With the shift of global power from West to East, we have entered the era of an Asia-centred century. The rise of China and India, the recovery and resurgence of Russia on one side and Japan on the other, and the nature of the international order are leading to enormous changes. These transformational changes in the military, economic and political dynamics of Asia are accelerating with the passage of time. Historically, changes in the international order and equations of power among national have been almost inevitably accompanied by conflicts and wars. The challenge ahead of the international community in general and Asian countries in particular would be how to ensure that this is avoided, and competition, so necessary to shaping the future, is managed below the levels of armed conflict. This is crucial for most countries like India so that their comprehensive national development can progress without adverse developments. In order towork toward such goals, it is necessary to look at security and military-related issues as objectively as possible. This volume, a resource base for the professional and the general reader, is the sixth in the series of the annual publication of the Centre for Air Power Studies under this title, which aims to fill a critical information and knowledge gap in current strategic literature dealing with military strategy, defence politics and trends in military capabilities that impact countries in Asia. In particular, it covers some of the important areas that affect Asian countries, with a focus on China, India and Pakistan, to provide the requisite regional balance.

Going by all estimates, this is going to be an Asia-centred century. Indeed, a shift of global power is under way from West to East. The rise of China and India, the recovery and resurgence of Russia on one side, and Japan, on the other, and the nature of the international order are leading to enormous changes. These transformational changes in the military, economic, social and political dynamics of Asia will only accelerate with the passage of time. Historically, changes in the international order and equations of power among nations have been almost inevitably accompanied by conflicts and wars. The challenge ahead, therefore, for the international community in general, and the Asian countries in particular, is to ensure that this is avoided, and competition, which is inevitable, is managed without escalating to the level of armed conflict. This is crucial for most countries, and especially so for India so that its pursuit of comprehensive national development can progress without adverse distractions. In order to work toward such goals, it is necessary to look at security and military-related issues as objectively as possible. It is with this objective in view that the Centre for Air Power Studies has been bringing out the Asian Defence Review. This volume, a resource base for both the professional and the general readers, is the eighth in the series under this title, which aims to fill a critical information and knowledge gap in current strategic literature dealing with military strategy, defence politics and trends in military capabilities that impact countries in Asia. In particular, it covers some of the important issues that affect the Asian countries, including those related to air power, outer space, Pakistan, China, cruise missiles and sea-based deterrence.

The revival of major world power rivalry is a striking feature of the current international affairs. In the year gone by, Europe, supported by the US, vied with Russia for influence in Ukraine–a race that led to the annexation of Crimea by Russia and a pro-Russian insurgency in that region. In Asia, while the US is gradually drawing down in Afghanistan, it is also seeking to counter the growing influence of China. The sole Super Power is garnering support from China’s neighbours, India included, to balance the resurgent Dragon. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of ISIS has disturbed the world peace. The progress made in the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme is likely to affect calculations and equations all over the world. No region is impervious to the happenings in another part of the world. Competition (read rivalries) and geopolitical shifts pose myriad challenges to the peace-loving nations of the world–quite often, they are faced with the difficulty of evading armed conflicts. It requires conscious and sustained effort to do so. In order to work towards such goals, it is necessary to look at geopolitical, security and military-related issues objectively. The Centre for Air Power Studies has been publishing the Asian Defence Review to fulfill this need. This volume, a resource base for both the professional and the general readers, is the eighth in the series under this title. It aims to add to the pool of information and knowledge in the current strategic discourse dealing with military strategy, defence, politics and trends in military capabilities that impact Asia. In particular, it covers some of the important issues related to Air Power, Tactical Nuclear Weapons, Cyber Security, Network-Centric Warfare, Environmental Degradation, Iran, Pakistan and China.

Last year, the war in Syria became a melee––the US, Russia, NATO, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and some others struggled to bring peace to the region. But each stakeholder hankered after a different end state––President Bashar al-Assad’s continuance in power became a contentious issue. In due course of time Syria and the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) jumped the order of priorities for the US forces in the area. In importance, they have left behind the drawdown in Afghanistan, which has been back-burnered provisionally. As it appears, garnering the support of the countries of the region like India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, etc. to counter the rise of China, will continue to be high on the US agenda. Likewise, lifting of sanctions against Iran, following its rapprochement with the West will influence the world in many ways. The fallout of the testing of the hydrogen bomb by North Korea, the South China Sea imbroglio and Indo-Pak relations in the wake of the Pathankot terror strike too will cast their shadows on the geo-politics of the region in 2016. Evading war and conflict in the prevailing environment is an effort; economic interests and geo-political compulsions make the choice of alignment difficult for peace-loving nations of the world. They are faced with the dilemma of evading armed conflicts. It requires a conscious and sustained effort to do so. In order to work towards such goals, it is necessary to look at the geo-political, security and military-related issues objectively. The Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) has been publishing the Asian Defence Review to fulfill this need. This volume, a resource base for both the professional and general readers, is the ninth in the series under this title. It aims to add to the pool of information and knowledge in the current strategic discourse dealing with military strategy, defence, politics and trends in military capabilities that impact Asia. In particular, it covers some of the important issues related to India’s security environment, the Indian Air Force, cyber warfare, nuclear security, warfare technologies, export control regimes, Russia, China and Pakistan.

This book is the first systematic examination of the emerging arms race in Asia. The global trade in arms is to a large degree underpinned by the strong demand for arms in Asia and the Middle East, the two largest arms export markets in the world. Of these two regions Asia has become particularly significant, led by the emergence of China and India as major powers. It is therefore not surprising that the rapid military modernisation in Asia, accompanied by significant increases in the size and sophistication of armed forces, has generated attention as to its trends, key characteristics, causes and implications. This phenomenon, which has become evident since the end of the Cold War, has also been widely described as an Asian 'arms race'. This book evaluates the key conceptual ideas which can shed light on this phenomenon, as well as examining the complex mix of internal, external and technological factors that have led to its emergence. The volume explores the way in which the arms race is leading ultimately to three distinctive blocs in the emerging geostrategic landscape: a loose bloc of US allies in the region; a counter-bloc of potential US adversaries; and a neutral bloc of states with industrial age armed forces whose allegiances will vary according to circumstances and geostrategic developments. The Arms Race in Asia concludes that if the emerging arms race is left unchecked, it is likely that Asia will increasingly become a region of instability, marked by conflicts and interstate wars. The book will be of great interest to students of Asian politics, strategic studies, defence studies, security studies and IR in general.

Tells the story of the growing Chinese Navy - The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) - and its expanding capabilities, evolving roles and military implications for the USA. Divided into four thematic sections, this special collection of essays surveys and analyzes the most important aspects of China's navel modernization.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of China's main foreign and defense policies, providing students, policy makers, and general readers with an up-to-date assessment of this most important country. Global Security Watch—China presents a comprehensive overview of the main foreign and defense policies of the People's Republic of China, emphasizing the political-military developments in the modern era since the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. It provides a historical overview in the first chapter, followed by information on the domestic factors that affect Chinese national security, such as economics, society, and politics; China's external objectives; its global energy strategy; and its defense policies and security objectives. Drawing upon a wide variety of domestic and foreign primary sources, the work details China's policies and its relationships with the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Eurasia. It includes biographical sketches of select individuals of importance to modern Chinese history, such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Appropriate for audiences ranging from university students to policy makers to general readers, this book is an excellent resource for academic libraries and suitable as a textbook for courses on contemporary Chinese politics and international relations.

India’s Rise as an Asian Power examines India’s rise to power and the obstacles it faces in the context of domestic governance and security, relationships and security issues with its South Asian neighbors, and international relations in the wider Asian region. Instead of a straight-line projection based on traditional measures of power such as population size, economic growth rates, and military spending, Sandy Gordon’s nuanced view of India’s rise focuses on the need of any rising power to develop the means to deal with challenges in its domestic, neighborhood (South Asia), and regional (continental) spheres. Terrorism, insurgency, border disputes, and water conflict and shortages are examples of some of India’s domestic and regional challenges. Gordon argues that before it can assume the mantle of a genuine Asian power or world power, India must improve its governance and security; otherwise, its economic growth and human development will continue to be hindered and its vulnerabilities may be exploited by competitors in its South Asian neighborhood or the wider region. This book will appeal to students and scholars of India and South Asia, security studies, foreign policy, and comparative politics, as well as country and regional specialists.

Air Commodore Jasjit Singh was one of India’s foremost strategic analysts. The only constant for him in over three decades of research, analyses and writing was the centrality of national interest. Indeed, the man never let the nation down, whether as an air warrior or a strategist – ever ready to voice his views irrespective of how the wind was blowing – and always remaining practical in approach. Ever an optimist, he believed that India would inevitably rise to power by the sheer size of its economy and human resource potential. A greater concern for him, however, was the need to sensitize his compatriots to the national security challenges that would arise as the country rose, and to equip them with the capability to optimally address these. He did so through his writings and talks. This book is a modest compilation of his select writings on two specific issues – nuclear strategy and Pakistan – since he considered these as critical amongst India’s many security challenges. Of course, the range of Jasjit Singh’s writings and the expanse of his knowledge is immense and beyond capture in one book. But, this is a small effort in the direction of spreading his message/ideas to the current and future generation of scholars and policy makers. Hopefully, it will encourage students of national security to look for more of his writings beyond the few that we have been able to carry in this volume.