Articles

Viksit Bharat and Surakshit Bharat: Wheels of the Same Chariot

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

India aspires to be and is steadily on the way to be a developed nation by 2047, and to which end, Viksit Bharat and Surakshit Bharat (Prosperous India, Secure India) are wheels of the same chariot, being driven in the same direction. I....

September 30, 2024 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , China , GDP , LAC , Ladakh , buffer zones , Viksit Bharat , friction points , PLA Surakshi Bharat

To Redefine War in Indian Context is Mandatory

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

In 1942 Quincy Wright wrote in A Study of War, that to different people war may have different meanings. While Brittanica Encyclopaedia states that war, in the popular sense, is a conflict between political groups involving hostilities of cons....

June 24, 2024 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , India , China , Conflict , PLA , Ladakh , Kargil , NCW , Russia Ukraine war , Clausewitz

Looking Back at General Zorawar Singh and his Campaigns: An Assessment

Saudiptendu Ray, Research Associate, VIF Article

Zorawar Singh was a prominent military commander and statesman in the army of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. He played a pivotal role in defining the modern political boundaries of the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. Zo....

March 22, 2024 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Article , Central Asia , Jammu and Kashmir , Buddhism , Ladakh , Gilgit-Baltistan , Xinjiang , Sikh Empire , Maharaja Gulab Singh , Dogra , Kishtwar , Kashmiri shawls

Ice Stupas: Sonam Wangchuk’s Remarkable Blend of Ingenuity and Sustainability

Aarushi Gupta Positive Bharat

In the enchanting region of Ladakh, nestled amidst the majestic Himalayas, the Ice Stupas have become an awe-inspiring symbol of innovation and sustainability. These towering ice structures, inspired by traditional Buddhist stupas, are the brainchild....

June 29, 2023 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Water conservation , Ladakh , Sustainability , Positive Bharat , Sonam Wangchuk , Ice Stupa

Balloon Surveillance and the Near Space Region

Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar (Retd) Article

With the US shooting down a fourth unidentified object over US airspace on 11 Feb 2023, it has been an unprecedented week or so for NORAD and the homeland defence. Among the four objects that have been brought down is the well publicised Chinese ball....

February 20, 2023 International Relations and Diplomacy , Article , China , U.S. , LAC , Ladakh , ISR , balloon , near space

Next Step in Disengagement in Eastern Ladakh and Contemplating Larger Implications

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

On 8th September 2022, 50 days after the 16th Round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting at Chushul-Moldo in Eastern Ladakh, consensus was reached on disengagement of the Chinese and Indian troops in the area of Jianan La (Daban) also designa....

September 13, 2022 National Security and Strategic Studies , Article , PLA , logistics , LAC , Ladakh , Infrastructure , PP15

India-China Military Standoff at LAC in Ladakh Sector - Whither from here?

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF

The 14th round of Corp Commander level military to military talks took place on 12 Jan 2022 to diffuse the ongoing military standoff between India and China. The situation emerged almost two years ago in May 2020 after China undertook military build-....

February 11, 2022 International Relations and Diplomacy , China , China , PLA , Aksai Chin , LAC , Ladakh , Galwan , Pangong Tso , Podcast , Kailash Range , Buffer Zone , CBM , Chushul-Moldo , Gogra

China: Profound, Palpable and Persistent Winds of Change-Implications for India

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

Is China on throes of Cultural Revolution 2.0? What will be political effects of an economic slowdown in China, and near-term pain propelled by strong headwinds? Does this shifting dynamic and internal discourse in China matter to India? With the Tal....

October 20, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , China , Article , Pakistan , China , South China Sea , Xi Jinping , Taiwan , Bhutan , CCP , PLA , Ladakh , WTC

Eastern Ladakh – In Focus Again!

Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

With a meeting of the EAM Jaishankar with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Eastern Ladakh has come in focus again. Most information and analysis of the events in Eastern Ladakh of 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been analysed in fine detail, an....

July 19, 2021 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , PLA , LAC , Ladakh , Galwan , Pangong Tso , Kailash Range , media centre

The Absence of Air Power in India’s Security Narratives

Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

India’s security narrative of the region has been largely driven by the coercive diplomacy which China has chosen to pursue as a part of its national security strategy. Border stand offs in Arunachal in the near recent past and Ladakh currently, un....

June 16, 2021 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Article , India , China , South China Sea , Air Force , Indian Ocean , PLAAF , Ladakh , Border stand off