Rear Admiral Sudarshan Y. Shrikhande , AVSM, IN (Retd) Articles 27
RADM Shrikhande graduated from the NDA in June 1979. His qualifications include Masters with Distinction from the Soviet Naval War College, (1985-88) in ASW and Weapon Engineering; Msc From Staff College(1995); MPhil from the Indian Naval War College and Highest Distinction from the US Naval War College( 2003). He has served long years at sea, including as XO of INS Delhi, and in command of three ships. He was defence attaché in Australia and to some South Pacific nations.He has been Commander War Room/ NHQ, Director IN Tactical Evaluation Group and member of the IN’s Strategy and Operations Council. In flag rank he has been head of Naval Intelligence; Chief of Staff of SNC; Joint HQ staff duties and in the nuclear forces command and retired in 2016 as Flag Officer Doctrines and Concepts. He continues teaching at several institutions including the NDC, all War colleges and the CDM as well as the NDA and INA spanning strategy, operational art, RMA, Peloponnesian War, Arthashastra, geopolitics, maritime history, leadership and ethics. He has participated in Track 2 discussions and been associated with the VIF, ORF, Takshashila, the NSCS as well as other institutions. He is an adjunct professor at the Naval War College, Goa and with Takshashila. He is the editor-in-chief of the Indian Naval Despatch. He has presented papers in several Indian and international conferences and is pursuing his PHD in sea-based nuclear deterrence. He writes for some Indian and foreign portals and journals. He lives in Goa and helps in honorary capacities with the State ESM welfare committees and until recently with the Navy Foundation.
He can be reached at: syshrikhande@rediffmail.com
Review of Indian No First Use Nuclear Policy: Posers and Posits
Editor’s Note In 2016, the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar, while talking about ‘No First Use’ (NFU) had said, “Why should I bind myself? I should say I am a responsible nuclear... Read more
CDS: From Infighting to Warfighting; From Integration to Jointness
Editor’s Note With the announcement by the Prime Minister during his Independence Day Speech, it’s apparently a done deal. India will have a Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). Whoever he migh... Read more
A Most Significant Project: Why 75 (I) Submarines May Matter Immensely
Editor’s Note The 75(I) indigenous submarine programme at a cost of around Rs. 40-50,000 crore, promises major enhancement of the Indian Navy’s combat capabilities in multiple bands of the s... Read more
Manohar Awati: Sailor, War Hero, Adventurer, Leader, Chronicler…Crosses the Bar
Old Sea Dog! As a first- term cadet in July 1976, Rear Admiral Manohar Prahlad Awati (MPA) was the first flag officer I saw in flesh and blood and he could have been right out of any boyhood... Read more
McCain’s Life and Death: An Indian Sailor’s Musings
Editor’s Note Americans mourned, without exception, when Senator John McCain expired on 25 August, 2018. He stood tall among American leaders, both as a soldier and a statesman. The author t... Read more
Transforming Military Academies to an Annual Intake and Academic Cycle
Editor’s Note The author suggests that there is a strong case for transiting from a six- monthly intake system to an annual system. The advantages could primarily be qualitative, because mor... Read more
The Defence Planning Committee: ‘A Whole of Ship’ Approach for The Ship- Of- State
Editor’s Note The author provides a fresh analysis of the DPC, suggests some changes in nomenclature, the role of the NSA in the architecture and explains why a whole of ship approach may be... Read more
Actualising the Framework for Indigenising Indian Submarines for the Next Fifty Years
Editor’s Note With the broad considerations of the need for future-ready submarines and the vital need for indigenisation having been outlined in his previous article, the author discusses i... Read more
A Framework for the Next 50 Years of the Indian Navy’s Submarine Arm
Editor’s Note The Indian Navy’s expansion plans are way behind schedule. In stark contrast is the case of the Chinese. There are also major issues with armaments that the submarines need to... Read more
The Gun In Front Of The Man Matters Almost As Much As The Man Behind The Gun
Editor’s Note The inexplicably vexed issue of our serious dependence on imported armaments right from a soldier’s veritable limb—his rifle–to tanks and fighter aircraft, has been alway... Read more