11 episodes
Armchair Strategist ORF
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Armchair Strategist offers a source of added perspective on the state of affairs at India's borders, the power balances in its region, and the changing nature of its military. Every week, Ritika Passi and Angad Singh, with ORF's Strategic Studies Programme, bring you conversations with practitioners and experts on topics that matter more than ever for India's national security in the 21st century.
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Looking Back, Looking Forward
In the final episode of Armchair Strategist's opening season, we end with a conversation with our colleague Dr Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Distinguished Fellow and Head of Nuclear & Space Policy Initiative at ORF, on some key national security questions of the year: what's next for India and China at the border and the broader relationship; US elections and consequences for US-China, US-India, and the Indo-Pacific; whither the India-Russia relationship; and where India stands in its neighbourhood.
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CPEC
With a range of connectivity and infrastructure projects across Pakistan, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a crucial foothold for the PRC in South Asia and a gateway to the Indian Ocean. As China projects power beyond its borders and into Pakistan, what security and defence implications does it hold for India? To answer this question, we have with us today Dr Tara Kartha, a strategic affairs expert who's spent 17 years at the National Security Council Secretariat, and Andrew Small, senior transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund's Asia program.
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The Chinese Military Challenge II: Military Innovation and Emerging Strategic Technologies
In this episode of Armchair Strategist, we’re taking the conversation beyond the conventional military balance and looking at advancements India and China have been making in emerging technologies that will be key to next generation warfare.
We are joined by Elsa Kania from the Centre for New American Security, who specialises in Chinese military strategy, innovation, and emerging technologies, and Kartik Bommakanti, a Fellow with ORF’s Strategic Studies Programme, currently working on space and military issues.
Follow Elsa Kania on Twitter: @EBKania
Follow Kartik Bhommakanti on Twitter: @KartikBommakan1
Follow Ritika Passi on Twitter: @ritika_passi
Follow Angad Singh on Twitter: @zone5aviation
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The Chinese Military Challenge I: The Conventional Balance
India-China tensions on land show no signs of abating, and the maritime space is also increasingly contested. As competition between the two Asian powers heats up, Armchair Strategist is exploring how their militaries stack up. We are joined by Dr Oriana Skylar Mastro from Stanford University, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the Wilson Centre, and Dr Arzan Tarapore, a research scholar at Stanford, and non-resident fellow with the National Bureau of Asian Research. Oriana focuses on Chinese military and security policy, while Arzan specialises in Asian security affairs, particularly India.
Follow Dr Arzan Tarapore on Twitter: @arzandc
Follow Dr Oriana Skylar Mastro on Twitter: @osmastro
Follow Ritika Passi on Twitter: @ritika_passi
Follow Angad Singh on Twitter: @zone5aviation
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In the trenches: Women in the military
Women in uniform are not a rarity in India -- think police and paramilitary services. However, when it comes women in the armed forces, we've been witness to milestones one at a time, the most recent one being the Supreme Court’s judgment earlier this year mandating all branches of the military to allow permanent commission for women.
In this special episode, we have with us Wg Cdr Anupama Joshi from the first ever batch of women commissioned in the Indian Armed Forces, and Flt Lt Mandy Hickson, a former fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force, to discuss experiences, attitudes, and combat roles.
Follow Flt Lt Mandy Hickson on Twitter:@MandyHickson
Follow Ritika Passi on Twitter: @ritika_passi
Follow Angad Singh on Twitter: @zone5aviation
Share your feedback on: podcasts@orfonline.org -
Agitated Waters: Securing the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the lynchpin in India's Indo-Pacific vision. Some 80% of global seaborne trade passes through the Indian Ocean Region, including critical energy supplies for both India and China. The past decade has seen significantly expanded Chinese presence in the IOR, upping the stakes for India in its maritime back yard.
To break down the political, economic and strategic dimensions of this challenge, Armchair Strategist is joined by Dr Joshua T White from SAIS, Johns Hopkins University and Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Darshana Baruah, visiting fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and non-resident scholar with the Carnegie endowment for international peace.
Follow Dr Joshua T White on Twitter: @joshuatwhite
Follow Darshana Baruah on Twitter:@darshanabaruah
Follow Ritika Passi on Twitter: @ritika_passi
Follow Angad Singh on Twitter: @zone5aviation
Share your feedback on: podcasts@orfonline.org