Pune University To Set Up ‘Chair Of Excellence In Military History Of India’, Gets Nod From Ministry Of Defence
The proposals were examined by the Institute Selection Review Committee (ISRC) and unanimously recommended for awarding the chair to the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune for a period of three years to undertake research.
The scope of the chair, inter-alia, include publishing of monographs, conducting seminars, webinars to propagate and enhance understanding of the military history of India, creating a platform for faculty/researchers to undertake research work, develop strategies for communication and awareness on the valour of Indian Military and to provide advice to Ministry on any other matter related to the subject from time to time.
A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with the University shortly. The chair will be supported through an endowment fund of Rs two crore.
“We are very happy to receive the Chair of Excellence from the Ministry of Defence. This has created an opportunity for students to do research in these subjects”, said Prof Dr Nitin Karmalkar, Vice-Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University.
“The Department of Defence and Strategic Studies is the only department in the country in which the Chair of Excellence has been established in coordination with the Army, Air Force and the Ministry of Defence. We intend to set up a ‘Chair of Excellence’ with the Indian Navy in the near future and a proposal for this has been sent to the Navy Headquarter”, said Dr Vijay Khare, Head of Department
Department of Defence and Strategic Studies.
The Department is one of the flourishing departments in the field of Defence and Strategic Studies. Our footprint with the Indian Armed Forces is remarkable and collaborative work is going well with all three services. The Department of Defence and Strategic Studies shares a strong bond with the Indian Armed Forces. In the year 1994, the Indian Army established the Chhatrapati Shivaji Chair in Policy Studies. The Department has unique courses such as Scholars in Residence Programme under which several officers from the Indian Army join the Department as Visiting Scholars.
Every year the Department and the Indian Army organize General B.C. Joshi Memorial Lecture in the memory of General B.C. Joshi. This lecture is delivered by the serving Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) and Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), in rotation. In the year 2020, the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies in collaboration with the Indian Air Force have established the first “Chair of Excellence” named as “Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Chair of Excellence”.
DDSS offers M.A./M.Sc. in Defence and Strategic Studies, M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Defence and Strategic Studies. Recognising the need of disseminating information of the key areas of national security like Terrorism, Disaster Management and Defence Analyst, the Department from the academic year 2018-19 has introduced three Post Graduate diploma courses namely, Disaster Management and National Security, Counter-Terrorism Studies and Defence Analyst and National security. With the aim to strengthen the awareness about India’s National Security and training young minds to lead the global ·security issues, the department from the academic year 2020-21 has introduced a Five Year Integrated Course in M.A./M.Sc.
Defence and Strategic Studies, M.A. in Global Peace, Security and Strategic Studies and also six Post Graduate diploma courses namely, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Vision & Nation Building, West and South Asian Security, African Peace & Security, CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) & National Security, European Peace and Security, Cyber Security and India’s National Security. All these courses help to explore the diverse areas of national and international security. The Department is willing to further this trend to incorporate the changing dynamics of International and National Security.
