Journal of Defence Studies

Erik Seedhouse, The New Space Race: China vs. the United States

In wake of the increasing attention received by China’s space programme, it has been posited by some that a new space race, akin to the space race between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, has already begun between China and the US. Erik Seedhouse in his book explores the various elements of the space programmes of both countries with a view to assess the
possibility of a space race between them.

Human Resources in Security Sector: An Integrated Model for the 21st Century

The challenge of management of human resources may be the most profound in the security sector in the years ahead given transformations happening globally and enhancement of human potential and opportunities for individual growth. The national security sector extending from the military to private security guards denotes the plethora of skills sets required which vary from that of handling highly sophisticated and lethal missile arsenal, to commandeering large aircraft carriers and submarines to securing public space in metropolitan cities.

Cold Start and ‘The Sehjra Option’

The Cold Start doctrine is an innovative exercise. While Cold Start discusses how to start the campaign, equal thinking needs to attend how to end it. On the conventional level, the learning is that the Cold Start offensives of the integrated battle groups need to be delinked from those of the strike corps. Plausible political aims cannot be visualised that make nuclear risk of launch of strike corps offensives worth running. On the nuclear front, fallout of the scenario considered is on the doctrine of ‘massive’ nuclear retaliation.

Salient Issues Affecting Defence Manpower in India

Manpower costs are increasingly becoming unmanageable and are driving national security planners towards thinking creatively about what used to be called ‘affordable defence’. Despite leap-frogging from third to fourth generation weapons technologies in the short span of about two decades, modern armed forces are still far from being able to effect substantive reductions in manpower by substituting fighting personnel with innovative technologies while ensuring operational effectiveness.

Social Networking: Boon or Bane for the Armed Forces

The social networking sites can be exploited by the cyber operators by infiltration and influencing the opinion where feasible. Cyber espionage has already became the cornerstone of some nations, where international cyber security agencies have reasons to believe, of state complicity in major hacking, denial of service attacks in the last couple of years. Since social networks become easy prey to such agencies, there is a need to increase awareness of defence personal about their vulnerabilities.

India-China Defence Cooperation and Military Engagement

Defence cooperation and military engagement between India and China are aspects of the complex mix of conflict and cooperation approach to bilateral relations between the two Asian giants. It is based on the presumption that there is a security dilemma between the two countries. However, it recognises the framework and postulates of what is called cooperative security. Through the liberal institutionalist’s perspective, it argues that India-China defence cooperation and military engagement are not only possible but also desirable.

Priyanjali Malik, India’s Nuclear Debate: Exceptionalism and the Bomb

Priyanjali Malik’s book titled ‘India’s Nuclear Debate: Exceptionalism and the Bomb’, attempts to examine the public debate which took place among the Indian elite as well as the middle class on India’s nuclear policy. It explains why international pressure on India to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was viewed by ‘attentive India’ as not only a security threat but also infringement on India’s sovereignty. According to the Dr.

Striking Balance among Diverse Oversight Concerns in Defence Acquisition

Transparency in public procurement bears an immediate cost both for government and bidders. However, it is a key element to support fundamental principles of the public procurement system, especially competition and integrity. The drive for transparency must therefore be tempered by making transparent what sufficiently enables corruption control. If the level of transparency is adequately defined, the benefits will outweigh the cost, especially when comparing the initial cost of transparency with the potential negative consequences of corruption.

Streamlining Defence Acquisition Process

The process for Defence Acquisitions in India has evolved considerably in the last decade or so, and is being refined further. The Ministry of Defence recognizes the importance of timely modernization, and of balancing the operational needs with the requirements of transparency and probity. There are a number of areas where further initiatives are being considered and the Ministry of Defence, in consultation with all stake holders, would be moving forward in this regard.

Weaponisation of Space and India’s Options

During Cold War era, space became an essential adjunct for war-fighting on the ground, without becoming another theatre of combat. While militarization of space proceeded rapidly, the weaponisation of space was avoided. Because the weaponisation of space was avoided during the Cold War, it does not necessarily follow that weaponisation will continue to be avoided in a new era of asymmetric warfare. We can improve protection of satellites against some threats, but satellites will remain easy targets for space weapons designed to kill on impact. Space has been free from warfare.