The Islamic State (hereafter IS)/Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daesh is a transnational terrorist organisation which is based on the ideology of fundamentalism and Salafism teachings of Islam towards the creation and establishment of the Caliphate. From IS’s emergence in 2014 to its eclipse by the beginning of 2019, the IS remained a renowned terrorist organisation for its mass of foreign terrorist fighters from every corner of the world and its modus operandi.

This book is a compilation of 30 pioneering papers on issues connected with India's national defence. These papers are a part of the vast repository of VIF publications over the past decade of its functioning as a strategic think tank with the purpose of addressing the complex commitments on defence that the State has been confronted with. The titles have been selected to cover a wide range of aspects of national defence and military administration, thus depicting a panorama of India`s military security challenges.

The concept of Information Warfare (IW) is as old as warfare itself but has gained in significance in recent times where we look at non-contact battles between two adversaries. This concept involves the use of information and communication technologies; and taking it a little further, it transforms into the use of computers and cyberspace in warfare. This book delves into this complex topic and brings out issues and facets especially pertaining to India. It emphasises that issues of National Security and Nation Building in this information age are intertwined.

Warfare’s most visible element is blurring of lines between wars and peace, competitors and adversaries, future friends and foes, and such like. It is an age of perception shaping and dominating the ‘truth’. The Chinese have embraced this for centuries. Reflexive control, creating and dealing with complexity, strategic foresight and sharp power projection are just some facets of this battle for the minds. The core strength of a nation is the ability of its informed leaders to envision the future and take correct and optimal decisions to guide all national endeavours.