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

Chinese coast guard ship in South China Sea ( Image credits- VOA) At last the long awaited ruling has come in the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines. The Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal has ruled over overwhelmingly in favour of the Philippines. The ruling has set at rest the long held Chinese argument of claim over the whole of South China Sea on the ground of historical precedent. It laid down the broader law by which China's claim to the islands in South China Sea and it's encompassing Exclusive Economic Zone has been rejected. China is put to great embarrassment as China is a signatory to The United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) and is bound by the terms and laws laid down in the said convention. China outright rejected the ruling saying that the same is unilateral in nature and the Court does not have the right to adjudicate in sovereign disputes.  What is the South China Sea Dispute: The South China Sea dispute

USAF F-35 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / USAF) Source- The National Interest Author- Robert Farley The focus of ground combat operations has shifted dramatically since the end of the Cold War. Relatively few operations now involve the defeat of a technologically and doctrinally similar force, leading to the conquest or liberation of territory. Preparation for these operations remains important, but ground combat branches also have a host of other priorities, some (including counter-insurgency and policing) harkening back to the origins of the modern military organization. What will the balance of ground combat power look like in 2030, presumably after the Wars on Terror and the Wars of Russian Reconsolidation (more to come on this idea below) shake out? Predictions are hard, especially about the future, but a few relatively simple questions can help illuminate our analysis. In particular, three questions motivate this study: • Does the army have access

Sukhoi PAK FA ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Rulexip) Source- The National Interest Author- Robert Farley The PAK FA has played the bugbear for Western air forces for nearly a decade, the terrifying Russian jet that will eat F-35s for breakfast. American aviation analysts in search of something, anything that might threaten U.S. air dominance settled on the PAK FA, a frankly evil looking jet that bore a very mild resemblance to the MiG-31 “Firefox” that Clint Eastwood made famous. Say what you will about the F-35, but Lockheed Martin has actually built and delivered one hundred and seventy one aircraft thus far.  The Russian Air Force, meanwhile, has yet to receive its first PAK FA.  In lieu of the PAK FA, Russia has continued to acquire generation 4.5 fighters (mostly of the Flanker family) as well as upgrading generation 4 fighters (including various Flankers, the MiG-29 Fulcrum, and the MiG-31 Foxhound). Sukhoi will likely never build the number of fighters

PLA soldiers( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Chairman, Joint  Chiefs of Staff, United States) Source- The National Interest Author- Julian Ku The Philippines’ sweeping victory in this week’s arbitral decision issued under the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea dealt a serious blow to China. But while the arbitral award dramatically changed the legal landscape and geography of the South China Sea in favor of the Philippines and the United States, it is important to keep in mind that even following the award’s legal conclusions, China may have the legal right to maintain a strong and even dominant presence in the Spratly Islands.  To be sure, the arbitral award is a big defeat for China’s legal claims in the region. Prior to the decision, China had a series of ambiguous but legally plausible claims to historic rights under its famous “9 Dash Line” as well as an unspecified series of exclusive economic zones covering all of the Spratly Islands.  Such unspecified c