FACE OFF! Analysis of India’s Capability to Fight a Two-Front War

Ravi Rikhye

“Provocative, controversial and though one may not agree with Ravi Rihkye’s statistics and prognosis, the book makes for compulsive reading and professional analysis.”

                                                                                                                                     — Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd)
                                                                                                             President, Delhi Forum For Strategic Studies

“Ravi Rikhye occupies a unique place among analysts of India’s defence issues as a nuts and bolts man without compare. His orders of battle and scenarios are both educative and entertaining. His message in this important book is unsettling, but not heeding it is not an option.”

                                                                                                                                                     — Dr Manoj Joshi
                                                                                             Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation

“As co-author of the seminal book Fiza’ya: Psyche of the Pakistan Air Force, I remain aware of Ravi Rikhye’s prodigal mind on matters military. His vast knowledge, acute analysis and tantalising projections make his works truly unique.”

                                                                                                                                      — Pushpindar Singh Chopra
                                                                                                             President, The Society for Aerospace Studies

FACE OFF! is a detailed narration by Ravi Rikhye on India’s capability of fighting a two-front war, for which its armed forces have planned and prepared for long. This unique book systematically covers the military challenges rising from geopolitical evolution. The ground forces of China and Pakistan against whom India is primed, are covered in detail as are air and naval forces to provide readers in-depth knowledge with comparisons given and conclusions arrived at. The crucial question asked is: Can India take on both Pakistan and China at the same time?

This book will be essential reading and an invaluable resource for policymakers, strategists, students of South Asian matters, diplomats, and the general public as well.

Ravi Rikhye Coming from a distinguished Indian Army family, Ravi Rikhye grew up in Simla and is presently resident of Washington DC. He began studying defence over six decades back, has about 35 books on the subject to his credit. He continues to research, write, study and expects to have his eighth graduate degree by mid-2021.

Contents

What Just Happened Here?

1. Introduction
2. Background to the Two-Front War Issue: China’s 2013-17 Aggressions—Depsang Plains, Chumar, Doklam
3. Why China Pushes India
4. Background to the Two-Front War Problem
5. The Rise of China and India’s DeterioratingGeopolitical Environment
6. Indian Army
7. Pakistan Army
8. China Army
9. Comparing the Armies
10. Navies
11. Air Forces
12. Roads and Railways
13. Cold Start
14. Is There No Way We Can Defeat Pakistan and China?
15. The False Prophets of a “Rational” Nuclear Weapons Policy
16. India-US Alliance and the Quadrilateral
17. Intelligence: Its Collection, Its Evaluation and Mis-evaluation
18. Thoughts on the Next War
Afterword
Index