BSEH SS Defence Studies cheat sheet

Defence studies analyses organised violence, war, peace and the military instrument using political science, history, economics, technology and psychology.

Clausewitz's formula: war is the continuation of policy by other means; his trinity links government (policy), army (chance) and people (passion).

Strategy levels: grand or national strategy, military strategy, operational art and tactics; each translates political ends into military means.

Defence is protection against military threats; security is broader and includes economic, environmental, human and cyber dimensions.

Kautilya's Arthashastra (c. 4th century BCE) covers statecraft, intelligence, diplomacy and war, including the Sama-Dana-Bheda-Danda approach.

The field overlaps strategic studies (military-focused) and security studies (wider threats); it is policy-oriented and interdisciplinary.

Core syllabus areas include national power, deterrence, arms control, civil-military relations, defence economics, insurgency and internal security.

In Indian universities the subject is often titled Defence and Strategic Studies and is taught within social science faculties.

Dimensions of national security include military, political, economic, energy, food, health, cyber, environmental, societal and maritime security.

Key determinants include geography, history, economic strength, technology, military capability, leadership, alliances and domestic social cohesion.

India's principal security challenges include China's border assertiveness and Indian Ocean presence, Pakistan-backed terrorism, nuclear neighbours, cyber threats and left-wing extremism.

The National Security Council, set up in 1998, is chaired by the Prime Minister and supported by the NSA, Strategic Policy Group and National Security Advisory Board.

India has not published a formal National Security Strategy; defence and security planning is distributed across the MoD, MHA and other ministries.

Comprehensive national power combines GDP, military strength, technology, demography, diplomacy and soft power; it is a better index than military spending alone.

Deterrence requires capability, credibility and communication; it fails if the adversary doubts resolve or survivability.

Non-traditional threats such as pandemics, climate change, cyberattacks, disinformation and financial shocks require whole-of-government and international responses.

The Army is headed by the Chief of Army Staff (General) at Army HQ, New Delhi, with six operational commands and ARTRAC; units are organised into regiments and battalions.

The Navy is headed by the Chief of Naval Staff (Admiral); Western Command is at Mumbai, Eastern at Visakhapatnam, Southern training command at Kochi, and the Andaman and Nicobar Command is tri-service.

The Air Force is headed by the Chief of Air Staff (Air Chief Marshal); it has five operational commands plus Training and Maintenance commands, with HQ at New Delhi.

The Indian Coast Guard, under the Ministry of Defence, is headed by a Director General and divided into regional commands; it guards the EEZ and conducts search and rescue.

The Chief of Defence Staff, created in December 2019, is Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and heads the Department of Military Affairs.

The Strategic Forces Command (2003) manages nuclear delivery systems under the Nuclear Command Authority; the Andaman and Nicobar Command (2001) is India's first tri-service command.

The BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB are Central Armed Police Forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs, not part of the three defence services.

The Coast Guard's missions include maritime search and rescue, EEZ surveillance, anti-smuggling, pollution response and assistance to fishermen.

1947-48: after J&K acceded on 26 October 1947, Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar; operations continued until the January 1949 ceasefire established the LoC.

1961: Operation Vijay integrated Goa, Daman and Diu into India after Portuguese refusal to withdraw.

1962: the Sino-Indian War ended in a major Indian setback in NEFA and Ladakh; China retained Aksai Chin.

1965: Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar and Grand Slam led to full war; the Tashkent Declaration of 1966 restored the status quo.

1971: India's war with Pakistan led to the Instrument of Surrender at Dhaka on 16 December 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh; Operation Trident struck Karachi.

1984: Operation Meghdoot secured the Siachen Glacier; 1987-89: the IPKF conducted Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka.

1988: Operation Cactus foiled a coup in the Maldives; 1999: the Kargil conflict was fought under Operations Vijay, Safed Sagar and Talwar.

Post-2014: India conducted surgical strikes across the LoC in 2016 and an air strike at Balakot in 2019; the Galwan clash occurred in 2020.

DRDO, founded in 1958, runs a network of laboratories and has developed Agni and Prithvi missiles, Tejas systems, radars, sonars and armour technology.

The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (1983) produced Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Nag and Trishul; BrahMos is a separate India-Russia joint venture.

HAL builds the Tejas light combat aircraft, Dhruv and Rudra helicopters and HTT-40 trainers; BEL, BDL, BEML, MDL, GRSE and other DPSUs supply platforms and electronics.

The Ordnance Factory Board was dissolved in 2021 and replaced by seven new defence public sector companies.

The Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 governs procurement; key categories include Buy (Indian-IDDM), Buy (Indian), Make and Buy (Global).

Defence offsets require foreign suppliers to reinvest or source part of contract value in India; FDI in defence is allowed up to 74% on the automatic route and 100% through government approval.

iDEX, SRIJAN and positive indigenisation lists promote domestic start-ups and import substitution; defence industrial corridors are located in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Major current programmes include Tejas Mk2, AMCA, P75I submarines, QRSAM and extended-range BrahMos.

Conventional warfare uses regular armed forces, manoeuvre and firepower; nuclear warfare involves strategic and tactical nuclear weapons and existential escalation.

India's nuclear doctrine (2003) rests on credible minimum deterrence, No First Use and massive retaliation; the Nuclear Command Authority is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Insurgency is an organised armed rebellion against the state; India faces J&K militancy, Northeast insurgencies and left-wing extremism.

Terrorism is unlawful violence for political ends; India faces cross-border terrorism, as in the 2001 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks and 2019 Pulwama bombing.

Hybrid warfare blends regular and irregular forces, cyberattacks, disinformation, economic coercion and proxy action below the threshold of declared war.

Sub-conventional operations include counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism; forces operate under legal frameworks such as AFSPA in notified areas.

Asymmetric and fourth-generation warfare exploit an adversary's weaknesses rather than matching its conventional strength.

The Cold Start concept attributed to India envisages rapid, limited offensive operations to punish Pakistan without crossing its nuclear threshold.

The UN was founded in 1945 and has 193 member states; the Security Council has five permanent members with veto power and ten elected members.

India has served eight terms as a non-permanent UNSC member and seeks a permanent seat; it is part of the G4 with Brazil, Germany and Japan.

India is among the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping, having deployed more than 250,000 personnel across missions since the 1950s.

India is not a party to the NPT or CTBT but has joined the MTCR (2016), Wassenaar Arrangement (2017) and Australia Group (2018); NSG membership remains pending.

Disarmament instruments include the NPT, CTBT, Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological Weapons Convention and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Strategic arms control includes SALT, START and New START between the US and Russia; India advocates universal, non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament.

UNCLOS governs maritime zones and navigation; India supports freedom of navigation and a rules-based order in the Indian Ocean.

India's foreign policy emphasises strategic autonomy, Panchsheel (1954) and non-alignment's successor doctrines.

The defence budget has revenue expenditure (pay, allowances, maintenance) and capital expenditure (equipment, infrastructure); pensions are a separate large head.

The 2024-25 defence allocation was about Rs 6.21 lakh crore, roughly 2% of GDP; capital acquisition is a minority share.

Defence economics studies guns-versus-butter trade-offs, opportunity cost, the defence industrial base, offsets and the growth effects of military spending.

Civil-military relations rest on civilian supremacy: the elected government, through the Defence Minister and Defence Secretary, controls policy and administration.

The CDS and Department of Military Affairs (2019) strengthen integrated military advice; service chiefs retain command of their respective services.

Parliamentary oversight is exercised through the Standing Committee on Defence, budget demands and CAG audit; the Defence Accounts Department handles payments.

Defence offsets and FDI policy aim to build domestic capability; FDI is 74% automatic and 100% via government route in defence.

Defence exports and 'Make in India' are increasingly important; the government sets annual export targets and promotes indigenous platforms.

Internal security is primarily a State subject under the Seventh Schedule; the Centre assists through CAPFs, intelligence and coordination.

CAPFs under MHA: CRPF for internal security, BSF for Pakistan and Bangladesh borders, ITBP for the China border, SSB for Nepal and Bhutan borders and CISF for critical infrastructure.

Assam Rifles guards the Myanmar border and is administratively under MHA but operationally controlled by the Army.

AFSPA, 1958, applies in notified 'disturbed areas' and gives armed forces powers of search, arrest and force, with legal protection for official actions.

Civil defence protects civilians during war and emergencies; the Civil Defence Act, 1968, provides the legal framework.

Disaster management is governed by the DM Act, 2005; NDMA, SDMA and NDRF handle preparedness, response and mitigation under the Sendai Framework 2015-2030.

Border management includes fencing, roads, Integrated Check Posts, border outposts and 'Vibrant Villages' initiatives.

Left-wing extremism is addressed through the National Policy and Action Plan (2015) and the SAMADHAN doctrine, combining security and development.

The National Cadet Corps was founded in 1948, is headquartered in New Delhi and has directorates across states; it trains senior and junior division cadets in Army, Navy and Air Force wings.

NCC certificates A, B and C are awarded progressively; the C certificate provides bonus marks in some defence recruitment and academic selections.

Officer training institutions: NDA Khadakwasla (Pune, 1954), IMA Dehradun, OTA Chennai, INA Ezhimala and AFA Dundigal.

Entry routes include NDA after Class 12, CDS after graduation, AFCAT for the Air Force, TES, TGC, JAG and NCC Special Entry.

The Agnipath scheme (2022) recruits Agniveers for four years; up to 25% are retained in regular service and the rest receive a Seva Nidhi package.

Selection includes a Services Selection Board interview testing intelligence, personality and officer-like qualities, followed by medical examination.

Women serve in all three services; permanent commission was extended following the 2020 Supreme Court ruling, and women fly fighter aircraft.

Other careers include Coast Guard, DRDO, defence PSUs, paramilitary forces and defence journalism or research.