Indian Defence Review (Apr-Jun 2020 & Jul-Sep 2020) Vol 35.2 & 35.3


Book Description

Due to the lockdown applied by the Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, the second quarter issue of Indian Defence Review [Apr-Jun 2020, (Vol 35.2)] was not published. It is amalgamated with issue of Indian Defence Review [Jul-Sep 2020, (Vol 35.3)] IN THIS VOLUME: • Did a Global Pandemic Generate a Global Pandemonium? — Lt Gen (Dr) JS Bajwa • Effectiveness of India’s Strategic Culture — Gp Capt PK Mulay • The IAF in a Two-Front War — Air Marshal Anil Chopra • Maritime Dimensions of India’s Foreign Policy — Vice Adm MP Muralidharan • Airspace Control: Challenges and Way Ahead — Gp Capt AK Sachdev • Evolving Trends in Aerial Combat — Air Marshal Anil Chopra • Indian Model of Theatre Commands: The Road Ahead! — Maj Gen SB Asthana • Is the Indian Soldier Overloaded?: Right Sizing the Armed Forces — Navneet Bhushan • Pakistan’s Mystery Submarine — Lt Gen Prakash Katoch • An Indian in Space: Isro’s Human Spaceflight Programme — Gp Capt Joseph Noronha • Indian Defence Private Sector: Some Initial Successes yet Miles to Go — Lt Gen VK Saxena • The Coronavirus Pandemic and The New Global World — Lt Gen Jasbir Lidder • The Myth of China — Dr Rajasimman Sundaram • Line of Actual Control: Fast Forward to Summer of 2021 — Lt Gen (Dr) JS Bajwa • Touted as a peace deal, the Taliban celebrates U.S. withdrawal as a victory — Terry Bishop • Afghanistan: An Arena of Indo-Pak Conflict — Col RN Ghosh Dastidar • What will happen if India recognizes Tibet? — Dr Amarjit Singh • The Critical Factors that Contribute to a Country’s Military Strength — Jay Bhattacharjee • Aerospace and Defence News — Priya Tyagi • Indian Quest for Air Supremacy: The Rafale — Danvir Singh • Shifting Claim Lines of Nepal: Kalapani to Lampiyadhura a Historical Perspective — Brig BS Chauhan • Free Tibet — Lt Gen Prakash Katoch • The Last Gallop — Lt Gen SR Ghosh • Book Reviews




New Futures for BIMSTEC


Book Description

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) represents one of the most diverse regions of the world. Providing a unique link between South Asia and Southeast Asia, it brings together 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.7 trillion. This volume focuses on issues related to connectivity, commerce, and security challenges facing BIMSTEC. It studies BIMSTEC’s relevance as an inter-governmental organization in the changing international milieu. The volume discusses the necessity of connectivity to enhance Bay solidarity and analyses the political, strategic and security concerns that restrain commercial connectivity. It also looks at the Bay of Bengal region as a zone of competition—and possible collaboration—between the littoral countries and major powers involved in the region. Comprehensive and topical, this volume will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of international relations, South Asian studies, foreign policy, diplomacy, Southeast Asian studies, defence and strategic affairs, maritime studies, international trade, regional cooperation, and political studies.




Congressional Record


Book Description

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)




Biohacked


Book Description

When COVID-19 erupted from Wuhan, China under mysterious circumstances, the Communist Party of China covered up its existence for as long as possible. It is now apparent that there is more to COVID than what the authorities wish for us to know. Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life details the decades-long pursuit by the Chinese Communists to dominate the biotechnology industry—to control the very building blocks of life on Earth—to further their political control at home and their supremacy abroad. More appalling than the egregious cover-up that China’s rulers engaged in with COVID-19 is the fact that Western scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and research labs have contributed to China’s rapid (and dangerous) growth in the biotech industry—so much so that China, not the United States, may become the seat of the biotechnology industry. The Chinese leadership believes that biotechnology is a critical industry for the Communist Party to achieve its “China Dream” of becoming the world’s dominant superpower by 2049. In China’s biotech sector, truly macabre practices are being developed, from ambitious cloning programs to the creation of potential pathogens that China’s military plans to use in “specific genetic attacks” against Beijing’s growing list of political enemies. To stop the threat, author Brandon J. Weichert proposes the world’s nations create a comprehensive set of treaties for regulating biotechnology research and development. Further, Weichert calls for Washington to slow the transfer of advanced biotechnology knowledge and funding from the United States to China using means like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Unless an all-of-government (and society) approach is taken to curbing irresponsible biotech development in China, then another—deadlier—COVID-19-like pandemic could be at hand.




An Updated Look at Military and Civilian Pay Levels and Recruit Quality


Book Description

Comparing military pay with civilian pay, the authors find that military pay in 2017 was above the 70th percentile of civilian pay. It was at the 85th percentile for enlisted personnel and the 77th percentile for officers.




Asia’s New Geopolitics


Book Description

Intensifying geopolitical rivalries, rising defence spending and the proliferation of the latest military technology across Asia suggest that the region is set for a prolonged period of strategic contestation. None of the three competing visions for the future of Asian order – a US-led ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, a Chinese-centred order, or the ASEAN-inspired ‘Indo-Pacific Outlook’ – is likely to prevail in the short to medium term. In the absence of a new framework, the risk of open conflict is heightened, and along with it the need for effective mechanisms to maintain peace and stability. As Asia’s leaders seek to rebuild their economies and societies in the wake of COVID-19, they would do well to reflect upon the lessons offered by the pandemic and their applicability in the strategic realm. The societies that have navigated the crisis most effectively have been able to do so by putting in place stringent protective measures. Crisis-management and -avoidance mechanisms – and even, in the longer term, wider arms control – can be seen as the strategic equivalent of such measures, and as such they should be pursued with urgency in Asia to reduce the risks of an even greater calamity.




India’s Defence Economy


Book Description

As the fourth largest military spender in the world, India has a huge defence economy supported by a budget amounting to nearly $67 billion in 2020–21. This book examines how well India’s defence economy is managed, through a detailed statistical exposition of five key themes – defence planning, expenditure, arms production, procurement and offsets. This book is based on hard-core evidence collected from multiple government and other credible sources including the ministries of Defence, Finance, and Commerce and Industry, Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Reserve Bank of India. It discusses key issues such as the evolution of India’s defence plan; the feasibility of increasing defence spending; India’s defence acquisition system; and the recent reform measures taken under the rubric of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Well supplemented with original tables and figures, India’s Defence Economy will be indispensable to students and researchers of defence and security studies, politics and international relations, finance, development studies, economics, strategic studies, South Asian politics, foreign policy and peace studies. It will also be of interest to defence ministry officials, senior armed forces personnel, military attachés, defence training institutes and strategic think tanks.




U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel


Book Description

Contents: (1) U.S.-Israeli Relations and the Role of Foreign Aid; (2) U.S. Bilateral Military Aid to Israel: A 10-Year Military Aid Agreement; Foreign Military Financing; Ongoing U.S.-Israeli Defense Procurement Negotiations; (3) Defense Budget Appropriations for U.S.-Israeli Missile Defense Programs: Multi-Layered Missile Defense; High Altitude Missile Defense System; (4) Aid Restrictions and Possible Violations: Israeli Arms Sales to China; Israeli Settlements; (5) Other Ongoing Assistance and Cooperative Programs: Migration and Refugee Assistance; Loan Guarantees for Economic Recovery; American Schools and Hospitals Abroad Program; U.S.-Israeli Scientific and Business Cooperation; (6) Historical Background. Illustrations.







Pentagon's South Asia Defence and Strategic Year Book 2008


Book Description

South Asia's complex geopolitical realities present a number of challenges to regional countries and dominate the discourse. Likewise, there are complex geostrategic issues which inhibit regional cooperation and add to trust-deficit. This 2008 volume captures the perspectives of experts and scholars on South Asia who offer insights of the region.