Introduction
This review Essay of the book authored by General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (henceforth referred as Anil Chauhan) presently the serving Chief of Defence Staff of India, is an anthology of his thoughts, speeches and understanding of the intricate relationship between the past military thoughts—from the ancient to the contemporary India, covering the larger canvas of national security, nature of war, evolving battlefield architecture in modern time, substantiated by his experiences as a soldier and a military leader holding the highest rank in amongst the combined services of Army, Navy, and Air Force. The content and the context of deliberations in the book can be dubbed as a primary document for future scholars of Defence and Strategic studies, policy makers, political decision makers and infrastructure developers, procurement specialists and military strategic analysts. It will aid those who will evolve the future doctrines and strategies, and attempt to restructure to further transform the Indian Armed Force to take on the challenges of security that India has to face in the 21st Century, where the world is in transition and has been dubbed as an age of uncertainty. Though, from a military affairs point of view, Anil Chauhan has made the discourse Indo-centric, but it applies MANEKSHAW PAPER NO. 120, 2025 to the military affairs of all nation-states globally for “Force Application”.
Anil Chauhan’s deliberation constantly suggests to the readers this aspect, sometimes directly and most of the time indirectly. More pertinent is Anil Chauhan’s attempt to bridge the gap between the realm of ideas and the domain of geostrategic policy making, to achieve the status of self-reliant (atmanirbhar) India by making the Indian Armed Forces Ready, Relevant and Resurgent (RR&R), to ink a Blueprint for the Transformation of India’s Military.
