Maharashtra HSC Defence Studies flashcards
Maharashtra HSC Defence Studies · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Saptanga theory
- Kautilya's seven limbs of the state: ruler, ministers, territory and people, fort, treasury, army and allies. Each limb is a strategic asset whose strength determines state power.
- Clausewitz's trinity
- War is shaped by three interacting forces: primordial violence rooted in the people, the play of chance and probability in the army, and political subordination through the government.
- Levels of analysis
- Waltz's three levels - individual, state and international system - used to explain state behaviour. A complete explanation usually combines more than one level of analysis.
- Ends, ways, means
- A strategic framework matching political objectives (ends) to operational approaches (ways) and available resources (means). Mismatch among the three is a common cause of strategic failure.
- Military Revolution thesis
- The argument that early modern tactical changes such as volley fire, new fortifications and standing armies drove the fiscal and bureaucratic expansion of the European state.
- Revolution in Military Affairs
- A transformation in warfare driven by precision strike, stealth, advanced sensors and information dominance, exemplified by the 1991 Gulf War and later operations.
- Mao's three phases
- Protracted people's war proceeds through strategic defensive, stalemate and guerrilla expansion, then strategic offensive, as the weaker side builds strength while avoiding decisive battle.
- Hybrid warfare
- The combined use of conventional forces, irregulars, cyber operations, information campaigns and economic pressure, often kept below the threshold of declared armed conflict.
- Comprehensive national security
- A widened concept of security covering military, economic, energy, food, environmental, cyber, health and societal dimensions rather than only territorial defence.
- Threat assessment formula
- Threat equals capability multiplied by intent and opportunity. Capability alone is insufficient; intentions and vulnerabilities must also be assessed before a threat is declared.
- Deterrence by denial
- A deterrence strategy that seeks to convince an adversary that an attack will fail because defences will deny it success, rather than threatening retaliation.
- Human security
- A concept that shifts the referent of security from the state to the individual, with seven components: economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community and political.
- Andaman and Nicobar Command
- India's only tri-service theatre command, integrating Army, Navy and Air Force assets in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under a single commander.
- Param Vir Chakra
- India's highest wartime gallantry award, awarded for conspicuous bravery or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy; the peacetime equivalent is the Ashoka Chakra.
- Assam Rifles
- A central armed police force with a dual role: administratively under the Ministry of Home Affairs but operationally under the Indian Army for counter-insurgency duties.
- Chief of Defence Staff
- A post created in 2019 to head the Department of Military Affairs, serve as principal military adviser to the government and promote jointness and theatre commands.
- Cabinet Committee on Security
- The apex political body chaired by the Prime Minister that decides defence expenditure, major acquisitions, nuclear matters and national security policy.
- Integrated Defence Staff
- A tri-service body supporting the Chiefs of Staff Committee, responsible for joint planning, doctrine, intelligence coordination and promoting integration among the three services.
- National Security Council
- A body established in 1998 and chaired by the Prime Minister, supported by the National Security Adviser and advisory boards, to coordinate national security policy.
- Defence offsets
- Contractual obligations requiring foreign defence suppliers to reinvest a percentage of contract value in the buyer's domestic industry or procurement.
- Capital versus revenue expenditure
- Capital expenditure covers equipment acquisition and construction, while revenue expenditure covers pay, allowances, stores and maintenance. The split indicates modernisation capacity.
- Guns versus butter
- The trade-off between defence spending and civilian welfare spending. Resources allocated to defence carry opportunity costs in health, education and infrastructure.
- Life-cycle costing
- The total cost of a defence system over its service life, including procurement, maintenance, spares and mid-life upgrades, not just the initial contract price.
- No first use
- India's declared nuclear doctrine commitment not to initiate nuclear use, paired with credible minimum deterrence and massive retaliation against a nuclear strike.
- Nuclear Suppliers Group
- A multilateral export-control regime governing nuclear-related transfers. India has joined the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group but not the NSG.
- Collective defence versus collective security
- Collective defence is an alliance commitment to defend members against an external attack, as in NATO Article 5. Collective security is a universal UN system against aggression.
- C4ISR
- Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It is the information backbone of network-centric warfare and precision operations.
- Counter-UAS
- Measures to detect and defeat hostile unmanned aerial systems, including jamming, spoofing, directed energy and kinetic interception.
- Hypersonic glide vehicle
- A manoeuvring weapon that travels at hypersonic speed, compressing warning time and complicating missile defence because of its trajectory and manoeuvrability.
- Sendai Framework
- A 2015–2030 global framework for disaster risk reduction with four priorities, including understanding disaster risk and strengthening disaster risk governance.
- National Disaster Management Authority
- A body created by the Disaster Management Act, 2005, chaired by the Prime Minister, responsible for policy, coordination and planning for disaster management in India.
- Civil Defence Act, 1968
- Indian legislation providing for measures to protect the civilian population and property during hostile attack, including air-raid warnings, shelters, rescue and first aid.