About | Chanakya Defence Dialogue

About Us

The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, is an independent think tank on strategic studies and land warfare in the Indian context. CLAWS is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and is a membership-based organisation. It is governed by a Board of Governors and an Executive Council.

The mandate of CLAWS covers national security issues, conventional military operations and sub-conventional warfare. The Centre also focuses on conflicts in the region and military developments in countries within India’s strategic frontiers, particularly those in the Southern Asian region.

The vision of CLAWS is “To be a leading International Think Tank in development and promotion of strategic culture and futuristic thinking on security issues across the continuum of conflict affecting Land Warfare. CLAWS has been ranked 48th amongst World Top Defence and National Strategic Think Tanks as per ‘2013 Global Go To Think Tank Report’ published by University of Pennsylvania, USA. CLAWS aspires to attract leading strategic thinkers, defence analysts, scholars and academics and media persons to deliberate on all facets of land warfare up to the strategic level.

Research at CLAWS is futuristic in outlook and policy oriented in approach. CLAWS disseminates the products of its research to its members, members of the armed forces, decision makers, members of the strategic community and interested civilians. It also seeks to contribute to developing a pro-active strategic culture for India CLAWS organises seminars and conferences, round-table discussions, workshops and guest lecture and undertakes research projects on national security related issues, especially those pertaining to land warfare. Since its inception CLAWS has evolved as an organisation and its activities and research mandate have gradually expanded. It has organised a large number of conferences and seminars and has published several books

Director General

Lt Gen Dushyant Singh,
PVSM, AVSM (Retd)

Lt. Gen. Dushyant Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd), is a distinguished military leader with extensive experience in various operational theatres. He held key positions, including commanding infantry units, brigades, and divisions, and served twice in the elite National Security Guards. Lt. Gen. Singh is also a respected author and strategic analyst, contributing to defence journals and publishing notable works like “Grey Zone Warfare Way Ahead for India.” Recognized with prestigious awards such as the ‘Ati Vishisht Seva Medal’ and ‘Param Vishisht Seva Medal,’ he continues to make significant contributions to national security discourse as a prominent figure publishing in Journals think tanks and academic institutions. Presently Lt Gen Singh is the Director General of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, CLAWS, think tank under the Aegis of the Indian Army.

Additional Director General

Maj Gen R P S Bhadauria,
VSM (Retd)

Major General RPS Bhadauria VSM (Retd) is presently the Additional Director General of Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS ), New Delhi and former Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies & Simulation (CS3) at the United Service Institution of India, New Delhi.He retired from the faculty of the National Defence College in New Delhi after serving in the Indian Army for 36 years. He has commanded a mountain division and brigade on India’s northern borders. He has held many prestigious staff appointments at Army Headquarters. He has the unique experience of raising two large formations i.e., the Division and Mountain Corps. He has vast experience in anti-terrorist operations, both in terms of policy formulation and at the execution level.He holds a Master of Philosophy Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from Madras University, India. He is an alumnus of the National Defence College in New Delhi and has also attended a course on Politics and Strategic Affairs at Escola Superior de Guerra, Rio-de-Janeiro in Brazil.He specialises in scenario-based strategic gaming exercises and regularly conducts exercises for National Defence College, Army War College, and Indian Foreign Service Institute in India. He steered the making of a computer-aided decision-making tool at the Theatre Level in partnership with Institute for Strategic Studies Analysis (ISSA).He researches strategic and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region and in South Asia. He writes regularly for the publications and other journals. He has also edited the book ‘Transnational Terrorism: Evolving Threats and Responses’.

Director (Research and Academics)

Dr Tara Kartha

Dr Tara Kartha is Director (R&A) at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. She works on the neighbourhood and great power politics, and also is involved in CLAWS reaching out to other institutions. Previously she was Senior Jennings Randolph Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace. She served at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Government of India during the tenure of 5 National Security Advisors. In government, her focus was primarily on Afghanistan and Pakistan, terrorism in the neighbourhood, and a watching brief on the outflow of this on radicalisation within India.

DIRECTORS