Military Affairs

About Centre

The Centre for Military Affairs comprises of a mix of serving officers of the Indian Armed Forces and civilian experts. The Centre adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to various issues that impinge upon India’s national security in general and the armed forces in particular. Its research focus is on issues that impact upon national security and capacity-building of the Indian armed forces. Specific areas of focus include: emerging contemporary challenges in warfare, jointness, defence co-operation, maritime security, and military training needs. In addition, the Centre also addresses China- and Pakistan-related issues with a bearing on their interface with Indian security. The Centre closely interacts with military establishments in India and abroad and contributes to policy making by conducting research in areas of significance for the armed forces.

Reenergising India-Africa Maritime Relations

Africa needs not only maritime administration frameworks and the local capacity to enforce regulations, but also a model for sustainable blue-economy development that does not result in the destruction of its natural maritime habitat. In this, it can use India’s assistance.

Abhijit Singh
October 28, 2015
IDSA Comments

Malabar-2015 and Power Dynamics in the Asian Commons

As India reorients its maritime posture to cater to the new realities of Asia, there is a realisation that regional maritime stability is increasingly susceptible to growing power imbalances.

Abhijit Singh
October 23, 2015
IDSA Comments

Publishing Official Military Histories

We recommend that the histories of the 1965 and 1971 wars be revised, updated and reprinted as proper official versions with the correct title and logo.

INS Kochi and the ‘Big-Warship’ Debate

Nothing conveys strategic intent as effectively as the large conventional warship whose mere presence can provide a decisive psychological advantage in strategic scenarios.

Abhijit Singh
October 09, 2015
IDSA Comments

The Indian Navy’s Arabian Gulf Diplomacy

By engaging GCC navies through joint exercises, port calls, and training programmes, the Navy has successfully created a durable template of maritime relations in the Western Indian Ocean.

Abhijit Singh
September 24, 2015
IDSA Comments

The Context of the Cease-Fire Decision in the 1965 India-Pakistan War

The ceasefire decision was influenced by the combination of three factors: absence of the prospect of a swift victory, concerns about Chinese military intervention, and concerted diplomatic pressure from major powers.

S. Kalyanaraman
September 21, 2015
Special Feature

China-Russia Naval Ties and the Balance of Maritime Power in Asia

A growing Sino-Russian-Pakistani maritime nexus in the IOR poses a challenge to India’s influence in the Indian Ocean and heralds a potential change in the Asian balance of maritime power.

Abhijit Singh
August 27, 2015
IDSA Comments

Politics and the Military

A dissatisfied military is not in the interest of India which has to contend with multiple internal and external security issues. The nation at large and the political leadership must be alive to the prevailing sentiments and act appropriately.

N.S. Brar
August 24, 2015
IDSA Comments

Decoding China’s Military Strategy White Paper: Assessing the Maritime Implications

China’s new military strategy as it applies to the Indian Ocean is not a matter of a minor shift in the balance of maritime power, but one that impacts India’s capacity and will to impose a deterrent cost.

The New U.S. Maritime Strategy: Seeking ‘Clarity’ in an Era of ‘Shifting Reality’

The new version of US maritime strategy candidly recognises China’s maritime expansion and territorial claims as a source of regional unrest, but stops short of recognising the A2/AD challenge even as it pronounces “all-domain access” as a strategic prerequisite.