Journal of Defence Studies

Combat Stress in Conflicts: Home and Abroad

International peacekeeping operations have been one of the hallmark developments in the post-Cold War era. While it is true that these operations started almost immediately after the end of World War II, they really gathered momentum post the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989. The shadow of veto by warring permanent members gave way to cooperation and greater consensus emerged to solve the world’s problems in trouble spots through United Nations (UN)-led multinational peacekeeping operations. The UN peacekeeping has a long but checkered history.

Belarus: Russia’s Cat’s Paw

Belarus has managed to escape the scanner of major countries reserved for rogue nations despite blatant violations of the laid-down international rules. Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, despite his moral credentials badly shaken after trumped up elections in 2020 still seems to be holding firm ground due to the unstinted support offered by Russia, an acknowledged military powerhouse.

Recalling Air Power in the Indian Context

With the announcement of the proposed theaterisation of the existing structure of the armed forces, there have been numerous exchanges of ideas, formal and informal discourses, official and unofficial exchange of views and perspectives in recent months. During such exchanges, a standpoint of equating the Air Force of a nation with the Artillery has emerged and it requires to be put in a proper perspective. Indian military history has unfortunately not highlighted the lethality and importance of air power, which is the root cause for incorrect understanding of air power.

About the Genomic Origin and Direct Source of the Pandemic Virus

The debate over the genomic origin and direct source of the pandemic virus has intensified due to recent analyses concerning activities that had taken place in Wuhan prior to the initial outbreak and thereafter. Revisiting various aspects which are related to this development appears to be imperative, as certain early indications seem to converge with those analyses, while other recent analyses are contradictory.

Download Complete Article [PDF]

Return of the Old Giant to Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific has evolved into a major geopolitical realm, drawing the attention of key regional and non-regional players. The announcement of AUKUS—a security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US)—on 15 September 2021 has added a significant aspect to the defence arrangement within the Indo-Pacific.

Formation of Reserve Components of the Indonesian Armed Forces: SWOT Analysis

The current as well as future dynamics of strategic environment are likely to face threats that are multidimensional in nature. Indonesia needs a total state defence system that integrates the capabilities of military and non-military. To actualise this ambition, Law No. 23 of 2019, along with Government Regulation No. 3 of 2021, is presently targeting the interests of the reserve components. This research analyses citizens’ role in the formulation of reserve components in land, sea, and air domains using Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis.

Minan Sinulingga , Goki Sihombing , Rendy Ananta Prasetya
January-March 2022
Journal of Defence Studies

A Game Theoretic Analysis for Ladakh Standoff, 2020

A game theoretic analysis for Ladakh standoff is presented in this article. Starting with Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) game, a more flexible game, known as De-escalation game is derived by incorporating the concepts of retaliation and non-escalation probabilities in the PD game. It is shown that by including these concepts, many new possibilities open up for India, which permit it to impose penalty on the aggressor.

Institutions that Shaped India: DRDO, by Ravi Kumar Gupta

With India approaching the 75th year of independence in 2022, there are few institutions that can narrate the roller-coaster journey that the country has taken to become a modern nation. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a premier research and development (R&D) wing of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is one such institution. It is due to the persistent and painstaking efforts of DRDO that the country can hold its head high among the comity of nations in key defence and strategic technologies.

Evaluating Jointness in the Indian Military: A Conceptual and Methodological Approach

The institutionalisation of jointness in the Indian military is a key driver of ongoing defence reforms. To attain this goal, the Indian Armed Forces are encapsulating principles of joint warfare, inhabiting joint capabilities and inculcating joint culture. However, the pace and process of jointness in the Indian military has been contentious since Independence. This article seeks to evaluate the state and nature of jointness in the Indian military by employing Jackson’s conceptual and methodological model for joint military activities.

Bridge on the Bay

Look East/Act East Policy rides on the regional cooperation in the Southeast Asian region and our northeast region is the engine to further our cause.