Gunners Shot

In this edition of Generals Talk we discuss about the new contours of the reality of Naya Pakistan. It will be interesting.   

This is a talk given at the  ONE DAY SECURITY DIALOGUE - 2022  jointly organised by the Chennai Centre for China Studies & National Maritime Foundation on 29 Jan 2022.     India is a civilisational power with deep rooted  cultural values. It sits at the crossroads of global maritime flows due to its dominant location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Resultantly India has always lived in a very complex and challenging strategic environment. In modern times, the complexity is driven by  many factors.  These include global trends, India’s national interests and the geopolitical equations India maintains with its neighbourhood and the world at large and the constant debate whether to adopt a continental or maritime strategy. It is interesting just to define the challenging environment even before attempting to find answers to navigate the strategic complexities.   Global Trends The shift in global  power from West to East...

In this issue of Neighbourhood Watch , Aadi and I discuss the crises in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Often we forget that crises in these countries affects our security adversely. Need to focus on them.  

“ Although Pakistan’s exports have increased in recent years, the country continues to suffer from chronic balance of trade deficits. Pakistan remains dependent on imported petroleum products. Remittances from Pakistani workers abroad have reduced somewhat the growth in the current account deficit, but it is uncertain that rapid annual increases in remittances would be sustained… Pakistan’s agri­culture sector continues to be plagued with serious problems of low cropping intensity and low productivity…because of existing policy constraints”. Sounds familiar and present-day, right? Except that this is from a 1982 USAID report (Pakistan Agricultural Commodities and Equipment)!  ( https://www.dawn.com/news/1669368/an-economic-collapse  )   Pakistan has entered into a standstill agreement with itself and is fully committed to honour it. As the nation is racing back to its future , the trio with fancy imagination come out with a National Security Policy. I am referri...

Had a very interesting live discussion on Brahmos with Mr Sree Iyer. The QA session was particularly interesting.    

   PART 1 :  Basics of PLA and Its Evolution Click here to see PART  1 PART  2 - Organisation and Command Structure  Click here to see PART 2 PART 3: Explanation of the Organisations Click here to  see PART 3 PART 4 : Effects of Himalayan Terrain on PLA  Opertaions  Click here to see PART 4 PART 5: The Marine Geography   Click here to see PART  5  In this part Aadi and I discuss the operational evolution and concepts of the PLA. The presentation is largely in slide form and easy to understand.   

Brig Chatterjee and I kick off the Bharatshakti.in  series on the Neighbourhood Watch.  The first episode is on Myanmar. The effort in this episode of the series is to bring to you a short update on the happenings in Myanmar  and where India stands at this point of time.   

All earlier articles on the Sino Indian Logjam can be found by clicking here .  Sino Indian Logjam : In the Grey Zone January 17, 2022 ; By:  Lt Gen PR Shankar (Retd)   Print   Email Editor’s Note The article begins by explaining the fundamental tenets of Grey Zone warfare and goes on to study Chinese Grey Zone activities that keep the tempo below the threshold that could lead to a conventional response. Grey Zone warfare, being practiced by China for long, could remain their standard tool in the years ahead. It goes on to define what could be an Indian response to the Chinese manoeuvres.  ……………………………………………………………………………… The term Grey Zone warfare entered the military lexicon in the context of Chinese tactics in the South China Sea. The term and its practice is quite widespread now. From all inputs, it is clear that the Sino-Indian Logjam is a Grey Zone conflict which China has been waging relentlessly in pursuit of its geostrategic objectives against India. This...

It is indeed a matter of honour and privelege for me to talk at the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) on China's Civil Military Fusion . The talk will commence at 1700h on 19 Jan 22.  The registration links given below. You will be sent a joining link by mail after registration.    Register at :  https://bit.ly/3ny12VI Programme Schedule   17:00 - 17:05 hrs - Introduction of the topic - Mr. Balasubramanian C, Senior Research Officer, C3S 17:05 - 17:15 hrs - Opening Remarks - Commodore R. S Vasan, Director General, C3S 17:15 - 17:50 hrs - Presentation by Lt General P R Shankar PVSM, AVSM,VSM, Director General of Artillery (Retd), Professor, IIT Madras 17:50 - 18:20  hrs - Q & A 18:20 - 18:30 hrs - Concluding Remarks & Vote of Thanks - Commodore Vijesh Kumar Garg, Executive Director, C3S

The recently released National Security Policy Document by Pakistan is interesting. It says a lot by saying many things on non issues and keeping silent on major issues. General Satish Dua, Aadi  and I had a talk on the important issues which matters  us. It is a preliminary analysis.