The Naga quest for independence is one of the longest-running struggles in the Indian subcontinent. Despite numerous attempts made in the past towards resolving the conflict, it continues to remain elusive on account of various fault lines. The signing of a ‘Framework Agreement’ between the National Socialist Council of Nagalim–Issak and Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Government of India in August 2015 was one such attempt. However, the views of various stakeholders remain fragmented as the details of the agreement have not been disclosed in the public domain.

• Pradeep Singh Chhonkar |
• April-June 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

This article looks at the essential conditions for a durable peace in Kashmir and argues that the Valley has been most peaceful only during an active, on-going peace process. The lack of effective and continuous engagement with key stakeholders, especially the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has fostered a sense of deep alienation and enduring distrust. It further argues that counterinsurgency operations need to be simultaneously augmented by an active peace process engaging all stakeholders.

• Syed Jaleel Hussain |
• April-June 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

On 8 July 2016, a group of soldiers and policemen surrounded a house in Bumdoora village of south Kashmir. As search of the house started, one policeman was fired at and injured. By the time the encounter ended three terrorists had been killed; one of them was Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen leader. Following the killing, Kashmir erupted in a wave of protests.

• D.S. Hooda |
• April-June 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

Additive manufacturing (AM), also popularly known as 3-D printing, is revolutionising the global manufacturing landscape. The proliferation of AM technology has had a huge impact on the design and production capability of the manufacturing industry. At the same time, the technology to mimic and print real parts has huge implications for a country’s defence capability and security.

• Prakash Panneerselvam |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

Defeats are orphans and very educative. Most defeats are, in fact, manifestation of erroneous judgments or equipment failure, or a combinations of the two. In case the defeats are of military force application then the costs are very high. The United Kingdom’s (UK) military missions and the losses in Iraq and Afghanistan can be classified as failures, if not outright defeats, and have thrown up significant lessons about its higher defence management.

• Kishore Kumar Khera |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

This article posits that military science has been one of the most neglected subjects in Indian history in practice and in scholarship. Greater, popular scholarly focus tends to be mostly on subjects dealing with grand strategy and with it, abstract armchair theorising. While grand strategy is necessary at the political–military level, it is not sufficient as victory or defeat also depends on the capacity of the armed forces to achieve the desired results during the conduct of war.

• P. K. Gautam |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

The work of intelligence agencies is a grey area and any attempt to ‘lift the veil’ is an uphill task, shrouded in uncertainty and doubt, and suspect as to the authenticity of the information brought out into the open. Notwithstanding this, it has been established beyond doubt that intelligence agencies have a major say in strategic events both at the international and national levels. Given a free hand, they might end up ‘controlling the controllers’.

• Vishal Kumar Verma |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

Asian geopolitics currently represents a complex blending of power and paradox, both stable and fluid, with change occurring against an unresolved tension between the direction of economic growth and that of strategic anxiety. With the continent turning into the economic growth engine of the world, regional geopolitics is witnessing friction between Asian powers that had previously kept economic and political separation from one another.

• Abhay Kumar Singh |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

The book traces the history and events of the nineteenth century in a sparsely populated desert area of Asia, Balochistan, an area (inhabited by the tribal Baloch people) and brings out the strategic importance attached to the Bolan Pass by the colonial British.

• Y.M. Bammi |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

On 19 December 2017, three days ahead of the scheduled 20th Round of Indo-China border talk between the Indian National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, and China’s State Councillor, Yang Jiechi (the details of which are yet to be made public), the daily Times of India reported a statement by China that the Doklam standoff posed a ‘major test’ for the bilateral ties and that lessons should be learnt from it to avoid a similar situation of its kind in the future.1 China’s statement was made in the context of the face-off between Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PL

• A.K. Bardalai |
• January-March 2018 |
• Journal of Defence Studies