Each country has its own distinctive Strategic Culture and Way of War Fighting that evolves over time & tends to outlast the era of its inception. Thus the Chinese PLA still assiduously studies “Sun Zi Bing Fa” ( Sun Tzu’s Art of War) that was written in the 3rd Century BCE. They are convinced that this text has valuable lessons for the current era, for it was written in a similar Multi-Polar era of Warring States. So were the Mahabharta and Kautilya’s Artha Shastra written in similar era of Mult- Polar power equations & constantly warring Maha Janapadas (major states). These two seminal texts represent the quint essential Indian Strategic Culture and way of War-fighting, that is deeply ingrained in our psyche. Today we need to urgently study our Traditional Knowledge Systems, for they represent our innate genius and way of waging war. Not only do we need to indigenise the design & production of our weapon systems, we equally need to indigenise our military doctrines and way of waging war. Hence the need to study the Mahabharta’s and Kautilya’s ways of waging war because they have very significant lessons for us today. The Kautilyan way of war was premised upon waging a long covert campaign of destabilisation and psy- ops to break the balance of the enemy state. Then a swift & sharp military campaign was launched to mop up in the wake of the extended de- stabilisation campaign. Massed war elephants were used to produce shock & awe &speed up the campaign. Amazingly, the same war – fighting design emerged unconsciously in the Bangladesh war of 1971, when in just 13 Days, India broke Pakistan in two and liberated the whole country of Sonar Bangla. The author has carried out a comparative analysis of Kautilya with Machiaville and Sun Tzu that would be useful for scholars & soldiers alike.

Major General (Dr.) G.D. Bakshi, SM, VSM (Retd.) is a decorated combat veteran who was commissioned in the 6th Battalion of the Jammu & Kashmir rifles in 1971. He commanded his Battalion, Brigade and Division in active combat environments in J&K. He became a turn-around specialist and turned defeat into victory in very tough assignments. He has authored 46 books and written over 400 papers for prestigious defence journals. A highly popular TV commentator, he lectures extensively on the subjects of leadership, motivation and national security and is a thought leader on these issues. Currently, he is the editor of Indian Military Review, the defense monthly journal that has the largest circulation in India. In 2018, he was conferred the Chandra Shekhar Rashtriya Samman award by the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

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China has been taking advantage of huge Indian market to enhance its economic strength in the garb of peace and tranquillity but it has been working quietly and deliberately against the Indian national interests which became obvious in Apr-May 2020 wherein it carried out large scale transgressions in Eastern Ladakh which are still continuing.

The sacrifices by CO and 19-unit personnel during the Galwan clash are a watershed moment for Indian Defence Forces wherein the Chinese have betrayed India ‘once again’. This necessitates that the Indian masses understand the Chinese behavioural pattern as that has not emerged ‘overnight’. It is towards this that the book ‘China Betrays Again’ written by Maj Gen (Dr) Ashok Kumar, VSM (Retd) fills this gap to assist the readers to comprehend the multiple dynamics of Chinese expansionist agenda and as to why it behaves the way it behaves.

ALSO READ: China Fuelling An Asian NATO?

The Book also throws light on Galwan clash, multiple rounds of Corps commander level discussions, infrastructure development and implications for India & China due to continuing Stand Off. It also highlights as to how the Chinese have converted the ‘territorial issue’ into a ‘sovereignty issue’ by adopting its Land Boundary Law effective from 1 Jan 2022.

China is also aggressively changing/ bringing in new sovereignty markers by extended infrastructure development and establishment of the model villages all along the LAC which have to be actively responded by India with enhanced focus on the ‘vibrant villages.

The author has taken pains to elaborate the developments in China since 1911 including conflicts between ROC and PRC. The expansionist agenda and its physical manifestation has also been comprehensively covered. This will help in crystal gazing in its future behaviour.

The details of border disputes and LAC disputes have been comprehensively covered in the simplest language for reader to understand. The book also helps to understand the Chinese design of debt trapping in the other countries with specific details of Sri Lanka.

ALSO READ: Fujian – China’s Newest Type 03 Aircraft Carrier

The book also looks at multiple other issues connected with China whether it is BRI or CPEC. Chinese collusivity with Pakistan and its impact on the resolution of the Siachen glacier has also been comprehensively covered.

The reader will be able to get a clear sense of the Chinese activities in South China Sea as well as East China Sea besides its efforts to affect the freedom of navigation for the other countries. Its ambitions to integrate Taiwan have also been covered in detail.        

Prof Hoppymon Jacob has written the ‘Foreword’ of the book which comprehensively captures the essence of the content. The book has been published by ‘Sabre and Quill’ publishers containing 283 pages with cost of Rs 1295/- for hardcover edition. The book is available at Amazon, Sabre & Quill publishers and Book Mart distributors. Author signed copies can be obtained directly from the author.

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Most military analysts feel we are witnessing a pivotal moment in military history – the re-ascendance of defence as the decisive form of war. The levels of battlefield transparency today are simply unprecedented. This makes surprise impossible to achieve. Sans surprise and given the very high levels of lethality of precision guided munitions (PGM), most attacks result in very  heavy casualties in men and material and in carnage and stalemates with little to show for the effort and resources expended. Given the scale of casualties, we will  have to focus hard on force- preservation, reconstitution of badly battered units and quick replacement of casualties in future wars.

This is the most inopportune time to downsize or reduce numbers (as we in India are doing). The world over, defence budgets are rising very fast and armed forces are adding not just new weapons and equipment but also increasing the size of their armed forces. This is the new era of not just high- tech but high-tech and Mass. Nations that want to  win in such unrelenting wars will need to generate the mass that is required to prevail in such intense and long duration grinds of attrition. Wars will increasingly be a test of national will and stamina to stay the course. Both Russia and Ukraine are feverishly raising and training new formations even as they are locked in brutal combat. Downsizing a standing field force in such a dire scenario could well be an invitation to disaster.

We are witnessing the return of the era of Von Clausewitz. Nations are willing to bear huge costs to endure and attain their objectives and simply prevail in such hard fought slogs of attrition. Since 70 per cent of India’s high-tech military equipment is of Russian origin, we have a dire need to study and ingest the lessons of this campaign. Perhaps, the lessons of the economic war and the information and cyber war domains are as vital as the lessons of kinetic war. With  sky-rocketing energy, food and fertilizer prices, the world is staring at a deep recession and stagflation. The world may also be staring at the cusp of a Third World War as flash points flare up concurrently in the Taiwan Straits, South or East China Seas as well as the Baltic and Black Seas.

The author Maj Gen (Dr) G D Bakshi is a combat veteran with considerable experience in Kargil, Kishtwar and Rajouri sectors of J&K. He is a renowned military historian and a prolific writer who has written over 41 books. He is India’s most popular commentator on TV on matters military.

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The author participated in the Indo-Pak War 1971 as a 2nd Lt. He led a rifle platoon in an assault on an enemy stronghold – Sehjra in Khemkaran sector of Punjab.

This book is a narration of numerous experiences and events which the author experienced through his 35 years of service in the Army and a decade thereafter on civvy street.

A very truthful and impartial presentation of events from joining a Gorkha battalion as a 2nd Lieutenant to rise to the rank of Brigadier. Written in an anecdotal form and presented exactly as the events unfolded before him at various places and time.

The book recounts the officer’s formative years in the Battalion and in senior command and staff appointments. It also includes experiences of three para-normal happenings after retirement from the Army.

The author undertook Swargrohoni trek to Satopanth Tal when he was 70 years old, a visit to the pious Kailash and Mansarovar and a spiritual experience which he was blessed to undergo in the midst of the great Himalayas. 

The author has a unique gift of narrating his experiences while he lived, trained, ate and played with his soldiers bringing out lucidly their culture, social customs, traditions, religious rituals. He visited his soldier’s homes in Nepal five times on annual leave undertaking long treks to reach their remote villages in the far reaches of the Himalayas.

The author’s stories are a mix of regimental experiences, challenges faced while serving on the staff of Brigade HQ, GSO 1 (Ops) of a Division HQ, Col Q of a Sub Area HQ, Col Admin of a Division HQ and, later, command of 4/5 Gorkha Rifles (in Tawang sector) as well as an Infantry Brigade at Kanpur.

His experiences in quelling the riots and saving the lives of a number of Sikh families in Delhi after the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, are fascinating.

The author’s brutally honest style compels the reader to finish it in one session and leaves a desire to read passages again and again.

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