Defence and Military Affairs

Comprehensive analysis of India’s armed forces modernization, defence reforms, operational readiness, procurement strategy, and evolving military doctrine.

An Emerald Set in Gold: Great Nicobar and India’s Strategic Reckoning with the Malacca Chokepoint

The Island That Could Change India’s Maritime Equation

Great Nicobar may be far from mainland India, but its strategic significance reaches far beyond the island itself. Located close to the Malacca Strait, the project combines maritime infrastructure, connectivity, economic ambition and defence potential at a critical Indo-Pacific chokepoint. This analysis examines why India is finally converting geography into strategic capability, what it means for China's Malacca dilemma, how it could strengthen India's maritime role, and why strategic necessity must still be balanced with environmental and tribal safeguards. This has been discussed by me in various international forums, some of which are attached in this analysis.

Is Pakistan Imploding? Can US and China Afford to Let It Fail?

Pakistan is not collapsing overnight—it is imploding in slow motion.

Despite economic bankruptcy, insurgencies, political repression and institutional decay, Islamabad continues to attract extraordinary support from Washington, Beijing and Gulf capitals.

Why?

Because Pakistan has mastered the art of remaining strategically indispensable even while becoming economically unsustainable.

Pakistan presents one of the greatest strategic paradoxes of modern geopolitics. A state battling insurgencies, mounting debt, shrinking democratic space and deep economic distress continues to command disproportionate global attention. This article analyses why the United States, China and Gulf states continue investing in Pakistan's survival, why these interventions cannot reform its structural weaknesses, and what India's long-term strategic response should be.

This analysis explains why the world's major powers keep rescuing Pakistan, why those rescues cannot solve its structural problems, and what lessons India must draw from Pakistan's paradox.

Cartographic Warfare: China’s Silent Offensive to Redraw Borders Without Fighting

China's repeated publication of official maps claiming Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, Taiwan and the South China Sea is far more than diplomatic posturing. It is part of a long-term strategy of Cartographic Warfare—integrating legal warfare, psychological warfare and narrative dominance within Beijing's doctrine of Active Defence. This article examines how maps have become instruments of grey-zone conflict, why Nepal and Bangladesh illustrate the regional spread of cartographic politics, and what India must do to counter this evolving challenge. As geopolitical competition increasingly shifts into the cognitive battlespace, India must respond not merely with diplomatic protests but through an integrated strategy combining military preparedness, legal documentation, strategic communication and international partnerships.

Maps are no longer passive representations of geography—they have become active instruments of geopolitical competition. China's repeated cartographic claims since 2023 demonstrate a carefully calibrated strategy aimed at manufacturing legal legitimacy, shaping public perception and gradually altering the status quo without conventional conflict. This article explores how cartography has evolved into an integral component of China's Three Warfares strategy and assesses the implications for India, the Indo-Pacific and the future of grey-zone competition.

The Iran War & Global Disruption: Interview of Major General Dr. S B Asthana by FPRC, India, Issue 66.

Read the verbatim FPRC Journal 66 interview with Major General Dr. S B Asthana on the Iran War, Trump’s coercive diplomacy, Netanyahu's political survival, and the realistic compulsions behind India's strategic silence after the tragic MT Settebello strikes.

A strategic geopolitical map of the Indian Ocean Region highlighting key maritime transit routes, regional nations, and critical security zones discussed in the research.

From Sea Lanes to Strategic Fault-lines: Big Power Contestation and Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean

How the Indian Ocean is transforming from a vital transit zone into a complex arena of great-power competition—and what it means for India’s strategic future.

A podcast video screenshot of Maj Gen Asthana gesturing with a raised claw-hand, demonstrating the hidden 'Wagh Nakh' (tiger claw) tactic of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to explain asymmetrical and grey-zone warfare strategies in the Indian Ocean.

From Shivaji’s Ganimi Kava to the Strait of Hormuz: How Asymmetric Warfare Shapes Modern Conflict

From Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's 'Wagh Nakh' tactic to modern grey-zone operations: Maj Gen Asthana breaks down the new rules of engagement in the Indian Ocean on @AsthanaWrites.

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