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Sudhir Pillai

Sudhir Pillai

ThePrint

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India’s defence needs financial institutions. Great powers build credit, not just arsenals

India spends heavily on defence but does not finance it. That distinction separates mature defence-industrial economies from those trapped in yearly...

21.10.2025 10

ThePrint

Sudhir Pillai

India doesn’t want to rely solely on HAL for fighter jets. AMCA project is the first step

India has long spoken of self-reliance, yet delays have repeatedly necessitated stopgap imports, including Jaguars, Mirages, Su-30MKIs, MiG-29Ks, and...

08.10.2025 10

ThePrint

Sudhir Pillai

Theaterisation reform is stuck on ranks and roles — India’s military needs clarity

On paper, the idea of theaterisation is elegant. In practice, it is paralysed by ambiguities of rank and command.

25.09.2025 10

ThePrint

Sudhir Pillai

Operation Sindoor model will not work in future wars. India must not delay theaterisation

War is not a staff college exercise. Battles are messy, losses mount, and the fog of war thickens. The safeguard is not temperament at the top but...

03.09.2025 20

ThePrint

Sudhir Pillai

India’s AMCA is a chance to break HAL’s monopoly and finally build an aerospace ecosystem

India has paid a steep price for HAL’s unchecked dominance, evident in the MiG-era overhauls, the decades-long Tejas saga, and the troubled ALH...

09.07.2025 40

ThePrint

Sudhir Pillai

What Operation Parakram taught us—deterrence requires more than just mobilisation or rhetoric

Lofty goals cannot obscure a complex reality: when the need arises to unsheathe the sword, we must already have it sharpened, maintained, and ready...

29.04.2025 8

ThePrint

Sudhir Pillai