Volume 2  Number 2 ● Summer 2007 (Apr-June 2007)

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THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

The Foreign Secretary, Shri Shivshankar Menon spells out the challenges to foreign policy that India is likely to face in the coming years. He has also emphasised the need to evolve our own vocabulary and lexicon to explain the challenges that can be best dealt with from our own perspective rather than adopting / adapting the concepts from other countries.

STRATEGIC REACH – STRATEGIC DEPTH AND THE QUESTION OF THE IAF’S STRATEGIC POSTURE

The Indian Air Force is well into a process of transformation even though its modernisation is moving at a slower pace. Expansion of the air force’s strategic reach is crucial to meet external contingencies. But Air Commodore Jasjit Singh AVSM VrC VM (Retd) argues that the increasing strategic reach of the air force requires the exploitation of India’s strategic depth for a significantly enhanced defence capability. This, however, would require a substantive change in the strategic posture of the air force in terms of its basing strategies but would be well worth it in terms of more credible deterrence and combat effectiveness.

INDIA’S NUCLEAR DOCTRINE: THE BASIS FOR CREDIBLE DETERRENCE

India’s nuclear doctrine, from the time a draft was put out in 1999, and a brief formal announcement was made by the government in 2003, has been a subject of debate and (mis)interpretations. Dr. Manpreet Sethi covers the key issues and rationale driving the doctrine that is to shape the country’s nuclear deterrent strategy for defence.

CHINA’S ASAT TEST: IMPLICATIONS AND OPTIONS

China created quite a stir when in January 2007 it used a ground-based interceptor missile to destroy its own meteorological satellite in lower earth orbit, raising concerns not only of littering of the most heavily used space segment with debris, but also of security for space-faring nations increasingly dependent on space assets for commercial and defence purposes. Wing Commander K.K. Nair examines the diverse implications of the anti-satellite test.

FORCE MULTIPLIERS AND TRANSFORMATION OF AIR DEFENCE

Most of the time, force multipliers have been viewed and interpreted in the context of air-to-ground warfare and enhancing the combat capability of offensive strike capabilities. Wing Commander Atul Kumar Singh VSM, surveys a much broader canvas while focusing on how air defence operations are being shaped by force multipliers for strategic offensive air defence as well as strategic defensive air defence.

MILITARY POWER AND STRATEGY OF IRAN

The continuing and escalating US-Iran confrontation on Iran’s nuclear programme (although not limited to it) has been the focus of intense attention across the world, from the UN Security Council at one end and the strategic community in most countries at the other. Threats and the potential of armed conflict by US/Israel against Iran in particular have been a subject of speculation in recent years. Shri Shelly Johny looks closely at Iran’s military power and its past strategy of employing it.

US DEFENCE INDUSTRY TRENDS

International interest in India’s defence and aerospace industry has grown rapidly in recent years. Because of a number of reasons, Indian access to US arms is in the process of opening up for the first time in six decades. Dr Ashok Sharma looks at the dominant trends in US industry for a better understanding of the dynamics affecting the potential cooperation between the US and India in a crucial area.

THE IMPACT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MILITARY ARENA: INFORAMTION WARFARE

Military technology has been growing at an exponential pace in recent decades wherein information technology and its employment in various ways have been perceived in revolutionary terms. Captain Paulo Fernando Viegas Nunes, Portuguese Army, examines the impact of information warfare technologies and their employment in modern warfare.