While India is growing into one of Asia’s most important military powers, accounts of this rise have been impressionistic and partial. Indian Power Projection assesses the strength, reach and purposes of India’s maturing capabilities, offering a systematic analysis of India’s ability to conduct long-range power projection. The study finds that India’s power projection is in a nascent stage but that, nevertheless, it may be the case that India will find itself using military force beyond its land borders.

This thesis examines the U.S.-India relationship in the context of a world power interacting with the predominant regional power. The growing Indian military's power projection and nuclear weapons capability make the Indian Ocean region a critical area for American foreign policy during the next decade. New Delhi's desire to be a hegemonic power in the region combined with the U.S. military drawdown in reaction to the changing strategic environment could threaten long-term U.S. interests. The United States can no longer afford to remain relatively disinterested in the region and must develop a comprehensive policy to promote regional security and stability.

The book “Integrated Force Projection by India” attempts to highlight the fact that a mere congregation of soldiers, sailors and airmen do not make a Regional Power. It emphasizes, without wandering on the fringes of any blustering rhetoric or puffery, that the proverbial ‘synergy’ is, in fact, ab elemental imperative for force projection and therefore merits greater integration of defence forces with various ministries for an effective, frictionless and well modulated Force Projection System for the country.

These essays examine India's relations with key powers including the Russian Federation, China and the USA and with key adversaries in the global arena in the aftermath of the Cold War. One positive relationship is that of India's relations with Israel since 1992.

China's attempts to comprehensively overhaul and modernise its armed forces, and its emphasis on access to modern technology indicate the Chinese leadership determination to build an all-round military capability to fight well beyond its immediate periphery. Coercion, and if that fails, resorting to use of military force have been the logical and natural steps in China's strategy. This marked propensity to use force makes one take note of China's fast burgeoning military capabilities. The rapid modernisation process of China's military would permit it to extend its influence and power well beyond its immediate proximity. This development has serious implications for India's security. But to exaggerate the "Chinese threat" is counter-productive, lest it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. While the PRC would like the world to respect it even if out of fear or awe, it is axiomatic that India guard itself against an overestimation of the threat while assessing its potential. The book attempts to search for ways to improve an understanding of China's rapidly rising power status in international politics and its possible implications for India's security.

This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the various dimensions of India’s international positioning and foreign relations. Already a dominant player in South Asian politics, India has gained a strong footing in the international pecking order with the signing of the Indo-US nuclear agreement and significant support for its claim for a permanent seat in the Security Council. The chapters presented here look at myriad aspects — India’s relations with its neighbours and global powers farther afield including the US, the European Union, Russia and China; India’s policies, influences and strengths; developments in economy, knowledge and innovation amid evolving global realities as well as geostrategic equations and alliances; its present and future plans vis-à-vis its standing in the world; and how international politics is likely to emerge in the coming years. The volume will be useful to academics, researchers and students of politics and international relations as also to policy practitioners and those in media interested in Indian affairs, foreign policy and international relations.

India has long been motivated to modernize its military, and it now has the resources. But so far, the drive to rebuild has lacked a critical component—strategic military planning. India's approach of arming without strategic purpose remains viable, however, as it seeks great-power accommodation of its rise and does not want to appear threatening. What should we anticipate from this effort in the future, and what are the likely ramifications? Stephen Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta answer those crucial questions in a book so timely that it reached number two on the nonfiction bestseller list in India. "Two years after the publication of Arming without Aiming, our view is that India's strategic restraint and its consequent institutional arrangement remain in place. We do not want to predict that India's military-strategic restraint will last forever, but we do expect that the deeper problems in Indian defense policy will continue to slow down military modernization."—from the preface to the paperback edition