Seventy years after gaining independence, India is poised to consolidate its dominance in South Asia. As India’s role expands beyond the subcontinent, a deep understanding of its military experience and potential is essential.

Arjun Subramaniam’s new book, India’s Wars, delivers a much-needed and timely analysis of the performance of India’s military after independence. Subramaniam examined the forging of India’s army, navy, and air force through early conflicts with Pakistan and China, and how this evolution positions India in the twenty-first century. He was joined in conversation by John H. Gill. Carnegie’s Ashley J. Tellis moderated. A light reception followed, and books were available for purchase.

Arjun Subramaniam

Arjun Subramaniam is a fighter pilot, scholar, and author who recently retired from the Indian Air Force with the rank of air vice marshal, after thirty-six years in uniform. He is currently a visiting fellow at the Harvard Asia Center.

Ashley J. Tellis

Ashley J. Tellis holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specializing in international security and U.S. foreign and defense policy with a special focus on Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

John H. Gill

John H. (Jack) Gill is a professor at the National Defense University and an associate professor at the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. A former U.S. Army South Asia foreign area officer, he retired as a colonel in 2005 after more than twenty-seven years of service.