Core Concerns in Indian Defence and the Imperatives for Reforms

India's current defence imperatives transcend the  ideeological 'defence vs. butter' debate. Even while there may be no profound existential  concerns, the geo-political reality of a deeply troubled neighbourhood, long legacy of border disputes with neighbours in the north and west and a widening spectrum of potential warfare from conventional and strategic to the asymmetric can be ignored at our own peril. Given the current capability gaps and infrastructure inadequacies, India requires a far more focussed pursuit of the objective of comprehensive national power with an optimal blend of fully deterrent state-of-the-art and readily deployable capabilities potentially on more than one front. Likely out-of-area contingencies and our legitimate aspirations as an emerging regional and world power further fuel this need.

While there has been a significant stepping up of the public discourse in the recent years on the myriad concerns in defence, there is precious little in the public realm on the hard core issues confronting defence decision - makers in critical areas such as the long range geo-strategic environment, higher defence management and civil military relations, defence industrialisation, acquisition, research and development, logistics, manpower, planning, financial management and oversight. 

Possibly for the first time ever, this book seeks to put together the perceptions, views and recommendations of a host of past practitioners at the highest level from the civil and military bureaucracy who have had some unmatched insights into the complex world of Indian Defence and its decision-making structures and processes. For obvious reasons, the cause of reliable, efficient, and affordable defence brooks no further delay in terms of a potent capability basket encompassing the land, sea, air, space and cyber-space domains. This would call for some long overdue reforms covering organisations, policies and processes to enhance professionalism, synergies arising from jointness, drastically curtail decision - making time frames, and, above all, enforce accountability for the attainment of stated goals.  Hopefully, this book would contribute in some measure to this worthy task. 

http://www.idsa.in/system/files/Book_CoreConcernsinIndianDefence.pdf

Realising the ASEAN-India Vision for Partnership and Prosperity

This volume is based on the proceedings of Delhi Dialogue VI held in March 2014. It epitomizes the growing dialogue between India and ASEAN at all levels. Delhi Dialogue brings together practitioners, corporate leaders, opinion makers, academics and journalists, every year, to discuss a wide range of issues of common interest and concern that animate India - ASEAN relationship . Discussions held at the Delhi Dialogue, subsequent to ASEAN Commemorative issuing the ‘Vision Statement’ in 2012, provide a good insight into the likely scenarios and possible trends in the post-2015 era.

http://www.idsa.in/system/files/book_DelhiDialogue7.pdf

India and South Asia: Exploring Regional Perceptions

Perceptions play a very significant role in South Asian politics. They have largely shaped and influenced state policies and politics among the South Asian countries, especially in relation to India, over the years. State policies have at times been hostage to negative or adversarial perceptions, well-entrenched in the popular psyche. The perception formation in South Asia is an extremely dynamic process and has evolved differently in different countries. Perceptions are not static and often change with the shift in domestic as well as regional and global politics. There are myriad stakeholders—with diverse sectional interests—explicitly or implicitly shaping and influencing perceptions among countries in South Asia.

This book comprising sixteen chapters, contributed by scholars from all the South Asian countries, seeks to identify and examine the various strands of (mis)perception prevalent particularly vis-à-vis India; and its various causal factors ranging from conflicting historical memories to contesting national identities, and growing intellectual disconnect to diverging geo-strategic imperatives. The role of the media and the growing Chinese thrust in the region has also been discussed. 

The way forward illustrated in the form of key recommendations has both academic and policy relevance.  

http://www.idsa.in/system/files/book_IndiaandSouthAsia.pdf