The third edition of the South Asia Defence and Strategic Year Book offers an analysis of defence, economic and social issues that impact regional security in South Asia. The wide ranging perspectives give a deep insight into the factors and linkages that impact the emerging international relations of the region, with particular emphasis on India which is an economic, military and political powerhouse with an expanding footprint in the World. South Asia is a region that is rife with geopolitics. By virtue of its population and location, it is a reflection of the challenges of the interconnected, integrated and interdependent world. Its security environment is relatively unsettled and is a reason for both hope and despair. Its issues, which have international as well as regional relevance, have their own dynamics and trends that need a deeper understanding. The Year Book aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the security environment in the region by focusing on an in-depth analysis of military capabilities and strategic imperatives obtaining in the region. Apart from outlining the general security environment, detailed military balance, trends in weapon systems and technology, defence industry, missile and nuclear capabilities and terrorism issues have been highlighted. Growing strategic linkages and independence of nation states make it imperative to consider the region as a whole to incorporate a holistic approach. The Year Book also contains studies on China and other Southeast Asian nations to that effect. Thus the underlying theme of this publication is to enable 'understanding through information'. While the threat of terrorism remains at the forefront of most analyses, the move towards popular and democratically elected governments in South Asia has not eclipsed the existing challenges to governance in all the countries of the region. Poverty and economic disparities, coupled with ethic and social divisions, have created political and social fault lines that have been exploited by non-state actors with their own agendas. Thus we hope to promote peace through understanding by delineating the issues of concern in the region.

South Asia's complex geopolitical realities present a number of challenges to regional countries and dominate the discourse. Likewise, there are complex geostrategic issues which inhibit regional cooperation and add to trust-deficit. This 2008 volume captures the perspectives of experts and scholars on South Asia who offer insights of the region.

Pentagon's South Asia Defence and Strategic Yearbook is now in its fourth year of publication. It covers relevant issues of defence and security, military affairs and military technology written by experts and academicians themselves. These issues are important for defence services, foreign ministers and security experts spread among defence units, strategic think-tanks, government organisations / public sector units, national and international technology manufacturers and diplomats and bureaucrats. The book has been extremely well received and its circulation has grown tremendously in the last three years. It has been regularly reviewed in the USI Journal and other reputed journals and magazines. As The Book Review has commented: "In comparison to the other yearbooks, this book stands out due to the well documented opinion peices by the experienced people from the armed forces, think tanks and academics. It creats a space for dialogue on important topics..."

Intensifying geopolitical rivalries, rising defence spending and the proliferation of the latest military technology across Asia suggest that the region is set for a prolonged period of strategic contestation. None of the three competing visions for the future of Asian order – a US-led ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, a Chinese-centred order, or the ASEAN-inspired ‘Indo-Pacific Outlook’ – is likely to prevail in the short to medium term. In the absence of a new framework, the risk of open conflict is heightened, and along with it the need for effective mechanisms to maintain peace and stability. As Asia’s leaders seek to rebuild their economies and societies in the wake of COVID-19, they would do well to reflect upon the lessons offered by the pandemic and their applicability in the strategic realm. The societies that have navigated the crisis most effectively have been able to do so by putting in place stringent protective measures. Crisis-management and -avoidance mechanisms – and even, in the longer term, wider arms control – can be seen as the strategic equivalent of such measures, and as such they should be pursued with urgency in Asia to reduce the risks of an even greater calamity.

The USI of India Strategic Yearbook 2021 continues the writing excellence we have established since we started this publication in 2016. We have gained respected reputation as a compendium of professionally researched and presented strategic issues of relevance to India, of both the current time and previous year. As earlier the book provides comprehensive researched articles on contemporary security studies by knowledgeable Indian strategic thinkers and scholars, both from the military and civil field. The articles deal with security issues covering international and domestic affairs presented in five thematic sections titled 'India’s National Security Overview', ‘Internal Security Issues', ‘External Security: India's Strategic Neighbourhood', ‘External Security: Pakistan–China Strategic Challenges’ and 'National Security Capacity Building'. The articles deal with the existing paradigm of India's national security. They contribute to security studies in fields of international relations, geopolitics, changes in the character of war, technology, organisational changes and internal security threats and responses. They empower the reader to carry out further research on strategic studies. The Yearbook provides an increased “upstream” focus on defence and security policy practice for all military or civilian practitioners in the field and those researching strategic and security issues.