Asian Defence Review 2014-15

Vinod Patney

Asian Defence Review 2014-2015

Edited by Vinod Patney
Book
The revival of major world power rivalry is a striking feature of the current international affairs. In the year gone by, Europe, supported by the US, vied with Russia for influence in Ukraine–a race that led to the annexation of Crimea by Russia and a pro-Russian insurgency in that region. In Asia, while the US is gradually drawing down in Afghanistan, it is also seeking to counter the growing influence of China. The sole Super Power is garnering support from China’s neighbours, India included, to balance the resurgent Dragon. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of ISIS has disturbed the world peace. The progress made in the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme is likely to affect calculations and equations all over the world. No region is impervious to the happenings in another part of the world.

Competition (read rivalries) and geopolitical shifts pose myriad challenges to the peace-loving nations of the world–quite often, they are faced with the difficulty of evading armed conflicts. It requires conscious and sustained effort to do so. In order to work towards such goals, it is necessary to look at geopolitical, security and military-related issues objectively. The Centre for Air Power Studies has been publishing the Asian Defence Review to fulfill this need.

This volume, a resource base for both the professional and the general readers, is the eighth in the series under this title. It aims to add to the pool of information and knowledge in the current strategic discourse dealing with military strategy, defence, politics and trends in military capabilities that impact Asia. In particular, it covers some of the important issues related to Air Power, Tactical Nuclear Weapons, Cyber Security, Network-Centric Warfare, Environmental Degradation, Iran, Pakistan and China.

Author

Air Marshal Vinod Patney SYSM PVSM AVSM VrC (Retd) is one of the most distinguished fighter pilots in the history of the Indian Air Force–a decorated veteran of the 1965 and 1971 Wars. He is a graduate of the Royal Air Force Staff College and a founder member of the premier Tactics & Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) of the Indian Air Force.

During his long and illustrious career, he held various Command and Staff appointments and was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal (SYSM), for spearheading air attacks during the Kargil War, thus making him the first Air Force officer and the sole recipient of the SYSM till date. He, thus, became the most decorated serving officer in all three Services.

He was a member of the National Security Advisory Board (December 2001 to January 2004). In 2006, he was part of a study on Global Security ordered by the Prime Minister and led by the late Shri K Subrahmanyam. Author of the book, Essays on Aerospace Power, he has contributed articles on national security issues and aerospace affairs to a number of eminent periodicals. He has also participated/lectured at seminars/Track 2 dialogues in India and abroad. Presently, he is the Director General of the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi.

Contents

Contributors
1. China’s Nuclear Power Programme: Status, Prospects and Challenges
Manpreet Sethi
2. Zero Justifiable Gains: Lessons from Cold War TNW Discourse
Sitakanta Mishra
3. Growth of Extremism in Pakistan
Shalini Chawla
4. Indo-Russian Relations in Contemporary Times: A Realistic Assessment
Chandra Rekha
5. India-China Relations: A Defining Partnership For The Asian Century
Sana Hashmi
6. Existential Complexities in Iran’s Nuclear Deal
Debalina Ghoshal
7. Internet Governance: Taming the Virtual Juggernaut
MK Sharma
8. South Asian Cyber Security Environment: An Analytical Perspective
E Dilipraj
9. Environmental Degradation and Associated Security Challenges in South Asia
Nishant Gupta
10. Network-Centric Operations: The Human Dimension
Mondar Bandopadhyay

Vinod Patney