Lt Gen (Dr) VK Ahluwalia, PVSM, AVSM**, YSM, VSM (Retd) | Former Director General, CLAWS
In a career that spanned over 40 years in the Indian Army, Lt Gen (Dr.) VK Ahluwalia retired as the Army Commander, Central Command in 2012. Thereafter, he served as a Member, Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), Jaipur – Jodhpur Benches, for four years, presently he is the Director CLAWS. Amongst the highest decorated generals, he commanded an Infantry Brigade in Uri Sector (2001-02), Mountain Division in Kargil (2005-06) and Corps in Leh-Ladakh Sector (2008-09). He was the first Indian Brigadier to attend the National Defence Course (NDC), at Dhaka (Bangladesh), in 2003. As a young helicopter pilot, he was based in Srinagar and Leh, where he flew extensively in the Kashmir valley and the Ladakh region. A pioneer of Bofors Guns, he was the first batch of officers to be trained in Sweden, and raising the first sub unit of the Bofors guns of Indian Army in 1986-87.
While commanding the formation in Kargil, his Division was awarded the BNHS National Green Governance Award 2005 by the Prime Minister of India, for conceiving and implementing the unique concept, ‘Operation Green Curtain’. As a Brig, he was responsible for the deployment of Indian troops on UN missions abroad. He was the Director General Military Training (DGMT) for three years. A Doctorate in ‘Internal Security and Conflict Resolution’, he has also authored a book, Red Revolution 2020 and Beyond, and co-edited Surprise, Strategy and ‘Vijay’: 20 Years of Kargil and Beyond and COVID-19 & Its Challenges: Is India Future Ready?
Maj Gen PK Chakravorty, VSM (Retd) | Veteran Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Major General (Dr.) PK Chakravorty VSM (Retd), is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. He held various prestigious appointments as: former Deputy Director General of Perspective Planning Directorate, Defence Attaché to Vietnam and Additional Director General Artillery at Army Headquarters; and post retirement was an Advisor to BrahMos Aerospace. Maj Gen Chakravorty holds a Ph.D degree. Maj Gen Chakravorty has authored two books entitled: Fire Power 2030 (New Delhi: KW Publishers) and Assessment of Chinese Military Modernisation and its implications for India (New Delhi: Pentagon Press); and has edited the book on Future of Land Warfare: Beyond the Horizon (New Delhi: Pentagon Press). Major General Chakravorty’s main areas of interest are geo-strategy, firepower procurement, issues on which he has organized and participated in numerous seminars at national and international levels.
Lt Gen (Dr.) Shokin Chauhan (Retd)| Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Lt Gen (Dr.) Shokin Chauhan (Retd) ,was commissioned in 11 Gorkha Rifles in 1979. The General offr has tenanted various prestigious appointments in Indian Army including DG Assam Rifles. As the Chairman of Cease Fire Monitoring Group, the General through the sheer force of the goodwill he generated within the State of Nagaland, ensured that the various insurgent groups engaged in an insurgency in the North East over the last 70 years.The General offr is an outstanding Scholar General and is a well-known and respected geo-political analyst, motivational speaker and regularly contributes articles/columns in various scholarly magazines and institutions both in India and abroad. He has vast experience at the Apex level having served in both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home in the fields of Defence, Counter Insurgency, Counter-Terrorism and Border Mgmt, In addition, he has vast experience in peace-keeping operations, perspective planning and capability building at the apex level. He led or was also a member of various international delegations and spoke in various international forums in the Pacific Command, Hawaii and in Israel and discussed the formulation of a joint geo-political strategy with like-minded nations.
Maj Gen (Dr) Ashok Kumar (Retd)| Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Maj Gen (Dr) Ashok Kumar (Retd) is a 1984 Batch officer initially commissioned in Army Air Defence but later inducted into the General Cadre. A science graduate from University of Allahabad, the officer has done Post graduation in Defence & Strategic studies and Human rights. He has done MBA, MPhil and PhD as well. The officer is a Kargil war veteran and has served extensively on Western as well as Northern Borders. He has also tenanted the appointment of MD ECHS.The officer has tenated Instructional appointments in Army AD College as well as IMA Dehradun. He has done majority of the career courses including Higher Command. The officer has done his Staff college in competitive vacancy. The officer is a defence analyst and writes extensively on geo-politics, health care, education and policy matters. Post his superannuation in Oct 21, he has already written more than 200 articles on various subjects in leading newspapers and think tanks.
Maj Gen (Dr.) KK Pant (Retd) | Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Maj Gen (Dr.) KK Pant (Retd) ,has done number of prestigious appointments in the Indian Army such as instructor in Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Directing Staff in Defence Services Staff College Wellington, Brigade Major, Brigadier Operational Logistic, Colonel Administration, Deputy GOC and Chief of Staff in Kashmir Valley and Provost Marshall of Indian Army. He possesses rich experience in low intensity conflict environment in J&K at multiple levels. He is also a qualified Interviewing Officer from Defence Institute Psychological Research and has been the Commandant of Selection Centre East (SCE) at Prayagraj and President of 18 SSB. He has done his M Phil and doctorate in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras. He has contributed number of research papers and articles in various Defence and other magazines. He has recently authored a book on SSB guidance.
Col (Dr) Mohinder Pal Singh (Retd)| Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Col (Dr) Mohinder Pal Singh (Retd) is a graduate in science form prestigious St Xaviers College, Mumbai. He is a gold medalist in MSc from Allahabad University. MBA from IIFT, New Delhi. He has completed his Doctorate in international strategic relations from the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, University of Allahabad. In his military career spanning thirty years he served with distinction in myriad terrains of the country and intense operations. He was awarded ‘Chief of Army Staff Commendation’ for his work. He has been an instructor in Infantry School and an Assessor in the Officer Selection Process .He successfully commanded a Battalion in his Regimental Centre.He is also a speaker on strategic issues and prolific writer who has to his credit many articles in contemporary journals including the prestigious EPW, issue briefs, Web Articles and in books on strategic and national security subjects. His comprehensively researched book on Myanmar- China Strategic ties is on the anvil of release. HE is Founder Director EGROW Foundation and AMAS Training.
Col (Dr.) Bhasker Gupta| Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Col (Dr.) Bhasker Gupta is an Artillery Officer of Jun 1992 batch, who has recently superannuated from service. He has had professional training in Journalism and Mass Communication, as he was a Trainee Sub-Editor with the Times of India, Delhi, in 1990.Before this, he had a short stint with a MNC GEC-ALSTHOM, as he worked as a French interpreter cum Project Co-ordinator, at their Kawas (Surat) site for six months(April-Sep1990). Within his 30.5 years of military service, he has been a prolific writer, starting with Gentleman Cadet editor of IMA Journal, editor of Rising Star Digest (Corps HQ Newsletter) & The Owl (DSCC Magazine), and contributed articles to Unit Newsletters / SainikSamachar / Artillery Journal, etc. His most prestigious assignment was as the editor of `BAATCHEET’- Indian Army’s monthly newsmagazine (from 2009 to 2012). Besides these, he has contributed over 200 published articles in various magazine/Journals like Swagat, Jetwings, Asia Defence News, Indian Military Review etc; A double Masters in Defence Studies and Business Administration (HR), he has also recently completed PhD in International Relations from School of International Studies-Centre for South Asian Studies, JNU,N Delhi. He is also a Disaster Management expert and has been attending and chairing webinars and seminars on the topic, in the last 5 years. In this field, he has also published a 4 technical papers in reputed journals. He is on the panel of USI of India as a DS mentor & guide for Staff College aspirants.
Colonel (Dr.) Amitabh Hoskote| Senior Fellow, CLAWS
Colonel (Dr.) Amitabh Hoskote ,is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies and PhD Supervisor for the CLAWS-MAHE Doctoral Programme. He has received his PhD in Development (Conflict & Peace) Studies programme at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and has been part of the ICSSR-ESRC Doctoral programme at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK. He has earlier been Honorary Fellow at Observer Research Foundation. His research interests explore War/ Military conundrums, Conflict resolution & Post-conflict transition/ peace studies, spatial/ ethnic violence, democratic accommodation, and Development paradigms in International Relations. His papers have been published in CLAWS Journal, MP-IDSA Journal of Defence Studies, and Scholar Warrior; he is also the author of a book chapter on Conflict Resolution, with a book and two chapters at pre-publication stages. He can be contacted at: [email protected] , ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4800-6562
