
ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT — CHOOSING SWAVLAMBAN (SELF-RELIANCE) OVER SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Note: Some segments of this article have been published by the author in the South Asia Defence and Strategic Review (Vol 16 Issue 2 May – Jun 2022) and are repeated here with due permission.
As the Indian Navy gears up for the 2022 edition…

THE VANILLA ISLANDS — POTENTIAL FOR A ‘PLURALISTIC SECURITY COMMUNITY’
The expression “Vanilla Islands” is a colloquialism that has been gaining currency since 2010 and is used to collectively describe a group of six exotic island-States (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, and Seychelles) that…

THE EUROPEAN UNION, INDIA, AND THE INDO-PACIFIC: INSIGHTS FOR STRATEGIC, PRIVILEGED AND SUSTAINED PARTNERSHIPS
In the present century, the Indo-Pacific region has emerged as a seedbed of both confrontation and cooperation. Outside of the moves and countermoves of the USA and China are two other major players, namely, the EU and India. Concerted…

REFLECTIONS ON INDIA’S VIKRANT-CENTRIC CARRIER BATTLE GROUP
The successful completion of the five-day sea trials (from 04 to 08 August 2021) of the long-delayed indigenous aircraft carrier, the new Vikrant, is a seminal event and one that has been justifiably met with elation and a palpable sense of…

NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ADAPTIVE GEOSTRATEGIES TO ADDRESS CLIMATE-CHANGE: AN INDIAN AND AN ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE
Abstract
The issue of climate change continues to hog the lime-light. Even though there is no unanimity in the scientific community about the rate at which climate change is actually occurring, there is no doubt that climate change is actually…

PEERING DOWN THE HATCH: A QUICK PEEK AT INDIA'S SUBMARINE-WORLD
A Hindi translation of this article has been published in the April-May 2021 issue of “Defence Monitor” (Vol 9, Issue-4), a leading Hindi language defence magazine published in India. This English version is published with permission…

ENHANCING INDIA-AUSTRALIA TIES THROUGH MARITIME TRADE
This article launches the NMF’s advocacy for closer India-Australia economic and strategic ties and argues that the synchronisation of bilateral maritime trade may hold the key to future growth in the relationship between these two critical…

UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION CABLES: VULNERABILITIES AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES RELEVANT TO INDIA PART-2
This is the second and concluding part of an article on submarine communications cable systems relevant to India. Part-1 focussed upon providing an overview of these systems and the vulnerabilities to which they are subject. This concluding…

UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION CABLES: VULNERABILITIES AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES RELEVANT TO INDIA PART-1
This two-part article aims to provide Indian policy-makers and lay readers alike with an overview of submarine communications cable systems in India, highlighting their criticality, their vulnerabilities, and the inadequate protection they receive…

AFTER “MALABAR 2020”, WHAT? — NEXT STEPS IN CONSOLIDATING OUR MARITIME SPACE
The 2020 edition (the 24th in the series) of the combined naval exercise MALABAR has finally been restored to its expanded format involving combat platforms and personnel drawn from the navies of all four members of the Quad. Quite apart from…

THE VIRAAT SAGA: REQUIEM FOR AN EAGLE
With the Viraat’s sad and silent movement from her berth within the Naval Dockyard (Mumbai) to the shipbreaking yard at Alang, an era has drawn to an end... the inevitable endpoint of an apathetic populace and an uncaring succession of governments,…

HYDROGEN FUEL ADOPTION: AN OCEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY APPROACH PART 5: HYDROGEN-FUEL — THE OPTION-OF-CHOICE FOR INDIA
This is the fifth and final segment of the NMF’s five-part advocacy[1] of the adoption of hydrogen derived from Ocean Renewable Energy Resources (ORER) and the adoption of this hydrogen-fuel, instead of fossil-fuels, for India’s maritime-transport…