aggressive. Naturally, a country on its path of super economic growth requires maintaining a continued and sustained standard of performance, for which it requires resources–monetary, political,… Read More »China’s hegemony

Almost 15,000 kms long border spanning six countries require constant monitoring but in terms of prioritizing the border areas for more effective surveillance, the Indian Army needs to focus more on the borders with China and Pakistan and to a lesser degree on the borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, while other countries like Nepal and Bhutan requires much less deployment of manpower and resources. The borders with Nepal and Bhutan require basic surveillance but the… Read More »Border surveillance

If the IAF philosophy is indeed one of capabilities and not just numbers there is a very valid underpinning to it in the series of upgradations that have been undertaken over the past decade and is still continuing. The accent has shifted from single capability flying machines to multi-role fighters capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground attack roles in beyond-visual-range mode. Even as the early versions of the MiG-21s are being decommissioned and readied for… Read More »Fighter upgradation

Since the sea warfare is changing at a rapid pace with the introduction of best of technology into the sea borne underwater operations, most navies are finding it difficult to detect undersea activities of stealth submarines which can defy sometimes most modern technical capability of a well equipped force. More than 35 countries are currently operating a series of modern submarines, both conventional and nuclear capable, which can operate so silently that one cannot even… Read More »Naval warfare

As the fire and huge explosion incident in the INS Sindhurakshak submarine last 14 August is still fresh in public memory, the involvement of another warship in a fire incident has caused much consternation in the strategic circles. Though the Navy has put up a brave face with various explanations, and as the Naval Chief Admiral D K Joshi proclaimed from the Naval Day Press Conference podium that the accident record in the Indian Navy… Read More »Navy accidents

The template for modernization of the Army Aviation Corps, now nearly three decades of age, is the ability to improve combat mobility and to fight by night. The first is dictated by the need to attain politico-military objectives at the shortest span of time and the second is a foregone concomitant where “waiting for first light” is a recipe for delay and disaster. By and large the mainstay of equipment of the Army Aviation Corps… Read More »Army helicopters

China’s forward policy along the Sino-Russian border Over the past several years, one of the most defining trends at the Sino-Russian border, and possibly a defining trend in Sino-Russian relations is the prospect of China taking a de-facto control of Russia’s Far East. Russian officials, nationals and experts have openly mulled over the possibility that based on recent developments, China is engaging in a forward policy act in Russia’s Far East. China and Russia enjoy… Read More »Raising claims

Elections in Nepal: Way forward Though there are serious protests by Maoists on alleged irregularities in the recent election in Nepal, the centrist Nepali Congress party won the most votes in recently held general election. The Maoists-who formed the single largest party in the previous Constituent Assembly-have been relegated to third place. They have complained that the results have been systematically rigged. The vote is seen as vital in moving Nepal towards political stability after… Read More »Political recovery