Grey Zone Warfare: Way Ahead for India

Grey Zone War has become the preferred choice of countries to secure their national interests due to low cost, deniability, and difficulty in attribution. The idea of the book was given out by the Director General USI, Maj Gen BK Sharma, AVSM, SM** (Retired), since it was felt that there was a felt need for a comprehensive and a well-researched book on this subject from an Indian perspective. The book has attempted to demystify the grey zone warfare and thereafter highlight the grey threats that India is facing especially from its archrivals China and Pakistan. At the same time, it has also examined countries indulging in grey zone activities such as US, Russia, and Israel to draw out lessons in formulating a way ahead for India.

The author strongly advocates adopting a "whole of nation approach" to manage grey wars. He also highlights the need to integrate the agencies involved in dealing with grey threats under a single agency by creating an exclusive department to focus and manage the grey zone. However, he also, cautions that while dealing with grey threats care should be taken not to compromise with the stated stand of India's foreign policy and the principles of rules-based world order, a difficult ask in conduct of grey wars. Finally, the author admits that the recommendations are by no means exhaustive. They are open to further discussion and scrutiny. The book will be extremely useful to the security fraternity in getting an unbiased perspective on grey zone warfare.