Bücher von Diptendu Choudhury

Over a century of its existence, air power has created its own salience as an independent military instrument of force and a vital component of national security. Its unique capabilities and place in a country's security and military strategies, have long been acknowledged and leveraged globally. Over the last ninety-one years since its inception, the Indian Air Force (IAF), as the true keeper of the nation's air power, has been steadfast in defending the skies and serving the country in war and peace. Given the challenges to India's growth trajectory and rise in power in a turbulent geo-political environment, the book analyses the wider role of air power in the multi-dimensional and rapidly evolving dynamics of modern warfare. This book provides an insider perspective of the IAF, as it looks at Indian air power from a holistic 360 view, provides an honest assessment of its operational legacy, and establishes its unique contemporary and future capabilities. The collection is a study of the wide range of the kinetic and non-kinetic applications of air power, which covers the entire spectrum of war, no-war-no-peace, and peace. It also offers an extensive analysis of Indian air power's vital offensive strategic role and its joint warfare credentials. It's future place as an invaluable instrument of asymmetric deterrence in India's continental security, and its inadequately leveraged array of hard and soft power future options in the maritime domain towards regional peace and security, are extensively discussed in the book. The book will be of immense value for policy makers, defence services, strategic community, as well as all students of national security, strategy and air power.

Since national security impacts every citizen in India, there is a growing need for a more sophisticated, broad-based and nuanced understanding of the instrument of force in statecraft. Largely confined to the strategic elite and practitioners thus far, a wider national security discourse could generate better ideas to proliferate and morph into better policies, strategies and doctrines. This academic endeavour, the first of its kind from India's National Defence College, seeks to tap the vast operational experience of all the contributors and offers a basic understanding of several important cornerstones of force and war fighting; how they can best be employed in current and future scenarios; and how best they can be synergised for effect. It is a go-to book for policy makers, legislators, diplomats, academics, leadership at various levels in the various national security verticals including the military, media and the curious reader even as India grapples with new and emerging security challenges in a volatile global geopolitical landscape.Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Arjun Subramaniam is the President's Chair of Excellence in National Security Affairs at National Defence College, New Delhi. A retired fighter pilot, military historian and strategic commentator, he is the author of five books, including India's Wars: A Military History: 1947-1971 and its newly-released sequel in two versions titled Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972-2020 and A Military History of India Since 1972.Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury is the Commandant of the National Defence College, New Delhi, and an alumnus of the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK. A highly experienced and accomplished fighter pilot with vast experience in Air Power at strategic, operational and tactical levels. He is a prolific writer on air power strategy and international security having published chapters in edited volumes and articles in several professional and academic journals.