Articles

AUKUS’s Nuclear Submarine Pact: Implications

Two strategic groupings – the Quad and AUKUS – are in the news that has caught world’s attention. While the Quad has been for been in existence for some time now, AUKUS is a recent construct. When in September 2021, Australia, the UK and the US....

March 20, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , South China Sea , Taiwan , Strategic competition , AUKUS , defence spending , Nuclear submarine deal , USS Virginia

Could the Reaper Have Been Saved – An Analysis

Air Marshal GS Bedi (Retd) Commentary

The Incident

According to "Defense One," two Russian SU-27 aircraft intercepted a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023. Apparently, the interceptors dumped fuel on it and then struck its propellers....

March 16, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Commentary , US , Russia , UAV , Reaper , SU 27

Take Aways from the New IAF Doctrine

Naval Jagota, Senior Fellow, VIF Commentary

The new Indian Air Force doctrine made available in the public domain has gone through various iterations and does incorporate aerospace aspects of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict also. There has been emphasis on capturing the growing role of aer....

March 10, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Commentary , IAF , Transport , Tejas , Satellite , Space , doctrine , International exercises , enablers , sustainment , domain , fighters , air diplomacy

Analysing the Balloon Drift: Another Perspective

Air Marshal GS Bedi (Retd) Article

Introduction

The US Department of Defense released a photo of the alleged Chinese spy Balloon on February 22. The photo was taken by a U-2 aircraft as it sailed over the balloon on February 3, according to the caption. A U.S. Air F....

March 03, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , Spy-Balloon , HABs , Steered-Balloon , Montana , South Carolina , AIM 9-X , F-22 Raptor

Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX): Where do We Stand?

Naval Jagota, Senior Fellow, VIF Commentary

Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) platforms

The iDEX platform was launched in April 2018 under the DIO (Defence Innovation Organisation) and the aim was for “creation of an ecosyste....

February 22, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Commentary , Defence , Defence production , R&D , iDEX , Start-up , Challenge , DISC , Innovators

Imperatives for Reconsideration of the Armed Forces Doctrines

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

Modern warfare dictates different Services and indeed different components of national power to be brought together intelligently to achieve unity of command and unity of effort. Modern warfare is also extremely complex, and no two wars can be stated....

February 20, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , International Relations and Diplomacy , Defence , China , Article , China , CDS , Air dominance , Joint Doctrine , Service specific doctrines , Theatre Commands

India’s March towards Achieving Hypersonic Capability

Lt Gen (Dr) V K Saxena (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, VSM Article

The Premise

On 27 Jan 2023, the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha Coast was abuzz with hectic activity. At the countdown 5,4,3,2,1, now….. the Agni I Missile lifted off carrying the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV) for ....

February 16, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , HSTDV , Hypersonic capability , HGV , HCM , SCRAMJET

A Perspective on Defence Budget 2023-24

Amit Cowshish Article

At Rs 5,93,538, the overall defence budget for the financial year (FY) 2023-24 is one of the largest constituents of the union budget, trailing behind interest payments (Rs 10,79,971 crore) and capital expenditure (Rs 10,09,961 crore). This sounds pr....

February 13, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , Army , Defence budget , DRDO , Air Force , GDP , Border Roads Organisation , Capital expenditure , revenue

India’s Defence Budget 2023-24

Laxman Kumar Behera Commentary

Presenting the Union Budget 2023-24 before the Parliament on February 01, the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, allocated Rs 5.94 lakh crore—about US$72 billion—to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). While allocating the new budget for the MoD, th....

February 07, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Commentary , Army , Air Force , Revenue budget , Navy , capital expenditure defence budget

IAF’s Revised Doctrine 2022: An Overview

Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

The Indian Air Force has very recently published the third iteration of its Doctrine, a document which forges the close connect between India’s national security and its air power. Few are probably aware that the IAF has also been elevated to the t....

February 07, 2023 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , Air defence , Indian Air Force , SAGAR , doctrine , Air space , joint planning , no war no peace , space assets