Indian Defence Review 37 1 Jan Mar 2022

In this edition:- • China’s Geostrategic Perspect And Eastern Ladakh – Lt Gen JS Bajwa • Should the Indian Army stay out of politics? – Ramananda Sengupta • Rebuilding the Combat Fleet of the IAF to 42 Squadrons – Air Marshal Anil Chopra • Soft Kill Air Defence Weapon Systems : The Better Alternative? – Col Mandeep Singh • Make in India: An Appraisal 2022 – Danvir Singh • People’s Liberation Army Navy: A Review – Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan • Sixth Generation Fighter Aircraft: Its Prospects – Gp Capt AK Sachdev • Need to prioritise the IAF’s Unmanned Offensive and Defensive Capability – Air Marshal Anil Chopra • Chinese Roulette: Which way will the Wind Blow? – Brig Deepak Sinha • Military – Civil Fusion Strategy of China – Col NP Singh • The Indian Military and the Element of Surprise – Gp Capt PK Mulay • Aerospace and Defence News – Priya Tyagi • Operational Testing and Evaluation of Weapons and Equipment – Lt Gen NB Singh • Atmanirbhar in Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing – Gp Cap AK Sachdev • War Widows: The Hidden Battles – The Journey of Rebuilding Life – Tamanna Ruth Edwards • Part I: The Defence and Decline of Dacca in 1971 – Sumit Walia • Book Review

IN THIS VOLUME: • Logistics and Stamina in War - Lt Gen (Dr) JS Bajwa • Towards a Prompt Global Defence Architecture for India - Navneet Bhushan and Adithya Akula • Drone Swarms: Asset and Threat - Is India Ready? - Gp Capt AK Sachdev • Unmanned Wingman Plan India - Air Marshal Anil Chopra • Decoding Kautilya’s Arthashashtra - Maj Vivek Yadav • Aerospace and Defence News - Priya Tyagi • As China Pushes North, will India’s arc of Influence Shrink? - Ramananda Sengupta • Quo Vadis Xi? - Maj Gen Rajiv Narayanan • Pakistan Military’s Dilemma Admist a Political Turmoil - Danvir Singh • GOCO Model: Floundering in Rough Waters - Lt Gen NB Singh • Hypersonic PGMs and Conventional Missiles: Need for Manned Multi-Role Aircraft - Air Marshal Anil Chopra • India’s Potential as a Global Aerospace Industry Hub - Gp Capt AK Sachdev • Drone: The Winning Edge - Col Utkarsh Singh Rathore • Laser Weapons: The Future of Air Defence? - Col Mandeep Singh • Tour of Duty & the Mess Surrounding It - Brig Pradeep Sharma • Women May Cause Implosion of Pakistan - RSN Singh • Kashmir Killings: What is to be done now! - Col Anil Athale • The first casualty of war: Information - Harsh Behere

When Germany launched its blitzkrieg invasion of France in 1940, it forever changed the way the world waged war. Although the Wehrmacht ultimately succumbed to superior Allied firepower in a two-front war, its stunning operational achievement left a lasting impression on military commanders throughout the world, even if their own operations were rarely executed as effectively. Robert Citino analyzes military campaigns from the second half of the twentieth century to further demonstrate the difficulty of achieving decisive results at the operational level. Offering detailed operational analyses of actual campaigns, Citino describes how UN forces in Korea enjoyed technological and air superiority but found the enemy unbeatable; provides analyses of Israeli operational victories in successive wars until the Arab states finally grasped the realities of operational-level warfare in 1973; and tells how the Vietnam debacle continued to shape U.S. doctrine in surprising ways. Looking beyond major-power conflicts, he also reveals the lessons of India’s blitzkrieg-like drive into Pakistan in 1971 and of the senseless bloodletting of the Iran-Iraq War. Citino especially considers the evolution of U.S. doctrine and assesses the success of Desert Storm in dismantling an entrenched defending force with virtually no friendly casualties. He also provides one of the first scholarly analyses of Operation Iraqi Freedom, showing that its plan was curiously divorced from the realities of military history, grounded instead on nebulous theories about expected enemy behavior. Throughout Citino points to the importance of mobility--especially mobilized armor--in modern operational warfare and assesses the respective roles of firepower, training, doctrine, and command and control mechanisms. Brimming with new insights, Citino’s study shows why technical superiority is no guarantee of victory and why a thorough grounding in the history of past campaigns is essential to anyone who wishes to understand modern warfare. Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm provides that grounding as it addresses the future of operational-level warfare in the post–9/11 era.

This volume examines themes like contemporary factors shaping the emergence of the Bay of Bengal region as a critical strategic theatre in Indian foreign policy; the inter-connectedness of the Indian and Pacific Oceans; the importance of oceans to security and commerce and India’s role within the broader region; the twenty-first century maritime Silk Road and Indian alternatives and the possibilities of reconnecting disconnected spaces through re-imagining a Bay of Bengal Community. In this connection the volume takes particular note of the emerging regional cooperative order for the promotion of peace and development in the Bay of Bengal region (BIMSTEC). The volume brings together historians, political analysts and political economists to emphasize the interconnectedness of the oceanic space through a detailed analysis of the Bay of Bengal as a space of strategic and economic significance, particularly for India, but also as a space for re-imagining a new regional community. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan).

This book deals with the various interdisciplinary issues of the Indian Ocean, individually and collectively, such as its history, geography, nautical elements, economics, trade routes (old and new), blue economy, deep-sea mining, fisheries management, tourism, scourge of piracy, pollution, Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), and the different perspectives of its littoral countries on geopolitics, international law, international relations and maritime partnerships. It is the most important ocean in the world – 33% of the global population lives in the area and 50-60% of the world’s maritime trade transits through it. In addition, around 60% of global oil, and 26% of global gas reserves, along with pristine beaches are located here. To comprehend the interdisciplinary issues, the editor embarked on a voyage to discover, persuade and collaborate with exceptionally brilliant, influential experts from prominent littoral countries – India, Indonesia, Iran, South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore – with relevant experience to expound the above subject areas. In addition, geopolitical conflicts/hostilities and trade wars are on the rise; war seems inevitable but not imminent. Any conflict is likely to originate in other oceans and seas but will end up impacting the Indian Ocean’s littoral countries. Accordingly, these countries must comprehend the interdisciplinary issues and the special role of the Indian Ocean to prevent all-encompassing wars/hostilities from widening at a global level and thereafter must flesh out plans to shield themselves. They must also understand the area’s role in working towards global peace by comprehending the above interdisciplinary issues. The role of the Indian Ocean in global peace can only be achieved through maritime partnerships between its littoral countries, and their avoidance of impulses to invite outside power(s) to balance each other’s power. However, maritime partnerships are easier said than done. At the very least, the maritime partnership between two major Indian Ocean littoral powers – India and Indonesia – is critical to shield the region from geopolitical firestorms. Hopefully, this maritime partnership’s tactic of embracing a carrot-and-stick approach will eventually persuade global powers from outside the Indian Ocean region to improve their conduct to achieve global peace.

This book analyses the strategic and economic significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with a particular focus on the region of Balochistan. Given the history of multiple insurgencies that the Pakistani Military has confronted in Balochistan, the book examines the region's intricate conflict ecosystem and security landscape, which poses potential threats to the CPEC. Structured chronologically, the book traces the evolution of the Pakistani Army's counterinsurgency practices inherited in 1947 from the British Indian Army's culture of fighting small wars through to the contemporary counterinsurgency (COIN) adaptation in the ‘war on terror’, and afterwards, to the fifth round of the Balochistan insurgency. The analysis centres on the development of counterinsurgency theory and practice by the Pakistani Army. It empirically investigates the efficacy of the COIN strategy in Balochistan. The author argues that the approach significantly changed after conceptualising the doctrine, especially from 2016 onwards, from ‘butcher and bolt’ to the inclusion of critical components like political primacy, affect-based and focused use of force, ‘winning hearts and minds’ and rules of engagement. As a result, there was reduced violence and an increased number of insurgent surrenders. The book concludes that the Pakistani Army has largely controlled the insurgency in Balochistan. However, simultaneously, there is an urgent need to reduce tangible support to the insurgents through porous borders and implement an effective strategy to sever the nexus between the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP) and the Baloch insurgent organisations, as well as the sectarian militant organisations in Balochistan province. This is crucial to ending the insurgency and ensuring the security of CPEC. A novel contribution to the study of counterinsurgency and the importance of CPEC to China’s foreign policy and diplomacy, as well as its effects on the conflict dynamics in Balochistan, the book will be of interest to researchers studying War and Conflict Studies, Terrorism Studies, International Relations, Security and Strategic Studies, and South Asian and Chinese Studies.

Dr. Umesh Chandra Samanta (1880-1934) was the founder of the Samanta family. In the present days, the family is spread all over the world. The book has been written by one of the family’s descendant, Arjya Sarkar. Dr. Umesh Chandra Samanta was a renowned doctor and social reformer of the early 20th century. Dr. Umesh Chandra Samanta, although was born in a small poor family became famous for his social activities and acquired great fame as a doctor. He and his family is often regarded for their numerous charitable work in the society and their contribution to the freedom struggle of India. The book describes the rise of Dr. Umesh Chandra Samanta and the story of his family after his death. Most of the descendants of Dr. Umesh Chandra Samanta are associated with charitable works throughout the world. The book gives a very symbolic message – we should not be afraid of adversities. They come to create golden opportunities for us.

International Cooperation in the Aerospace Industry offers a unique study and analysis of how nations and industries have cooperated internationally to design and manufacture civil and military aircraft from a variety of perspectives: historical, economic, organizational, operational, and political. Covering Europe, North and South America, Asia, and the Middle East, the author examines both the practical and managerial aspects of establishing and operating international programs and analyzes the economic and political dynamics associated with international cooperation. A chapter is dedicated to describing and comparing the various organizational and legal structures that have historically been used as frameworks for cooperative programs. It also examines cooperative international activities in aerospace research and development, and international ventures in maintenance, repair, and overhaul of operational aircraft. Throughout the book, practical examples of cooperative programs around the world are used to illustrate analytical themes, as well as a series of case studies of international cooperative aircraft programs of special political and economic significance. This comprehensive book will be a valuable resource for researchers and postgraduate students specializing in aviation and aerospace management.