Space : The Frontiers of Modern Defence

Contents: Introduction. 1. Evolution of space for military uses. 2. Civilian uses and applications of space. 3. Merging frontiers of air and space. 4. Military space theories and doctrines: a comparative overview. 5. Examining space law and its military implications. 6. The Great Asian space militarisation race. 7. Examining space-based options for national power. 8. Proposed space road map for fulfilling defence requirements. 9. Leaders for managing future space capabilities.

"Utilisation of space for a nation\'s economic and social well-being has been acquiring increasing importance over the past five decades. At the same time the use of space for military purposes started to develop rapidly, so much so that it began to have a profound impact on every aspect of warfare on ground, at sea, and in the air. The more recent wars, in fact, have led to the conclusion that future warfare is going to be controlled, prosecuted and dominated with the help of space capabilities.

It is not surprising, therefore, that ever since space-based and/or space-enabled military capabilities started to impact warfare demonstrably, especially in recent wars, countries started to focus increasingly on leveraging space capabilities for military purposes. China, for example, has gone in for major build up of space capabilities for military purposes; and Pakistan also has exhibited ambitions to exploit space for its own military.

In India our space programme, for good reasons, has focused almost exclusively on civil uses. In the process we have built up commendable capabilities. But we have failed to pay attention to global trends of the increasing importance of space assets and capabilities for defence and military purposes. In the process not only are we denying ourselves a crucial capability, but are obviously lagging far behind countries like China, not to talk of developed countries even in Asia. The near total absence of literature on the subject in the country is a silent testimony to this national deficiency.

This book seeks to fill the existing vacuum about the exploitation of space for our defence in future -- an area that will assume increasingly critical dimension in modern defence and warfare." (jacket)