Lt Gen NS Brar
Remembering the Forgotten Army of World War-II
“The British couldn’t have come through both world wars if they hadn’t had the British Indian Army.” — Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of British Indian Army 1942 Seventy-five years ago,…
Dealing with the Dragon – Harsh Reality, Hard Options
Nations on attaining independence and sovereignty will, like any family inheritance, also inherit disputes and legacies needing resolution. In any family, the options are to settle the disputes amicably and…
Military Spending – Getting Bang for the Buck
A nation maintains its military as an instrument of national power and means of safeguarding national interests. Military capabilities in turn mean expenditure. Universally countries spend in proportion to their…
Frontiers and Borders: Breaking the logjam on the Northern Border
Listen in the north, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind; Tramp o’ Cossack hooves in front, grey great coats behind. Trouble on the Frontier of a most amazin’ kind…
Politics and the Military
History bears witness that a strong, sovereign and independent state has always been backed by a strong army, in today’s context military, yet paradoxically, the military is a threat in…
Creating the CDS – Not the What but the How
Two recent announcements by the government – creation of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for the armed forces and merger of public sector banks – though diametrically opposite in…
CDS – A Long Way to Tipperary
Irish soldiers marching off to the Western Front in World War I sang It’s a long way to Tipperary, it’s a long, long way to go; a longing for home…
Poppies and Marigolds
The year 2018 marks the centenary of the end of World War I. ‘The War to End All Wars’ or ‘The Great War For Civilisation’ did not achieve what the…
When Soldiers Ask Questions
The country is at war, make no mistakes about it. Many eyebrows will be raised asking ‘Where is the war?’ Von Clausewitz had many aphorisms, of which the most famous…
The Naga Imbroglio and Conflict Resolution
The passing away of Isak Chisi Swu, co founder of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), on 28 June has brought back into focus the issue of settlement of…
Military Muscle and Flab
The NDA government on assuming office and the defence minister on being appointed have repeatedly expressed the desire to curtail defence expenditure. The perception being that major savings can be…
