Journal of Defence Studies

About the Genomic Origin and Direct Source of the Pandemic Virus

The debate over the genomic origin and direct source of the pandemic virus has intensified due to recent analyses concerning activities that had taken place in Wuhan prior to the initial outbreak and thereafter. Revisiting various aspects which are related to this development appears to be imperative, as certain early indications seem to converge with those analyses, while other recent analyses are contradictory.

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Return of the Old Giant to Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific has evolved into a major geopolitical realm, drawing the attention of key regional and non-regional players. The announcement of AUKUS—a security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US)—on 15 September 2021 has added a significant aspect to the defence arrangement within the Indo-Pacific.

Formation of Reserve Components of the Indonesian Armed Forces: SWOT Analysis

The current as well as future dynamics of strategic environment are likely to face threats that are multidimensional in nature. Indonesia needs a total state defence system that integrates the capabilities of military and non-military. To actualise this ambition, Law No. 23 of 2019, along with Government Regulation No. 3 of 2021, is presently targeting the interests of the reserve components. This research analyses citizens’ role in the formulation of reserve components in land, sea, and air domains using Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis.

Minan Sinulingga , Goki Sihombing , Rendy Ananta Prasetya |
January-March 2022 |
Journal of Defence Studies

A Game Theoretic Analysis for Ladakh Standoff, 2020

A game theoretic analysis for Ladakh standoff is presented in this article. Starting with Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) game, a more flexible game, known as De-escalation game is derived by incorporating the concepts of retaliation and non-escalation probabilities in the PD game. It is shown that by including these concepts, many new possibilities open up for India, which permit it to impose penalty on the aggressor.

Institutions that Shaped India: DRDO, by Ravi Kumar Gupta

With India approaching the 75th year of independence in 2022, there are few institutions that can narrate the roller-coaster journey that the country has taken to become a modern nation. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a premier research and development (R&D) wing of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is one such institution. It is due to the persistent and painstaking efforts of DRDO that the country can hold its head high among the comity of nations in key defence and strategic technologies.

Evaluating Jointness in the Indian Military: A Conceptual and Methodological Approach

The institutionalisation of jointness in the Indian military is a key driver of ongoing defence reforms. To attain this goal, the Indian Armed Forces are encapsulating principles of joint warfare, inhabiting joint capabilities and inculcating joint culture. However, the pace and process of jointness in the Indian military has been contentious since Independence. This article seeks to evaluate the state and nature of jointness in the Indian military by employing Jackson’s conceptual and methodological model for joint military activities.

Bridge on the Bay

Look East/Act East Policy rides on the regional cooperation in the Southeast Asian region and our northeast region is the engine to further our cause.

V.S. Ranade |
January-March 2022 |
Journal of Defence Studies

Battle Ready for the 21st Century, edited by Lieutenant General A.K. Singh and Brigadier Narender Kumar

Currently and in the next 10–15 years in the Indian subcontinent, warfare is going to be based on multi-domain operations, including land, sea, air, space and information, with information warfare comprising essentially four components: psychological, electronic warfare, cyber and deception. Considering the military and nuclear capabilities of China and Pakistan, the chances of a full-scale conventional war are remote. Wars in the subcontinent will be mainly hybrid and linked to the use of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East.

Swarm Drones and Indian Academia

Air power is one of the most important elements of a military campaign and therefore, all countries strive to achieve Air Supremacy. The world has witnessed the influence of Air Power in wars, including Air Superiority of manned aircraft, in the last century. However, this paradigm of Air Superiority only through manned aircraft, and noticeably Fighter aircraft, may be challenged in this century through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Future wars may be fought with a combination of both manned and unmanned aircraft.

The Protection of Sea Lines of Communication during 1971 War

As the bulk of India’s foreign trade transits through sea, it turns sea lines of communication through the Indian Ocean strategically important for India. The newly independent India did not pay adequate attention to this factor. Consequently, within two decades of independence continuous flow of unprotected large volume of India’s sea trade had become a strategic target for its adversaries. In this context, during the 1971 India–Pakistan war, India efficiently protected its vital sea lanes, ensuring that goods and commodities continued to reach Indian ports.