R Chandrashekhar

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A Modest Journey




Alumni of -  
St Vincents High School, Pune,
Fergusson College, Pune,
Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune,
Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Former Senior Fellow, Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, New Delhi.  
  • Areas of interest -  Civil Military Relations, Higher Defence Management Structures, National Security Decision-making Architecture, India's  Strategic neighbourhood.

Former Member of the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (1978 – 2013). Held a string of crucial and sensitive appointments including extended tenures for a combined duration of 19 years in the Secretariat of the Chief of  the Army Staff.  Superannuated  as Additional Director  General in 2013.


Author of ‘Rooks and Knights Civil Military Relations in India' published by Pentagon Press, New Delhi 2016 - regarded as a seminal work on the subject.


Visiting faculty at College of Air Warfare, Army War College, Naval War College, Centre for Land Warfare Studies. Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute and the National Security Council Secretariat.  




Member of the Government appointed Committee of Experts to recommend Measures to Enhance Combat Capability and Rebalance Defence Expenditure for the Armed Forces. (Lt Gen DB Shekatkar Committee - 2016).

Member of the Government appointed Committee to recommend measures for better utilisation of the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (2020-21). 

Emeritus Resource Faculty, Rashtriya Raksha University, Lavad, Gandhinagar.

Erstwhile Consulting Editor, South Asia Defence and Strategic Review.

Articles published in Firstpost, The Journal of the Centre for Advanced Strategic Studies (CASS), Centre, South Asia Defence and Strategic Review, Raksha Anirveda, besides CENJOWS publications.

Recognitions - Awarded Chief of Army Staff Commendation on seven occasions and the GOC-in-C Western Command once.

Other Interests - Astronomy, Bird watching, Tourism, 
Numismatics,  Philately.    

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