Gurmeet Kanwal

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Archive data: Person was Distinguished Fellow at IDSA

Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal was Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi and a Delhi-based Adjunct Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies, Washington, D.C. He was Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi (January 2008-March 2012), the Indian Army’s think tank. He has co-founded two Delhi-based think tanks: Forum for Strategic Initiatives (FSI) and the South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs (SAISA).

Brig Kanwal commanded an infantry brigade in the high-altitude Gurez Sector on the LoC with Pakistan in northern Kashmir (Operation Parakram, 2001-03)and an artillery regiment in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir Valley (Operation Rakshak, 1993-94). He has served as Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine, Organisation and Training) at HQ IDS, New Delhi; Director MO-5 in the Directorate General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters (dealing with threat, strategy and force structure); United Nations Military Observer in UNTAG, Namibia; Brigade Major of an infantry brigade and Instructor-in-Gunnery at the School of Artillery, Devlali.

He opted for voluntary retirement in December 2003 and joined the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, as Director, Security Studies and Senior Fellow. He has also served as Senior Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi; and, Senior Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi. He has been a Visiting Research Scholar at the Cooperative Monitoring Centre (CMC), Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, USA, and in other think tanks in London and Singapore.

Brigadier Kanwal has authored several books: “Nuclear Defence: Shaping the Arsenal”; “Indian Army: Vision 2020”; “Pakistan’s Proxy War”; “Heroes of Kargil”; “Kargil ’99: Blood, Guts and Firepower” and, “Artillery: Honour and Glory”. He has also edited and co-edited several books. His forthcoming book is entitled “India’s National Security Strategy”.

In November 2012, he was nominated among 50 Thought Leaders by Mail Today. He has contributed extensively to various journals and leading newspapers, including a column in the Statesman for over two years. He is a regular speaker at well-known international think tanks and military institutions. Education: M Phil (Strategic Studies and Management), M Sc (Defence Studies).

Distinguished Fellow
Email: gurmeetkanwal@gmail.com
Phone: +91 11 2671 7983

Publication

Salient Issues Affecting Defence Manpower in India

Manpower costs are increasingly becoming unmanageable and are driving national security planners towards thinking creatively about what used to be called ‘affordable defence’. Despite leap-frogging from third to fourth generation weapons technologies in the short span of about two decades, modern armed forces are still far from being able to effect substantive reductions in manpower by substituting fighting personnel with innovative technologies while ensuring operational effectiveness.

Strategic Stalemate in Afghanistan

Since the US and its allies have no additional troops to contribute for the fight against the radical extremist forces in Afghanistan, the net must be enlarged to include military contributions from Afghanistan’s regional neighbours, perhaps under a UN flag.

China’s Emerging Cyber War Doctrine

China will develop much greater depth and sophistication in its understanding and handling of information warfare techniques and operations. With Indian security becoming increasingly dependent on date processing and network centricity, it will become extremely vulnerable to such information warfare campaigns. India needs to adopt a multidisciplinary approach towards dealing with the emerging cyber warfare threats and develop appropriate response.