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Captain Kamlesh Kumar Agnihotri (Retd)

Captain Kamlesh Kumar Agnihotri (Retd)

Senior Fellow

Areas of Research

  • Chinese maritime issues
  • Indian Ocean security matters and
  • Complex dynamics in the broader Indo-Pacific Region

Experience

  1. Captain Kamlesh Kumar Agnihotri (Retd.) is presently a Senior Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation (NMF). Prior to this assignment, he was a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), New Delhi, till his retirement in June 2021. His specialised field of work for last 17 years has been on Chinese Defense Forces, particularly the Chinese Navy. His current areas of Study also include the broader Chinese maritime and high technology issues, India-China relations, Indian Ocean security matters and the complex dynamics in the broader Indo-Pacific Region.
  2. The Officer was posted earlier too at the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), New Delhi, a premier think tank of the Indian Navy, from Jan 2009 till Mar 2014, where he was the sole resource person on Chinese Security matters. He is a key interlocutor during institutional interactions with foreign think tanks – the Centre for Naval Analyses (CNA), Washington, Naval War College, Newport, RSiS, Singapore and ADR Stratbase, Manila, being some of them.
  3. He has published/co-edited seven books, written chapters in other books and penned research articles in the various think tanks’ Journals. His two notable Books are: the recently published one titled “Leveraging High Technology Developments in Chinese Military and Maritime Domains: Impact on The Indian Ocean Regional Security” (2021); and “Strategic Direction of the Chinese Navy: Capability and Intent Assessment” (2015). His latest co-edited Volume is titled “Maritime Perspectives-2023: Maritime Security Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific: Strategies and Trends” (2023).
  4. He has presented research papers internationally at Washington DC and Newport, USA (2 times each); Beijing and Hainan, China (2 in Beijing, 1 at Hainan); Singapore (2 times); Dacca, Bangladesh; Taipei, Taiwan; and Manila, Philippines. He has also undergone various specialised Courses abroad – ‘Comprehensive Security Cooperation’ Course at Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies (APCSS), Hawaii, US (Feb-Mar 23) and the International Course on ‘Security Dynamics in the Western Pacific Ocean’ at National Defense University, Taipei, Taiwan (Aug 2013) being some of them.
  5. He is a naval missile and Gunnery specialist. He commanded a Landing ship in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He is a qualified Remote Sensing, satellite imagery interpretation and Photogrammetry analyst. He has also acquired an Advanced Diploma in Chinese language, to complement his scholarly and research work.

Education

Presentations

 

All Publications

NMF PublicationsBooksBook ChaptersJournal ArticlesMagazinesOther Web Publications
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THE PLA NAVY’s AIRCRAFT CARRIER, THE FUJIAN: A SYMBOL OF CHINA’S ‘FAR-SEA DOMINANCE’ ASPIRATIONS

Author: Keywords: PLA Navy, Aircraft Carriers, Fujian, Liaoning, Shandong, EMALS, Power Projection, Far Seas, Maritime Security, Indian Ocean, J-15, J-35, Liu Huaqing, Gerard Ford, CATOBAR, Doraleh, Djibouti “The carrier has become an important strategic weapon for China’s maritime ambitions, the development of naval power, and its strategic goals for sea lane security and regional influence”[1] Admiral […]
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2025 WHITE PAPER ON CHINA’S NATIONAL SECURITY: VIEWING ‘HOLISTIC SECURITY’ THROUGH THE CHINESE PRISM

Author: The Chinese State Council issued a White Paper entitled “China’s National Security in the New Era” on 12 May 2025.   Although the full text of the White Paper is available only in Mandarin, an abstract in English has been officially released.[1]  This abstract offers a summarised Chinese interpretation of the all-encompassing concept of “national security” […]
Photo Credits_Taiwan Commonwealth Magazine
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RISING INSTABILITY QUOTIENT IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC: HOW SHOULD INDIA RESPOND?

Author: Abstract The contemporary geopolitical environment in the Western Pacific is becoming increasingly unstable on account of intractable territorial disputes and overlapping maritime zone claims in the East and South China Seas.  The tenuous Taiwan Strait dynamics further elevate the regional instability quotient.  The resultant maritime security situation threatens the freedom of the seas for safe […]
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SECURITY SITUATION IN TAIWAN STRAIT: POISED ON THE RAZOR’S EDGE?

Author: President Lai Ching-Te made his first public National Day speech on 10 October 2024 as part of the Taiwan’s 113th anniversary celebrations.  The event, widely attended by foreign delegates, opposition party members, government functionaries and military personnel, was also well-publicised in the domestic and international media. Major highlights of the Presidential speech were: (1) China […]
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DEFENCE OF JAPAN- 2024 (DIGEST): A CRITICAL REVIEW

Author: Japan’s 25th Defence Minister, Mr Kihara Minoru, released the latest edition of the nation’s Defence White Paper, “Defence of Japan 2024”, marking the 50th issue since the first edition was published, in 1970.[1]  This milestone coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Self-Defence Forces (SDF), which […]
Credit: Google Earth
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THE MERCHANTMARINE IN THE CROSSHAIRS: LATEST TOOL OF STRATEGIC MESSAGING?

Author: Abstract The economic wellbeing of a country is contingent upon free, open, and secure seas consistent with the prevalent ‘rules-based order’, through which global trade and energy can flow unhindered.  The spillover of the Israel-Hamas conflict into the Red Sea and the adjoining Arabian Sea is threatening these very global trade lifelines.  This article explores […]
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INDIA’S OUTLOOK TOWARDS SOUTH-EAST ASIA AND BEYOND: ‘CHANGING TACK’ IN CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENT??

Author: Abstract In recent years, growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea has been a source of increasing discomfiture, particularly, for those south-east Asian countries — as also Taiwan — which have a long-standing dispute over territorial sovereignty and associated maritime claims in the region.  India, on its part, finds great commonality of interest with […]
Credits: MEA
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THE INDO-PACIFIC MILITARY CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES: COLLABORATION IS THE KEY

Author: Abstract The Indo-Pacific Region is presently beset with many maritime security problems, both, traditional as well as non-traditional.  While traditional problems can only be solved by the States directly concerned; the broad spectrum of non-traditional challenges adversely affect all States in some ways or the other.  Most States are hard pressed to develop their maritime […]
Credits: Associated Press- Photo/Built Marquez
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CHINA’S MANTRA FOR GREAT MARITIME POWERHOOD: PRESIDENT XI’S SPEECH AT 20TH NPC SETS THE AGENDA

Author: Abstract The ‘work report’ speech of the Chinese President in the 20th National Party Congress (NPC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) had domestic orientation covering various themes related to the governance of the nation and the indispensable role that Party’s had to play therein.  Even though maritime security and the measures required to […]
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MARITIME DOCTRINE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 2022: AN ANALYSIS

Author: On Sunday, 31 July 2022, by Presidential Decree 512, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin approved the 2022 Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation, which replaces the 2015 maritime doctrine.  Released on the occasion of the Russia’s 326th Navy Day celebrations (traditionally held annually on the last Sunday of July) in St Petersburg, the new maritime doctrine […]
UA Weapons
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SINKING OF THE RUSSIAN CRUISER MOSKVA: A CAUSE-EFFECT ANALYSIS

Author: One of the major casualties of the Russia-Ukraine conflict was the loss of the Russian Navy cruiser, the Moskva, in the Black Sea, after an unexplained fire on board.  While Ukraine understandably claimed credit —albeit not yet corroborated — the twin factors of the constricted Black Sea geography and the sub-optimal utilisation of a capital […]
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SEEKING PEACE AND STABILITY THROUGH PAPER WARS: THE SOUTH CHINA SEA CASE

Author: Japan released its latest edition of Defense White Paper titled ‘Defense of Japan 2013’ on July 9, 2013. While describing the Defense Policies of Countries which possibly affect the Security Environment Surrounding Japan, the paper contended that “… in regard to the issues of conflicting interests with its surrounding countries, including Japan, China has attempted […]
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JOINT HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER RELIEF (HADR) EXERCISES: EFFECTIVE INSTRUMENTS IN FURTHERING REGIONAL DEFENSE COOPERATION IN ASIAN CONTEXT

Author: The first-ever joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine (HADR & MM) Exercise under the auspices of the ‘ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus’ (ADMM+), was conducted with great professionalism from June 17-20, 2013 in Brunei. The military participants in this exercise were from the ASEAN countries and also included eight dialogue partners viz. […]
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NEW MARITIME LAWS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: PORTENDS FOR FURTHER INSTABILITY?

Author: The Vietnamese National Assembly passed a ‘Law on Vietnamese Sea’[1] on June 21, 2012, which provides legal basis for defining its internal waters, territorial waters, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zones (EEZ), continental shelf, islands, the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and other archipelagoes under Vietnam’s sovreignty, sovereign right and national jurisdiction. It […]
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FOUR YEARS OF ANTI-PIRACY MISSION: CHINESE NAVY’S SHOWCASE ACHIEVEMENT

Author: The Chinese Navy celebrated the fourth anniversary of its ongoing anti-piracy escort mission and patrols in the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast on December 26, 2012 with great fanfare and wide publicity. The three Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Fleets held open day activities over two days from December 25, 2012, […]
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CHINESE DILEMMA OVER RESURGENCE OF SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE

Author: The South China Sea and the issues of sovereign rights therein between China and Vietnam have again surfaced since the May 26, 2011 incident when the Chinese maritime patrol ships ventured into the Vietnamese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and cut off the exploration cables of a Vietnamese seismic survey ship ‘Binh Minh 02’ engaged in […]
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THE LIBYAN CRISIS – NON-TRADITIONAL CHALLENGES FOR THE MILITARY FORCES

Author: The ‘Jasmine Revolution’ that started in Tunisia on 17 December 2010 and resulted in the Regime change by peoples’ power, has also spread into the other regions in North Africa. Egypt followed suit thereafter and President Hosni Mubarak also had to demit office on 11 February 2011 after putting up a stiff but ineffectual resistance. […]
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‘KUNLUNSHAN’ IN THE GULF OF ADEN – PLA NAVY CHANGES OPERATIONAL TACK?

Author: The PLA Navy’s first indigenous Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship of Yuzhao class named ‘Kunlunshan’ arrived in the Gulf of Aden on Jul 13, 2010 for its maiden overseas deployment.  The ship, along with another destroyer ‘Lanzhou’ forms part of the sixth anti-piracy task force off Somalia.  Since the commencement of the anti-piracy mission in […]
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CHINA CELEBRATES NATIONAL DAY AMIDST TIGHT SECURITY: WHOM IS THE DRAGON AFRAID OF?

Author: China celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding on October 01, 2009 with an awe-inspiring military parade, which set a record of sorts in the number and variety of parade elements, armaments and weapons systems that were put on display. The ‘once-in-a-decade’ military display involved about 8,000 military personnel, tanks, ballistic and cruise missiles and […]
  • “Leveraging of High Technology Developments by China in Military and Maritime Domain: Impact on the Indian Ocean Regional Security“, Knowledge World, New Delhi (2021) ORDER HERE
  • “The Strategic Direction of the Chinese Navy – Capability and Intent Assessment”, Bloomsbury, New Delhi, (2016)
  • Co-edited Volume entitled “Maritime Power Building: New Mantra for China’s Rise”. Pentagon Publishers, New Delhi (2015)
  • Co-edited Volume entitled “Technological Developments in the Maritime Domain and their Strategic Implications in the Indian Ocean Region”. Knowledge World Publication, New Delhi (2013)
  • Co-edited Volume entitled “Security Challenges along the Indian Ocean Littoral – Indian and US Perspectives”. Matrix Publication, New Delhi (2011)
  • “South China Sea Dispute and its Impact on Regional Stability” (Chapter 5), in Vijay Sakhuja and Kapil Narula ed. ‘Maritime Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific’ (Vij Books, New Delhi, 2016)
  • “PLA Navy in ‘Military Operations Other than War’ and Diplomacy Roles” (Chapter-3) in Kamlesh K Agnihotri and Gurpreet S Khurana ed. ‘Maritime Power Building: New Mantra for China’s Rise’ (Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2015)
  • “Protection of Trade and Energy Supplies in the Indian Ocean Region” (Chapter-4) in Sreemati Ganguli ed. ‘Strategising Energy — An Asian Perspective’ (Knowledge World, New Delhi, 2014)
  • “China’s  Anti Access and Area Denial (A2AD) Concept: Asymmetric Challenge” (Chapter-4) in P Kaushiva and Kamlesh K Agnihotri ed. ‘Technological Developments in the Maritime Domain and their Strategic Implications in the Indian Ocean Region’ (Knowledge World, New Delhi, 2013)
  • “Maritime Cooperation between India and China: Drivers for Cooperation” (Chapter-8) in Dipankar Banerjee and Jabin T Jacob ed. ‘Military Confidence Building and India-China Relations: Fighting Distrust’ (Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2013)
  • “Chinese Military Presence in the Indian Ocean Region” (Chapter-5) in C. Uday Bhaskar and Kamlesh K Agnihotri ed. ‘Security Challenges along the Indian Ocean Littoral – Indian and US Perspectives’ (Matrix Publishers, New Delhi, 2011)
  • “UNCLOS and climate-induced maritime challenges: Strategic implications for the Indian Ocean Region”, Maritime Affairs, 18, No. 1 (Summer 2022)
  • “Preparedness Risk Mitigation: Priorities for Indian Maritime Forces”, Synergy Journal, August 2021.
  • “Unmanned Systems and Manned-Unmanned Teaming: Capability Development Imperatives for India”, Synergy Journal, February 2021.
  • “Non-Traditional Security Challenges in Indian Maritime Domain: Strategies for Mitigation”, Synergy Journal, August 2020.
  • “High Technology Developments in China: Leveraging for Military Effectiveness”, CENJOWS, March 2019
  • “Addressing Maritime Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region: A case for synergising Naval capabilities towards collective benefits”, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2016.
  • “China’s ‘Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile’ based Anti-Access Concept: Implications of a Southward Re-orientation”, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2013.
  • “2008 Sichuan Earthquake and Role of Chinese Defence Forces in Disaster Relief”, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1, January 2012.
  • “Naval Power Dynamics In The Western Pacific Ocean: Impact On Maritime Situation In East And South China Seas”, Maritime Affairs, 9, No. 2 (Winter 2013)
  • “Holistic Maritime Capacity Building: New ‘Route’ to China’s Rise”, Maritime Affairs, 9, No. 1 (Summer 2013)
  • “Chinese Navy’s Submarine Arm: Lynchpin of ‘Active Defense”, Maritime Affairs, 8, No. 2 (Winter 2012)
  • “Modernisation of the Chinese Air Force and implications for India”, Maritime Affairs, 7, No. 2 (Winter 2011)
  • “Modernisation of the Chinese Navy, its Strategic Expansion into the Indian Ocean Region and likely impact on the regional stability”, Maritime Affairs, 7, No. 1 (Summer 2011)
  • “China’s Naval Aviation And Its Prospective Role In Blue Water Capabilities of PLA Navy”, Maritime Affairs, 6, No. 2 (Winter 2010)
  • “Strategic Direction Of The PLA Navy – Capability And Intent Assessment”, Maritime Affairs, 6, No. 1 (Summer 2010)
  • “Legal Aspects of Marine Scientific Research in the EEZ: Implications of “Impeccable Incident”. Co-authored with Dr. Sunil Kumar Agarwal. Maritime Affairs, 5, No. 2 (Winter 2009)
  • China’s Continental Strategy Expands into Maritime Domain”, India-China Chronicle, November 2013.
  • “Maritime Power Building: New ‘Mantra’ for China’s Rise”, Indian Military Review, January 2013, Volume 4, No. 1.
  • “The First Chinese Aircraft Carrier: Capability Accretion or Symbolic Statement”, Indian Military Review, November 2012, Volume 3, No. 11.
  • “North Korean Rocket Failure: Big Power Dynamics at Play”, Indian Military Review, May 2012, Volume 3, No. 5.
  1. Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) website (www.cenjows.in)
  • (a) “Stellar Role of Indian Navy in Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971” (March 2021)
  • (b) “C Two Double I: Indian Navy’s Strategy to face the Covid-19 Challenge” (May 2020)
  1. Chanakya Forum Website (www.chanakyaforum.org)

“India-US Maritime Cooperation: Strengthening Security Arrangement in the Indian Ocean Region for Mutual Benefit” (December 2020)

  1. National Maritime Foundation Website (www.maritimeindia.org)
  • (a) “US-China Naval Interactions: Breaking New Grounds?” (October 2013)
  • (b) “Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercises in Asian Context” (June 2013)
  • (c) “Four Years of Anti-Piracy Mission: Chinese Navy’s Showcase Achievement” (January 2013)
  • (d) “Role of Navies in Furthering International Diplomacy” (June 2012)
  • (e) “US Asia-Pacific Military Rebalance: The String of Pearls in Reverse”, co-authored with Raghvendra Mishra (May 2012)
  1. Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis Website (www.idsa.in)

“Rising Instability and Regional Naval Modernisation in East Asia”, 02 November 2012.

  1. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies Website (www.ipcs.org)
  • (a) “China’s Peace Ark: The Navy and Band-Aid Diplomacy”, Article No. 4026, 09 July, 2013.
  • (b) “Chinese Aircraft Carrier: Capacity Building and National Pride”, Article No. 3721, 25 September 2012.
  • (c) “Navies and International Diplomacy: The Case of China and India”, Article No. 3663, 02 July 2012.

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