Building Army’s Human Resource for Sub-Conventional Warfare by K.C. Dixit

The Indian Army today faces a very complex challenge. It is increasingly becoming clear that the kind of wars that were fought a few decades ago are not going to be fought in the future. The nature of warfare is changing from conventional warfare to one that is ‘sub-conventional’. Rivalries among nations continue to exist but the spheres of these rivalries now focus on economic capabilities and strengths. As the author has rightly pointed out, economic superiority along with credible deterrence with the capability to undertake sub-conventional operations, in proxy wars, insurgency, and terrorism and border skirmishes, form the basis of power in any region. Armies across the world now have to perform in multiple situations from war to insurgency to terrorism. They need to have human resource capabilities that can deal with the stress of such warfare. The book tries to address these issues within the Indian Army and recommends some steps for the future.