Journal of Defence Studies

Aptitude Tests to Assess the Suitability of Gentlemen Cadets for Allotment of Technical Arms/Services upon Commissioning at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun

Science of warfare maintains that man is more important than his weapon. Today, technology is changing very rapidly and weaponry is continuously evolving. It is the age of high technology and rapid improvement of weaponry. The defence forces of all the countries are forging ahead every day with improved systems and technology. The fit between the man and his weapon is perhaps more important today than in any other time in the history of warfare. We cannot be adhering to the old colonial procedure for allocation of human capital to handle the fast and ever-changing technology of weapons.

Cyber-Biosecurity: An Emerging National Security Frontier

Cyber-Biosecurity, an emerging threat landscape at the intersection of cybersecurity, cyber-physical security and biosecurity has a potential to disrupt economic, social and political well-being of the nation and has tremendous national security implications. All forms of cyber-attacks impact the manufacturing industries, governments, health infrastructure, patients and bio-economy at large.

India–Egypt Defence Cooperation: Continuity and Reset

India–Egypt relations are gaining momentum once again. Back-to-back high-level exchange of bilateral visits in the past few months have set the tone for India and Egypt to strengthen their ties. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Egypt in September 2022 and India’s External Affairs Minister
Dr S. Jaishankar visited it in October 2022. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day in January 2023.

Reality, Lies, and Automation: How AI-Powered text generation models could cause chaos?

In the past few years, the emergence of social media as a robust platform has ushered in a new era of social interaction, communication, community building, and sadly, fomenting conflicts through disinformation and propaganda. Social media has opened new, easily accessible avenues for disseminating falsehood, sowing division and promoting real-world (offline) damage through violence, harassment and exploitation. Using disinformation to win wars is not something new.

Critical Analysis of the Chinese Private Space Sector: The Past, Present and Future

This article presents a comprehensive review of China’s emerging private space industry, including an analysis of government policies, investments and international relations. China’s private space industry has grown significantly since 1988, with over 60 startups emerging by 2022, thanks to the strong support from the government and military civil fusion.

India–Malaysia Defence Relations: Issues and Challenges

This article aims to analyse the bilateral defence relations between India and Malaysia in the context of ongoing geo-political and strategic issues confronting the Indo-Pacific region. Writings on defence partnerships between India and Malaysia are very few and when seen in the context of India’s new ‘Act East Policy’, this article attains significance. The article analyses these relations in a descriptive and analytical manner by first looking into the historical relations and thereafter by highlighting, in brief, the developments during the Cold War era.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human-Machine Teaming

The battlefields of the future will be dynamic, chaotic, unpredictable, and uncertain. In such interlinked battlefields in multiple theatres and domains, commanders and staff would be sifting through multitude of data for information, decision, and feedback. In such a time-constrained operational environment obscured by Clausewitzian fog of war, effective and unbiased decision-making by leaders and cohesive, cogent actions by teams of humans and machines/systems will be enablers for succinct victory.

TDRD: A New Conceptual Model for Advanced Targeting Systems using Artificial Intelligence Algorithms

With the growth of hyper-active internet, the requirement of protection against hostile threats has become a matter of concern. In this article, an effort has been made to create a suggestive model based on Artificial Intelligence algorithms to understand the nature of calculated threat posed by potential threats and take necessary actions as and when deemed suitable. The suggestive model can be useful for policy-makers and concerned industries to consider more research effort unilaterally or collectively.

Slender is the Corridor

Is 22 kilometres (kms) adequate enough for an emotional connection? The famed Siliguri Corridor is 22 kms wide at its narrowest point, a rectangular box of about 400 sq kms (20x22 kms), and has multi-dimensional aspects connected to it: strategic, economic, emotional and political. Have we recognised the importance of this 22 kms strip? Strategically yes, but what about other issues, which connect a nation? Have we connected with it politically and emotionally?

V.S. Ranade |
January-March 2023 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Celebrating the Journey of the Indian Armed Forces and the Way Forward

The journey of the Indian Armed Forces over the last 100 years has in many ways mirrored the momentous history of the birth, struggles and victories of India. It straddles a colonial period in which the armed forces of India owed allegiance to a foreign sovereign and could readily be used to fight an alien power’s wars and promote its strategic objectives. This did not however erode the heroism and professionalism that the Indian armed forces came to be known for over two centuries.