Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Source- Wikimedia Commons  Source- The National Interest Author- Feng Zhang Since assuming the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership in November 2012, Chinese president Xi Jinping’s great ambitions have become well known. Domestically, he’s advanced the grand goal of what he calls the China Dream: ‘the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people’. He has surprised virtually every observer by the speed and efficiency with which he’s consolidated power in the party and military. Xi is now seen as China’s most powerful leader after Deng Xiaoping, if not Mao Zedong. The two major pillars of Xi’s assertive foreign policy—security activism predominantly in the maritime domain, and economic diplomacy by way of the so-called ‘one belt, one road’ policy—suggest that Xi isn’t content with making China a great power in the region and beyond; he also wants to make China a leading and even dominant power in key areas of Asia–Pacific regional relations. Indeed, as a keen student of

Image credits- USNI Source- The Diplomat Author- Abhijit Singh One of the more interesting aspects of Asian maritime politics is the Russia-China naval relationship. Both are major maritime powers with considerable stakes in regional security. Like Beijing, Moscow has sought to safeguard its maritime interests in strategically vital spaces in the Asia-Pacific by initiating a military modernization program aimed at projecting a strong national image. Significantly, despite having common areas of interest and operations, the PLA Navy and the Russian Navy have managed to maintain a smooth working relationship, which has only been getting stronger with time. The nautical synergy was on ample display last month when the Russian and Chinese navies embarked on their latest maritime exercise. “Joint Sea 2015 II,” held in the Sea of Japan between August 20and 28, was an interaction of unprecedented operational integration and a workout menu that featured live-firing drills, an

USAF F-22 Raptor ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- USAF) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar America’s F-35 clearly has its share of problems. Such challenges only compound the U.S. Air Force’s real dilemma: not having enough dedicated air superiority fighters as potential competitors like Russia and China beef up their own capabilities. The problem stems from the fact that the Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fleet was terminated after only 187 aircraft were built–less than half of the 381 jets the service needed as a bare minimum. Speaking to reporters at the Air Force Association convention in National Harbor, Md., just outside the capital, Air Combat Command commander Gen. Hawk Carlisle said he would love to see the Raptor back in production. “I dream about it every night,” Carlisle said. Indeed, the Raptor has proven to be a formidable warplane with its unique combination of stealth, speed, maneuverability, altitude and senso

Chabahar Port, Iran ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Amirhossein Nikroo) Source- Russia& India Report Author- Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra The southeastern Iranian port Chabahar is a crucial link in the INSTC. India signed an agreement with Iran in May 2015 to develop this port. The multimodal transport link, when operationalized, will galvanise Eurasian trade. India’s Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari visited Tehran to give concrete shape to the Chabahar development project, conceived over a decade ago but stalled due to international sanctions on Iran. With the sanctions girdle set to loosen, India’s involvement in developing the port will be crucial. Chabahar will be connected to Milak, close to the Afghan border, and into Afghanistan through the Indian built Zaranj-Delaram highway. This section is part of the broader INSTC project that links Eurasian nations, from Russia in the north to India in the south, through Central Asia. The corridor can fur

Image credits- Getty Images Source- The diplomat Author- Alexandre Dor When two South Korean soldiers had their legs amputated due to North Korea’s placement of box mines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the Republic of Korea responded by blasting weather reports, K-pop hits, and Buddhist teachings over the zone via loudspeakers. Infuriated, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un raised all military and reserve personnel to a “quasi-state of war,” threatened to turn South Korea into a “sea of fire,” and recommenced broadcasts of their own propaganda. Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency then asserted that “the resumption of the propaganda loudspeaker campaign is a direct provocation of war against us,” giving Seoul an ultimatum — stop the propaganda broadcast or be held responsible for it as an “open act of war.” Fortunately, the August crisis was deescalated through high-level talks and marathon negotiations. What was lost on many in the respite brought by te

Sukhoi SU-35 ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Aleksandr Medvedev) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar Russia seems to be eager to antagonize both friend and foe alike these days. In a move that seems to be completely inexplicable, Russia is apparently negotiating to sell Pakistan advanced Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighters along with Mi-35 Hind-E attack helicopters. Perhaps more amazingly, the Russians don’t seem to grasp that their Indian allies are likely to react extremely negatively at the prospect of such a deal. “I do not think that the contracts under discussion will cause jealousy on the part of any of the two sides,” Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told state-owned Russian media outlet Sputnik on Sept. 9. Despite the fact that the two South Asian nations share linguistic, cultural, geographic and economic links—and are part of the same civilization—they have fought three full-scale wars over the past several deca

India Australia naval exercises ( Source- Indian navy) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Observer Research Group / Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan The Indian Navy and Australian Royal Navy are set to hold their first bilateral naval exercise (AUSINDEX) this month off the Visakhapatnam Port in the Bay of Bengal. This is a sign of growing security and defence cooperation between India and Australia. The exercise will focus on anti-submarine warfare and will feature coordinated anti-submarine military exercises. Reports indicate the participation of Lockheed Martin’s P-3 anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft, a Collins-class submarine, a tanker and frigates from the Australian side whereas India will deploy a range of assets including Boeing’s P-8 long-range anti-submarine aircraft and a locally-manufactured corvette. There are several different issues that complement the foreign policy thinking in New Delhi and Canberra. While China is clearly becoming a factor in the growin

Russian Sukhoi T-50 ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Alex Beltyukov) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar Russia and China have recently moved closer together as they collaborate to limit U.S. influence around the globe. However, relations between the two great powers have not always been so cozy. Indeed, the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union even fought a brief undeclared border war in 1969, shattering the illusion of a monolithic Communist bloc. While China and post-Soviet Russia have recently been drawn together, there is always the possibility that in the future their interests may diverge. In the event of conflict, air power would play a key role. So how might Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fare against the Chinese Chengdu J-20? That would depend on the type of conflict. Indeed, as I have noted before, while the PAK-FA is definitely an air superiority fighter, it’s not clear that the J-20 is a fighter at all. If there was wa

Indian Air Force Chief Arup Raha  ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- Shaw Knowledge) Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) chief marshall, Arup Raha, arrived in Vietnam on Thursday, where he was received by Vietnam’s minister of defense, General Phùng Quang Thanh. Raha is in Vietnam for a three-day visit where he will meet with a range of senior Vietnamese defense officials and discuss military cooperation between the two countries. Raha’s visit emphasizes the ongoing strategic convergence between Hanoi and New Delhi. Both India and Vietnam have expanded their defense cooperation in recent months, with high-level discussions about security cooperation becoming relatively routine. Thanh, according to a report in Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre, “hailed Raha’s visit, considering it a boost to the traditional friendship, mutual understanding and trust between the two countries and peoples, particularly in defense ties.” To date, India and Vie

Image credits- Flickr / MEA Official gallery, Govt of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Vinay Kaura The strategic map of Iran’s immediate neighborhood will change dramatically following the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1. Given the tremendous geostrategic stakes involved, Iran has already begun to explore greater opportunities for economic and security cooperation in the region. This has implications for both India and Pakistan, which are tied to Iran strategically but bitterly opposed to each other. Per the realist prescription of international relations, survival in an anarchic world requires all states to adopt certain rational behavior, such as power maximization and balancing strategies. Depending to a large extent on their worldviews, all state leaders translate their perceptions of locational advantages and vulnerabilities into geopolitical strategies. Revolutionary rhetoric apart, Iranian decision-makers have conducted their foreign policy, m