Journal of Defence Studies

Enhancing Soldiers’ Capability for Counter-Insurgency Operations

Demands from society and family are higher on soldiers and, thus contribute towards greater stress. Therefore, desired capacities have to be built in our recruitment system, training philosophy, training methodology, training infrastructure in training academies, regimental training centres, divisional training schools and other military colleges/ schools of instruction as also in our military thinking to produce motivated, efficient and stress-adapted officers and soldiers capable of meeting future warfare challenges efficiently

Resolution 1325: Evolution of Gender Perspective in UN Peacekeeping Operations

The year 2010 commemorated ten years of the adoption of Resolution 1325 by the UNSC but the commemoration is without celebration. The apparent dissonance between the policy and the practice of the Resolution 1325 renders it inappropriate. This paper reviews the evolution of gender perspective in UN peacekeeping operations and assesses the gains and failures of the Resolution 1325 in gender balancing, recruitment and retention of women in the security sector.

Defence Diplomacy in US-India Strategic Relationship

Defence diplomacy helps build trust and confidence between nations and facilitates cooperation at political and economic level. This is evident from the growing US-India strategic relationship. Since the end of the Cold War, the US-India relationship has been evolving and “reaching new heights”. In this budding relationship, the most visible manifestation is cooperation in the sphere of defence.

The US Defence Acquisition System

This paper makes an attempt to analyse and evaluate the US Department of Defence Acquisition System by highlighting the relationship of the requirements generation and budgeting process, the key actors, the major phases in an acquisition programme, and the major categories of acquisitions. It argues that the Department of Defence Acquisition System represents an ever evolving system-of-systems that attempts to translate Warfighter requirements into actual developed, purchased and fielded systems.

Managing Supersession in the Armed Forces: An HRM Approach

Supersession is too important an aspect of organizational existence to be dismissed lightly. It is a situation to be managed jointly by the organization and affected individual with the clear understanding that organizational interests are overriding. The Human Resources Management (HRM) approach aims to ensure that staffing manning of an organization effectively meets the quantitative and qualitative aspects at all times to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. An important element of HRM is Human Resource Planning (HRP).

Promotion System in the Army: Dealing with Peacetime Atrophy

In practice, it has been found that a peacetime army tends to atrophy and lose its war fighting orientation. It develops a lopsided emphasis on peacetime routine, spit and polish. In fact, a wartime army may well be the very anti-thesis of a peacetime army. Years of non-use of the military instrument sometimes results in the rusting of its value system and ethos.

Declining Naxalism from Central Bihar

The Naxal problem has become the biggest internal threat to the country. Especially after the comments of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007, it has become a matter of concern as well as a subject of academic debate. The new thought, innovative ideas and fresh planning have been developed to address this issue extensively and intensively. In this backdrop, a case study of Central Bihar becomes relevant to focus the light on this issue. It is an established fact that Naxalism in Bihar had made its route through Central Bihar.

Revoking AFSPA Blown Out of Proportion

The current spurt in violent activities in valley and death of civilians in police actions against unruly mobs is a cause of serious concern and requires introspection not only by the government but also by the political parties including the separatists. The demands of separatists to revoke AFSPA and Public Safety Act from the valley and release of all political prisoners in the prevailing circumstances is neither justifiable nor in the interest of Kashmiri people. Such demands will only aid anti-national motives of terrorist outfits and external forces.

India and Japan: Exploring Strategic Potentials

The strategic environment of the world, particularly in Asia, is in a state of dramatic flux. The overwhelming economic and military presence of the United States in Asia is on the wane. China is a rising power, both economically and militarily, and its power projection capabilities are causing concern amongst its neighbours. Though the United States is a declining power, China is not the logical successor, not at least in the near term. These developments have led to realignment of power equations between countries in Asia.

The New Great Instability: Afghanistan after the American Exit

The present paper discusses about the new great instability in Afghanistan which had emerged after 2001. It builds four scenarios by looking into the impending American withdrawal from Afghanistan and states that for President Obama, a stable and democratic government is most desirable but it would prefer to leave it after building a coalition government with local actors as the US is more worried about a stable government in Afghanistan, not necessarily a democratic one.