Editorial
Dear
Readers,
It
gives me great pleasure to present to you the United Service Institution (USI)
of India Journal for the 2nd quarter of 2024. For the past 151 years, the
USI has been committed to providing strategic insights on national security and
geopolitics to its readers. This issue features 13 well-researched articles on
diverse topics, including Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, war crimes in modern
armed conflicts, and check dams for Ladakh’s water security. In addition, there
are three China-centric articles, with the first focusing on Bhutan’s border
demarcation with China, the second on the Western media’s portrayal of the 1962
Sino-Indian War, and the third analysing China’s historical thought processes
and their impact on its foreign policy. Following which there are two articles
which focus on the military lessons to be gleaned from the conflicts around the
world. and two contributions on the employment of helicopters and offensive air
power. There are also submissions on India’s peacekeeping ethos and the
creation of a reliable national cybersecurity capability. The Journal concludes
with the winner of the USI Gold Medal Essay Competition 2023 focusing on the
critical examination of the Ukraine conflict.
The lead article, titled ‘Bhutan’s
Border Demarcation with China’ by Major General AK Bardalai, VSM (Retd),
addresses the historical Indo-Bhutan relationship, the threat from the People’s
Liberation Army to the Siliguri corridor, and the need for Bhutan to resolve
the border dispute swiftly. This is followed by Professor Amit Gupta’s
contribution titled ‘The Lessons of Ukraine and Gaza’ focusing on the teachings
from the two wars. He argues that on a close inspection of the two conflicts
several lessons have emerged. Though the wars are not the type to be conducted
in the future, the takeaways from both are crucial and that they provide India
with both opportunistic and cautionary notes for the future.
The third article titled ‘Lessons Learnt
from Ongoing Conflicts’ by Major General Jagatbir Singh, VSM (Retd) and Major
General VK Singh, VSM (Retd), delves into the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the
need to develop hard power as deterrence, importance of weaning away from
import dependency and oft-overlooked need for strategic communication using
social, print and traditional electronic media. The fourth contribution is by
Major General (Dr) RS Thakur (Retd) and Dr Beáta Biliková, titled
‘Representation of the India-China War of 1962 in Indian Writing and the
Western Media’. It covers how the American and British media represented and
reflected upon the 1962 War and highlights certain publications that tried to
influence readers to adopt a specific bias towards the conflicts.
Dr Roshan Khanijo’s article, ‘Can Small
Modular Nuclear Reactors Provide Realistic Pathways for Clean Energy’ explores
the idea of using Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a sustainable solution for achieving
‘Net Zero Emission’ goals by 2050, as highlighted in the United Nations Climate
Change Conference. She examines various SMR designs and their potential
applications, ranging from land-based to marine environments. It concludes with
emphasising the need for a holistic approach to address technical, operational,
economic, and legal challenges for the successful commercialisation of SMRs and
their integration into the global energy landscape. The sixth contribution
authored by Wing Commander (Dr) UC Jha (Retd), ‘War Crimes and Modern-day
Conflicts’ explores war crimes through contemporary and historical lenses,
focusing on evolving legal frameworks and accountability. It covers conflicts
like Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine, tracing war crimes from the Leipzig
Trials to the Rome Statute. The article also discusses key legal instruments,
command responsibility, and integrating international standards into national
systems for justice.
Colonel Vijay Kumar Goyat’s article,
‘Check Dams: Solution to the Increasing Water Crisis in Ladakh’, highlights the
geographical factors which result in low rainfall and, hence, the need for
water management through the construction of easy to build and eco-friendly
check dams to ensure that the sustainability and tourism needs of the cold
desert are met. In the eighth entry by Air Commodore Shirish Dhakate, titled
‘Elephant’s Trumpet for Taming the Dragon’, the author highlights China’s
historical strategic thought processes that have shaped its foreign policy and
examines the linkages to shed light on the drivers behind Beijing’s engagements
with its adversaries, neighbours and the world at large. He further brings out
that the Indian leadership needs to learn to manage China deftly to defeat them
at their own game.
Colonel (Dr) KK Sharma (Retd), in his
contribution titled ‘Local Community First: India’s Enduring Peacekeeping
Ethos’ highlights the significant contributions of Indian peacekeepers to
United Nations Peace Operations, noting their exceptional effectiveness due to
strong camaraderie, discipline, and integrity. It also discusses how they
support local communities in conflict zones by rebuilding lives and
infrastructure through engineering, medical, and veterinary expertise. This is
followed by Colonel Suraksh Vir’s article, ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat: Establishing
Credible National Cyber Capability,’ which explores the vulnerabilities of
cyberspace and how Western nations dominate this realm by controlling systems,
technology, services, and software. It also provides recommendations for
establishing a credible national cyber capability infrastructure.
In the eleventh article ‘Helicopter
Operations in Tactical Battle Area’, Group Captain Bibhudutta SK Jenamani, VM,
examines the role of helicopters in modern warfare, particularly in mountainous
regions. He addresses challenges like altitude, terrain, and weather, and
discusses the importance of doctrinal clarity, resource availability,
integrated operations, and advanced technologies. The article concludes with
recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of helicopter operations in
future conflicts. In the penultimate article of this edition, titled ‘Offensive
Application of Airpower’, Group Captain Nitin Nayal, VM, explores the
integration of emerging airpower technologies and the coordination between
different methods of force projection.
The final article, the winning entry of
the USI Gold Medal Essay Competition 2023 by Commandant (JG) Gaurav Sharma
(Coast Guard), is titled ‘Ukraine War: Military Lessons for India’. It
critically examines the military aspects of the Ukraine conflict, discusses its
background and geopolitical causes, analyses military strategies, and offers
recommendations for the Indian Armed Forces.
The
Journal also includes reviews of several select publications:
n ‘Bridging Borders: India-Nepal Relations
in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape’ by Lieutenant General Shokin Chauhan,
PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, PhD; Reviewed by Colonel RC Patial, SM, FRGS, PhD.
n ‘Grey Zone Warfare: Way Ahead for India’
by Lieutenant General Dushyant Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd); Reviewed by Major
General Jagatbir Singh, VSM (Retd).
n ‘War Transformed: The Future of
Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict’ by Major General
Mick Ryan (Australian Army); Reviewed by Colonel R Abhilash.
n ‘India’s Historic Battles: Imphal-Kohima,
1944’ by Hemant Singh Katoch; Reviewed by Colonel RK Sharma (Retd).
n ‘Geopolitical Shifts and Opportunities:
New Horizons in India and Southeast Asia Relations, edited by Prabir De and
Temjenmeren Ao; Reviewed by Ms Surbhi Chakraborty.
We look forward to your feedback and
suggestions. The USI acknowledges the financial assistance received from the
Indian Council of Social Science Research for the publication of this Journal.
Happy Reading!
Major General Sanjeev Chowdhry (Retd)
Director Editorial