Military Affairs

About Centre

The Centre for Military Affairs comprises of a mix of serving officers of the Indian Armed Forces and civilian experts. The Centre adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to various issues that impinge upon India’s national security in general and the armed forces in particular. Its research focus is on issues that impact upon national security and capacity-building of the Indian armed forces. Specific areas of focus include: emerging contemporary challenges in warfare, jointness, defence co-operation, maritime security, and military training needs. In addition, the Centre also addresses China- and Pakistan-related issues with a bearing on their interface with Indian security. The Centre closely interacts with military establishments in India and abroad and contributes to policy making by conducting research in areas of significance for the armed forces.

China’s Military Reforms: Is All Well With the PLA?

If PLA doesn’t change its ‘army-centric’ character and make way for professionals with domain expertise, the higher defence organisation will continue to be weak and the reform only in name.

Mandip Singh
March 09, 2016
IDSA Comments

Port de Djibouti: China’s First Permanent Naval Base in the Indian Ocean

Hitherto, the India-China border dispute was largely a land-air contingency. Now, the PLA Navy’s presence in the IOR adds the third dimension and needs to be factored in future planning and preparations.

Mandip Singh
February 22, 2016
Issue Brief

India’s New Maritime Security Strategy: ‘Brand-building’ in an Era of ‘Geopolitical Discord’

The inability to portray greater strategic ambition for the Indian Navy renders this document an exercise in smart profile-building rather than one of purposeful image-projection.

Abhijit Singh
December 21, 2015
IDSA Comments

Lone Wolf Attacks: An Assessment in the Indian Context

If the IS has been able to successfully recruit Indians for the war in Syria and provide technical support for their travel, it is a matter of time before they find recruits willing to employ violence in India itself.

Vivek Chadha
December 10, 2015
Policy Brief

Enabling Transition of a Soldier to Second Career through Skilling

The wellbeing of veterans and their transition to a second career by ensuring implementable policy initiatives is a national obligation. This not only has a welfare agenda but also an economic sense to it?.

Pradeep Sofat
November 02, 2015
IDSA Comments

Reenergising India-Africa Maritime Relations

Africa needs not only maritime administration frameworks and the local capacity to enforce regulations, but also a model for sustainable blue-economy development that does not result in the destruction of its natural maritime habitat. In this, it can use India’s assistance.

Abhijit Singh
October 28, 2015
IDSA Comments

Malabar-2015 and Power Dynamics in the Asian Commons

As India reorients its maritime posture to cater to the new realities of Asia, there is a realisation that regional maritime stability is increasingly susceptible to growing power imbalances.

Abhijit Singh
October 23, 2015
IDSA Comments

Publishing Official Military Histories

We recommend that the histories of the 1965 and 1971 wars be revised, updated and reprinted as proper official versions with the correct title and logo.

INS Kochi and the ‘Big-Warship’ Debate

Nothing conveys strategic intent as effectively as the large conventional warship whose mere presence can provide a decisive psychological advantage in strategic scenarios.

Abhijit Singh
October 09, 2015
IDSA Comments

The Indian Navy’s Arabian Gulf Diplomacy

By engaging GCC navies through joint exercises, port calls, and training programmes, the Navy has successfully created a durable template of maritime relations in the Western Indian Ocean.