Volume 3  Number 4 ● Winter 2006 (Oct-Dec 2006)

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A VISION OF INDIA’S MARITIME POWER IN THE 21^ST CENTURY

In a scintillating address to the officers of Armed Forces and the broader strategic community at Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi on 11^th October 2006, Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff and Chairman COSC spelt out the direction in which our maritime power should be moving in the coming decades.   

STRATEGIC ROLE OF AIR POWER: HOW WE NEED TO THINK, TRAIN AND FIGHT IN THE COMING YEARS

Group Captain Arjun Subramaniam in this prize winning essay explores the key issues involved.

INTERPRETING THE LEBANON WAR 2006

China’s military doctrine and concepts of war in general and how it intends waging it in future remain of abiding interest across the world in general and to its neighoubrs in particular. Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd) looks closely at how this wold impact in operational terms on any future armed conflict that China may engage in while exploiting the information revolution.

LEVERAGING SPACE CAPABILITIES FOR INDIA’S DEFENCE

In spite of its space capabilities having achieved remarkable success over the decades, India has paid little attention to their role and employment in the defence of the country. Air Vice Marchal DC Kumaria VM VSM, outlines his vies of a road map for leveraging these capabilities for the future defence of the nation.

DEFENCE MANPOWER IN INDIA: SOME SALIENT ISSUES

The nature of military tasks and commitments in India require it to maintain a large manpower-intensive military force. Its voluntary character and longer engagement periods in the context of rising costs demand, according to Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd) serious attention to a evolving a more balanced approach so as to ensure a technologically high quality force for the future.

NUCLEAR SECURITY: CRITICAL FOR FUTURE NUCLEAR EXPANSION

India’s growing civil nuclear power programme for enhanced human development, argues Dr. (Mrs) Manpreet Sethi  requires the greatest attention to safety and security of installations and facilities since the margin for error is zero if a catastrophe is to be avoided. Safety standards and practices have developed enormously would need to be monitored with the greatest care and implemented meticulously.

LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Emphasising the need for sound logistics, Napoleon and once remarked that armies march on their stomachs. Brigadier Rahul Bhonsle (retd), citing the examples of some recent wars, argues that the complexities of modern wars demand the employment of modern techniques and tecnologies to ensure the best practices in logistics in winning wars.

HAS IT WORKED ? THE GOLDWATER NICHOLS REORGANISATION ACT

Two decades after it came into force, Mr. James R. Locher,  in an incisive analysis of the Act and functioning re-emphasises the importance of hither defense organisation; and hence it deserves continuous and innovative attention. He also concludes that the Goldwater-Nichols Act once again brings to the fore the struggle of each officer to find the right balance between loyalty to service and devotion to the larger needs of the nation.