Defence Strategy and Operational Art

Scholarly insights into classical and modern military strategy, operational design, campaign planning, deterrence theory, and strategic decision-making in contemporary conflicts.

Pakistan Paradox, An Imperfect Partition : A Nuclear State at War with its Neighbours, its Periphery and Itself

Seventy-nine years after Partition, Pakistan remains trapped in a cycle of geopolitical confrontation, domestic instability and economic dependence. While headlines focus on Taliban attacks, unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, Baloch insurgency or repeated IMF bailouts, these are symptoms rather than causes.

This article argues that Pakistan's enduring instability originates in the hurried colonial partition of 1947, compounded by decades of military dominance, proxy warfare and great-power patronage. It analyses the evolution of Pakistan's security doctrine, its changing relationship with the Taliban, internal fault lines, Cold War legacies and the country's strategic relevance in an emerging multipolar world.

Rather than viewing these crises separately, this article presents them as interconnected outcomes of a state whose foundational contradictions remain unresolved.

Balancing the Eurasian Giant: India’s Strategic Role in Strengthening SCO Military & Security Cooperation

Bridging the Divide in a Multipolar World

“India has good relations with Western countries and is uniquely placed to act as a bridge between SCO and the West” — Major General Dr. S B Asthana

As global governance institutions experience a profound drop in credibility, the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting rapidly toward localized regional alternatives. Covering over 42% of the global population and nearly one-third of the world’s GDP, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) stands as a massive Eurasian bloc navigating the dangerous currents of "Cold War 2.0". Yet, can an organization containing four nuclear-armed powers, deep internal political rivalries, and structural decision-making vulnerabilities truly evolve into a cohesive security alliance?

How can a bloc divided by ideological friction and historical rivalries achieve genuine military and security cohesion? In this insightful analysis, Major General Dr. S B Asthana explores the structural hurdles of the SCO and outlines India's strategic vision for a secure, technologically integrated, and stable Eurasian future. This chapter, titled “Strengthening Military and Security Cooperation in the SCO: An Indian Perspective,” is featured in the seminal volume Reimagining Regionalism: Geopolitical Shifts and Strategic Realignments in Central Asia and the Global South.

From Blitzkrieg Dreams to Industrial‑Age Attrition:Why the Russia–Ukraine War Has Become a Contest of Endurance?

The Russia–Ukraine war has moved far beyond its initial framing as a limited “special military operation” or a territorial dispute over Donbas and Crimea. It has become the world’s longest major conventional war of the twenty‑first century, a grinding contest of endurance in which political will, industrial capacity, energy infrastructure and nuclear thresholds all shape the battlefield more than any single offensive. In this analysis, Major General Dr S B Asthana examines how the conflict has evolved into an industrial‑age war of attrition fought with twenty‑first century tools—and explores how a war stretched between proxy dynamics, industrial capacity and nuclear deterrence might eventually end. Sharing my latest analysis as on first week July 2026 as an analytical article in below.

The Iran Deal Mirage: From Switzerland and Beyond!

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2026 and subsequent negotiations in Switzerland have generated cautious optimism. However, beneath the diplomatic headlines lies a deeper strategic reality. In this analysis, Major General (Dr.) S B Asthana examines why the fundamental objectives of Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran remain irreconcilable, making any future agreement inherently fragile. Drawing upon military strategy, geopolitical realities and regional dynamics, the article explores the JCPOA-plus paradox, the role of Hormuz, the Lebanon fault line, and the implications for India. Sharing the latest analysis from the author.

Xi, Trump, Kim and the New Nuclear Normal

"North Korea is no longer merely a nuclear challenge. It risks becoming the precedent."
North Korea has evolved from an isolated security concern into a central player in twenty-first century geopolitics.

As strategic competition between the United States, China and Russia intensifies, Pyongyang has leveraged nuclear deterrence, geopolitical balancing and economic adaptation to transform itself from a sanctioned outlier into a consequential actor within an emerging multipolar order.

This article examines why Donald Trump adopted a comparatively restrained approach towards Kim Jong Un, how Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have reshaped North Korea's strategic environment, whether the country's economy is more resilient than commonly perceived, and why the Korean precedent may encourage future nuclear ambitions in Iran, Japan and South Korea.

Most importantly, it explores whether the international community has quietly shifted from preventing nuclear proliferation to merely managing it.

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.

Trending now

From Blitzkrieg Dreams to Industrial‑Age Attrition:Why the Russia–Ukraine War Has Become a Contest of Endurance?
Balancing the Eurasian Giant: India’s Strategic Role in Strengthening SCO Military & Security Cooperation
Pakistan Paradox, An Imperfect Partition : A Nuclear State at War with its Neighbours, its Periphery and Itself