As the first 50 years of Indian independence come to an end, Defending India by Jaswant Singh, a prominent figure in India's public life, attempts to comprehensively analyse the management of the security challenges faced by the country during the last half century. This is the first time that a senior political figure of India has tackled this challenging theme. Jaswant Singh traces the origins of Indian strategic culture, its civilizational and cultural roots and the strengths and weaknesses of Indian nationhood, and treats these as the basic building blocks on which to structure his examination. The book traces the evolution of Indian armed forces from the earliest, pre-Islamic times to the British periods and includes an examination of the Maratha and Sikh phases as well as the post-independence changes. There follows an analysis of military operations in independent India and of the leadership's ability to manage conflicts. The management of the country's resources, its budgeting on defence and the question of whether independent India has spent wisely and effectively on its armed forces and defence during the last 50 years are also analysed. The author finally identifies some of the major challenges of tomorrow. Read Less