The Eastern Factor in the Sri Lankan Ethnic Conflict A flare-up in the fighting in the East, particularly in Trincomalee District, has put a question mark on the prospects of peace in the island nation. The Eastern province of Sri Lanka has been a theatre of war for more than 20 years, and, since the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement it has particularly been the stage for continued local level conflict due to its multiethnic nature. All three communities, Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese, continue to face severe threats to their human security such as loss of livelihood and internal displacement. M. Mayilvaganan October 05, 2006 IDSA Comments
Challenges in Defence Planning Defence planning is essentially a subset of overall national level planning in the political, economic and social spheres and has to be evolved in the context of global and proximate factors affecting the nation. . It has also to take into account the philosophy and ethos animating the national psyche; in other words the historical and cultural forces which have shaped the collective memory and outlook of the people over the centuries. V. S. Shekhawat October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Defence Budget: Towards an Outcome and Programme Based System The contents of the general, as well as, the defence budget of the Government of India have normally been widely discussed and debated. However, the focus mostly has been on the magnitude of the budget rather than the system of budgeting. Yet it is the system that needs to be the focus of discussions and requires reforms. Over a period of time, the budget documents had become quite static in terms of structure, content and communication of results. P. R. Sivasubramanian October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Weapons Procurement: Qualitative Requirements and Transparency in Evaluation Procurement of new weaponry and equipment for the armed forces is a long, complex and arduous process. Funds involved are enormous and the quality of equipment selected has a profound influence on national defence potential. Therefore, most countries have evolved elaborate procedures aimed at procuring the most appropriate equipment at affordable prices. Mrinal Suman October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Reforming Financial Management in Defence The Government of India and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have initiated several reforms in the areas of budget and accounting. The reforms are ongoing and take into account the changes in other similar systems abroad and international best practices. The focus all over the world is to operate in a continuum of long-term plans, medium-term plans, annual plans, on the one hand, and allocations, targets and outputs on the other so that stability in budgetary allocations, accountability of the budgetholders and transparency in the processes can be ensured. Gur Saroop Sood October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Defence Equipment Acquisition: An Assessment The primary objective of inventory management for the defence forces is to sustain and update their capabilities to perform the tasks given to them. The study of defence equipment purchase is normally confined to arms and equipment used for countering external aggression, although specialised equipment for surveillance and weaponry used in close combat situations especially in urban areas or those which result in little collateral damage are also utilised by the armed forces in anti-terrorist or counterinsurgency operations. Dhirendra Singh October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Indian Foreign Policy and China The global political architecture is undergoing a transformation with power increasingly shifting from the West to the East, according to most political observers.1 The two most populous nations, China and India, are on their way to becoming economic powerhouses and are shedding their reticence in asserting their global profiles. Harsh V. Pant October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Chinese Concepts and Capabilities of Information Warfare The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been sensitive to continuous changes in geo-political and geo-strategic contexts, as well as the changing nature of warfare. It has fashioned its responses by evolving appropriate military doctrines and strategies to meet future threats and challenges. Thus, China’s military doctrine has over the years undergone a transition from people’s war to ‘people’s war under modern conditions’ and thereafter from ‘limited local war’ to ‘limited war under high tech conditions’. Vinod Anand October 2006 Strategic Analysis
Pakistan’s Strategies in Central Asia “Pakistan provides the natural link between the SCO states to connect the Eurasian heartland with the Arabian Sea and South Asia … We offer the critical overland routes and connectivity for mutually beneficial trade and energy transactions intra- regionally and interregionally” -- President Gen. Pervez Musharraf June 15, 2006 Meena Singh Roy October 2006 Strategic Analysis
