Journal of Defence Studies

Pakistan: Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) – An Analytical Overview

The ISI was set up in 1948, shortly after the first war with India, to strengthen sharing of intelligence between the army, navy and air force. It was headed first by Maj Gen R. Cawthorne, one of the last British officers to leave Pakistan. He continued at the helm of ISI till 1956. Thereafter, for almost three years, it remained headless as Pakistan faced constitutional turmoil leading finally to Ayub Khan’s first martial law take-over. Ayub appointed Brig Riaz Hussain as ISI chief and he continued up to 1966.

The Pakistan Navy: A Transformation from ‘Fledgling Force’ to ‘Fighting Machine’

The Pakistan navy (PN) is poised on the brink of a transformation. Neglected for long by Pakistan’s political masters and a dominant Pakistan army, the PN was unable to assert its salience and witnessed slow growth. But in the one decade since the September 2001 attacks and the US led ‘war on terror’, it has undergone a striking metamorphosis. As Pakistan realises the importance of having a robust maritime force and commits greater resources for its development, the tactics of the PN and its broader strategy in the northern Arabian Sea too have undergone a shift.

Military-Intelligence-Militant Nexus in Pakistan: Fighting a War of Asymmetry against India

The sense of insecurity created by a regionally preponderant and militarily powerful India is the central catalytic factor that influences the dynamics of Pakistan’s regional security perception. The military-militant nexus in Pakistan, built around army’s misguided obsession with India, pursues strategic priorities in the name of protecting its national interests in Kashmir and Kabul. Sadly, both the Kashmir and Afghan policies of the military have started hurting Pakistan - internally and externally - more than India.

Radicalization of the Pakistan Army

A division of forces between the proposed Indian and Pakistani dominions and creation of a separate military establishment for the latter was necessitated by the partitioning of British India. An explosion of communal violence, triggered and later fuelled by the impending partition and the ethnic cleansing of the Hindus and Sikhs that preceded it in West Punjab, the mass migration of a very large number of population from and to Pakistan, the outbreak of war with India over Kashmir and the subsequent ‘Crush-India’ campaigns gave impetus to this requirement

Richard Bonney, Tridivesh Singh Maini and Tahir Malik (Eds.), Warriors after War: Indian and Pakistani Retired Military Leaders Reflect on Relations between the Two Countries, Past, Present and Future

This is an interesting book which offers views, insights and analyses of the relations between India and Pakistan through the interviews with top 26 ex-military officials from both the nations. These officers from both the sides held important positions and provided crucial leadership to their respective militaries in the years after the birth of two nations in 1947. The book attempts to explore whether sustainable peace is possible between both the nations and what are the prospects for the resolution of all outstanding issues between the two nations including the Kashmir dispute.

PLA’s Influence in Foreign Policy Making in China and Implications for India

Given the growing international dimensions of the three areas assigned to the PLA in the White Paper, especially the increasing linkage between the country’s national security needs and foreign policy goals, the leadership in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has rightly entrusted the country’s defence establishment with the task of conducting its own ‘diplomacy’ under a ‘new security concept’.

Complex Cold Warriors: US-China Relations & Implications for India

US-China relations have assumed a new dimension in recent years and reflect
the various tensions and mutual suspicions that are inevitable in a relationship
between an existing super power and a rising super power.

Chess and Go: Strategic Rivalry or Harmonious Balance?

When troops are deployed on active frontier duty - even in peacetime - the key
issues that face commanders are: maintaining morale, vitality and discipline for long
periods. Under difficult climatic conditions or in areas far from human habitation,
the challenges are multiplied.....

Infrastructure Development and Chinese War Waging Capabilities in Tibet

China has created world class infrastructure on the Tibetan plateau in terms of highways, rail links, airports, logistic installations and oil pipelines which have civilian as well as military usage, allowing China to settle its Han majority population into these sparsely populated areas, project power in Central and South Asia, and make sustained efforts to integrate these alien areas. These unprecedented infrastructure developments have significantly multiplied the war waging capabilities of China, including against India.

Impact of Offset Policy on India’s Military Industrial Capability

India’s offset policy in 2005 envisaged direct purchase of products and services, Joint venture, FDI, etc. So far, 12 Offset contracts have been concluded for $2 B. The study shows that most of it is far low end products and services repair and overhaul facilities, training, and simulators. However, expected inflow in terms of long term investments, FDI have not materialized.